Central Bernese Mountain Dog Christmas Fun Day

Central Bernese Mountain Dog Christmas Show

9/12/12

Today me, Mum, Ruby & Maisie all went along to the Central BMD Christmas Fun Day at our local village hall.

It was inside which was welcome news as it was pretty chilly today, Ruby went along in her Santa coat but once inside we took it off. They both had there usual 'We're Here' bark to let everybody know that had arrived, once settled Maisie quickly started socializing.

We entered two classes, Maisie - Any Variety Puppy 6-12m & Ruby in Prettiest Bitch.

Maisie was up first, there was quite a few in her class, all kinds of cute bundles of fluff! Maisie walked very sensibly up and down the carpet and awaited the results! Second!! We we're all very chuffed, we didn't expect a cross-breed to do so well against the pedigree puppies!

We then sat and watched the classes in-between and grabbed some of the buffet lunch, the girls were very patient which is quite an accomplishment for Maisie.

Up next was Ruby in prettiest bitch as always in fun dog shows it was one of if not the biggest class along with most handsome dog (which we should of brought Floyd along for!!). She stood very well... well... as good as you would expect a non show dog! Results were in, the judge walked up and down the line one last time.... FIRST PLACE!!!!

I was so proud of my girl! Looking gorgeous at six! There was some absolutely beautiful bitches in the class aswell.. I'm still in shock!! My Step Dad couldn't believe it.

After Ruby's surprising win we watched the remaining classes, with some VERY impressive dressed up doggies!! Pictures speak more than words with these...

(Dog most like its owner)

(Fancy dress competition, amazing entries)

The fancy dress entries looked fantastic, they really inspired me! My main hobby is something called cosplay, which is basically extreme fancy dress! I have a doggy fancy dress idea already!

Last class of the day was Any Variety Puppy, Maisie was up again against even younger, fluffier and mega cute puppies! She came second again!! First was a CUTE newf puppy!

It was a great day for doggy enthusiasts which I'd recommend if you're local to the Swadlincote/Burton-On-Trent area (we were lucky that it was held in my village!).

I'll leave you with some misc photos from the day.

I'll leave you with one pic that sums up the day...

Tiring!!!!

Thanks for reading people, next weekend I'm at the Ladies Kennel Association Dog Show @ the nec, I will hopefully do a post on that show too!

Much love, Kate (human slave), Ruby, Maisie, Floyd & Max! xxxxx

Don't forget to follow Ruby on twitter @Rubythecavalier

Pet Head Shampoo - Royal Treatment Review

Pet Head 'Royal Treatment' Shampoo Review

I'm not a professional reviewer, nor do I have amazing grammar, so I do apologize in advance.

I really wanted to tell people how I found the product & hope it will help someone make choices when thinking of purchasing it.. Here goes!

The specific shampoo I want to review is by the fairly new brand that has appeared in the past few years called  'Pet Head'. If you think it sounds familiar that's because it was created by the same people behind the 'Bed Head' products by Tigi. There is quite an extensive range of different shampoos, conditioners, sprays, brushes etc etc. All products have the same bright, attractive packaging that catches the eye of passers by.

What made me buy my first ever shampoo by them was after Ruby had just had her anal glands emptied & she stunk!!!!!!!!!! I knew this was the perfect mission for Pet Head to tackle, I had always wanted to secretly buy their products but now I had a reason!

There is such great choice that I struggled to pick one, I was very tempted by a shampoo called 'Dirty Talk' for really stinky dogs!! However I settled on a shampoo called 'Royal Treatment'.. Well she is a King Charles after all ;) 

Here's the description:

Product Description

Spoil and indulge your pet with the deluxe range of Pet Head pet grooming products! The Pet Head grooming range is just as fantastically effective and made to the same high standards as the popular Bed Head range for humans with the same funky packaging that will brighten up any bathroom! The Pet Head Royal Treatment Shampoo is perfect for those pampered prince and princess pooches! The shampoo is gentle and contains a blend of oatmeal and aloe vera extracts with help to sooth the skin and any irritations without stripping the coat of essential protective oils. Royal Treatment helps to maintain supple skin and a coat full of lustre, ideal for use as a frequent bathing routine where extra conditioning is required. The shampoo is guaranteed to leave your canine looking, feeling and smelling his best! Use like any other shampoo, avoiding the eyes and rinsing thoroughly to enjoy the amazing result! 

What made me pick this shampoo over the others were the ingredients, 'Aloe & Oatmeal', my old greyhound suffered with poor skin & was given a medicated shampoo that contained both of those ingredients & it really helped her. Ruby had been suffering with her skin lately, itching, etc. 

It cost £8.99 but they can range anywhere from £8-£10, It sounds expensive for shampoo but you get a big 475ml bottle.

(Ruby was desperate for a bath!)

So here it is ..

(Sorry about the toilet shot!!)

When you first open it & have a sniff, you are hit with the GORGEOUS smell this shampoo has, it says on the bottle it smells of blueberry muffins & that is truly what it smells of!! 

(All wet & ready to go!)

When I shampoo my dogs, I never do from the base of their neck upwards, I always leave her face to wipes & ears to 'Cleanaural' ear cleaner & a good brush! Although the shower head went a little mental & sprayed her face in this pic! (Ruby is not impressed).

(The amount I used).

I started off by using a strip down the length of her back & seeing how far that took me, it lasted well, infact that would be enough for everywhere however the fur off her legs gets SO filthy I always use a squidge more in my hands to get the really resistant muck off! 

(Frothing up in the fur)

It froths up really nicely, theres not too little you have to use more & more product, but its not so much that it goes everywhere & ends up in eyes & all over the place! All through this process you still get the wiff of blueberry muffin!

(Ruby gives it 5 paws!)

After a good rinse off & a towel dry, Ruby looked squeaky clean & smelt great.

(All snug with Mum!)

I actually think this products excels in the days AFTER you have washed your pet, you can still smell the blueberry muffin scent within her coat, even after walks! If you wanted to keep the smell in the coat even stronger you could use the Pet Head deodorant sprays. I did a sniff test everyday & even 7 days later I could still smell the shampoo. However I do think it depends on the dog & their own coat & scent, one other dog who used it didn't carry the smell as long as Ruby seems to. Its probably because ruby is a blueberry muffin on the inside, it would explain alot!!!!!!!!!

I've aleady decided the next bottle I will try will be 'Life's an itch', smells equally as gorgeous & hoping it may really soothe Ruby's skin.

Overall:

Packaging 5/5 - Absolutely love it! Bright, eye catching, love the bone shape top & the names stand out.

Price: 4/5 - Some would find paying £8+ for a bottle of shampoo expensive, however although yes its not bargain cheap, I work around medicated shampoos for dogs that cost £20+

Scent: 5/5 - Each bottle smells as gorgeous as the next.

Frothing: 3/5 - Froths well, but may need extra shampoo for those tough, thick or stubborn coats!

All in all I would recommend them highly, infact where I work (vets), have just started stocking these shampoo's & we are selling them at a reasonable pace. It also means that I will get them at trade price from now (+ VAT)... yay! That's just a perk of the job, I would still be happy to pay the £8.99 from pet shops if need be. 

Since trying the shampoo I have purchased a 'Poof' deodorizing spray.... all I have to say is.. YOU HAVENT LIVED TILL YOU HAVE SMELT THIS SPRAY.... OMD ....  I WANT IT TO COME OUT AS A HUMAN PERFUME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for reading x 

Kisses from Ruby x x x

Homemade Dog Biscuits

Peanut butter & oatmeal dog biscuits.

Today I made my own dog biscuits for the very first time! 

I followed this recipe, its very simple & makes lots of biscuits, infact I had spare dough but no room for it on the baking tray!

You could always adapt it too your own dogs tastes.

All the dry ingredients, I added in some extra beef nibbles we had spare from the Sunday dinner

With the peanut butter & water, kneading it into tasty dough!

Floyd wanted to try before he buy!

Cutting into shapes, I even pulled out the Xmas Cookie cutters for some different shapes!

All the biscuits, ready for the oven!

Cooking away with the Sunday casserole.

Waiting patiently!

Ta - da!!!! Finished products, the puppies loved them, you can snap them into smaller biscuits & make them last. Its a lot of fun making them & even kids could help!

The only bad bit is the washing up D:

Maisy Moo

Hurrah! She's here! Finally!

After a weeks wait (felt like a lifetime), Maisy is finally home with us! She's a beagle x pug, I can honestly say I never thought I'd own a puggle!

She was born 23rd May 2012, making her 14 weeks old when we picked her up. The rescue centre had already had her neutered, which I was a bit so so about, in my eyes (& I advise this to people everyday at work). She should be minimum of 6 months and had her first season, but ah well whats done is done!

The only background we really know about her is that her Mum was rescued from an Irish puppy farm, brought to the rescue in Derbyshire, where she gave birth to a litter of beagle crosses. Her mum is currently in a foster home, to timid & frightened to be rehomed.

Her first night was reasonably easy, 15 minutes of whining & then a full night of sleep (!!!!), a few tiddles in her bed but no poop (yay!). The others have taken her under their wing, Max doesn't mind as long as she stays out of his face, Ruby is scared of her & Floyd is DEFO the one she will look upto (God help her), they play together all the time & she follows him around like a little lost sheep.

She came with food from the rescue but being a bit of a nutrional dog food freak I will be looking to swap her onto something like Burns in the future to match Ruby.

Anyway, enough chit chat!! PICTURES!

Photography

Photography

Before working at the vets, I studied Art & Design & Photography at college for 3 years in total. I passed with double distinctions, I adore taking photos of my pets, I'm still using the same Canon Digital Rebel Xti as I did back in college.  Max & Ruby tend to be very easy to take photos of as they sit beautifully, Max cause he is instructed too & Ruby cause shes lazy. Floyd on the otherhand, if you catch him sitting still, its a very rare occasion!

Here's some photo's of the dog's, some are crap quality from a year or so back cause I lost the original files >.<

... Keep your eye out for my next post.... It has CUTE all over it. ;)