Hello October. As some of you welcome fall and all the cosiness that comes with it, we welcome summer and one of our hottest months of the year.
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byeverything pets + a tiny human
Hello October. As some of you welcome fall and all the cosiness that comes with it, we welcome summer and one of our hottest months of the year.
Download your October calendar here
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byHello September. Spring is in the air, the birds are chirping louder, flowers are blooming and the days are getting longer. Oh how I love Spring! Happy September everyone 🙂
Download your September calendar here
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byToday Zara turns five! I have no idea where five years have gone but what I do know is that the fluffy bundle of fun we brought home back then has grown up into the most beautiful, kind, loving and loyal soul I could ever have imagined.
Zara truly is one of a kind and I’m not sure what I did in my previous life to deserve such a beautiful girl I get to love and who loves me back with her whole heart. I’m not complaining though 🙂 Zara fitted into our family from minute one! She knew she had found love and she knew she had found it good.
Fast forward to where we are today, and I could not be more proud of Zara! She put up with Oscar for the good part of 2 years. She’s shared her home with numerous bunnies, babies and all plus a pretty cool kitten who is almost a cat. But more importantly I am most proud of the way she has handled becoming a big sister to her tiny human Gia.
The relationship that Zara and Gia share is something unique. It’s also something I never had growing up so I am particularly in awe of how the two of them are together. Yes I grew up with loads of animals always around me, at family and friends homes but I tended to have the small critters in my home while I was younger. Zara is extremely tolerant of Gia, in fact Zara is extremely tolerant in general. I guess Oscar taught her that because he was forever putting her in her place- whether it was needed or not.
So today we celebrate Zara in the only way I know how and that’s by spoiling her with gifts, letting her eat all the cake and have lots and lots and lots of fun with her favourite humans US!
Usually I make Zara’s birthday treats from scratch but this year something caught my eye.. The concept is awesome and the first of its kind to be available in South Africa so I thought let’s give it a try! The wolf & Women birthday pupcake. Not only does this make my life easier but I am pretty sure it is going to be one very tasty birthday cake fit for my Princess Zara.
Click to shop the Wolf & Women Pupcake.
Zara is not short of toys and things to play with so when it comes round to her birthday I always have a hard time finding that one gift that’s a little more special than the rest of her gifts. An obvious place to start looking was Amazon and oh boy did I find something awesome for her! This water obsessed pup is gong to have hours of fun with this gift and I am pretty sure her tiny human will join in too- just the way I love it 🙂
Click here to shop Zara’s birthday gift.
No birthday celebration is complete without some special birthday decor. Of course I had to get a special 5 balloon plus some other cute balloons too. Zara is not a fan of balloons at all so they’re just there as decor. Happy birthday signs and party hats also go a long way!
Click here to shop Zara’s birthday party decor.
Happy 5th Birthday to you Zara! Today we celebrate all your amazingness. Thank you for being you, you sure are one of a kind special and we all absolutely adore you!
*Should you wish to spoil your furry loves with one or more of these goodies, we receive a small percentage of the commission (at no extra cost to you- It’s just Amazon being nice to us)
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It’s not a secret that Zara suffers from achy joints. After having torn both her cruciate ligaments and having to have TPLO surgeries, she has since developed arthritis in her front leg elbows.
Zara is pretty young to be experiencing all of this and it is for that reason why I am exploring home remedies, recipes and products that are more on the natural side of things instead of using harsh medicines.
Here are the home remedies, recipes and natural products we are using right now.
Golden paste is exactly that! It is like gold. With turmeric as its major base, the anti-inflammatory benefits are massive. Zara gets a frozen golden paste block every evening with her dinner. It took her a while to get used to the taste, but now that she has it everyday I can certainly see the anti-inflammatory benefits which in turn eases the pain caused by the arthritis!
Apart from being the proud ambassador and being the face on the bottle, Regal’s CBD Remedy is a great one! It is easy to administer since it just goes over Zara’s kibble and she loves it. CBD is a great product to incorporate into your pets daily diet, the overall benefits are fantastic and of course it helps with achy joints. I have seen a massive difference in Zara since she has been back on her Regal CBD Remedy. Her limp has improved drastically and she seems to be in less pain caused by the arthritis in her front elbows. A winning product if you ask me!
To purchase Regal CBD please click here
Moringa powder is a superfood that I feel is still quite unknown. This superfood is FANTASTIC. And I will say it again… it is FANTASTIC to add to your pets daily diet! Like the Golden paste I had to come up with ways to disguise the taste a little but now that Zara is used to it she loves it. I have seen an overall improvement in Zara’s health since adding Moringa powder to her daily diet. Moringa offers so many benefits which I cover in this blog post. (click to read)
I’ll be honest I kind of forgot about this one. Bone broth offers a wide range of benefits, see a previous blog post on this. If I’m honest though I do have to be in the mood to make this one because not only does it take hours and hours but your entire house smells like bone broth! However the benefits of to are amazing if made properly and its another great additive to your pets diet.
There are a few other added extras that I like to give Zara. Each of these offer their own benefits for her which I love. Blueberries, raw egg + the shell, soaked chia seeds and orange or purple sweet potato. We have most of these ingredients in the fridge all the time, but use what works for you and your pets! Remember fruits and veggies are just as good for our pets as they are for us and each one offers their own unique benefit! Please remember to check what fruits and veggies are NOT safe for your pets before giving it to them, and never any seeds or pips!
All in all, I hope these added extras will help your pets who suffer from stiffness and achy joints like they have for Zara! Remember these are all natural remedies and take time before you notice any real kind of difference. The key is patience 🙂
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byHello August. August is another fun month for us because it is the month we celebrate Zara’s birthday! This year Zara is turning five. We cannot wait to celebrate.
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byFor most animal lovers, having beautiful modern and on-trend bowls for our furry loves comes without question. Zara has many bowls to eat and drink from, of course she has her favourites and there are a certain few that I particularly love too.
So I thought I would share some beautiful on-trend pet bowls found on Amazon, because beautiful pet bowls will always be in fashion 🙂
*Should you wish to spoil your furry loves with one or more of these goodies, we receive a small percentage of the commission (at no extra cost to you- It’s just Amazon being nice to us)
We hope you enjoy shopping for some on-trend pet bowls!
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byHappy July everyone.
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byIt’s winter and we all love a little extra to nibble on right. I have noticed Zara seems extra hungry lately and I have put it down to the colder temperatures.
Instead of just giving her extra treats to enjoy I wanted to give them meaning and make her work a little. So I went looking through her stash of goodies and these are her top five favourite toys she loves when stuffed with her favourite yummy extras.
The Kong is most famous of all the stuffers. It’s a favourite for most pups too. Zara loves a good old stuffed Kong! You can stuff pretty much anything inside, keep it fresh or freeze it. You decide!
My favourite stuffings for Zara are scrambled egg with grated cheese all layered up, yoghurt with fruit bits, mince meat cooked or raw just to name a few! There are LOADS of ideas.
The Nook and Snoop ball combo is still one of the most challenging interactive/treat dispensing balls Zara has ever had! I love them both to be honest. When they are together Zara finds it extremely challenging to get them apart. I have to make sure I fill the bigger Snoop ball with something Zara REALLY loves to give her enough enthusiasm to make sure she gets that little Nook ball out!! You can use them separately too which I sometimes do. The Snoop ball is a great one for whole treats or kibbles, but you can also stuff it with yoghurt or cottage cheese. Zara loves the Nook ball with peanut butter stuffed inside it. I highly recommend this combo!
The ultimate chew toys are from Petqwerks. They are the only chews that have managed to live up to Zara and her powerful jaws! These flavorit bones are the original ones and I would recommend the Barbone Flavorit bones if you have a strong chewer. These are great because you can spread peanut butter over the indents. Zara licks them for ages! We have a 30% discount code for you if you want to spoil your pups with awesome Petqwerks toys: visit www.petqwerks.com code: ILOVESTYLISHPAWS30
This little Bionic ball was Oscar’s and he loved it. The quality is great, it still looks like new after all these years! Oscar loved having his peanut butter smeared in this little ball. It has been passed down to Zara now and although it may be slightly small for her she still enjoys it. They do come in different sizes. It’s a great little ball to play with and to stuff! Smear peanut butter all around it or any other pet friendly spread. It’s a quick and easy one to do and still does the trick of entertaining.
The k9 Connectable toys are little gems. There is lots of nooks and crannies to hide things like blueberries or chopped up carrots etc. Choose what your pup loves to eat! I do try keep it mostly healthy but of course there are spoils with biltong and cheese hidden in these toys. They are a challenge to get apart but the challenge is worth the filling that’s waiting! There is also the choice of using the specifically designed k9 connectable treats which fit perfectly into the bone shaped indents.
Bonus Idea
For something completely different and completely edible for your pup, make a homemade kong.
De-core an apple and simply stuff it with peanut butter. Your pup can enjoy the entire thing! Zara loves these and I don’t give them to her often enough, that will change! You can opt to peel the apple if you have a fussy eater. Whatever works for you!
You can spoil your pups with any of these goodies available in our Amazon store 🙂
*Should you wish to spoil your furry loves with one or more of these goodies, we receive a small percentage of the commission (at no extra cost to you- It’s just Amazon being nice to us)
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byIt’s winter here in Africa and although it might not be in the minus temperatures, for us this is freezing! No one enjoys winter in our house at all but I am starting to notice that Zara seems to be the one struggling with the colder days and nights the most.
As most of you know, Zara has tons of energy! On some days it seems to be a never ending supply. And while she absolutely loves nothing more than playing with her baby sis Gia, these days I have noticed she prefers getting out of bed a little later, curls up on the couch at any chance she gets or comes to sit on my lap whenever it’s available.
Gia has to call her to come and play, which is never usually the case. I’ve never had to make sure Zara is stimulated enough ever before but this cold spell has made me think of how I can keep her from becoming a total couch potato during these colder months.
I did some research and noticed a few trending games I could play with Zara, including baby sis Gia of course. None of these require too much space or equipment yet they’re all mentally stimulating and engaging. Sometimes a little mental stimulation is as good as an outing! So here are our favourite winter doggy boredom busters…
-3 cups
-treats
Simply place one treat under one of the cups. Slide them around and then tell your pup to find the treat. Oscar used to love this game and he was extremely good at it being a hound. This is a great one to play with both Zara and Gia. Zara has to find it before baby sis does. I do use a treat that both girls can enjoy, blueberries work well.
-a blanket or towel
-treats
Gia loves helping with this one and enjoys watching Zara find all the hidden treasures. Open up your towel or blanket and sprinkle your pups favourite treats all over. Then roll it up and tell your pup to find them. This is a play on a snuffle mat so you could use a snuffle mat if you have one. A blanket or towel is just something different to use to change things up for your pup.
-space to hide the treats
-treats
Another great one to include Gia, she was able to choose all the hiding places but then had the challenge of not showing Zara where she had hidden all the treats, she had to learn that pup had to find them! This one needs a little more space, be it inside or outside. Simply hide some yummy treats in different spots and then let you pup find them. This one brings great excitement for us!
-Nina Ottosson interactive brain games
The Nina Ottosson range of interactive games are great! We have quite a few and Zara does enjoy them to a certain extent. She can’t get to the treats quick enough which forces her to get a little frustrated. I also can’t refill them quick enough which also causes her some frustration. These play sessions are always shorter but fun nonetheless.
Click here to purchase some from our Amazon store.
-space to train
-training treats
Zara loves learning new things, she always has. She was exceptionally good at puppy training and always the star pupil in her different classes. Zara listens and can perform many different tasks when I ask her to so I have decided she needs to pick these up again, recap and remind her that she can listen- haha! Plus learn something new. I haven’t decided what the new command or trick is going to be yet but I will be sure to share it on Instagram so keep a lookout 😉 Training practice is the perfect excuse to get your pup off the couch and learn something new while having fun and bonding!
I hope these winter doggy boredom busters brings you some winter fun and entertainment as much as they have for us!
Keep warm pals! We are trying to.
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byHello June. Hello Winter.
We are very much a summer loving family so during these colder months we tend to hibernate, Zara included!
Happy June everyone.
Download your June calendar here
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