Back by paw-pular demand, Actress, Emma Barton, and her Parson Russell Terrier, Poppy Dog, have teamed up with Blue Cross, once again to launch a third series of The Petcast!
Launching today (29th June) on Apple Podcast, iTunes, Acast and Spotify, in this new series Emma and Poppy Dog will be joined by a variety of celebrity guests, expert vets, and animal behaviourists, to discuss a wide range of topics related to pet welfare and pet ownership.
Star guests include model and presenter, Penny Lancaster, Strictly Come Dancing star, Anton Du Beke, British Paralympian, Hollie Arnold MBE, JLS band member, JB Gill, TV personality Nicola McLean, and best-selling author, James Bowen – each delving into their own unique experiences of being pet owners and sharing personal stories about life with their furry friends.
This past year has seen a surge in the number of British households welcoming a new pet into their family, with over 3.2 million households in the UK having acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic – but sadly not all pet pairings go as planned; leading to many pets being given up for rehoming or abandoned each year.
Touching upon the whole pet kingdom, The Petcast aims to empower both new and long-standing pet owners with the information, tips and advice they need, in order for everyone on two legs and four to live their paw-fect lives together!
The new series, made up of six 20–30-minute full episodes, will explore Pet Summer Safety, Socialising Your Pets, Social Media, Kids & Your Pets, Pets & Mental Health, The Love Languages of Pets and Pet Scams & Theft.
And for the fur-st time ever, The Petcast will be launching a new mini ‘Ask the Vet’ series, which will be released in conjunction with the full episodes – where Emma and expert Blue Cross vet, Caroline Reay, answer listeners questions, such as; Should I brush my pet’s teeth?, Why does my dog eat poo?, How do I know if my pet is overweight?, Does my pet get allergies?, Could my pet get dementia? and Should I bath my pet?
Emma comments: “I am beyond thrilled to be working with the Blue Cross team again, to bring our animal-loving listeners another series of The Petcast! Fellow pet owners will know that having a furry companion offers so much love, comfort, and support, but it also comes with a lot of responsibilities and challenges, which not everyone is always completely prepared for. The landscape has also changed so much over this past year for pet owners, so in this new series we have shared lots of knowledge, tips, and advice, which will hopefully support them (and their furry friends) as we ease out of lockdown. We have some fabulous guests joining us on this new series – including my dance-partner-in-crime Anton and another friend and cooking partner of mine JB – so I have no doubt that our listeners will enjoy what we have to offer!”
Julia McKechnie-Burke, Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at Blue Cross, comments: “We are delighted to be launching another series of The Petcast this summer, along with the wonderful Emma Barton and her co-host Poppy Dog. With some fresh famous faces on board, and the introduction of a brand new ‘Ask The Vet’ mini episode series, we believe this is going to be the most informative and fascinating series yet.
Anton Du Beke’s comments: “I live at home with my family and two handsome dachshunds, Antoninus and Branston. The dogs love getting out and about, but it’s quite common for them to get a little shaky when bigger dogs come over to say hello! It has been great to get some sensible socialising tips from Blue Cross experts on The Petcast – and to catch up with my dear dance partner Emma too, of course!”
James Bowen comments: “I was first introduced to the unconditional love of pets when I met my dear cat, Bob. In some of my darkest days, Bob really was my strength and stay – which is why ensuring that pets all over the UK receive the same level of love and support, as I did from Bob, is a real passion of mine. Last year, my fiancée and I were scammed when trying to buy a new puppy online, having seen what seemed to be a credible ad posted on a website. It was a really difficult time for us, and something we weren’t prepared for, so I’m eager to share my story to ensure that other people don’t have the same experience.”
The first series of The Petcast, hosted by TV actress Gemma Atkinson, launched in March 2020 and was a barking success – gaining a firm place at the top of ‘Pets & Animals’ Apple podcast chart for several weeks, and gathering thousands of listeners.
Blue Cross supporter and animal enthusiast, Emma Barton took up the role of host for series 2 of The Petcast in October 2020, helping The Petcast to attract thousands more pet-loving listeners and maintain a firm place in the podcast charts.
Episode one of The Petcast: Series 3 will air on Tuesday 29th June on Apple Podcast and all other podcast platforms. Listen here:podfollow.com/petcast
