Doggie Delivery!

Psst, let me share a little secret with you... 

A little while ago I stumbled upon perhaps one of the most ingenious ideas ever.

Pooch Pack are a small company based in Yorkshire and source loads of lovely healthy treats, gourmet goodies and toys from around the world for your dog(s), pack them up in a box with some colourful wrapping and send it to the hound(s) in question every month! It's perfect for those who don't always have time to buy treats, or find it easier to order everything online. There's different surprises every month, all carefully sourced and perfectly safe for your dog. 

After speaking with the lovely Taesha, who arranged to send my little darlings Miffy and Daisy a box, a few days later it was like all their Christmases had come at once! 

Ooh mama, what could possibly be inside this box? 

Are these treats for me!?

So inside my box, we have *drum roll please*.... 

Gluten free chicken bones (which Miffy took a particular liking to)

Bailey Bites' biscuits for sensitive tummies 

2x training treats - perfect timing, as we're currently trying to train Daisy to behave when off her lead! 

A gorgeous water bottle for walkies 

And Daisy's absolute favourite, a bouncy scented rubber chew! 

Little sneak Daisy helped herself to the Bailey Bites first...

Before running upstairs with them before Miffy could get her paws on them!

Little did she know crafty Miffy was already waiting upstairs to catch her 

The bouncy fetch ball was particularly popular with Daisy, 

who happily played tug for the rest of the night.

Daisy and Miffy's typing skills aren't so hot, so it's down to me to say a big thank you to Pooch Pack, the products were fantastic quality, even Daisy's super sharp puppy teeth haven't managed to destroy her new toy yet (and that's saying something, poor Miffy's toys have long since been destroyed.) 

Not only do Pooch Pack make dogs around the country happy, they also donate to local animal charities and shelters too, which is fantastic news and something I am certainly happy to promote. You can subscribe for only £19.95 a month and delivery straight to your door is free. 

To find out more information about Pooch Pack, click here, or tweet them @getpoochpack

Save Our Strays

Now as you know, I'm a huge advocate of animal rescue, I have the biggest heart when it comes to animals needing a forever home, but unfortunately I don't (yet!) have the time or space to rescue more animals, which is why I am honoured and humbled by the work Save Our Strays do. After the sudden loss of my beloved baby boy Ollie, I know the pain that losing a furry family member can cause, but even though we only rescued Ollie for such a short time, it was absolutely 100% worth it. I would do it again and again, because I know that Ollie had the best life and the best time while he was in our care. 

A local charity to me; North-East based Save Our Strays was set up ten years ago by animal lovers Margaret Young and Peter White. Taking in unwanted dogs from the local pounds, some who have been there for years without ever experiencing the true love and care they deserve, S.O.S care for these beautiful dogs with great dedication and patience. Working with a number of fantastic foster parents and volunteers, Save Our Strays have now rehomed around 1,400 dogs. 

I think what I love most of all about Save Our Strays is that they never turn an old or unhealthy dog away. I get so frustrated by people who won't adopt a dog older than say four or five, because of the health problems associated. Dogs can live until their twenties, yes I understand that it's heartbreaking to lose a dog, and adopting an older dog does mean you inevitably have less time together, but the benefits an older dog can offer you certainly outweigh the negatives. The majority are already well trained, loyal, calm and just looking for a family or friend to share the rest of their days with. Now that Miffy is getting older, I treasure every single day with her and thank my lucky stars that she has made it to seven years old with (touch wood) no major health problems. It's been so rewarding to watch her grow from a nervous little dog into adulthood. Her personality and character are absolutely second to none, she is very much her own little person and will be terribly missed when she does go. 

Here's just a few of the gorgeous older dogs desperately needing homes at Save Our Strays: 

Baxter

This gorgeous cheeky chap is 10 year old Baxter, rescued with only one ear, but sadly nobody knows why.  Said to be a very happy, pleasant natured dogs, couldn't you imagine just cuddling up with Baxter at the end of the day, or watching his little face so excited as he goes for long walks on the beach? 

Dinky

Now this is Dinky, a gorgeous little terrier thought to be around 12 years old. Beautifully natured and looking for love, Dinky is currently living with a foster carer, in what is hoped will be a forever home. 

Roxy

Poor Roxy is 14 years old and was found beside her dead owner, believed to have lain their for up to four days. With a large mass in her stomach weighing an incredible six pounds, Roxy underwent surgery and is recovering well. Currently in foster care, Save Our Strays will continue to pay for Roxy's vetinary care for the rest of her life. 

Save Our Strays pledge to help first and foremost dogs who are unclaimed from the local dog pound. They also take in r eferrals from the police or social services where the owner has died or suffered extreme illness or trauma, as well as dogs from private homes where there is a crisis situation. Absolutely phenomenal work, I personally am brought to tears when I visit websites like this (mainly because I'm so soft!) but because I fail to understand why animals are mistreated. 

HOW WE CAN HELP

Whether you already donate to a charity or not, there are other ways you can help, especially if you're short on money in these tough times. 

Become a volunteer.
Dog walking at the kennels on a Wednesday afternoon.
Street collecting or home baking for their events.Assist in fundraising such as-
Donating Tombola/Raffle prizes.

Raise money for  the charity without costing you anything! Do you shop with Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's M&S or Argos? You can raise money for Save Our Strays whenever you shop with them and 2000 other stores by using our fundraising website, easyfundraising. It won't cost you a penny more and everything you buy will raise money for Save Our Strays.

Use this link http:// www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ causes/saveourstrays and please share this with your friends and help raise much needed funds. 

The charity are always in need of good quality items, unwanted presents etc for our tombola stalls also clothing, shoes, belts, DVDs, CDs, bedding ,books, bric a brac, household items, small furniture etc - in fact anything you think we can sell to raise funds. Please telephone Yvonne 07738839019, Lynn 07952 334379/01287 203794, Gloria 01642 286679 to arrange collection/drop off.

So if you're looking for a new family member, or have the space and time you can dedicate to becoming a foster carer, please check their website out, it is certainly one of my ambitions. 

You can contact Margaret on 01642 4788667 or email the charity at saveourstrays@hotmail.co.uk

www.saveourstrays.org.uk