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...)

Paws For Tea

 

Well today was the big day! I spent last night baking in preparation for today's Paws For Tea fundraiser to raise money for the Blue Cross. 

     Chloe's pawfect chocolate cake

      Almond shortbread (delicious!!) 

    Home made chocolate profiteroles 

Apart from my er, rubbish icing skills, I can confidently say everything was delicious since I came downstairs to empty plates and crumbs! 

I was a little nervous how people would react to me asking them for money as i'd never done anything like this before, but I know the Blue Cross is such a worthy cause I knew I had to try. 

Our office is quite small, only has 15 people in or so, but i'm thrilled to say I raised £35! I'm going to keep rallying round friends and family over the weekend to see if I can make it £50. Every little helps, so hopefully I can help some big paws and little claws. 

Today was so much fun, i'd definitely do it again! Did anybody else hold a tea party today? Don't think i'll be giving up the day job to become a baker just yet though! 

You can read more about tge Blue Cross at www.thebluecross.org.uk or tweet them @the_blue_cross

Cheers everybody! 

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

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!