Dog Grooming

My beloved bichons are the first breed of dog I've owned who need regular grooming, and after a hefty bill I wanted dog grooming to be the focus of today's blog!

Miffy and Daisy get groomed every other month or so, depending on the temperature/state of their fur. If they get cut short for the summer, if takes a while longer to grown full again. While I do trim their paws/eyes etc sometimes, it's very difficult to cut them sufficiently and not cause stress to either dog. Miffy in particular is very wriggly and you might aswell be cutting her paw off the fuss she makes!

Too many people buy bichon frises or similar long haired dogs who need regular grooming, and when they realise how expensive and time consuming grooming is, they either neglect the dog's beautiful coat or get rid of them.

I've mentioned previously the terrible state Miffy was in when we rescued her. Her soft white curls were matted grey knots. She had to be totally shaved which was not only unpleasant for her, it was an added expense for us.

Long haired dogs really do need to be groomed at least every other day to keep their hair tangle free and in good condition. I hate to see poor little animals with hair growing wild over their eyes or bottoms, it increases the risk of infection and obviously makes it very uncomfortable for them to go to the toilet.

I paid £30 each today to get both dogs cut, that is £60 every few months! Yes I could learn how to groom them myself and purchase the equipment, but I urge people thinking about getting a cute fluffy dog to stop and consider the costs of grooming. £60 is a lot of money!

On a brighter note, what do you think of the girls' new hair cuts!?

We love weekends!

Hello!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, just wanted to share a couple of snaps from my weekend. I've been at home most of the weekend after a trip to the dentist left me unable enjoy food or drink, but that meant getting to spend quality time with my little zoo!

This is the first warm day we've had in a long time so I was able to let Rocky play out without worrying he'd freeze his little paws off. He hasn't had a chance to play out on his own outdoors since Scrappy died, so I was interested to see if he would have the confidence to explore. I'm thrilled to say he did! He has come on so much and happily wandered around our back yard. That was until I popped my head round the door to find a certain puppy in his outdoor cage trying to drink from his drink bottle!

To make the most of the warmer weather my brother and I took the dogs for a long walk to Hartley Bay, just near Seaton Sluice. I love it there, it's so peaceful and pretty and the dogs had fun chasing each other getting muddy!

So now we're winding down and relaxing with a cup of tea for me, and a couple of chewy treats for the kids!

Paws For Thought

I'm so excited, I just got my Bluecross Tea Party pack through! For those of you who don't know, the Bluecross animal charity encourage people to host their own tea party (the bigger the better) and invite lots of people to have a really nice day and raise money for the shelter.

I've been a supporter of the Bluecross for quite a few years now, but this is the first time i've signed up to host my own tea party!

The official date is Friday 10th May, so i'll bring some cakes into work with me to spread the word, but I'm planning on having a 'come dine with me' style tea party with a small trophy for the winner at the weekend.

Miffy and Daisy are super excited at the idea, can you tell?

Visit www.bluecross.co.uk/teaparty to sign up!

Puppy Love

So we've had Daisy for a few months now, and in that short time she's grown SO much! I've never had the pleasure of having a puppy from 8 weeks old, so tiny baby Daisy was definitely an unforgettable experience. She was so small you'd worry about losing her around the house, had to be carried everywhere because she couldn't climb up stairs etc, and it was a nightmare trying to get a harness to fit for longer than 2 weeks as she grew!

It wasn't all fun and games though. We'be had quite a few little accidents, lost 34652 hours of sleep as she cried through the night, sacrificed one pair of UGG boots, a laptop charger, 3 pairs of unworn shoes, a handbag strap and much more!

I guess what i'm trying to say is that I count myself as incredibly patient and loving towards animals, but at times having a puppy was hard work. You have to be consistent with training, discipline and literally have eyes in the back of your head! Too many people are seduced by the ideal of a cute puppy, but those poor creatures are quickly dumped when they grow/eat too much/cost too much or stop being an easily controlled lap dog.

We also had problems introducing her to Miffy. Admittedly Miffy and Ollie took a couple of weeks to get used to each other and bond, but having another feisty fenale in the house was not Miffy's idea of fun.

Whether Daisy set a paw in Miffy's personal space or even just entered the room, she would be met with a classic Miffy look of disgust! After all poor Miffy had been through in her early life, losing companion Ollie and now having to deal with a rambunctious puppy at the age of 7, I sometimes wondered if they'd ever be friends.

Through (lots of) patience, determination and encouragement, Miffy and Daisy now snuggle together, eat together, play with each other and have the odd bark-off with each other.

I miss my little Ollie every single day, but without losing him we never would have had Daisy! So it's a very bittersweet feeling. Now I look at Miffy and even though she's now a senior dog, she has a little companion who keeps her young. Prone to diva behaviour, Miffy has to learn to share with Daisy, and I definitely think having a quieter big sister calms Daisy down.

Has anybody else got a puppy recently and had a similar experience?