K9 Magazine

K9 Magazine is a British dog magazine published by K9 Media Ltd. It was conceived to fill a perceived gap in the UK magazine market for a dog magazine aimed at a mainstream audience of dog lovers rather than 'specialist' titles aimed at professional interest dog owners.

Issues

K9 Magazine's "'first issue" was published in August 2001. It featured a Labrador puppy on the cover and carried the strap-line 'Bred to be different'.

Issue two featured a picture of a West Highland Terrier and sported a Union Flag background. It was tagged 'The Crufts issue' as it was distributed at Crufts dog show.

Issue three featured a Jack Russell Terrier on the cover and was dubbed 'The Puppy Special' as it contained a large array of features aimed specifically at puppy owners and people considering purchasing a new dog.

Issue four featured a cat and dog on its cover and was the first (and to date, last) time the publication mixed canine and feline content.

Issue five featured a Yorkshire Terrier on the cover and featured a new design style.

Issue six saw the publication carrying a new strapline "The Lifestyle Magazine for Dog Lovers" a motto that the title still carries. This issue carried an interview with glamour model Jordan and celebrity ghost hunter Derek Achorah, from Living TV.

Issue seven saw the magazine's biggest image change to date as, for the first time, it featured a person and dog on the cover. The person was singer/songwriter Anouska de Georgiou along with her Great Dane. This image change reflected the altered direction of the magazine editorially as it took its first steps to becoming a recognised lifestyle title for dog lovers rather than a specialist dog magazine.

Issue eight featured Emmerdale actress Lucy Pargeter and her dog on the cover and carried editorial about relocating with dogs and the controversial subject of theDangerous Dogs Act.

Issue nine contained a lead feature entitled 'The 100 Greatest Dog Training Tips' and carried a cover adorned by Isabella Hervey and her dog Cleo. Editorially, this issue contained articles on booster injections, holidaying with dogs and how to have a dog friendly garden.

Issue ten was a bold orange affair and carried a cover featuring model Charlotte Dutton and her two Bearded Collies.

Issue eleven carried a cover and interview with model and lingerie entrepreneur Caprice. Editorial highlights were an interview with hair care magnate Vidal Sassoon and a focus on the practice of deliberate cross breeding to produce so-called 'designer dogs'.

Issue twelve came with a metallic fade cover behind an image of actress/model/singer/dancer Carmen Electra.

Issue thirteen was a departure from its trend of boasting celebrity fronted covers. This issue carried a cover of a young woman wearing a straw hat along with a strikingly blue-eyed dog. For extra trivia, the reason this issue did not feature a celebrity was due to the proposed celebrity interview falling through at very late notice with a female singer who has since been featured on another dog publication in another country.

To make up for the disappointment of having no 'name' on the cover of the previous issue, K9 Magazine pulled off a major scoop by landing a world exclusive interview with music, Mariah Carey. Mariah and her dog Jack, were on the cover of Issue fourteen and was comfortably the most publicised of any edition to date. Excerpts from Mariah's interview with K9 Magazine made their way into lots of other media outlets around the world including Hello Magazine in America.

Issue fifteen carried a front cover adorned by Kristanna Loken, an actress and former model whose credits include the films Terminator 3 and Bloodrayne. Editorially, this edition carried a feature on 'The 100 Greatest Doggy Things' of 2005 as well as an interview with former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum.

Issue sixteen sported a front page featuring American actress Charisma Carpenter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fame, with her Golden Retriever. Editorially the magazine contained features on Bloat, the future of Crufts dog show, the most controversial incidents to affect the canine world plus the cult of the 'designer dog' and an in depth look at The Briard and dogs who have saved people.

Issue seventeen featured Star Trek actress Jolene Blalock on its cover. Features of note included a detailed history of the dog, tracing the world's most popular pet back to its wolf roots. Other editorial included a guide on 42 guaranteed ways to keep a dog happy, an interview with Martina Navratilova, advice on puppy behaviour conditioning and an examination of why many successful leaders have chosen to rely on dogs.

Model, tv personality and owner of several dogs Jodie Marsh made the cover of Issue eighteen one of the most interesting to date. Jodie's cover shoot was a featured as a segment on the hit channel 4 TV show 'It's Me or The Dog' with Victoria Stilwell. This edition contained articles touching on everything from pedigree fraud, how to save a dog's life in a poisoning emergency, which was the best country to live in for dogs and part II in a puppy training series entitled '5 Activities Guaranteed to Keep Puppy Occupied'.

Around the same time as Issue nineteen being published, the magazine featured prominently in the media as its editor, Ryan O'Meara was called upon to pass comment in the wake of heightened media attention on dog attacks. In September 2006 a baby girl was killed by two Rottweiler guard dogs. K9 Magazine, having called for dog ownership suitability tests for some years, was keen to defend calls for breed specific legislation in favour of a more education rather than legislation driven initiative.

Issue 19 of K9 Magazine was fronted by ex-Emmerdale and Bad Girls actress Claire King. This issue also featured an interview with celebrity dog lover Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. Editorially the magazine's highlights included a run down of the 50 greatest dog books, an in-depth look at the canine genome project and a profile of the 7 most influential dogs of all time.

External links

*http://www.k9magazine.com
*K9 Magazine in the News http://www.k9media.net/k9media/news.htm