Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Macy the Dalmatian: From long walks on the beach to radio star

Susan Byers' 14-year-old pooch has barked her way to be an Original 10Sticks presenter.

Macy's owner Susan Byers thinks the station is a great idea. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.
Macy's owner Susan Byers thinks the station is a great idea. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

Not many dog owners can say that their pooch is a radio host.

Susan Byers now has that claim to fame, as her Dalmatian Macy will feature as a presenter on Original 10Sticks.

The station will launch on Monday, November 4 in the build-up to Bonfire Night and will be playing soothing tracks for dogs around the north-east.

Macy will be one of several dogs whose barks will fill the presenter role on the station.

Macy will be a presenter on Original 10Sticks. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

Macy makes it on Original 10Sticks

Susan said: “I’ve used similar tactics in the past for Macy on fireworks night I think it’s a great idea!

“She used to be so petrified of fireworks even to the point where we have tried building her a fort in the living room to keep her calm.

“Her age is a bit of a blessing in disguise when it comes to fireworks now, as her hearing has gotten a lot worse, she often doesn’t really hear them.

“It used to seem as though you only ever get fireworks on bonfire night.

“However now it seems as though people set them off for weeks in the lead-up to it!”

Macy along with owners Susan and Alex. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

The 14-year-old pet is a much-loved member of Susan and husband Alex’s family.

Susan works as a drum tutor at her home in Bridge of Don, with Macy proving popular with the students as well.

Susan said: “She loves humans. I call her a Velcro dog because she sticks to you wherever you go!

“She always greets us with her cheeky smile.

Macy trades in the lead for a microphone on Original 10Sticks

Some of Susan’s most cherished memories of Macy involve her favourite walking spot at the beach.

Susan said: “At her grand old age, she is still doing well but she has slowed down. She still loves a short walk along the beach when she can.

“The beach has always been her favourite.”

Macy loves a puppucino and getting spoiled by her grandparents. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

The challenges that Macy now faces mean she has largely traded long walks for car journeys for treats.

Susan said: “As she struggles with her walks, her favourite adventures tend to be in the car.

“She loves a puppucino from Star Bucks or visiting her gran and grandad who always make sure to spoil her.”

Original 10Sticks will be available to stream on smart speaker and via the Original 106 app from November 4 – 10th.

Conversation