Month: October 2019


Oct
2019

Happy Halloween

categories: Holiday fun, Recipes

Happy Halloween everyone! We don’t typically celebrate Halloween here in Africa, but any excuse for us to celebrate makes for great fun right… 

dogs and babies

Halloween is slightly different this year because we have Baby Gia celebrating with us. One day Zara will be able to share tons of candy with Gia, but not too soon šŸ˜‰ 

I am enjoying celebrating all these firsts with Zara and Gia together, creating memories and of course taking photographs of the two of them on occasions like this. Zara has stepped into her new role as big sister like a true champion. Their bond as sisters grows stronger every single day, which makes my heart explode with pride and joy. 

halloween dog treats

It’s the end of October and that means it is seriously hot for us here in Africa. So I thought it would be fitting to make some frozen halloween treats for Zara this year, and of course I wanted to include Baby Gia in the celebrations too. I have so many creative ideas for Gia and halloween treats but I need to take it one step at a time… For now I am keeping it simple with pumpkin puree for her.

halloween dog treats
Zara’s Frozen Halloween Treats

These treats are frighteningly easy to make and Zara absolutely loved them! 

Ingredients

melted coconut oil

pumpkin puree 

melted peanut butter

silicone moulds 

popsicle sticks

Directions

Since it’s so hot here, my coconut oil was already melted so I simply spooned 3 tablespoons of the liquid into each silicone mould and froze for an hour. While that was freezing, I made the pumpkin puree. I simply steamed chopped up pumpkin from the pumpkin that Baby Gia is sitting in in the photos of this blog. Once the pumpkin was soft and cooked through I blended it into a smooth puree. Spoon the pumpkin puree over the now frozen coconut oil. The orange (pumpkin) segment needs to be the largest but be sure to leave enough space for the peanut butter layer. Place your popsicle stick in the middle and pop them back into the freezer for a few hours. Take five or six tablespoons of peanut butter and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds then using a teaspoon, gently spoon a layer of peanut butter over the frozen pumpkin layer. Place them back in the freezer for another hour. Once the entire treat is frozen, take them out of the moulds and let your pup enjoy them!

halloween dog treats
Baby Gia’s Pumpkin Puree 

Since Gia has only started eating solids I needed to keep this years halloween ‘treats’ very simple for her. So I just made a yummy pumpkin puree using her Baby Bullet. Simply place steamed pumpkin into the blending cup with a 1/4 cup of water and blend until your desired texture is reached. Yum!

baby bullet pumpkin puree

Both Zara and Baby Gia enjoyed their pumpkin treats this year. I particularly love Zara’s halloween treats because they are my take on the American candy corns which are famous during halloween. But possibly the best part of halloween this year is Baby Gia sitting in her pumpkin, she actually loved it and thought it was rather funny! 

Happy Halloween to you all. Enjoy the festivities and candy but remember to keep your pets safe!

Thank you for reading


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Oct
2019

Acana Dog Food: Zara’s Flavour of the Month

categories: Product Reviews

Trying out the different Acana dog food flavours is Zara’s absolute best. With the different ingredients in each bag, it gives Zara the benefits of a wide variety of healthy ingredients. 

acana dog food

This month we tried out Acana Wild Prairie. This one is part if their regionals range which means the protein ingredients used is sourced from within the local region in Calgary. Acana Wild Prairie is loaded with goodness in the form of 70% meat which consists of free-run chicken, free run turkey, cage-free eggs, wild-caught walleye and wild-caught trout. No wander Zara want’s to eat it straight from the bag.

Zara is a wild pup! She loves having her wild half hours during the day and most often has a bit of a wild session before bed. We of course encourage this behaviour because it brings out the wild side of her personality. Anyone who follows us on Instagram will know these wild sessions all too well. She goes wild for her lizards in the garden and there is nothing better than a wild roll around in the grass after an afternoon swim to cool down. 

acana dog food

Zara goes wild for walks too! She loves nothing more than all of us going for a sunset walk around the block or to the field close to home. When walking alongside the road Zara is always on leash however she knows as soon as we approach our destination she cannot contain her wild excitement because then it’s off leash time. There is no greater way to get wild and dirty than when the leash comes off. 

Zara’s recall skills are extremely good. She never ventures far away from us and if she does, all we have to do is call her in a stern voice, she stops what she is doing and trots on over to us. If there is a person walking by that doesn’t want her to approach them we simply tell her ‘Zara no’ and she completely ignores them and her focus is on us. 

With Zara being a strong 53kg it was very important that I was able to control her with my voice. Zara is stronger than me and she knows it, however her listening skills are impeccable which leaves me confident enough to let her off leash in places. 

acana dog food

Zara’s wild sessions are particularly fascinating to baby Gia. The best is when Zara runs around with a squeaky toy, Gia giggles her heart out! Gia loves to watch Zara’s wild rolling sessions, her wild swimming sessions and even her off leash wild zooming sessions. 

With all these wild sessions that go on in Zara’s daily routine, its no wonder she’s ready for her next meal. With Acana dog food, Zara is kept in peak condition. Her daily activity keeps her active enough to enjoy a hearty meal twice a day and with ingredients as amazing as Acana’s my mind is at ease knowing she’s getting the best nutrition at each meal.

acana dog food

If you would like to find out more information on the entire Acana range, you can contact PackLeader South Africa on Facebook or Instagram or simply visit a reputable outlet. 

Don’t forget to tag Acana_SA and use #acanadog in your social media posts for a chance to get featured! 

Follow Zara’s wild life on Instagram too @stylish_paws

Thank you for reading

*this post may contain affiliate links


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