Rover.com Dog Friendly Pub Awards | 2019

Hello all! 

It’s been quite a while since we blogged; the last year has been a crazy one. One of our goals for 2020 is to resurrect and re-design the blog, so we’re kicking things off today with a little post about Rover.com’s Dog Friendly Pub Awards. 

Rover.com is primarily a fab database of dog walkers and day-care providers, and they recently emailed to ask whether Winnie and I would like to become ‘roving’ reporters. They have been running a competition to find the UK’s most dog-friendly pubs, and asked us to visit one in the South East and share our experience. Voting is now over, and The Fox and Hounds in Theale was named today as the best dog-friendly pub in our region, however Rover.com want everyone to visit as many dog-friendly pubs as possible; not just the winners! Keen to support dog-friendly businesses, we headed to The Four Horseshoes in Hook.

First impressions are everything, and The Four Horseshoes didn’t disappoint! There was a cosy log burner, everyone immediately made a fuss of Winnie, and the owner produced a jar of treats from behind the bar! Winnie was in her element, of course. There’s nothing a dachshund loves more than food, attention and somewhere warm to sit.

The décor throughout makes it obvious that the pub is dog-friendly, from the funny sign pictured above, to artwork of dogs. There’s also a decent-sized beer garden for dogs to stretch their legs, but we decided to stay cosy by the fire today as it was SO cold outside… and Miss Winnie does not do cold.

After chatting with the owners about their own dog, who is normally behind the bar, it’s clear that being dog-friendly is very important to them. It was great to visit somewhere that was genuinely welcoming towards dogs, not just tolerant of them; which is definitely something we’ve experienced before. The chef even came out to give Winnie some roast beef! She couldn’t believe her luck. 

After more treats, a delicious hot chocolate (and cuddles with the owners!) it was time to go. I’m so glad we visited The Four Horseshoes today, as they really did embody what it means to be a dog-friendly business. I’m grateful that Rover.com contacted us, or we may never have discovered just how many dog-friendly pubs there are in the South East! Don’t forget to checkout the website and visit the entrants in your region; who knows, you might even find a new favourite!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie ox

Dog Friendly Networking Event | Monty and Mabel's

Hello everyone,

Today's post is going to be about a fab dog-friendly networking event we attended last Sunday, at Monty and Mabel's in Wilton. The evening was organised by Steph over at Steph & The Spaniels, and she did a brilliant job pulling it all together! With stalls to browse, talks to listen to and complimentary drinks and cake, it was perfect for both human and hound. I'm always nervous to take my two to events, as they really struggle to settle, but I took my trusty carrier and braved it with them. I'm so glad I did, as they were both pretty good. They do like to wriggle rather than settle down, but it's better than the constant barking we used to have!

As well as tea and cake for us humans (I had a delicious vegan brownie), the dogs were treated to pupcakes from Four Legged Fancies, and crisps/popcorn from Waggy Doggy Doodahs! As if that weren't enough, puppucinos and iced treats also made an appearance later on; the dogs were well and truly spoiled and they loved every minute of it! Winnie tried to steal iced treats from everyone around us, and I'm pretty sure she managed to pinch Archie's from him, the little sneak!

Photo by Camilla Caplin Photography

Photo by Jaime at Fachshund

After having a quick look at the wonderful stalls (Devil Dood Designs, Cotswold Pooch, Luna's Loft and Winston James Woof), and entering the luxury raffle (sadly we didn't win anything!) we settled down with cake to listen to a talk by Honey's Dog Food. Honey's are a small, family-run raw food retailer, and as we already raw-feed I was interested to hear about their products and options. People were given the opportunity to ask questions about raw feeding, how to transition their dogs to raw and the benefits of feeding your dog this way. It was super interesting! If you have any questions about raw dog food, do contact them as they will happily advise you.

Photos by Camilla Caplin Photography

Our friend Emily at Devil Dood Designs was also running a collar workshop on the day; I wanted to take part, but knew I wouldn't be able to whilst juggling both dogs! I took them outside for a little toilet break during the workshop segment, and inadvertently stumbled across a black and tan dachshund gathering. Of course, this was a perfect photo opportunity, and Belle's Mum Camilla Caplin Photography took some fabulous photos of Winnie, Belle and Heidi together. 

The evening finished with a talk about social media and photography from Steph and Camilla, which was really helpful. All in all it was a wonderful chance to get together with like-minded people, browse wonderful products and best of all; see lots of beautiful dogs! Thanks so much to Steph for organising the event, Monty and Mabel's for hosting, and to all the small businesses who attended or donated to the raffle; it was really lovely!

Have you ever been to a similar event?

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Keeping Dogs Cool in a Heatwave

Hello!

So, it has been a long time since I published a post on this blog. I fell out of love with blogging and social media for a while, but after some time away I've discovered my mojo again... and the sunshine definitely helps! Speaking of which, the UK is currently experiencing a heatwave, so I thought I'd come back to blogging with a post about keeping your dogs cool in these temperatures. Heat stroke can be fatal in dogs, and it's important to know the signs and do everything you can to stop your dog from overheating.

General Tips:

Some of these may seem obvious, but they're worth mentioning!

• Don't take your dog out during the hottest hours unless you absolutely have to (for the vet etc).
• Walk them very early in the morning, or late at night; hot pavements can severely burn little paws! If the pavement is too hot for you to hold your hand against for 5 seconds, it's too hot for your dog.
• This goes without saying, but do not leave your dog in the car. Not even for a few minutes. 
• Shaving a dog's fur short can actually restrict air flow and make them feel worse in the heat; this isn't true for all breeds though, so make sure to do some research before you send them to the groomers for the chop!
• Giving your dogs lots of icy cold water can upset their tummy; freezing food into cubes is better as they slowly crunch them, rather than gulping down freezing liquid. You could also give them an ice cube to play with. Obviously, fresh water should always be available to your dog.

Buy a Paddling Pool:

Archie and Winnie get a new paddling pool every year, just a cheap little kid's pool from Amazon. We fill it with cool water and pop it in a shady part of the garden, so they can dip in and out as they please throughout the day. Archie absolutely loves it, but Winnie only goes in when she's really warm and needs to cool off. I put in floating toys like tennis balls, and Archie loves to splash around trying to get them all. A pool is definitely a summer must-have for us.

Cooling Bandanas/Coats/Harnesses:

Another option is to buy a cooling coat, bandana or harness for your dog. We have an ice coat from Pets at Home, and a cooling bandana from Dog Snug. The general idea for most of these items is the same; you soak it in water, wring it out, and then the evaporation of the remaining water cools your dog as they wear it. It's worth noting however, that you need to make sure you keep soaking the item in water as soon as it dries out. If you leave it on once it's dried, the warm air gets trapped between your dog's body and the coat/bandana, making them feel even hotter.

Cool Mats:

We have a few cool mats dotted around, you can pick these up at B&M for as little as £4.99. Archie totally loves them and actively seeks one out when he's feeling too warm (as you can see from the photo!)  They definitely work, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has rested my feet on one after a long day in the heat! If your dog chews things up though, they may not be the best option as they're full of a special gel which would be harmful if ingested.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke: 

Lastly, I thought it'd be useful to share the symptoms of heat stroke in dogs, so you can keep an eye out and be vigilant for signs in your own pets. Here's a helpful infographic:

So there we have it! Some of my tips for keeping your dog cool in this hot weather. I hope you're all enjoying the summer safely and happily!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Archie!

Hi all,

On Friday the 16th we celebrated Archie's second birthday! I can't believe he's already two, where does the time go? It seems to have just disappeared before my eyes. We celebrated with a little tea pawty at my parents' house, and an Arton & Co cake for all the dogs. I just wanted to share a few photos with you!

Happy birthday little man, we love you so much!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Archie's Instagram | Winnie's Instagram

Packing for Crufts, & Our Wishlist | 2018

Hello all, and happy weekend,

I'm so excited as we're off to Crufts tomorrow! I've never attended before, and it's always been something I've wanted to do. I watched coverage of the show religiously as a child, and I can't believe that all these years later, I'll be there with my own dog. Poppy's Picnic have invited Winnie and I along, and I'm super excited to share the day with you on the blog and our instagram stories. As he's a little nervous, Archie will be spending the day at my parents' house. He's a sensitive chap and big, indoor events with lots of dogs are too much for him. I'll be buying him lots of presents to make up for it!

I thought you might like to see what we're taking with us, and what I'm planning to buy!

I always have some essential items that come with me to every event. These are treats, poo bags, a portable bowl and a bottle of water. Of course I take my camera too! Everything else gets changed out depending on the season and weather. Tomorrow we'll be leaving super early (and we're forecast cold temps and rain!) so I'm taking Winnie's beautiful Dachshund Couture coat and her hand-knitted snood from Harry Dachshund Crafts. Inside the show, where it will be warm I imagine, she'll wear her pink shetland wool harness from Teddy Maximus, her Devil Dood Designs lead, and Leather Shed UK collar. Who knew that a trio of items, all from different brands, could be such a perfect match?! It's my favourite combination for her at the moment. I may pop one of our bandanas in my bag too, but I'm not sure.

Now, onto our Crufts wishlist!

My two really have everything they need, but I definitely want to get a Pet Teezer, which is a tangle teezer brush for pets! I think it'll be perfect for Archie, and my bunnies as well. I believe these are being sold on the Battersea stand. I'm hoping to stock up on Lily's Kitchen travel snack bars, some Chuckit! balls for Archie, and my Mum has asked me to buy Dogrobes drying coats for her dogs as well. I'm sure I'll come home with lots more than this (I have no self-control!) but that's all that's on my list.

Are you at Crufts tomorrow? Please say hi if you see us!

Chloé, Archie & Winnie

Archie's Instagram | Winnie's Instagram

"Snow" Much Fun!

Hello everyone!

Did you have snow last week? We did, and quite a lot of it! It was quite inconvenient as some important appointments had to be cancelled, but it was still lovely to have a few snow days off work. We made the most of it and had a lovely woodland walk... I took some photos that I just had to share.

Archie absolutely loved the snow; it was the first significant snowfall of his life, and he just couldn't get enough of it. Once he was wrapped up in his equafleece and his snood he was happy to play out in it for hours, and he kept sprinting all over the place. It was so lovely to seem him bouncing about, I love it when the dogs get to experience something new! Winnie, on the other hand...

Winnie absolutely despised the snow! Honestly, it was hilarious. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I didn't realise quite how cross it would make her. She only went out to pee about three times in four days, and when I tried to do a photoshoot I had to wrap her up in two coats and a snood! She looked absolutely ridiculous, she still hated it, and so we abandoned that idea pretty quickly. I wasn't going to make her go out walking in it, so instead, I put together a makeshift sling and carried her about whenever we went on a walk. She totally loved it, Archie got to enjoy the snow and I was a happy dog mum.

Did you enjoy the snow?

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Archie's Instagram | Winnie's Instagram

15K Thank You and Giveaway!

Hi everyone!

Soooo yes, it's been a month. Apparently, I'm taking my 2018 goals pretty seriously! I decided I wanted to take a little step back from the blog and social media this year, as I was actually finding it all a bit toxic. Going out on adventures without my camera has been so liberating! Honestly, I hope everyone makes the effort this year to just put their phones/cameras down a little more. Life really isn't about likes and freebies, and it's so wonderful to just let go of it all.

Perhaps ironically then, the reason for this post is that Winnie hit 15,000 followers on instagram! That's such a huge number to me, I can't quite believe it. I many not have been on social media as much, but I still want to mark the milestone. I remember my mum saying "I'd be shocked if she hit 10k"... and now here were are at 15k! To celebrate this (and the one year anniversary of her instagram account), I thought I'd have a little giveaway.

The prize will be a bundle of goodies from my etsy shop, and I'll pick up some bits at Crufts too most likely. (Oh yes, I'm heading off to Crufts for some shopping!) To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below with your favourite aspect of dog ownership. Additionally, you can head over to Winnie's instagram and enter there, too. The giveaway will close on 11th March and the winner will be contacted privately after that date. Good luck!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Archie's Instagram | Winnie's instagram