Tag: dogs


Apr
2020

Raw Love Pets Product Review

categories: Product Reviews

Zara loves treats and I love treats that are made with love and are healthy for her, so when Raw Love Pets asked us to review their treat range, I was super excited to put them to the test.

Raw Love Pets product range

Raw Love Pets have been making pets happy with raw meals and hand-made treats since 2009! Everything about Raw Love Pets is being sustainable, using organic and reusable products.

We received a huge selection of treats to try out-much to Zara’s delight! Because we live in Zambia, all our treats are baked not raw. There are raw options if you prefer and I’m pretty sure your pups will love it. 

Raw Love Pets

Zara’s baked selection of Raw Love Pets included Health treats, Bedtime treats, Training treats, Venison droeworse, Venison biltong, and Venison chews. Plus something extra called Diatomaceous Earth powder. 

Zara’s favourite treats of the range is definitely the Bedtime treats. Zara lives for her three Bedtime treats. Oscar used to get two treats every night at bedtime which of course Zara got too when she joined our family. When Oscar passed away we decided to give Zara an extra treat at bedtime to remember her brother by. I would say these Bedtime treats pull on a heartstring of mine, making them my favourite too. I have been keeping them in our bedroom where Zara sleeps at night. She jumps into bed and won’t take her eyes off the box until she’s had her three, and yes she can count!! 

Bed time treats

Another favourite of the selection are the training treats. They’re small and Zara thinks they’re very tasty. They are grain free, and made with Organic venison liver, lentil flour, organic rolled oats, free range eggs with no added salt, preservatives or colourants. These are a great treat to have on hand, to use as a spoil or when you want to train your pup or get her to pose for photos 😉 

Training treats

I also love the Health treats because I am always looking for healthy treats for Zara. Let’s be honest, not all treats out there are healthy! I do try to limit the unhealthy treats, but knowing these Raw Love Pets treats are extra healthy puts my mind at rest, especially when Zara gets at least three every time. 

Health Treats

This might be slightly random but another thing I love about the Raw Love Pets baked treats is they don’t leave a smell on your hands. So many dog treats leave your hands smelly even after washing them. The Venison droeworse and biltong is an exception here. 

Dog biltong

If you are looking for a natural way to treat ticks and fleas then this Diatomaceous Earth powder is for you! You can either rub it onto your pups fur or add it to her food. I tried rubbing it all over Zara and it was pretty much a disaster. There was powder everywhere-haha! It’s much easier adding it to her food each night. It can also be used around the home and your garden to get rid of unwanted bugs and slugs. We have a veggie garden which is 100% wild and natural so this powder is going to come in handy-sorry Zara but I think this one is going to be for me 😉 

natural tick and flea powder

Overall we give Raw Love Pets a pawfect rating. Everything about their treat range is fantastic! If you are looking to raw feed your pets or for some healthy but yummy treats then Raw Love Pets should be your brand of choice. I will certainly stock up when Zara’s stash is finished. Thank you Raw Love Pets, we love you. 

Raw Love Pets treats

You can find Raw Love Pets here: www.rawlovepets.co.za

They are FULLY operational during the current nationwide lockdown happening in South Africa! Go on, order some treats, teach your pup a new trick or simply spoil them right now. 

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Apr
2020

Easy Easter Dog Treats

categories: Recipes

Happy Easter weekend everyone. I guess this Easter is a little different to what we all had planned… yes our travel plans got cancelled too but that doesn’t mean Easter has to be cancelled! 

Whenever I think of Easter I only think of one thing… CHOCOLATE and lots of it! We are all well aware of the dangers that chocolate brings to our furry loves. I have done carob treats in the past for Oscar and Zara which were a hit but a bit messy to make and eat so I thought I would simplify things right down and make some yummy carrot treats for Zara, since the Easter bunny loves his carrots 😉

Zara’s Carrot Biscuits

Ingredients

2 steamed carrots, pureed

1 cup wholewheat flour

1 egg

1 tbs coconut oil

1tsp chia seeds

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together your carrot puree, egg and coconut oil. Then add your chia seeds and flour and mix until a dough forms. You might need to add a splash of water if it’s too dry or extra flour if it’s too wet. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and using cute Easter themed cookie cutters, cut out the treats. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for 20-30mins or until cooked and slightly golden in colour. Allow the treats to cool completely before icing them.

Icing 

2 tbs cornstarch and 4 tbs water. Mix them together then use to decorate as you wish. You can add organic food colouring to make different colours.

Using traditional coloured icing sugar is also totally fine! 

Zara is sharing Easter with her baby sis this year, and while I love finding recipes so both girls can enjoy the same treat, sometimes baby Gia needs something a little extra yummy because after all it is her first Easter! 

So here is the recipe for baby Gia’s Easter treats… 

Super Easy Shortbread Bunnies

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 1/4 flour

1 cup icing sugar

2 tbs vanilla 

Directions

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Cream together your butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add your flour and mix, then add your vanilla. Mix until a dough forms. You may have to turn the mixture out onto a floured surface to combine. Once combined, roll out your dough and using Easter themed cookie cutters, cut your shortbread and place the shapes onto a greased baking tray. Bake for +-20 minutes or until biscuits are lightly golden. Remove and allow them to cool before decorating. 

You can decorate your biscuits however you wish, using icing, buttercream, melted chocolate etc… My decorating skills need a little work-haha. Nonetheless, these Easter biscuits are a total hit amongst the humans in the house! And Zara is loving her Easter treats too… My heart is happy!

Happy Easter everyone. Stay safe and enjoy your quality time with family at home! If you decide to make these yummy Easter treats for yourself or your furry love, don’t forget to tag us in your pics… @stylish_paws

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Mar
2020

Hello Dog Box Product Review

categories: Product Reviews

Who doesn’t love a monthly subscription box? It’s like a present to yourself every month, or in this case a present to your dog every month…

When Hello Dog Box asked us to review their latest March subscription box, of course we were excited and wondered what our box would be filled with.

Hello Dog Box

Hello Dog Box is a monthly subscription box for your dog. It’s a box delivered to your door every month filled with fun, interactive and chewable toys that will keep your dog entertained until the next one arrives. 

Zara finally received her Hello Dog Box when we returned from our latest trip to South Africa. It was a gift I was particularly excited to give her and a gift I was excited to open! 

Zara couldn’t wait to get her nose inside this box. She busted it open and what we saw excited us both… 

dog subscription box

Inside our Hello Dog Box was a Petstages Chew. Zara loves chew toys, they’re like her after dinner treat while we watch some tv together. Although this one needed to be opened and chewed on immediately. 

petstages

There was a super awesome 2 in 1 grooming mitt. It’s no secret that Zara loves water, be it having a bath or a swim. Of course Zara had to have a bath so we would test out this new Noodle Drying mitt. I love this grooming mitt! Instead of using about 4 towels to dry Zara’s fur, the mitt did a perfect job. I just had to wring it out when it got full and heavy and then carried on. It also kind of gave Zara a massage so she really enjoyed it. On the other side is the grooming part of the mitt which I used when Zara was dry to get off all her loose fur. Such an awesome product to receive and one that will last far longer than just one month! I will most definitely use this grooming mitt during swimming season and give my towels a break 😉 

dog grooming

I have seen quite a few of Zara’s instagram besties enjoying their Cool Dogs Ice Cream and wondered how I could get my paws on some for her too. I didn’t do any research into it because I assumed you bought the tubs of doggy ice cream straight from the freezer, ready to serve. So you can imagine my utter excitement when I saw the tub of Cool Dogs Ice Cream for Dogs in our Hello Dog Box. Totally surprised by the fact that it comes as dry ingredients, all you have to do is add a small amount of cold water, mix it well and freeze. Zara received the biltong flavoured tub and it was a total hit. She could have easily eaten the entire tub in one go but I made sure we saved some for another day 😉 I will certainly be ordering more Cool Dogs Ice Cream for Dogs, for Zara. 

dog ice cream

Zara also received a super cute ladybug squeaky toy to run around and have a mad half hour with, which she did! I’ll admit Zara is quite gentle with certain toys. It’s almost like she knows when a toy is slightly tougher and she can be a little more rough with it. This super cute lady bug was tossed all over the garden, got shown to the lizards and even Baby Gia had it in her mouth- haha! And it’s still in one piece… 

dog toy

There was a huge box of Probono biscuits for Zara too. She practically bit my fingers off when I gave her a taster! I think she likes them… A LOT! 

dog treat

And lastly there was a lovely red bandana. Red suits Zara, so she wore her new snazzy bandana with such pride! 

red dog bandana

I absolutely loved this Hello Dog Box and so did Zara. I love the box itself, it’s strong enough to keep its contents safe from damage. The presentation of all the goodies inside the box is lovely and neat too. I particularly loved how colour coordinated this box was, red being the obvious colour! Each item is good quality and something your dog will love. Not all the items are perishable and some you can reuse and use again which makes the box extra value for money in my eyes. 

hello dog box

It’s pretty easy to get your paws on one of these awesome boxes! They’re brought to you by Petheaven, an amazing online pet store. All you need to do is click here and decide which subscription you would like. 

Packages start from R495 per box for a 6 month subscription. I can honestly say the value of these boxes is worth way more! By clicking the link you also qualify for R100 off your FIRST box! What’s not to love… Spoil your furry love now! 

And remember, each item inside our box is available to buy online from Petheaven too… Happy shopping! 

Hello Dog Box contents

Please note that Petheaven will still be operating during the Government instructed lockdown from midnight 26 March until midnight 16 April 2020, meaning all your pet necessities will still be delivered to your door, keeping your pets happy and healthy during this time! 

Follow Hello Dog Box on Social Media | Facebook | Instagram 

And Petheaven | Facebook | Instagram ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Aug
2019

August

categories: Calendar, Zara

August is probably one of Zara’s favourite months of the year… Not only is it her birthday month but it is also the month where our weather starts warming up, which means only one thing in Zara’s mind… SWIM TIME!!

We hope you enjoy your month of August just as much as we will.

Download your August calendar here

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Jun
2019

Dogs and Babies

categories: Zara

On 30 September last year, we found out that we were going to be parents to a tiny human! Nothing can describe that feeling of utter happiness and excitement. That day will always be extra special to myself and my husband because that same day is Oscar’s birthday, and it will always be Oscar’s birthday! 

dogs and babies

Our biggest wish was to make Oscar a big brother, unfortunately the universe had other plans but I now understand why. In Oscar’s eyes I belonged to him and only him. My husband will even admit to that-haha. I am not entirely sure Oscar would have been able to share me, let alone get through the eleven weeks of separation. 

dogs and babies

Most of you know that we live in Zambia, but I travel to South Africa fairly regularly for various business and personal engagements. Because the medical facilities are not up to scratch in Zambia, we decided as a family that I would give birth to our nugget in South Africa. This also meant that we would all have to endure eleven weeks of separation… 

On 17 May, our beautiful daughter Gia came into this big bright world! We could not be happier and more proud of our little angel. Gia means “A gift from God” and I do believe she is our gift from God and Oscar, who is by my side making sure I look after our tiny human in the best way possible. 

dogs and babies

Zara on the other hand is going to be the best big sister we could ever have asked for. Zara is extremely intelligent, loyal and a little OTT on the affectionate side, but we love that about her. From the moment we found out about our little Nugget, we spoke to Zara and explained what was happening inside my tummy. Believe it or not Zara would just sit and listen to every word. She stopped body slamming me in the middle of the night when she jumps on the bed for a cuddle. She became mindful of my growing tummy and was careful not to bump me or push me. That’s how clever she is. 

We wanted to prep Zara for what was about to happen, because ultimately her life is about to change forever too! So here are the things we did to help ease Zara into the role of becoming a big sister… 

Baby Room Prep

We had to shuffle things around and swap the spare rooms to make Gia’s room closer to ours. While sorting through a pile of things we didn’t need anymore, Zara was right beside us! We never once chased her out or got mad because she dug through a pile of rubbish we just sorted through. After all this is a readjustment for her too. Once the nursery room was cleared out we painted and began furnishing it-the fun part! 

dogs and babies
Doll Practice

We decided to buy a doll and introduce it to Zara. We wanted Zara to get used to us holding something in our arms quite a lot. She needed to learn that sometimes there will be an extra person in the bed in the form of her baby sister, and she needed to be a little careful. At first Zara was unsure especially when the doll made a noise. But with patience and time Zara began to recognise that this little thing is quite special and lives in the newly decorated room. 

dogs and babies
Our Scent 

When I left Zambia in April, I left behind a shirt that I had worn to remind Zara of my scent. My husband says she loves sniffing that shirt! After Gia was born I sent my hubby home with another shirt that smelt like me and baby Gia. We decided to do this so Zara can get used to the scent of me with someone else. Zara is so intelligent she knows exactly what we are trying to do, I just know it! 

Zara’s Gifts

Often articles will tell you to separate your pets from your baby and to never allow pets into the nursery. We have been the total opposite with Zara and have allowed her to walk in and out of Gia’s room as she pleases. As a result, Zara now delivers one of her toys (her most prized possessions) and leaves it either on the rug, the chair or in a corner for her baby sister. When Zara gifts you with one of her toys, you know she loves you! It is something she started doing all by herself, we did not teach her to do it. So by Zara leaving presents for Gia I know that they are going to be the best of friends! 

dogs and babies

Of course this chapter is not complete yet because Zara still has to meet her tiny human. I am in South Africa until the end of June so I will be sure to post an update when Gia and I have settled back home…. But for now we continue to video chat, where Zara is most intrigued by her baby sister especially when she moves or makes a sound. 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the goings on.

Thank you for reading.

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