Monday 19 November 2012

Poochie Pack, Coffee with a Canine & Winter is a coming!

Hello Everyone!


We hope that everyone had a super duper weekend- it's just a terrible shame that they are so short. Thanks to www.wooddogcrate.com for this post today.
Now we didn't get chance to blog about anything that happened over the week but we want to start by letting you all know we were asked to be featured on Coffee with a Canine, you can read our interview HERE!. So a very big thanks to Marshal for letting us be a part of their awesome bloggy :)

You may remember that last week we got a parcel, but after much hype from Mum, the parcel was for her and not for us- but we were in luck this week because a big van pulled up to our house, the man opened the back and pulled out an exciting looking box...which was for US! But Mum was expecting this parcel for a few days, but she never had the decency to let us know we had one coming..something about keeping a secret, but still very sneaky of her.
The parcel was from a lovely company who can send out the 'Pooch Pack' full of wonderful goodies for us dogs. Oooh, we were so excited we wanted to try everything at once! Me and Dante had our nose in it the moment Mum set it down. In case your wondering why on earth I am wearing that ridiculous hoody- I get a bit chilly in the house after our walk so mum puts it on me too keep me toasty and warm, so no-one laugh please! 

Dante & Daisy Boo are on a health kick and so are on diets (where as I need bulking up!)  so Mum was really pleased that these sweet potato & papaya treats were 100% natural- just de hydrated fruit and vegetables, so because it was a one off and it is low fat we all got to sample the treats.
 Dante was a big confused at first as to what they were- but they were delicious  and we ate them right up. Mum said not to tell anyone, but GOOD ENOUGH for humans, so Mum took a bite of the papaya, hehe. She said that is was quite tasty- but we could have the rest for later.










I mean you can't tell we were utterly loving them, can you!?


There we are also some scrumptious hand made cookies, that had oats and amazing peanut butter flavouring...I'm drooling just thinking about them...in fact you can see some drool on the packet already, hehe. Mum was feeling generous so we all got one of these too...after she made us all 'wait' for them. 'Wait' means she will put something awesomely delicious in front of your face..then use her mind powers to stop you touching it..we are only allowed it when she says the release command 'okay'. Apparently NILIF...'nothing in life is free' so we have to actually work for our treats, so unfair! But these home-made cookies, were lovely...I kept bugging Mum for more, but who could say no to my puppy eyes?
There was also a funky looking ball thing, that we thought was a toy, but it was a cool poo bag holder called a 'Bagee'. Mum loves it, its really light weight and made out of squish plastic, so when it is empty you and just pop some new poo bags in the hole- a instant hit with us, Mum said she will get some pictures of it soon.
There was also...shampoo, to be used with the scary bath monster- eek! It is made from all natural ingredients  so there is no chemicals to irritate our skin, plus it does smell lovely...maybe we can be convinced into having a bath after all....

Also Bionic Biotic health mineral supplement  anything that keeps us fighting fit and healthy is always a bonus to us. Mum has been putting it in some natural yoghurt as part of our meals daily.
Finally a cool toy,with an awesome vanilla scent that also dispense treats called a Roxxter...but we have to figure out how we get them. Dante, who has the brain capacity of a bumble bee immediately gave up despite the promise of treats, Daisy Boo did figure it out eventually..but I figured it out immediately, then decided the toy was mine  and mine alone. So yes, it was a big hit, for a genius like me. 
We would totally recommend the Pooch pack to our friends- there are such wonderful goodies in them! 
Winter is drawing in- did you know it is only 37 sleeps to Christmas? I wonder what Santa Paws will be brining us this year, something yummy I hope. I just hope we don't have another Christmas photo shoot like last YEAR. Any way...we hope everyone is enjoying the last of Autumn before winter kicks in!

Have a great week everyone.

Slobbers





Thursday 8 November 2012

Book Review- Sad Tales for Me, Remembrance Day & a Catch up




Hello Everybody!
Mum has been a busy bee lately and firstly a big thanks to www.dogtrainingcollars.com for this post today. but she told us that there was a big surprise for her(and us we hoped!) coming through the hole in the wall and at the weekend we heard a ‘thud’ at the door.  So naturally we had to inform Mum with a chorus of barks of this strange gift from the hole in the wall…but alas the parcel was not filled with delicious treats for us…well what on earth is going on Mum?
This doesn't look like edible goodies to me...but it does have a dog on it, so I suppose it can't be all that bad, can it?
Now Mum told me that a very nice company  sent  ‘us’ a wonderful book to read.  Now I don’t know about you..but I'm not too sure about doggies reading…Mum says we lack the brain capacity, or some nonsense like that. But me, as a lady doggy can read perfectly thank you very much. So after Mum read the book, I took it upon  my highly intellectual self to read and review this book on behalf of us doggy kin (okay so Mum helped me a bit with some big words)

Now the book 'Sad tale for me' is aptly called by the author -who I’d like to add is a doggy himself, an ‘bidography’ which Mum says is a play on words. It is written from the point of view of a little doggy, like our blog!- called James Barklee . It is written for little children humans (and grown ups too) with some wonderful illustrations of James Barklee and his adventures.
I like it because it really shows what life is like for a doggy in the eyes of a doggy to be precise,  plus I can relate because James is often in trouble because of his size and although he is an itty bitty doggy I can think of one doggy who get into trouble a lot because of his size, can you guess who it could be? BOL!

The book is a lovely read, if I do say so myself there is lots of nice little quotes, that I can really relate too, like this one: ''...because my family loves me; eccentric, individual me, just as I love them faults and all'' 
Sweet ins't it? The only problem is that the book is too short, I would have liked to read more.  Well done Mr James Barkele, your just like us, a typical doggy, with lots of doggy problems…but no matter how many naughty things you do, or how mad your family may seem they will always love you- no matter what!

Now you may wonder why I am wearing a poppy on my head. Yes I know it makes me look fabulous but there is reason behind it. It’s to commemorate Remembrance Day on the 11th November to remember all those who gave their lives in the call of duty. Mum says to be respectful we all have to wear one, Mum got these wonderful handmade ones from her Manager at work. I think we look the part!...even if the boys were a little bit reluctant to have flowers on them...
Finally- can you believe it is November already?  I don’t know about you but it is really really cold for this time of year, the mountains already have snow on them.  Dante is feeling the cold in his legs, so Mum made him these special ‘pants’  which she puts hot water bottles in (but not too hot!) so his hips don’t get cold and stiff…and although he looks stupid they keep Dants a happy Alamants! 
Mum also keeps saying it is only another week till our new playmate is due to be born..wonder what she is on about?! Have a great week everyone, remember it is nearly the weekend and you can all get up to lots of great adventures then, as long as it is not too cold. hehe. 


Slobbers

Monday 29 October 2012

Mug Shot


No words today guys, just a picture of my handsome mug! Hehe.

Slobbers

Sunday 28 October 2012

Walkies?


Hello Everyone....guess what? It’s the weekend and weekend are just awesome! A big thanks to www.dogbarkcollar.com  for this post today. We live for the weekend, because weekends mean Mum gets to spend a whole 2 days with us without having to go to work, although she does spend some time with her friends or doing other human things…which we think is completely unacceptable, don’t you agree? As Mum works full time and despite the fact we do get a good hour or so of walkies each week day Mum tries to take at least one of us out each weekend to some where a bit different. Like our blog post a few weeks ago when we all went to a place up in the Lake District which had a very doggy friendly visitor centre, called Brock Hole. Mum was feeling really brave that day and took all of us, and we behaved surprisingly well. As you all know Daisy Boo is a bit of a shy violet, around the boys she is a ruff and tumble macho girly. But in public places with lots of people she tries to avoid the centre of attention. But taking her out with Dante and Sampson she seems to see how they behave around strangers and in fact there is nothing to worry about.
Around our town and the especially Lake District is a fairly doggy friendly place and everything is within a reasonable drive for us-even though we have been to lots of places there are still loads of doggy friendly things for us to do and explore. But the best thing about where we live is the abundance of places for us to walk in safety and relatively undisturbed. 
Firstly, all our local beaches are super dog friendly (as long as you are respectful and you make your human pick up your, erm ‘business’ and that your under control around other animals and people) there is a beach that has lots of wildlife in the sand Dunes, so between March and October you have to be on your leads so the birdies and other animals can have their babies in peace! Plus beaches are the best place for zoomies with your brother & sister.

Secondly there are lots of woods & forests for us to run around and explore near us too! In fact we go to the woods near our house almost every day (unless we go to the beach or somewhere different)and we often meet lots of our doggy friends up there too; you could call it an unofficial ‘doggy park’.
.Mum says although it is nice that we have each other to play with it is good for us to socialise with other doggies of all different shapes and sizes. We love it because it is a mixture of woods (and with woods there are lots of sniffs and things to roll in!) fields and big muddy puddles.We can have a big run too, as long as we avoid the trees, hehe.
Along with our woods and beaches, we can venture up into the Lake District where there are more places for us to walk- forests, lakes, moors and even mountains! But that is a story for another day. What about you, what are you favourite place, or places to walk?!
 Slobbers

P.S Mum got a bigger car recently- I still don't think we fit!





Thursday 18 October 2012

My life with a young arthritic slightly hip dysplasia riddled dog.


Hello everyone! Dante here, I knew I’d get myself some blog time sooner or later! We want to give a big thanks to www.dogfencediy.com for this bloggy post. Sampson does seem to be stealing the lime light lately don’t you think? Myself  and Daisy Boo were begging to feel a bit left out from all his publicity, but enough about them too this post is all about me.  Well, about me and my sore back leggy problem, it has really gotten worse over the past fews months and is making me and Mum rather sad, my whining was making everyone feel sorry for me –hehe, at least I am milking lots of attention. But Mum wants to right this post from her point of view, but don’t worry it is still about me!


Words from Mum- Dante is my first dog, the first dog that taught me everything I know, Dante taught me how to handle those sharp puppy teeth trying to chew you and your wordly possessions to peices, those seemingly endless weeks where your pup doesn’t grasp why he cannot just pee and poop where ever his heart desires and why on earth you start flailing wildly when you have a tiny..ok rather large ‘accident’ on the carpet several times a day. 

The day I got Dante I finished work and drove the 2 hours north to the border, initially to see some tiny cream 5 week old Labradoodle pups.  I drove into the outskirts of Carlisle to a lonely little farm sitting quantity in the middle of the fields- it looked like something out of a certain Werewolf film! When we pulled in we were greeted by some very aggressive barking from what we assumed was the ‘farm dog’ coming from the nearby barn. We entered the house, and were greeted by squirming yelping little cotton wool balls of pups and were told we could leave a deposit for the pup of our choice and come back to collect it in a few weeks’ time. Obviously I was smitten by the adorableness of the little ones, the breeder then went on to say that she had three 12 week old ‘Labradoodle’ pups out back that were ready to today home today. Foolishly I said I would take a ‘look’.  Twenty minutes later I had a very confused black lanky puppy sitting in the back seat of my car. A rather rash decision on my part, considering I had not seen either of his parents only this now rather bewildered pup and his two boisterous and scruffy  brothers. So to this day I do not know the true parentage of my supposed ‘Labradoodle’…now when people ask what kind of dog he is I always reply ‘He is a good dog’.

Since his puppy hood Dante has always walked with what he have called a ‘waggly’ gait, meaning his back end has always swayed with the grace of an elephant trying to do the Samba and his back left leg has flicked out at a slightly crooked angle as he ran. He was taken to our vets at the time as I was concern that he may have a hip/leg problem that would cause him issues when  he was older- but my worries were dismissed and I was told ‘it’s just the way he is’ . But that concern was always at the back of my mind. Dante had a happy healthy adolescence we were constantly going on hikes and day trips, besides his ‘waggly walk’ we had no indication that in a few short years my fuzzy bear would be struggling to go about his day to day life.




















The terrible twos -enter the Daisy Boo! When Dante hit two our second scrufster entered our lives and Dante relished the job of teacher and brother albeit with a slight limp to his walk.  We took him again to the vets who gave us several course of ant anti inflammatory tablets that did nothing to shift his limp. This limp-drug cycle continued for another year or so with Dante, not being in pain as such but he did look uncomfortable a times. We also had a spell at hydrotherapy, which amazingly made him so much worse, the poor dog was in agony after each session, we could see the benefits were seriously being over shadowed by the short term negative impact it was having on it, so after a few months he was taken off the programme.


In the few months after Sampson finally entered our lives we knew Dante wasn’t right- he was less exuberant on our walks, less active at home and as a result began to pile on the weight, which in turn made the limp and his hips much much worse.  But thankfully, due to an overdue change of vets Dante was thoroughly x-rayed with his arthritis and dysplasia confirmed which at least gave us something to work with.

Now he has been diagnosed Dante has had a few life alterations, firstly he is on the dreaded D-I-E-T, the vets did say because of his condition it would take him several months to shift the extra bulk, but that means NO treats and teeny portions of food. He still needs his walkies, but they are to be ‘gentle’ which is often hard to stick too when your arthritic dog gets his uncoordinated zoomies! Dante loves to swim, and although he over does it at times, I try to take him and just him to the beach when the tide is in so he can do what he loves most without being competitive with his brother and sister.

Along with his diet Dante is on his Joint Supplement tablets- as are Daisy Boo and Sampson. They get crushed into their second meal of the day, Daisy Boo gets one and Dante & Sampson get 2 each, to help keep their joints supple too! 

Along with drugs to help lessen the progression arthritis Dante also has his pain relieving and anti inflammatory medicine ‘Meta Cam’ which we give him if he is having one of his bad days. We try not to give him too much as in the long run it can cause liver damage so we keep its usage to the minimum.

Dante is also helped with the little things, we try not to let him jump from any great height, we have a special ramp which- although I took him some getting used too, does reduce the stress on his joints getting in and out the car. He is also encouraged not to lie on the hard floor, so he is given free reign for any sofa or bed in the house he wants!


People have said it is our fault for not buying responsibly, neither of his parents have been hip scored, but at the end of the day he was still born and I would relive this journey had with him without a second thought, he has taught me so much not only about the joys of dogs but how to see the light in everything, even when you’re hurting. Dante can keep his gentle good nature, even when he is in severe pain; I hope one day I can be as patient as my boy. Obviously in the future we will have to take further measure to keep him happy and comfortable, methods such as steroid injections and hip surgery, but that is a bridge we will cross when it comes to it, but in the meantime, although he is not the most active dog in the world, he certainly is one of the happiest!


Tuesday 9 October 2012

Wordless Wednesday