And just like that it’s a new year! Happy 2022 everyone.
Download your January calendar here
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by 
January 2022 Calendar
categories: Calendar
by by by Christmas Treats
categories: Holiday fun, Recipes
We love Santa in our home. He’s the big fat guy who brings presents and looks after reindeers and our new family member Coco Puff the elf. As Gia gets older, Christmas becomes more fun because she understands a little more and we can just enjoy the make believe world that Santa is. Life is too short not to have FUN and not to eat Christmas treats!
Zara loves Santa Paws too and she picks up on all the excitement and knows when his delivery has been made. She knows exactly which gifts are for her and loves to sniff them out.
So Santa Paws is almost here and what better way to celebrate his arrival than with some yummy homemade Christmas treats for the whole family.
Candy Cane Dog Treats
Ingredients for the red dough
1 cup beetroot puree
1 egg
2 cups flour
Directions
Mix together the beetroot puree and egg. Then add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Set aside.
Ingredients for the white dough
1 cup apple puree
1 egg
2 cups flour
Directions
Mix together the apple puree and egg. Then add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Set aside.
Take little portions of each dough and roll them into long thin strips then on a greased baking tray gently plait them into a candy cane shape. Repeat until all your dough is finished. Bake at 180 degrees for +-25 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked allow them to cool before your pup enjoys them.
Gia helped make the Christmas cookies for Santa. She loved being involved!
Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 cup butter – room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the egg and vanilla together then add it to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat well. Then add the flour one cup at a time and mix well. Eventually the dough will form. Put it in the fridge for about an hour to chill. Once chilled roll out and using Christmas shaped cookie cutters make your Christmas cookies. Place on an un-greased baking tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for +-15minutes or until golden. Allow biscuits to cool completely before decorating.
You can bet we will be leaving a candy cane out for Rudolf and a Christmas cookie for Santa!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2022.
Thank you for following us on our journey that was 2021!
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by Santa Paws Christmas Gift Guide
categories: Gift Guides, Holiday fun
It’s December and Santa Paws is almost on his way!
Here is a Christmas gift guide with some gorgeous ideas to spoil your furry loves this festive season.
Have yourself a very Merry Christmas everyone!
*this post contains affiliate links.
1.House of Paws Reindeer Plush Toy
10.Extras…
We hope this gift guide helped you find some cute spoils for your furry loves. Should you wish to purchase any of these items through our links, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you, it’s just Amazon being nice to us 😉
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by December
categories: Calendar
Happy December everyone. Santa Paws is on his way and we can’t wait. Loads of family time coming up and of course some spoils too.
We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.
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by November
categories: Calendar
Happy November everyone! Summer is in full swing here for us and we are taking advantage of lots of pool time and water toy fun. It’s kinda what summer is all about right 🙂
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by Hansgrohe DogShower
categories: Product Reviews
The Hansgrohe DogShower is the latest dog grooming product to hit the South African market and we couldn’t be more excited to share our experience with you.
When Hansgrohe reached out to us I’ll be honest, I had not heard of the DogShower but since doing my own research and connecting with the brand I am seeing the DogShower more and more internationally on social media. But fear not my fellow South Africans because the DogShower is coming to YOU!
The Hansgrohe DogShower is pretty awesome and can be used for both indoor and outdoor grooming. As you know Zara loves nothing more than to be hosed down and groomed and the DogShower makes the experience a little more luxurious for her. It has three different wash settings, one for the bulk of her fur, which is the full flow of the shower head. One for the more sensitive parts like her legs, under-carriage, bum and tail areas, which is only the top section of the shower head. And the last setting is for her paws, which is a single jet of water flow. It also has a button to increase the pressure if you want which I actually quite liked especially for around Zara’s leg area where the shampoo usually sits.
The long silicone nozzles offer a pleasant massage experience for your pup which Zara loved. I was able to massage from the top of her neck right to the tip of her tail without the nuzzles getting stuck in her fur all whilst making sure no shampoo foam is left behind.
The single flow paw cleaner is also great because I often forget about Zara’s paws when bathing her however the paw cleaning setting on the DogShower makes sure any bits and pieces that are wedged in between her toes gets cleaned away especially when you use the booster pressure button.
We connected our Hansgrohe DogShower to our standard outdoor garden hosepipe and it works perfectly. Because it is currently so hot where we live, giving Zara an outdoor shower suits her perfectly. I mean who doesn’t love outdoor showers anyway 😉 At first Zara thought it was a new sprinkler water toy to play with so she tried jumping up and playing with the water sprays but she soon realised what a relaxing experience it is to be bathed with the DogShower.
Don’t worry, if you don’t enjoy bathing your pup outside the Hansgrohe DogShower works indoors too. All you need is a shower hose connected to your bath or shower which you screw the DogShower head to and use it in the bath or shower. Zara loves an indoor bath too so we keep these to the winter time so we can make the water a little warmer for her.
Basically everyone can use the Hansgrohe DogShower and we highly recommend this product. No more random buckets or jugs needed to bath your pets. Simply screw it to your bath hose or outdoor hosepipe and you’re good to go!
Thank you Hansgrohe for such an awesome product which we will use all the time!
Follow Hansgrohe Africa on Instagram and Facebook for actual product launch dates 🙂
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by How to keep your pets cool and comfortable in summer
categories: Summer Love
Summer is in full swing for us and while we as a family absolutely love the summer months, the intense heat of our summer days can leave you feeling drained and Zara is not immune to this and neither is Ollie or the bunny girls.
Most dogs and pets in general can suffer from heat stroke really quickly and most pet owners know that heat stroke is no joke! I am very aware of how hot it gets for us and I am constantly making sure Zara, Ollie, the bunny girls and us stay cool and comfortable so we can enjoy our beautiful hot sunny days to the fullest.
So here are some tips and things I do to make sure we all stay cool during our hot summers.
*this post contains affiliate links.
Water Toys
Water toys in summer are an absolute must have! We have a few gems we found on Amazon and in the shops. Zara is a water goddess and loves nothing more than a water toy or shell pool to splash around in. She loves sprinkler toys and there are some fabulous ones available! Our latest water toy is her sprinkler pad which is great for Gia too. The two of them can sit for hours playing in the water together.
Cold Water + Ice Treats
Cold water and Ice treats are a must for all of us. You can make them interesting by adding fruits and veggies. The bunnies particularly love a fruity ice treat. I usually pop a blueberry, chopped strawberries or chopped carrots in each ice mould before filling it with water and freezing. Zara loves eating ice and it definitely helps in keeping her body temperature down. I also make sure she has a big ice block in her water bowl all afternoon so she has lovely cold water to drink. Ollie drinks Zara’s water too and I have noticed he quite enjoys it when its really cold. Of course you can make yummy frozen yoghurt treats and doggy ice cream too but on a hot day I find those can make Zara extra thirsty so I prefer fruit and water to be honest.
Frozen Water Bottle
When I know it’s going to get really hot I freeze a few full water bottles. Once frozen I wrap a small towel around them (to prevent ice-burn) and I give it to Ollie to lie next to for his afternoon nap. When the bunnies are really hot I give them one too.
Swimming
As you know Zara loves nothing more than swimming in the big pool. She’s a fish in a rottweiler body! This is the most effective way to cool her body temperature down fast, but not all dogs love to swim and that’s ok! Water toys are just as much fun and absolutely help in cooling down. Gia is learning to swim too so the two of them have great fun in the pool together.
Offer a Fan or AC
We have both fans and air-conditioning in all areas of the house, our summer is too hot not to have these things. Zara quite enjoys both! On extreme days I put the AC on and she takes up position right under it and enjoys her afternoon snooze. Ollie also enjoys the AC on a hot afternoon. Otherwise I put the fans on to circulate the air and this works well too.
Some Don’ts
I never let Zara sunbathe on extremely hot days. Our sun is too powerful and she gets really hot really quickly and ends up coming inside panting like she’s just been on a 5km walk! We also never walk Zara past 10am, even at that time our temperatures are getting high. We usually do early morning or late afternoon past 4pm or even later. We try not to run around and play too much during the hottest times of the days either and that’s why we have so many water toys- so we can still have plenty of fun while keeping cool even tho it’s roasting hot!
Thank you for reading, we’re off to enjoy some summer fun 🙂
by October
categories: Calendar
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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by September
categories: Calendar
Hello 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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by Zara Turns Five and We’re Having a Pawty
categories: Zara
Today 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!
Zara’s Birthday Cake
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’s Spoils
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.
Zara’s Birthday Decor
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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