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

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. ;)

Ruby + Max Update

First off, sorry for the lack of posts! Had a busy busy busy busy busy busy time at the moment!

Secondly a quick Max update, he has ruptured his cruciate but wont be going under the knife, he is currently on 2 tramadol a day & 2 carprieve tablets. He should also be on glucosamine supplements but he got awful runny poo last time he was on them, so we are waiting to bring them back into his routine slowly. He's still so eager & full of life, bringing toys to you, wanting to go for his walks (although they are restricted). Its such a shame as he is only 7 & full of beans still, however he seems to be managing amazingly well.

Right... The last article about the dogs.. Ruby! If you have found this blog, its probably through Ruby's twitter page, so lets get on with the show!


Ruby

Age: 5yrs 
Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Likes: Misfits treats, walks, Mums bed & FOX POO >:(
Hates: Trimming claws, other cavaliers(!!!!) & feeling poorly.


Ruby, Ruby,  Ruby, oh where too start... The day me & my Mum went to view Ruby at her home, we didn't know what we were letting ourselves in for. She was beautiful, a bundle of cavalier cuteness, at 3 years old she wasn't a puppy but was still a youngun'. She lived with another cavalier, who had obviously been used for extensive breeding, its coat was quite a state & the owner just claimed 'she loses condition everytime she has a litter'. Ruby has never had a litter but it was quite clear that if nobody purchased Ruby, she would face the same fate. We snatched her up, she was... expensive to say the least!!! She came with no papers, when I think back it was quite irresponsible to take her without any documents, we did try to get some but the owner claimed she never had any... good start!!  After we had exchanged the money, we picked her up & were ready for off, that's when the owner piped up "oh yeah.. she urm, gets excited when she goes out"..... Understatement of the YEAR. She SQUEALED, you would of thought we were strangling her, oh my..

At the time when we had her, we had 2 retired greyhounds, they weren't bothered by her, they just thought she was a bit of an annoying fluffy thing. Once we had her home, the first thing she did was go to the toy basket & found a squeaky toy to play with. In the weeks after having her we had to go through the grueling process of training her to walk on the lead.. it was quite obvious she had never had any experience of going out. Even to this day she finds going on a walk an amazing, exciting experience, with a few squeals & barks for good luck! She is also obsessed with her lead, she walks with a piece in her mouth for the first few minutes, shaking it like mad! 

Over the years shes blossomed into a beautiful pet, shes full of beans for Cavalier.. shes out there, you imagine most cavaliers to be sat around on their owners laps, but no, Ruby is... in her mind a greyhound, she lives life in the fast lane, which probably can be explained by having 2 boisterous brothers to keep up with!

The vets I work with recently confirmed she does not have a heart murmur, which is brilliant for a Cav! Time will tell whether she will go down with heart troubles as many Cav's do, but right now, shes full of life! 

Just a quick extra, as many Cavaliers she does have a tendency to put on weight, Burns high oats has literally gave us a new dog, shes much more trim! She's off JUST high oats now & has all the flavors, her fav. is Pork & potato! 

Second Chance Rescue Kennels - Fun Day Dog Show - PHOTOHEAVY

Me & my Mum went along to the Second chance rescue kennels fun dog show at the navigation inn, in Overseal.

I'll make this short as pictures show more than words. We entered Ruby in one class, we didn't place but we only ever go in for the laughs, although some people take fun shows deadly serious >.<

The day had a bit of a black cloud over it, due to finding out Max's arthritis may now be a cruciate ligament rupture, he's booked in for X-Rays :(

Anyway! Photos!

Hope you like them! ^^