Tag: blog

Take your dog to work day…

It’s take your dog to work day! This has to be the best day in the calendar. Well lucky for me I get to take Oscar and Zara to work with me everyday and that’s because I am blessed enough to work from home. 

Working from home sure has its benefits but it also has a downside… According to Zara I am constant entertainment! I’m always there to play ball or frisbee or give a never ending supply of treats. Oscar believes he can never let me out of his sight and therefore must sleep on top of my feet whenever I am sitting in my chair. In fact, the position under my desk is a hot commodity and it’s on a first come first serve basis but if you get up for whatever reason, your spot is lost instantly to the pup eagerly awaiting it. This carries on for as long as I’m in my little home based office each day. It sure is wonderful but it can often be distracting if I have a deadline or something very important to get done. When working from home you need discipline and routine, that way both Oscar and Zara know the order of events for the day.

So here are some tips when bringing your pups to the office and still manage to get a decent amount of work done…

 A comfy bed is a must. After all the office hellos your pup will want somewhere comfy to have a power nap. I say power nap because the office is far too exciting a place for a long dreamy snooze. They’ll be up and wondering around in no time… click here to shop our range of stylish beds. 

Fresh water supply. This might seem obvious but in all the excitement you might forget to bring your pups water bowl from home. It’s very important you offer your pups a fresh supply of cold water throughout the day. Often offices get hot and stuffy and usually our pups feel the heat first. You don’t want them dehydrating. Spoil your pup even more by buying him a new water bowl… click here to shop our bowls.

A few toys. These are equally as important because you need your pup to entertain themselves to some extent throughout the day, after all you have work to do. Some of my office favourites for Zara are a nylon chew toy. Petqwerks offers a wide variety of these chews and are Zara’s absolute best. They keep her entertained for hours! Another favourite which keep both Oscar and Zara occupied is a Frozen Kong. This is something you can prepare the night before, pop it in a cooler bag and back into the freezer when you get to the office until you’re ready to give it to your pup. There are endless recipe ideas for these too (read my blog post on Frozen Kong ideas). A fun but tiring game to play is tuggy. Zara absolutely loves her tuggy toys and a quick session of tug-of-war seem to tire her out. You could play this in a passage or office garden or balcony. It gives you a break from work and some engaging fun for your pup too. Zara has a new favourite tuggy toy- her Monkey RopeTugz which you can buy in the online store… click here to spoil your pooch!

Some yummy Treats. Because let’s face it coming to the office is a treat for your pup if you work in a regular office. Have some treats on hand in your desk drawer to spoil your pups just a little bit more! You can buy some healthy treats in the online store too… click here to treat your pup! 

We hope your experience at work with your pups is a fabulous one! Remember to have fun and respect everyone’s pups. 

Follow us on Instagram to see what we get up to today! @stylish_paws

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Product Review: Titan Ink!

You may know them as @mixlamprecht7 on Instagram, I know them as Titan and Mom. Mom is Michaela and together they formed Titan Ink!

It’s hard not to fall in love with Titan, his squishy face and adorable fun-loving attitude and of course he is a rottie. Mom is pretty fabulous herself, always offering friendly advice to anyone who needs it. When we were asked to be apart of this amazing collaboration, of course we said YES!

Titan Ink is special. Not only is this one for my fellow South Africans but it offers so much more than t-shirts and hoodies. Each item that gets sold, proceeds go to a certain charity, let me explain further…

You all know that I am a Rottie Mom and a very proud one at that! For every ‘Rottie Mom’ shirt sold, a percentage goes towards the Rottweiler Rescue of South Africa. Oscar is a basset cross bulldog but gets more “oh he is a cute basset” comments than “he looks like a super cute bulldog” comments, so I went with being a proud ‘Basset Mom’ for his t-shirt. Proceeds from this go to the South African Basset Adoptions Foundation. At the moment, Pretoria Animal Buddies and Underdogs are the other recipients.

Most of us animal lovers much prefer our furry friends over the human type. This is exactly what inspired Michaela to create Titan Ink, which is aptly named after her best friend Titan. Currently on offer are t-shirts and hoodies with writing in gold, copper and the oh so stunning rose gold. Each order is custom made as you order. Whatever your fur babies breed is, Titan Ink will create your t-shirt or hoodie. The range is looking to expand very soon so keep an eye on them for new and exclusive items.

Dog lover clothing is a big hit overseas and slowly creeping into the South African market too-YAY. Titan Ink garments are 100% quality made! I am totally in love with my two t-shirts and I am proud to wear them.

Michaela lives by the mantra “If you follow your passion you will never work a day in your life.” You can support Titan Ink by following their Facebook Page and Instagram account. For orders email titan7ink@gmail.com

Or you can shop online at the Stylish Paws online store by clicking here.

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Hello April.

April, the month where us in the Southern Hemisphere get our first taste of that winter coolness. I love the summer months, so I always feel a tiny bit blah when Autumn comes around but April is my birthday month so how can I not love it 😉

This month features my gorgeous handsome man being well, gorgeous. Enjoy 🙂

Download your April calendar here

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Easter Yummies…

Easter, that holiday time where there is an endless supply of chocolate. Chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, chocolate chickens, chocolate-chocolate-chocolate. I have quite a sweet tooth and I absolutely LOVE chocolate so these holidays are definitely one of my favourite to celebrate!

We all know the serious dangers when it comes to dogs and chocolate! Ours is always packed away in a sealed tub on a high shelf. Oscar has zero chance of reaching it with his little legs-haha… And being in a tightly sealed tub Zara has zero chance of getting to it too. But did you know that dogs can enjoy some carob chocolate? Oscar and Zara absolutely love it and I make little carob treats for them on special occasions so they feel extra special and included in the celebrations. My Easter blog post last year focused on carob doggy Easter treats (read here), so this year I am using it in a different way.

Carob comes from the carob tree. Inside the carob pod is a sweet pulp that is then dried, roasted and ground into carob powder. It is naturally sweet and has a slight nutty taste. Carob is completely free of the toxic compounds that are found in chocolate and has a moderate amount of fibre, potassium and vitamins. Carob is also a great healthy alternative for chocolate for humans and boasts a range of health benefits. You can find carob chip and carob chocolate bars in selected health stores.

I like to keep carob powder in the pantry because it has such a variety of ways I can use it for Oscar and Zara. I love experimenting with it and seeing what they love and what they don’t. Zara usually loves everything, it is Oscar that I need to impress 😉

My Easter recipes are pretty simple and seriously yummy this year. There is one for us humans-which is a little different to the traditional way and one for the pups… Enjoy

Humans only Giant Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

Hot Cross Bun

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbs yeast

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

4 tbs soft butter

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (because raisins are the devil hahaha)

Depending on how sweet you like them you can add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar.

Syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 sugar

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 tbs cream cheese

1 tbs soft butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbs water

Directions

  • Combine the warm milk, sugar and yeast and let it rest for the yeast to activate.
  • I use an electric mixer for the next step because it’s easier and quicker. Mix together your flour, salt and nutmeg. Add the eggs and butter to the yeast mixture and stir then pour it over the flour and using the dough hook beaters, mix until your dough looks lovely and smooth and well combined. You can add your chocolate chips at this stage and carry on mixing. If the dough is too wet then add more flour, if it is too dry add a little water.
  • You will need to let your dough rise, so lightly oil a big bowl and place your dough in the bowl. Cover with clingfilm and place it in a warm spot so it can rise. It is done when it has doubled in size.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Take your dough out the bowl and punch it down then break off small parts (mine turned out to be huge)  and begin rolling your hot cross buns into balls. Place these on a greased baking tray and cover with a clean cloth and allow them to rise again.
  • Then bake them for +-20 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.
  • To make the syrup glaze simply mix the sugar and water in a pan on a low heat, allow it to just go a bit thicker then remove from the heat.
  • For the icing you beat together all the ingredients with an electric beater. You can either put it into a piping bag to neatly pipe onto the top of your buns or you can spoon it on, it’s entirely up to you-the icing is really yummy!
  • Once the buns are cooked, remove them from the oven and brush the top with your sugar syrup. Allow them to cool completely before decorating them with the icing. You can even add a few more chocolate chips on top-get creative! Then ENJOY!!

Doggy Hot Cross BunsIngredients

4 cups flour

1 tbs honey

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tbs baking soda

1 cup milk

1/2 cup organic greek yoghurt

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbs butter

Carob chips

Syrup

The same as above

Cream Cheese Icing

The same as above

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
  • Combine all your dry ingredients. Combine all the wet ingredients then add to the dry flour mix and add the carob chips.
  • Mix together until a dough starts forming then tip it out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes.
  • Break off small balls and round them into shape and place them onto a greased baking tray.
  • Bake for +-30 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and you can use the same syrup mixture from the human buns to glaze these ones. You can also use the human buns icing mixture to decorate these yummy buns for your pus. They sure will love these!!

Along with enjoying these yummy hot cross buns and spending quality time together, Oscar and Zara of course had to dress up. Oscar decided he wanted to try become a chicken and Zara became a bunny-weiler… And of course the three musketeers wish you all a very Hoppy Easter too.

Whatever your Easter plans are, stay safe and enjoy precious family time!!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Oh how I love Valentine’s Day. You either love it or hate it. Why hate it when it’s the day of love? Those that hate it say “why should I show you how much I love you on just one day”. Easter is one day, Christmas is one day and your birthday is one day, so what’s the difference?

It’s important to show the ones you love just how much you love them all the time, agreed not just on February 14th. But just go with it, enjoy the cliche of small white teddy bears holding red hearts, yummy indulgent chocolates and champagne, and long stem roses that cost an arm and a leg just because it’s Valentine’s Day.

Oscar and Zara know exactly how much they are loved. I tell them everyday basically all day that I love them and I know they understand every word!

Zara is not shy to show me how much she loves me back. Each and every morning she brings me a present. These presents are her toys, her most prized possessions of course, she chooses just one and that’s the gift of the day. This is such a special thing we have going, I wake up every morning wondering which toy i’ll get gifted with. I never taught her this at all, she one day started doing it and it’s now a ritual. Zara is also the queen of kisses. She pins me down (because yes she is stronger than me) and attacks me with her tongue! The love that Zara has is like nothing I have ever experienced, it’s so over the top and just so Zara.

Oscar on the other hand is a little more reserved in his expressions of love. His way of telling me he loves me is by never leaving my side. And I mean never! He follows me all over the house no matter what. I try get up and sneak out the room if he is snoozing (I don’t like disturbing his sleeps) but that nose of his picks up a scent that says “mom has left the room”. He is up like a rocket and finds me in three-seconds flat. He is by far the most loyal steed I have ever encountered. He is one hundred percent devoted to protecting me.

So naturally this Valentine’s Day I have made them some yummy bright red heart-shaped treats to devour….

Valentine’s Day Treats

Ingredients

2 cups beetroot puree

2-3 cups flour

2 tbs coconut oil

1 egg

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. In a mixing bowl mix together your beetroot puree, coconut oil and egg. Then add your flour one cup at a time until you have a lovely dough. This dough can be slightly soft sticky, as long as you can roll it out it is fine. Gently roll out your dough and using heart shaped cookie cutters cut your treats. Place them on a greased baking tray and bake for +- 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. The bright red colour of these treats is just gorgeous and your pups will LOVE them.

Whatever you decide to do or not do this Valentine’s Day, make sure you let those around you know how much you love and appreciate them. I know I will. <3

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Product Review: Geopetric Personalised Pet Products

When Geopetric contacted us and asked us to be apart of their affiliate programme I was of course over the moon with excitement! I chose what I thought would look good on Oscar and Zara and waited patiently for their new items to arrive.

Wow, I was blown away by the quality of both the personalised collar and the softness of the bandana. Both are absolutely gorgeous products.

I love that the collar is personalised with Zara’s name on and the bandana has a very African theme to it-Living in Africa of course that speaks to my heart. The pinks and purples of Zara’s collar looks gorgeous against her black fur and Oscar just looks so good in green with bold colours-but then again he looks good in everything 🙂

Each product sold in the Geopetric store has a unique pattern, the materials used are made with bright and bold colours with geometric shapes and patterns to decorate. The outcome is of course stunning in every way. You won’t mistake a Geopetric collar for any other!

Geopetric offers a wide variety of pet accessories including personalised collars, harnesses, gorgeous bandanas, fun bow ties, collar tags, yummy treats and super cute puppy starter kits!! And not forgetting us humans, there are some lovely goodies for us too in the form of t-shirts, bracelets, hats, tech accessories and personalised key chains.

The Geopetric brand provides, charitable, cruelty free and eco-friendly products for both you and your pets. They only use eco-friendly materials including recycled bottles and vegan cork-leather. They have partnered with and continue to partner with animal rescues across the globe to promote animal adoption.

We’re all trying to make a positive difference in our world, with your help Geopetric is doing just that. I love the fact of knowing I can make a difference in a shelter dogs life simply by spoiling my own pups, Oscar and Zara!!

Our partnership with Geopetric gives you a fabulous 20% discount whenever you decide to shop online with Geopetric. Simply use the code OSCAR&ZARA when you check out…. So what are you waiting for? Shop TODAY, spoil your pets and help pets in need!!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook @stylishpaws and Instagram @stylish_paws

Thank you for reading.

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Product review: Vagabond-Dogs: Luxury Dog Accessories

When we got asked to do a product review for Vagabond-Dogs we were over the moon with excitement! Not only are their dog accessories super stylish in looks but they are hand crafted and designed with so much love and care too.

Vagabond-Dogs is a brand that is all about the love of dogs. They are using Vagabond-Dogs as a platform for advocacy and charity, and being a new brand they are building up their network of advocates, so if you know a dog charity that needs support please contact Vagabond-Dogs directly on hello@vagabond-dogs.com

In our brief email conversations, I instantly knew that Ted and Nelly are the real deal when it comes to loving animals. They have put everything they have into creating Vagabond-Dogs as well as into supporting animal shelters and rescuing pups in need.

When I opened our delivery box, each collar was neatly wrapped in tissue paper. It looked so neat and tidy I didn’t want to ruin it by ripping open the tissue paper and causing chaos. But I did because I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer! What we received were four beautiful collars. We received the Born Free range that has a boho signature design engraved absolutely perfectly into each collar. The quality of each collar is outstanding and guaranteed to last a lifetime. The inspiration behind each collar comes from life. Be it architecture, design, fashion or nature. The Born Free range was inspired after many trips that Ted and Nelly look to Joshua Tree National Park in California.

It was hard to decide which colours for which pup. I feel they are unisex and once I began photographing Oscar and Zara wearing their new gorgeous collars, I was right! All four collars look fantastic on both Oscar and Zara. I will definitely be mixing up who wears what on our outings and adventures.

Who doesn’t love a brand that works hard to give back and support the dogs out there who are less fortunate than our own. So go on, support Vagabond-Dogs. Help them achieve their dream by heading to www.vagabond-dogs.com and spoiling your pups, it’s totally worth it!! Oh and did I mention they offer worldwide shipping….

Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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Meet the babies.

A very warm welcome to my three musketeers, Charlotte, Duke and Peaches. A month ago we adopted these three gorgeous babies who needed a loving home and a family to call their own. Finally my heart felt strong enough to welcome more fluff balls in after the sudden loss of Valentine and Duchess earlier this year. If anything, these three have reassured me just how much I loved, and still love Valentine and Duchess!


Naming them was a little tricky. When I got Valentine and Duchess, I had wanted a bunny for so many years and knew I would name him Valentine. Duchess just came to me after we found out that he was in-fact a she-haha! These three had me stumped. Until I started to see their personalities come through and as I got to know them they each reminded me of animated movie characters. Charlotte became Charlotte because she is shy but very regal-just like Charlotte from Charlottes Webb. Duke became Duke because he is very pushy and forces attention on himself-just like Duke the dog from The Secret Life of Pets. And Peaches became Peaches because she is a little different from the other two, it took her a while to fit in and become comfortable in her environment-just like Peaches from Ice Age. And that is how my three musketeers were named 🙂

Oscar as usual is great with his babies. All he wants to do is kiss them and slobber on them. They come up to him too and give him a good old sniff then go about their business as usual. Zara is very intrigued by these little fluff balls. She was very young when we had Valentine and Duchess and she just wanted to run after them, which of course was not the way to behave. With these three she is a little older, has been to puppy training so she listens and understands things a whole lot better. She sits and watches them for hours through the glass door that leads into their play room. Her interaction with them is supervised at all times and we are slowly building up what she can and cannot do around them. She is rather funny, when Charlotte, Duke and Peaches come up to her for bunny kisses she freezes like a statue! Does not move a whisker. It is quite funny to watch. I am confident we will get to a stage where Zara will happily lie and watch over these three as they run up and down the passage and explore the house just like Valentine and Duchess did. It’s a learning process for us all but so far her progress is unbelievable and I am immensely proud of her!

All in all life with three baby bunnies is amazing. They trash their room every single night, which I believe is their way of showing me just how much they appreciate all the hay, treats and toys they get. I get special bunny kisses all the time, and recently Duke and Peaches have taken to the idea of having power naps in my lap. It is just the best!! I am loving being a bunny mom again…

Thanks for reading.

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