HomeCrimeBanned pooches and flamingo tea parties: Animals in The Argus archives

Banned pooches and flamingo tea parties: Animals in The Argus archives

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Animal stories always generate great interest at The Argus office, so we explored our archive to find which pets had featured in the news over time.

From flamingos drinking tea, cats working in shops, and heroic police dogs, this publication has covered them all.

The image below shows Gladys Wilkinson exercising her dogs on Hangleton Green during snowfall in February 1986.

Meanwhile, an unusual press interaction took place when a cat was interviewed at Brighton’s Theatre Royal.

The celebrated police canine Prince appears here with his handler PC Patrick in 1969.

In 2017, Albert Green complained to The Argus after his dog Martha was prohibited from entering Lancing FC under fresh regulations introduced by the Sussex County Football Association.

Actress Mollie Sugden, famed for her portrayal of Mrs Slocombe in Are You Being Served, was photographed presenting tea to a flamingo at a garden party held at Drusillas in 1986.

Former Labour leader Michael Foot and his pet dog Dizzy were photographed attending a Labour party function in 1981.

Councillor David Barling was pictured alongside a cat in 1983.

More recently, in 2018, entertainer Bob Mortimer made a trip to Cats Protection’s national feline adoption facility located in Chelwood Gate.

Ginger the shop cat was a cherished regular at hardware business Dockerills, which shut its doors in 2024, shown here seated in his dedicated counter compartment.

The photograph below displays former Brighton MP Andrew Bowden with his dogs in 1992.

A penguin entertained youngsters along the seafront promenade.

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