Tag: dogs

Oscar.

How do you say goodbye to your best friend? I still don’t know even after losing you. 

You were my best friend and at times my only friend! We were together for almost fifteen years, and I would say the most important fifteen years of life. I was sixteen years old and trying to find my way, you gave me purpose and responsibility. 

This tiny bundle of excess skin, ears and paws came into my life and it was without a doubt love at first sight. I was literally obsessed with you. I guess I felt like a new mum does after giving birth to her child, I was proud of you, showing you off at every chance I got and one hundred percent devoted to you. 

 

The cuddles we shared were endless and of course the best. No ones cuddles can compare to your cuddles my boy. You wanted to be on top of me all the time, at the very least right beside me. Nicknamed my cuddle bug for a very good reason, we would snuggle under the duvet for hours. In those moments my heart was completely at peace. As you got older your cuddling intensified, as if that was possible. Spoilt with an Egyptian cotton duvet set because quite frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way! The way your tail would wag when you were dreaming made my heart burst with happiness. I always hoped you were dreaming of me 🙂 

Our time in South Africa, and most of your life, we enjoyed quite a few beach holidays together. Those holidays were my absolute favourite ones. You even managed to escape out the gate of my grandmothers house and I spent two hours looking for you in the pouring rain sobbing my heart out, convinced you were gone and a cane rat had eaten you! Listening with your ears was never your strong point so luckily I found you, harnessed you up and took you home. Phew! 

You loved our holidays at the beach, well the beach sand in particular. Digging trenches for days and managing to get yourself totally covered from snout to tail. It was all such fun. 

When your dad came into our lives thirteen years ago, you were not sold on the idea of having to share me. In fact I don’t think you ever were, haha! You were convinced I could only cuddle you and give only you my undivided attention. Of course I was on your side and it was definitely a ‘Love Me Love My Dog’ kinda situation… Luckily that didn’t put dad off at all. I think it made him love you even more because he knew you would protect me no matter what. It showed your loyalty towards me. 

Then it was time for our Zambian adventure to commence. With you by my side I knew I could handle anything. Our flight to Zambia was the longest two hours of my whole life. I was a nervous wreck. So many thoughts were running through my mind. Were you scared, were you warm enough, was it too loud for you. We landed, I rushed through customs, collected our baggage, gave dad a half hearted hug and kiss and immediately said “We need to get Oscar NOW”. Bearing in mind it was about forty degrees celsius outside and now I was worried you would overheat or dehydrate. Dad firmly told me to wait in the car while he goes inside, he didn’t want me to get upset if I saw something I wasn’t happy with. Dad came rushing out the cargo hold to call me, I bounced out the car because I thought something was wrong… I peered into the hold and saw the most gorgeous boy sitting so proper and so calm in his specially made flight crate. A wave of massive relief and happiness flooded over me. My boy was totally fine. He handled that plane trip like a champ! Our new adventure had just begun… 

You were never the ‘fetch’ kind of pup and as a result your toys just piled up until your toy boxes were overflowing. Enter Zara… All your toys were gone within a few weeks! I was a little apprehensive about getting Zara because we had been kicked out of two different doggy schools for your apparent aggression towards any other dog in your need to protect me. Ooops…

Needless to say, you were a fantastic big brother to Zara. You don’t show your emotions like Zara does, but in your own way you adored her and she knew it. You taught her so much, how to eat like a lady, how to model like a beauty queen and most importantly how to cuddle. 

You were an amazing big brother to our bunny babies too. So kind and gentle towards them. You taught Zara gentleness too. She watched how you loved your bunny babies and copied you. 

To say that I miss you is a serious understatement. In fact there are no words to describe the feeling of loss that I have. I wake up every morning and see your empty bed, and the pain in my heart from the day before returns. At night I still make your bed in the exact way you loved it. I don’t think I will ever stop making your bed. Zara sniffs your bedding, does some twirls and then settles down for a while before going off to her own bed. She misses you too. 

Stylish Paws and everything about it was created because of you. It started off as just a small website selling one item, now I have a beautiful online store that showcases stylish and unique pet goodies plus this amazing blog. I am so proud of Stylish Paws and what I have made it into, but it’s all because of you my boy! You will always be the face of Stylish Paws. I will never stop sharing you with the world. I will push through the pain and promise to keep moving forward. Product reviews and photoshoots will never be the same without you but I promise to showcase Zara in the best way I know how. I promise to carry on for you. 

The love and support I have received from the amazing Instagram community that I find myself in has been overwhelming. I continue to get messages asking how we as a family are coping, genuine messages of love and concern for us. Instagram is a wonderful thing, I have made some beautiful friendships thorough the app. It was the place I started sharing Oscar first. The place where people started falling in love with him, people from all over the world. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Life goes on and for the time being we are adjusting and learning how to do life without Oscar. It’s tough, extremely tough. I have only known life in Zambia with Oscar. We started this adventure together, now I have to carry it on. Zara has brought immense joy into our family and I do believe that she has helped me with this huge loss. I thank my husband for her. I thank him for having the foresight of knowing and understanding I would need her to get through this.

Oscar, I will never stop loving you.

Until we meet again…

Love always

Mom

xoxox

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

August

Happy August everyone. August is a particularly happy and exciting month since it is Princess Zara’s birthday month. She will be two on the 28th! Time sure does fly by.

So here she is in her beautiful flower crown, because she is after all a very pretty flower princess. Enjoy.

august printable calendar 2018 zara

Download your August calendar here

Thank you for reading.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

Cheat Treats

It’s no secret that I love making treats for Oscar and Zara. Be it baked biscuits, frozen lollies or stuffed Kong’s, I love finding what they love and being creative. But sometimes life gets a little crazy and I don’t always have loads of time to spend in the kitchen thinking of ideas, baking hundred of biscuits. 

The thought occurred to me while browsing the isles in the grocery store, don’t ask me what I was doing in the baby food isle since we don’t have any two legged babies just yet… But I thought to myself if the food is good enough for a baby, surely it’s good enough for the babies I do currently have? Of course I looked at all the ingredient lists and made sure there was nothing unsafe for Oscar and Zara to eat. I chose a few flavours I thought they would enjoy and started thinking of ‘short cut’ ways to make them treats….. 

You can choose which ever brand you love, I chose these Squish ones simply because I know some moms who have given them to their babies, but I will be on the lookout for some organic ones.

When you start thinking about it, the ideas are endless! But here are a few which will satisfy your pooch:

Frozen Kong:

Squeeze the entire packet into the Kong, top up with yoghurt if it doesn’t fill it completely and you’re done! Pop it in the freezer over night and there you have your frozen Kong for the next day. If your pup is like Oscar and prefers a fresh Kong, simply squeeze the Squish into the Kong until its full and then give it to your pooch. You might want to put a towel down since it can get a bit  messy! 

Ice Cubes:

Squirt a little into ice trays and freeze. These are great little treats for your pups to enjoy, especially when it’s hot! 

Lollies:

You will need an ice lolly maker tray for this one. Simply squeeze the Squish into the lolly moulds and pop them into the freezer until frozen.

Of course you can add frozen berries, coconut oil or peanut butter to any of these ideas to spruce them up. All of the above ideas will take you less than 10 minutes to make!

Biscuits:

Making baked biscuits using the Squish eliminates you having to think of a flavour for your pups treats (banana and peanut butter, carrot and apple etc etc..) The flavours are already made for you! 

Ingredients

1 Squish packet

1 cup flour

1 egg

Directions

Mix together all your ingredients in a bowl. If the dough is too sticky then add extra flour, if it is too dry then add a splash of water. Once you have a nice dough, roll it out onto a floured surface. Now because time is of the essence here, I skip the cookie cutter part and simply cut the rolled dough into small squares using a sharp knife then scoop them up and place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for +-20mins or until cooked through and golden in colour. Store the cooled teats in an air tight container for up to four weeks. 

I hope you can now find the time to make some yummy treats for your pups. Life gets hectic for all of us but our pups deserve wholesome, healthy teats too. And remember to be creative and try different ideas and combinations. Have fun! 

Thank you for reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

Product Review: OneCart

What’s better than doing your grocery shopping online while snuggled up under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and the pups curled up on top of you? Being able to shop at multiple grocery stores online and have one basket, with one delivery date thats what! 

Yup you read right, OneCart is a brand new online service that allows you to shop at more than one of your favourite grocery online stores and have one shopping basket with one delivery date. All your items from the different stores that you purchase from get delivered to you at the same time on the same day. Now for someone that does a lot of online shopping, like myself, this is a dream come true! 

How does it work you ask, well its pretty simple.You place an order from one or more of your favourite stores supported by OneCart, you choose a delivery date and time that suits you, you checkout and pay. Your order immediately gets sent to an expert personal OneCart concierge shopper who carries out your specific order from all the stores you shopped at. A verified OneCart delivery partner will bring your shopping cart straight to your door at your chosen time. It’s that easy! 

Currently the stores available to shop at through OneCart are:

  • Woolworths
  • Pick ’n Pay
  • Pets by One Cart
  • Booze by One Cart
  • FitChef
  • Dischem
  • Clicks
  • Nussbaums

With more being added… 

Finally, I can order Oscar’s, Zara’s and the bunnies premium foods at the same time as our groceries and our toiletry basket- what is not to love about this service? It saves you time going onto each individual online store, choosing different delivery times and then trying to keep track of what has been delivered and what hasn’t. OneCart is your simple answer to all your online shopping stress. 

OneCart is South Africa’s leading on-demand grocery concierge and delivery service. Go on let them stand in queues for you, while you enjoy quality time doing the things you love! 

There is a promotion running on each of these pet products at the moment, so be sure to order for your furry loves!

Visit their website www.onecart.co.za

Follow them on social media Facebook and Instagram

 

Thank you for reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

July

Happy July everyone! This is the month where Oscar totally hibernates and pretends he is a bear, getting him out of bed to eat is a challenge. I love the snuggle days with him, it’s like our special quality time together!

Enjoy the July calendar

Download the July calendar here

Thank you for reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

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.

Thank you for reading.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

Product Review: PetQwerks Dinosaur Bones

We love PetQwerks and clearly PetQwerks loves us!! We received another amazing box filled with goodies for Oscar and Zara to enjoy, but the toy that particularly looks interesting is the new PetQwerks Dinosaur Bone!

I had to have a little chuckle at this aptly named chew toy for Zara because we call her our Dinosaur. She is 53kg of pure Rottie. Much like a dinosaur she causes chaos on a daily basis, but good chaos of course! Her mad half hours are filled with toys being tossed in the air, rumbles on the bed throwing all the neatly placed cushions all over the floor, she stampedes to the couch making sure she takes over as much as she can at any one given time, digs craters in the grass so I fall in them while running around playing chasing games with her and she digs holes in the flower beds almost ripping up my most precious trees, all while Oscar watches from the sidelines. But you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Zara is our beautiful dinosaur and Oscar is my noble steed who never leaves my side.

As soon as I opened the box of goodies from PetQwerks, Zara inched closer to the table, rested her head almost inside the box and using her long chameleon tongue began licking the huge Dinosaur bone chew! I knew that I would have to work fast and get the photos I wanted so she could enjoy this new fantastic Dinosaur bone chew.

The new Dinosaur Bone that we received is the real bacon flavour and it was an instant hit with Zara. They are specifically made for extreme tough chewers like our Dinosaur. They come in three different sizes and are made from 100% Nylon and real bacon. The other flavours include wood and peanut butter-yummy! These chew toys give me complete peace of mind as something for Zara to gnaw on. Rawhide chews are still everywhere yet we all know the dangers of them. Zara loves to chew and gnaw things from sticks to stones and even soft toys-all of which have potential dangers. With any of the PetQwerks chews and now with this fantastic giant Dinosaur Bone chew, I know she will be happy to chew for hours and hours to come without it being harmful to her.

Of course Oscar had his usual sniff and slobbered on everything but kindly let his sister take over. He did give the Bacon BarkBone a little lick, after all which pup doesn’t love bacon? We received a newly designed bottle of IncrediBubbles which I made my mission to show Oscar how much fun they can be… He still isn’t convinced-haha!

The new light up BabbleBall which has 18 new sounds and phrases is just the best. I giggle every time it’s set off! Zara quite liked the X-Tire ball and when it began roaring and chirping she was most confused and intrigued as to why these noises are coming from her new toy.

PetQwerks toys really are unique and fantastic! There is no other way to describe them. Our pooches are such curious creatures and I love watching how both Oscar and Zara interact with new and unique toys. The PetQwerks range of goodies will not disappoint you. I really do love the BabbleBalls, I have never seen anything quite like them before. Watching the way Oscar and Zara stare at them while the balls are barking and saying hilarious things is extremely entertaining. Your pet will learn that the BabbleBall needs a nudge or a paw to set it off, making this a super fun interactive toy for them. The light up BabbleBall brings another element of interaction with it in the form of a light that flashes making it tons of fun to play with at night.

Overall we thank PetQwerks for more wonderful spoils. We are proud to associate ourselves with them. They are a brand that is dedicated to enriching the lives of pets with their fun and innovative ideas. We say keep them coming!

Head on over to the PetQwerks website | www.petqwerks.com

Follow them on social media to stay up to date with new product launches and weekly giveaways

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest 

Thank you for reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

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!!

Thank you for reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather

Product Review: DONQUE Personalised Clothing

When DONQUE asked us to collaborate with them, we of course jumped ten feet high at the chance! Not only are their clothing items stylish, but you get to customise your items with your furry loves face and name. Seriously what’s not to LOVE about this?

DONQUE is an Amsterdam based company that focusses on creating apparel for dog and cat lovers around the world. Their range of clothing items include t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies.

We received two hoodies, one for me which was custom made with Oscar’s exact face on it-since he is so unique 🙂 And the other one with Zara’s Rottie face. Both designs were made just for us because no one had requested these breeds before. The communication from the DONQUE team was absolutely incredible! Non-stop emails making sure we loved both Oscar and Zara’s designs perfectly. Nothing was too much trouble. If we wanted an eyebrow in the opposite direction, or an extra wrinkle line, it was done and sent back within minutes.

Once I knew our hoodies were on their way, I just couldn’t keep still with excitment. This concept is just so unique, I couldn’t wait to get my paws on these hoodies.

Delivery day…. My excitement was unreal, mainly because we were getting a present this time. Poor Oscar and Zara were very confused when I opened up our package and this one wasn’t for them. Sorry guys. We got two stunning, and I mean stunning, black hoodies, the Oscar one is mine and the Zara one is for my two legged companion. Despite it being about 300 degrees outside and the sun blazing, we eagerly put on our hoodies and ran to the mirror to check ourselves out… We thought we looked fantastic-haha!!

These hoodies are warm and very comfortable. For once I cannot wait for the weather to change so we can both be seen out in our new custom DONQUE hoodies. They’re made of quality material and made really well. Of course you need to be careful not to iron on the print, but that goes for any item with iron-on detail.

For you, my wonderful readers and followers, will get a 10% discount when you use this discount code at check out: ILOVESTYLISHPAWS or simply click on this link: https://wearedonque.com/discount/ILOVESTYLISHPAWS

Oscar and Zara were super proud to walk the streets with us, knowing their humans wore a hoodie with their faces and names on for everyone to see!

You definitely won’t regret placing your order. Who doesn’t want a t-shirt, sweater or hoodie with their pet on?

Don’t forget to follow DONQUE on FacebookPinterest and Instagram and have a look at their website too: www.wearedonque.com

Thank you for reading.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinby feather