Jasper's Dog Treats - Product Review

It was just an ordinary Saturday when I came downstairs to see the postman had left a red card. It seemed somebody had sent the girls a parcel...

Who could it be?

Driving to the post office to retrieve the curious parcel the lady behind the counter almost wouldn't give it to me because I didn't have ID for Miffy or Daisy! I wondered whether I'd have to go dig out Miffy's old passport from when we took her to France? After a little persuasion I was allowed to take the parcel and with the dogs in the car they wasted no time in ripping it open!

The lovely Jasper's Dog Treats had sent the girls a huge box of goodies!

Everything is homemade by Katie in her Corbridge-based kitchen to her dalmation Jasper's (very) high standards. Boasting a highly qualified team of taste testers, Katie has created a gourmet range of treats for the four-legged family members in your life. Naturally Miffy and Daisy wasted no time in helping themselves to one of everything. 

What I liked best about the range was that everything is homemade. I was told by the vet that Miffy would be a lot more susceptible to weight gain now she's been speyed/a mature dog/damaged her ligament in her back leg, so I find myself wanting to treat her but worry incase i'm doing more damage than good. There's nothing artificial at all in any of Jasper's treats. All you'll find in their cheese training treats is oats, cheese, flour and sunflower oil which is refreshing compared to some big name brands full of additives, plus it's always good to support local businesses.  

The resealable packs are particularly handy when we're out and about, I'm trying to train Daisy to behave whilst off her lead at the moment so it's good to have a little bribery at hand! 

As much as the girls would love to demolish the whole box, I've taken some into work with me to see if the office dogs like them as much as my two do. 

If you'd like to treat your dogs, or have any questions for Katie (she's lovely) then drop by www.jaspersdogtreats.co.uk or say hello at info@jaspersdogtreats.co.uk

Thank you Jasper and Katie! x

The New Kid On The Block

Hello, hello, hello!

Remember the last time we spoke, and I mentioned I'd been in touch with a local shelter about adopting a guineapig? Well it is with great pleasure that I'd like to introduce our latest family member!

This is Biscuit (named by the boss, aka my mother). He's 13 weeks old and absolutely perfect! We decided after chatting with a few fellow piggie owners that it might be a good idea to try find a new friend for Rocky as guinea pigs are very sociable animals and he's been so used to having a little mate that it would be a shame for him to spend the last few years of his life alone. 

So we decided to adopt a little baby who wouldn't be brave or big enough to hurt Roo and young enough to live in his own cage if they didn't get on. The first time they met Roo did try and er, dominate poor Biscuit but they settled down really quickly. We just had to play it by ear really as Roo is so big compared to little Biscuit so they were supervised playing together and slept in separate cages next to each other at night. 

Biscuit was quite shy at first, but loved moving into Roo's big cage! 

We've had Biscuit a few weeks now and he is honestly just a dream. Him and Roo  get along beautifully and it's really brought Roo out of his shell. It's lovely having a baby in the house again and the dogs seem keen on him too...

I'm so happy it worked out and we all love having two little squeaks in the house again! It is sad because we don't know how old Roo was when we rescued him and Biscuit is just a baby, but it's nice to know that we've helped save one lovely little piggy and that Roo has a playmate to spend the rest of his days with! 

I'll leave you with some cute photos of the new arrival exploring his new home... 

And my personal favourite:

N'aww! 

Squeak Squeak

I've got some really exciting news! 

Any readers who live in the area and saw our local news will have seen the sad plight of a local animal rescue who sadly cannot cope with the high volume of animals in their care, specifically guinea pigs. The Ark on the Edge have over 75 guinea pigs who need rehoming and it looks like my little menagerie is going to get bigger!

I do try to keep up to date and in touch with as many animal rescues (big or small) who I can fundraise for, foster or even rescue their poor animals. It goes without saying that I'd adopt and care for every animal in need if I could, but I have to keep some perspective - I don't have an enormous house or garden, and I do have two dogs and guinea pig and a tortoise who already need me. 

This might be the case, but when I hear that this rescue has SEVENTY FIVE lovely little guinea pigs who needs home, I'm pretty sure I can find room for two more! 

We do already have Rocky, who was a very badly neglected guinea pig (hence his name...) but he has come on so much in the past year. With plenty of cuddles, patience and love, Rocky no longer cowers when you come near him, he's around five now but he's so inquisitive, so brave and just such a joy to have in the family. We've made him the best run and boredom-buster assault course with lots of plant pots and upside down hanging baskets outside so he's really making the most of the good weather. He now walks up to the back door when he's hungry and actually lies down when you have cuddles without wetting his pants on you which is a huge improvement. Guinea pigs are social animals and often live in pairs, so we're going to very carefully and slowly introduce Rocky to some new friends, but they will live in a separate cage to him in case he gets frightened and feels threatened or they attack one another. 

I think people need to really think about the responsibilities they'll face in their new role. I defy anybody who says looking after small pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters. Aside from cleaning them out every other day (or every day if necessary), providing fresh food and water and socialising them, they need to be exercised properly, socialised and groomed. Especially if you have long-haired Abyssinians like my two. So I urge people to get in touch with Ark on the Edge and help rescue some of these beautiful creatures but please remember that you're taking on a big responsibility. Most shelters won't adopt to families with young children as they often lose interest or it ends up the parent who cleans the small animal out. I remember getting my first guinea pig (Snoopy) at seven and it was my job to clean him out properly, feed him every morning when I got up, check his water bottle and as silly as it sounds, that taught me to be responsible. Yes my mam helped out, but I wanted a guineapig, it was my job to care for him properly and that included getting my hands dirty and how to hold him carefully. I've had guinea pigs all of my life, and think I always will. Most people think they're really boring but I tell you, my guinea pig Tiggy who died at a grand old age of 8 did his fair share of listening to an angsty teen in those 8 years!! 

I'm hoping to drive up to Durham soon and meet my new little friends so I'll definitely keep you updated. I'm doing a 20 mile charity walk this weekend for a local shelter so will be spending most of Sunday resting my poor feet - but so far the team and I have raised nearly £300 for a few local shelters which is fantastic! 

If you have home in your heart for another pet, or two, please visit www.arkontheedge.org.uk or if you have a few spare pounds to donate I'm sure they'd be very grateful. 

The Case of the Missing Tortoise...

So last night we had a bit of a drama to say the least...

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon yesterday, so after getting Rocky out to play outside in our backyard, I got Dora the tortoise out as usual. Making sure they both had plenty of water, shelter and food, I left them to it and got on with my afternoon. So when it came to about 7pm and I got Rocky the guinea pig in, I realised Dora wasn't in any of her usual hiding spots. 

Calling on my mam and brother to help locate her, we searched, and searched, and searched. There was no sign of her. Maybe she's gone back inside the house? Nope, nothing. She can't physically climb the stairs so that was out of the question, so she had to be downstairs. It was getting pretty dark now, so out we were with our torches literally moving plant pots, crawling under chairs, sticking our heads in spider's webs and kneeling in bugs, and we just couldn't find her. She wasn't behind the TV, in the dogs' basket, at the bottom of the stairs, I was getting mildly hysterical by now. What if she's been stolen? Could a bird have picked her up by her shell and dropped her? We even ran round the block to look for her!

So after nearly two hours of searching, it began to rain, heavily. As the rain splattered outside, there was still no sign of our little tortoise. Feeling horrified and terrified at the same time, we reluctantly agreed we'd checked everywhere and called off the search. Leaving the back door open until we went to bed, hoping she'd come in from the rain, we went to bed still tortoise-less. 

Where the hell was she?

It wasn't until my younger brother burst into my bedroom at three in the morning, tortoise in hand that I could finally sleep. The little bugger had somehow managed to chew her way into a sealed plastic bag of gravel stored underneath a lounger, crawl amongst the gravel and become completely hidden! It was only when my brother in a moment of clarity realised he hadn't checked the bag of soil at the backdoor. Thinking it was stupid, but worthwhile he remembered the bag of gravel and voila. 

Thank god we found her in the end, but I don't think I'll be letting her to roam our backyard without a GPS tracking device from now on! 

Has anybody else got Houdini for a tortoise, or any other crazy escape attempts? I need something to calm my nerves.... 

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS TORTOISE?!

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

Country Living

Everybody and anybody who knows me will know that although I've lived in busy Newcastle all my life, I like escape to the countryside whenever I can. So when a warm sunny evening and a trip to my good friend Haley's house beckoned...I couldn't resist! Haley lives in the most beautiful farmhouse near Morpeth, nestled amidst wild meadows, paddocks and beautiful woodland, needless to say I was very jealous! So after a busy day in the office, I needed no persuading to hop in the car, wellies in tow for a girl's night out (or in should that be)

Almost as soon as we got to the house we ran straight outside with the dogs and went for a walk with Haley's labradors Poppy and Bonnie who were exceptionally well trained (my two could definitely learn something from them!) Poppy is the latest addition to the household after their older dog Bella sadly passed away earlier this year. She is such a sweet natured dog, I definitely had a soft spot for her! On our travels round the surrounding woodland we met one of Haley's horses Jamie. I'm really rubbish with horses and their breeds, so I'm afraid I couldn't tell you what he was, but he was certainly handsome, and huge! I'd never been riding before, but couldn't resist getting a leg up and going for a gentle stroll around the peaceful paddock. 

Meet Bonnie and her new baby sister Poppy 

I got to meet Jamie, a rather handsome chap happily grazing in his meadow

My favourite picture of the day, Victoria and I playing ball with Poppy

Riding bareback!

Me and Poppy 

Just at the bottom of the paddock behind Haley's house is a large lake where they often go fishing. It was still a beautiful warm evening so we hopped in the boat and went rowing. The lake was surrounded by swans and geese honking and flapping in the water, but as we rowed we met a gorgeous family off for a gentle swim with their baby cygnet in tow. I can only imagine how amazing it would be to have all this at the bottom of your garden! 

The beautiful lake at the bottom of Haley's garden 

Just about to find my sea legs and go for a row! 

Haley's love for Jamie was plain to see!

We sat outside and shared a pizza and bottle of wine in the fading sun, enjoying the amazing views before heading inside to snuggle up on the sofa with a film, candles and crisps (well it was a girl's night). All too soon it was time for bed ready for work the next day, but I had a fantastic evening, full of my favourite things: animals, fresh air, food and friends. Don't laugh, but it felt like I was on a mini holiday! Haley, please can I come live at your house!?

Fit For A King!

I just wanted to show you Rocky's adorable new run my mam has made him! 

Now that Scrappy isn't here he's very shy and likes to hide in the corner of plant pots from the world. Now he has two little tunnels to hide in should a human or naughty dog pass, lovely fresh grass to eat and plenty of sunshine! (Well, maybe...)