Stylish Paws

11
Jul
2016

Finding the perfect house sitter…

categories: Oscar

Last week we took a short break and went exploring the African bush in Botswana. It was wonderful to be in nature, have no access to wifi or have any cell phone reception. You realise just how much you reply on your cell phone and how often you check in on what’s happening in the social media world. I realised that I won’t actually die without it-haha! We did however buy a local sim card and some airtime to check in on our babies at home as well as our family members, we didn’t want the flying squad to come looking for us 😉

There is one very important task we have to tackle before we can go away on any holiday… Finding the perfect house sitter! Unfortunately we cannot take Oscar, Valentine and Duchess on every holiday we go on. Living away from friends and family is tough as it is, but you truly realise just how alone you are when you have no one to rely on and help you out! Inviting a stranger into our home, to live in and look after our babies, is terribly daunting for us. Alexis was recommended to us by a mutual friend and she turned out to be the absolute best! Oscar got on well with her and Valentine and Duchess warmed to her too. She sent us photo’s regularly although we only received them once back in the land of the living 😉 It was comforting and heartwarming to know everyone was enjoying themselves. Unfortunately Alexis will not be available to house sit for us again as she returns back to her home country-The USA. SO the process starts all over again….

Oscar has no problem staying at home to look after things while we go away... — Oscar has no problem staying at home to look after things while we go away…

Here are my top tips for finding the perfect house sitter:

Ask questions- Write down a list of everything you want to know from the potential house sitter and don’t be afraid to ask what you really want to know. After all this person will be sleeping in your home and looking after your most precious beings-your furry loves! Try and get to know the person as well as you can in the time you have available. See how they react and respond to your questions. If something doesn’t sit well with you, move onto the next person ASAP! Always trust your gut…

Oscar is allowed to sleep on the couch if he feels like it. Let your house sitter know this information.

Let them know- Always let the potential house sitter know what it is you expect from them. Explain how things usually work in your home, for example, Valentine and Duchess expect their breakfast at around 8am every morning and dinner time is around 6pm (depending on what time the sun goes down). Oscar is less demanding when it comes to his meals, however he has 2 homemade bedtime treats every single night. Explain the smallest detail and expect it to be carried out. The idea of a house sitter is to keep your fur babies as undisturbed as possible, so the house sitter needs to slot in and take your place for a few days.

Valentine and Duchess expect their meals at certain times of the day.

Type it out- I always type and print out everything that was said while showing the house sitter around. It is a lot of information to process and to ensure mistakes don’t happen it is best to give them something typed out. To you it may seem simple and obvious, but you do it every single day without even thinking about it. To someone new there could be an overwhelming list of things to do. We are not perfect and having a typed out sheet makes the house sitters job a lot easier. I include photo’s too. It is a lot easier when you have a visual image to refer to. For example, how Oscar likes to be covered at night or how I plate Valentine and Duchess’ meals. The more information you provide, the better things will be.

Oscar likes to be covered in a certain way every night.

Prepare them a room- Just like having any other guest over, it is important to make sure they have a comfortable bed to sleep in and space to unpack. They need to feel welcome in your home. Add some flowers or leave a chocolate under their pillow, after all they are a very important guest!

Oscar and Valentine have a special 'bromance' going on! — Oscar and Valentine have a special ‘bromance’ going on!

Invite them for dinner- Sometimes this one is a bit tricky as time doesn’t allow it. But it is not a bad idea to invite your chosen house sitter round for dinner or even a cup of tea or coffee and have a friendly casual catch up. Notice how your fur babies respond to them and how they interact with your fur babies! Let your babies get used to this person before they suddenly have to share their home with them.

Thank them- Make sure your house sitter knows exactly how much you appreciate them helping you out. After all, without them you wouldn’t be going on an amazing holiday! Leave a special treat for them to enjoy and buy some of their favourite foods. The more you appreciate them, the better they will look after your home and fur babies.

Having peace of mind knowing everything is absolutely fine at home and your fur babies are being looked after allows you to enjoy your holiday that much more.

Thank you for reading.

01
Jul
2016

Welcome to July

categories: Calendar

On a positive note, for us in the Southern Hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night has passed…. Meaning it is the countdown to summer 😉

Have a wonderful month of July!

Download the July calendar here

Thank you for reading

01
Jun
2016

Hello June.

categories: Calendar

Hello June. For us in the southern hemisphere it is winter! Time to snuggle up with our furry loves and time to enjoy pyjama days in front of the fire!

Download the June calendar here

Thank you for reading

10
May
2016

Everybunny needs to be healthy

categories: Valentine and Duchess

Being healthy is key, whether you are a two legged being or a four legged being, health is of utmost importance! I am a very new bunny mom, but I absolutely love it! Valentine and Duchess are constantly teaching me, fruits they don’t like, herbs they love, what games they enjoy playing and when they prefer to sleep. Their personalities are evident and very different. I constantly find myself laughing at their funny ways. I love being a bunny mom, and just like any mom I like to know that my babies are happy and healthy. I didn’t realise just how much bunnies eat until Valentine and Duchess came into my life. Each morning and each evening I spend a fair amount of time preparing their salads. Each meal is different from the previous one because I have noticed they do not enjoy eating the same thing more than twice! Fussy much 😉 So I have to have a meal plan for them and make sure I have enough fresh produce for them at all times. I am lucky enough to have a lovely vegetable and herb garden, but I seem to just grow produce for the two fluff balls-haha! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here is a list of Valentine and Duchess’ favourite fruits, vegetables and herbs and how they like to eat them…

The love list:

This is a list of fruit, veggies and herbs that Valentine and Duchess absolutely love.

One would think that giving a bunny a whole carrot would be what they dream of… Well not my bunnies! They will only eat the carrot if I give them slithers of carrots. I cut most of the other fruits and veggies into small bite sized cubes so it is easy for them to munch on. If something is too big for their liking, they will happily not eat it-even if it is a favourite!! Duchess has a sweet tooth and absolutely loves her fruit. Valentine will happily pass up his fresh foods for his pellets and treats-typical boy haha!

The no thanks list:

I’m not sure I would call my bunnies fussy, they just know what they like and what they don’t like! And luckily for me they let me know. I try to give Valentine and Duchess their favourites everyday, but I can’t help but throw a few of these non-favourites in now and again to see if they have changed their minds 😉 I try to cut them in a different way,slithers, as a zoodle, or small cubes, and sometimes it works!

It is important to feed your bunnies well balanced meals everyday. Remember your bunnies digestive system is very sensitive and too much of one thing can lead to an upset tummy and an uncomfortable bunny! Make sure you feed fruit in small amounts because of their sugar content. They can have slightly more vegetables and more leafy greens. Their main source of food should be hay! Valentine and Duchess love hay and they love playing in it too. I also feed them a small handful of rabbit pellets with each meal and of course homemade treats-but treat recipes are for another blog so keep a lookout 😉

I am pretty sure in a year from now I would have added to each of these lists and I cannot wait to learn more about Valentine and Duchess’ pallets…

Thank you for reading.

03
May
2016

May

categories: Calendar

Happy May everyone! For some it’s time to celebrate spring, for others it’s time to embrace autumn.

Click here to download your May calendar

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13
Apr
2016

Today’s menu…

categories: Recipes

I am always on the lookout for new recipes and food ideas for Oscar, both healthy and ‘cheat day’ treats. I am very fortunate to be able to provide Oscar with the very best food (in my opinion) that is currently available. I believe that his special dog food keeps him in tip top condition and allows him to be a spring chicken at the age of 12. But who is counting? Age is just a number!

Along with his food, I like to give Oscar some veggie dishes and treats to help him get extra vitamins and minerals to keep him healthy. This hasn’t always been an easy task… Just like a toddler, I have had to come up with creative ways to disguise veggies so my boy will eat them. Of course he has his favourites, but there are some veggies that I believe he should eat that he doesn’t necessarily love but with his hounds nose, he can sniff out anything! So I have to make his veggies tasty or he will turn his nose at them.

Here are some of Oscar’s favourite veggie sides and treats…

Gem squash, pumpkin and butternut:

Oscar loves these three veggies and he will eat them without hesitation. When I cook either of these vegetables for us, I will always add some extra so Oscar can enjoy too. I will usually steam the gem squash halves and scrape the flesh out for Oscar. The pumpkin and butternut I like to roast, lightly tossed in olive oil or coconut oil. Oscar loves roasted butternut on its own but I do like to add this yummy veggie to homemade treats too.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butternut/pumpkin or gem squash puree

1 egg

1 cup wholewheat flour

Handful of chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together the butternut/pumpkin or gem squash puree, egg and parsley. Then add the flour and mix until a dough forms. If it is too sticky, add flour. If it is too dry, add a little water. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and using cookie cutter, cut out cute biscuit treats. Place them on a greased baking tray and bake for 30-45 minutes or until cooked and slightly golden. Let them air dry and cool for a couple of hours. Store them in an air tight container. Your pooch will loves these!

Beetroot:

Oscar will eat roasted beetroot too, but because of their awesome colour, I love making treats with them! I can also add leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale-which Oscar will not eat unless disguised in a treat…

Ingredients

1/2 cup roasted beetroot, mashed up

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 cup spinach or kale, wilted and blitzed up

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together the mashed up beetroot and blitzed up spinach or kale then add the egg then add the flour until a dough forms. Roll your dough out on a floured surface. Using cookie cutters, cut out the treats and place them on a greased baking tray. Bake them for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through. Remove them and let them cool on a cooling rack. Store them in an airtight container.

Sweet potato:

Besides dehydrating sweet potato as an alternative to a raw hide treat, Oscar loves sweet potato mash as well as sweet potato treats! Making sweet potato mash allows me to hide other veggies like carrots, broccoli, spinach and other healthy leafy greens that Oscar is not keen on eating just as they are.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet potato mash

1 cup wholewheat flour

1 egg

1/4 cup cooked broccoli, mashed

1/4 cup cooked spinach, blitzed

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together the sweet potato, broccoli, spinach, fresh herbs and egg. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Instead of using cookie cutters, I like to make little potato gnocchi. Break a small piece of the dough and roll it into a ball then using a fork gently push on the dough ball to make it slightly flatter. Place the gnocchi onto a greased baking tray and bake for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through and slightly golden. Once cooked allow them to cool on a cooling rack before your pup enjoys. Store in an air tight container.

Be creative:

The options are endless when it comes to including your pooch at dinner time! Be creative and explore what he likes and what he doesn’t like. So the next time you make zoodles, broccoli mash or eggplant pizza make a little extra for your furry love…

Not an option:

Please be mindful and stay away from food items that are not healthy for your pooch.

Here are the top 12

Thank you for reading

04
Apr
2016

Happy April

categories: Calendar

April is one of my favourite months of the year! We hope your April is an awesome one…

Click here to download your April calendar

17
Mar
2016

Hoppy Easter

categories: Holiday fun

In October last year, we decided to expand our family and we adopted two gorgeous bunnies! Valentine and Duchess are two super cute fluff balls that are always up to mischief. Duchess is the girl, the ringleader and the boss-but then most of us woman are… (hahaha).

Valentine by nature is quite a chilled little guy, he isn’t too shy and loves cuddles and kisses. Duchess on the other hand is quite shy and only comes to you on her terms, but when she does, she basks in the kisses and cuddles she receives. When she has had enough she lets you know and swiftly hops away. They are absolutely adorable and of course Oscar adores his babies too. Every morning there is a kissing and sniffing ceremony that is too cute for words! Valentine is more forthcoming in these ceremonies, but Duchess is slowly coming around. She is royalty after all and does things when and if she feels like it. Meal times are my absolute best. Watching them devour their daily salads and learning which greens they love and which fruits they are not too keen on is the perfect way to spend my morning. I grab a cup of coffee and Oscar and I just sit and watch them enjoy.

They are curious little creatures too. I am forever thinking of new ways to keep them entertained, giving them new toys to play with and things to gnaw on. They get bored quite easily so it is important to give them new things to throw around and investigate. Something as small and insignificant (to us) as a toilet roll holder can keep them entertained for hours. Bunnies, as I have come to realise are extremely clean pets. They are forever grooming themselves and each other. Duchess will sit and lick Valentine and make sure he looks in tip top condition, of course while he falls asleep!

Now I am most certainly not saying rush out and adopt a bunny for Easter! For 10 years I have wanted a bunny to love and cuddle, and now I have two. I am over the moon with happiness, but I did my research and made sure that I could provide the very best for Valentine and Duchess to keep them happy. It takes, time, dedication and money to raise any pet and bunnies are no exception.

I am so excited to spend their first Easter spoiling them and loving them, of course with Oscar and my human man too 😉 Here are some of Oscar’s Easter spoils this year as well as spoils for Valentine and Duchess. So if you have pet bunnies spoil them over Easter too…

Oscar’s Easter Box

Why not create a fun and exciting Easter box for your pup… Here are some goodies you can include that are available in the Stylish Paws online store. Click here to browse.

A new collar and leash set

A comfy and warm jacket

Non-slip doggy socks

An adventure harness

A doggy bowtie

Mini Donuts

Every pup needs Easter treats to enjoy! Now these are not the healthiest treats I have ever made, but they are oh so yummy. You and your furry love can enjoy these as a little Easter spoil…

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar (please do not use Xylitol!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbp melted butter

2 eggs

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

food colouring

sprinkles

Directions

Using an electric beater, beat together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. Plug in your mini donut maker, or preheat your oven to 180 degrees and prepare your donut trays. Fill your donut trays with the mixture and place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked and slightly golden. Remove your cooked donuts and gently place them on a cooling rack to cool. Repeat the process until your mixture is finished. I have a mini donut maker so I will be using that. Pour enough mixture into each donut ring, close the lid and leave it for 10 minutes or until cooked and lightly golden in colour. Once cooked, scoop the donuts out gently and let them cool on a cooling rack. Carry on making your donuts until your mixture is finished. Once all your donuts are cooled, they can be iced. Mix together the icing ingredients and add your food colouring to the desired colour you are looking for. Carefully dip one side of your donut into the icing and place back onto the cooling rack, sprinkle with some pretty sprinkles and let them dry. Once the icing is set you can enjoy these yummy treats with your furry love! Savour these moments in life, they are precious.

My real Easter Bunnies: Valentine and Duchess

Because we now have bunnies in our family, of course they need to get spoiled too! Here are some goodies that Valentine and Duchess will be enjoying this Easter…

Bunny Basket

Valentine and Duchess will also get an Easter box this year filled with fun things to keep them entertained as well as some yummy homemade treats.

Toilet roll holders filled with hay and their favourite fresh herbs.

Toilet roll balls filled with their favourite herbs. Bunnies love to toss things around and these can come apart and they can roll and throw the rings around. It is a real winner.

How to make them

Take a toilet roll holder and cut it up into rings. Carefully intertwine the rings so they eventually make a ball. Squeeze herbs into the crevices and let your bunny roll them around and have fun.

Homemade treats

Make something your bunny can enjoy over the Easter holidays.

Ingredients

1/2 cup rabbit pellets

1/2 cup oats

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup butternut

Directions

Cut up the butternut and dry roast it in the oven until soft. You can also boil it until soft. Grind the dry ingredients using a food processor so they become fine and of a flour consistency. Once the butternut is cooked, mash it using a potato masher.Mash the banana and add both the banana and butternut to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly so a dough forms. Roll your dough out and using small cookie cutters cut out your bunny treats. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked. Once cooked, turn the oven off and leave the treats to cool and dry out in the oven. Once cooled you can let your fluff ball enjoy his homemade speciality! Store them in an air tight container.

Easter hunt

Oscar’s favourite game is ‘find it’, so what better time to play than on Easter morning! You can hide the contents of your pups Easter box around the garden or just opt for hiding his treats like I do. Watch his excitement as he races around searching for his hidden treasures…. It is the most wonderful thing to watch. If you, like me, have bunnies to love, you can include them in the Easter hunt too. You can hide their homemade treats around their hutch and places they are allowed to run and play. This will provide excellent entertainment for them and for you 🙂 Don’t forget to get your camera out and snap away so you can always remember these wonderfully happy moments!

Have fun with your furry loves, of all kinds! Enjoy giving them gifts and baking them special treats, I know I will 🙂

Thank you for reading

10
Mar
2016

For the love of pretzels

categories: Recipes

It’s no secret that I absolutely love baking for Oscar! I never buy shop bought treats for him because I know I can make him treats that are tastier and much healthier too. I love trying out new recipes and Oscar is happy to let me know whether he likes them or not…

This week I decided to make him pretzels. Everyone loves pretzels right? So I made Oscar a healthy batch that he can enjoy, and he loved them!

Oat and Apple pretzels

Ingredients

2 cups oat flour

1/4 cup oats

Squirt of honey

1 egg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Add all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and mix until a dough forms. If it too sticky to work with then add a little more flour. Take two small pieces of the dough and roll them into a tube the size of a pencil. Make a U shape with each tube, twist the ends together and fold back to form the pretzel shape. Gently place the pretzels onto a greased baking tray and lightly brush them with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. Let the pretzels cool before allowing you pup to enjoy. Store them in an airtight container.

Flavour variants

You can make your pretzels any flavour to suit your furry loves pallet! Here are some great combinations your pup is sure to love:

Carrot and apple

Peanut butter and apple

Apple and banana

Pear and apple

Sweet Potato pretzels

Ingredients

200g sweet potato

1 cup wholewheat flour

1 tablespoon oats

1 egg

Directions

Peel the sweet potato and chop it into cubes. Place it in a saucepan of boiling water and let it cook for 20 minutes or until soft and cooked. Drain the sweet potato and allow it to cool, then puree it either in a food processor or mash it using a potato masher. Add the flour, oats and egg and mix it together until it forms a dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little extra flour. Take two small pieces of the dough and roll them into a tube the size of a pencil. Make a U shape with each tube, twist the ends together and fold back to form the pretzel shape. Gently place the pretzels onto a greased baking tray and lightly brush them with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container. Your pooch will love these.

Enjoy baking for your furry love! He will know that you have taken time out to make him something special…

Thank you for reading

03
Mar
2016

He’s in dreamland…

categories: Oscar

I often find myself watching Oscar as he appears to be having the most awesome dream. Jowls twitching, nose sniffing and feet seemingly running. I find it hysterical to watch and often reach for my camera or phone to film my boy having the time of his life in dreamland. But the real question is, Does Oscar dream?

I’m happy to admit that Oscar doesn’t get the gold medal for being the most active boy on the block but he is the most happy-go-lucky soul I have ever met. Happy to snooze under my feet in the office, happy to fall asleep next to me while I watch my favourite t.v shows, happy to sun tan with me and of course he is happy to snuggle up in bed. I would say Oscar’s favourite pass time is sleeping. So let’s explore whether Oscar does dream or not…

The simple answer is yes. While we do not know for sure what our beloved pups dream about, studies have shown that they enter a state of deep sleep just like us humans do. It is during this deep sleeping period that Oscar has his various dreams. It is also said that smaller dogs will dream a lot more each night than larger dogs will. Puppies also dream more than adult dogs because they are processing the new information they learn each day.

Obviously I would love to ask Oscar what he dreamt about last night and have him answer me, but unfortunately that is not the case. We can only speculate that his dreams are similar to mine. Replaying the days events of chasing birds, eating his treats and barking at the clouds.

While your pups sudden growls and howls may be alarming, please do not wake him from his dream. Your pup needs deep uninterrupted sleep for healthy brain activity. Think about how you feel when you have suddenly been woken up from your dreams…

Waking your pooch from a deep, dreaming sleep may startle him and this could result in him lashing out. A startled pup needs a moment to assess his surroundings. So please let your pup sleep.

The positions our furry loves sleep in can tell us how comfortable and happy they are at that particular moment. Oscar has many sleeping positions, but here are a few of his favourites and what they mean.

Side sleeping: We call this one ‘sleeping like a human’ since Oscar always has his head on a pillow and is covered by his comfy duvet. This is said to be a very restful and comfortable sleeping position. It means Oscar is comfortable with his surroundings without the fear of threats.

Curled up like a ball: This is the most defensive position. Oscar will tuck his feet and tail tightly under himself and nudge his head close to his body too. It isn’t a very restful position and it can also mean he is cold and trying to keep himself warm.

Legs up: When Oscar sleeps in this position, it shows absolute relaxation and comfort. He doesn’t have a care in the world!

Curled side sleep: This is a favourite for many of our furry loves. Oscar will sleep on his tummy, slightly curled up and cosy. This is a comfortable position to for him to sleep in and it allows him to jump up quickly if need be.

It is important that your pooch has at least one super comfortable bed to sleep on. Yes, Oscar is very spoilt and has three of his own dedicated bed, plus he uses the couch and the outside furniture as his resting spots too. If you wouldn’t sleep on your pups bed then you shouldn’t expect him to either. Please make sure you provide him with something comfortable and clean.

You can browse the Stylish Paws online store for handmade beds click here.

Thank you for reading.