A Day by the Beach

This week our cousins are over from England. Yesterday it was Torin's birthday, so we went down to my grandparents house for a party. We had hoped our friend would be able to come to our house and dog-sit, but she was busy so we took them with us. It's just over half an hours drive away from our house but luckily all our dogs are brilliant travelers. We first stopped off at a beach to walk them, but our cousins hadn't arrived yet (they were supposed to be meeting us there, but were running late). So we decided to explore down a cycle path until they came. It was a nice walk and Amber & Cody got some off leash time to use up the burst of energy and excitement from just getting out of the car! My sisters had Holly & Wilson on leash though as they have unreliable recalls in new areas.

We met two other dog walkers, the first lady had a small black spaniel and they walked past us, they were a reasonable distance away but it was a good opportunity to work on Cody being calm and focusing on me. He was great, thought about barking, but didn't - just looked at them, then back at me hoping for a reward for being a good boy and no pulling towards them. The little two yap a lot when they see someone so this makes it even more challenging for Cody.

The other person we met had two collie type dogs, they were running free and I was concerned they might run right up to us, and didn't know how Cody might react should this happen. However, they just ignored us so that wasn't an issue. Whenever I spot someone I clip Cody onto is Dogmatic headcollar so I am fully in control, as at 48kg if he pulled on just the collar, chances are I wouldn't be able to restrain him! I try to focus on getting him to choose to listen to me rather than 'controlling' him all the time, and not have to rely on the leash to keep him by my side, even with distractions. However, he's young and strong so the Dogmatic does have it's place!

As we approached this walker though, he managed to slip out of the Dogmatic, I really don't know how he managed it! There wasn't time to get it back on, so I tried to keep him walking past - he wasn't really co-operating, as he was trying to pull to the side to get to the other dogs. He wasn't too bad though and after a few minutes and some encouragement walked nicely past the other dogs, although by this stage, they obviously weren't so close. Overall I was pleased with how he was.

Then we met up with our cousins and headed to the beach. We let both Bernese off leash again, and they ran down to the sand and headed straight for the sea for a paddle. They had lots of fun.

We then had to leave them in the car whilst we went to the swimming pool. This is why I was hoping our friend could dog-sit them as I don't like leaving them in the car, but without that option this was the best we could manage. Grandpa sat in the bar watching the van from the window so I knew they'd be okay. It was busy at the swimming pool, being mid-term and all that, but we still had fun - we played sharks & penguins - basically our own made up game of swimming tag, and also did some swimming relay races :)

We then went back to my grandparents house, and I got the dogs out for an explore of their garden, although they kept running back to the car as they could smell their dinner which I had prepared ready for them - it was supposed to be for after their play in the garden, but in the end I just fed them, gave them a few minutes outside to toilet and went inside - it was wet and cold and I really didn't want to stay out longer than I had to!! They are only allowed in the hallway, but this has always been the way so they generally settle down okay, although Holly did fuss for a little while! Just before tea, my uncle went into the hallway and disturbed them *annoying* so they started barking and jumping around so I took them out again and decided to leave them in the van whilst we had tea. Torin had a very yummy chocolate birthday cake, and some meringues (I LOVE meringues!!)

So the dogs did have to spend more time in the car than I would have liked but they had a new walk which they always enjoy. When we got home we played in the garden and I groomed them, then they settled down for the evening.

Anna xoxo

Cody goes paddling

Happy boy loves the beach

Amber doing a brilliant recall

Smiling for the camera

Our Backyard Animals - Meet the Cats!

Okay, so I know a lot of people don't consider cats to be a 'backyard' animal, and to be honest ours aren't really. Anyway, lets start with how we first got our cats.

We used to go to dog training at a veterinary surgery in town, I think it was with Wilson as a puppy. (All of our dogs have been at some point!) The dog trainer who runs the classes is also a family friend and she said we could peek at some young kittens they had, who had been handed in to be put to sleep. (This happens so often in Ireland, it's unreal) They were two blacks and a black and white. They also had another litter, which also had three kittens - a tabby, a ginger and a black & white. These kittens were actually born in the vets - the Mum was brought in to be spayed, but the next morning they found she had given birth to these kittens overnight. The owner of the cat was unable to take on the kittens so the Vets were trying to find them homes. We had a quick cuddle with the kittens, they were adorable.

We had actually been trying to persuade my parents that it would be a great idea to get a cat/s. We had mice problems, so that would be the reason behind getting one, we told them - even though really it was for the cuddles and fun. Later that week, we had to pop into the vets for something and whilst we were there we asked if we could see the kittens again. By this stage they only had three left, in the less popular colours - two blacks, one black and white. We thought they were so cute and we couldn't bear to had them back for an uncertain future. So we managed to somehow convince Mom & Dad to bring them home!!

We named them Tilly, Tara & Toby. Tilly and Tara were from the litter brought in to be PTS, they were black sisters and around six weeks old. Toby was from the other litter, the ones who were born at the vet and he was slightly younger at just five weeks. We have several people in our family who are allergic to cats, so we setup the kittens an area in our garage. Our garage is fully insulated like a house, but we also gave them a heat lamp as they were so tiny (they also get a heat lamp in the winter, spoiled kitties :) They had toys, beds, food, water, litter tray and lots of cuddles and attention from us. The two girls were very nervous of humans initially, but they soon learnt that we weren't going to hurt them, and enjoyed our attention.

Toby was the total opposite to the girls - he adored being petted, cuddled and carried around by us. To this day, he is a super friendly cat. As they got bigger, they were allowed free in the garage and started to explore outdoors, and meet the other animals.

They are now 1 year old (plus a few months) and love hunting in the farmers fields that our house is surrounded by. They sunbathe with the chickens in the Summer and when we're doing the animal jobs outside they're always sure to be nearby.

Just over a month ago, the Vets had 10 day old kittens handed in (usual story, unwanted and to be put down). As these kittens were so much younger they needed bottle feeding every hour, including through the night. We said we'd take one, a little boy who was tabby and white, we named him Humbug. Sadly a few hours after bringing him home, he got too weak and didn't make it. We fed him, gave him a warm, cosy bed and lots of love for his last few hours.

We knew that at some point, we'd love another kitten, and started to keep an eye out for any that may be suitable. A few weeks later, we heard about another tabby and white kitten a local rescue had up for adoption. We rang up to ask about them, there was a boy that sounded perfect and he was 8 weeks old. That weekend we brought him home. He was very small for his age - at ten days old he and his siblings had been found crying under a shed with no Mum to be seen. They had been out for 24 hours and were very lucky to have survived. We called him Simba.

I think we have had Simba about six weeks now - he's doing awesome! Such a confident, adventurous happy-go-lucky boy. He is unfazed by the dogs, and even plays with Holly. He will sleep beside the Bernese. He and the other cats rub along okay, although Tara likes him best.

When we first got the cats they were 100% going to stay outside at all times. Although they do spend the majority of their time out and about, Simba & Toby have beds in the house by the fire!

Anna xoxo

Simba on my shoulder

Simba's first experience of grass!

Toby as a kitten

Acrobatic Toby!

Tilly

Tara as a kitten

Tilly as a kitten

Tara again

Dinnertime for Dogs

I thought I'd talk about canine nutrition, seen as it is a subject I have spent lots of time learning about. When we first got Amber, she was on a few different kibbles as she was very fussy and we wanted to find one she would enjoy - she really liked Lily's Kitchen, so that's what she stayed on. When Holly came along, feeding two dogs Lily's Kitchen got expensive. It's a high quality food but it's organic - something that added to the price tag, and that we didn't really mind about. It also has a relatively low meat content, compared to some other similar foods for the same price. However it was at this point we decided to put our dogs on Raw.

I'd heard of quite a lot of owners switching their dogs to Raw, both on the online dog forums I'm on and owners we met at dog training. I liked the ethos behind the idea, the fact that it was natural and you knew exactly what your dog was eating. We kept our dogs on Raw for almost a year - Amber's litter were weaned onto it too. However, I was finding it took a lot of work and preparation. The only way we could afford to feed it was by buying in bulk (most of the meat came in 15kg slabs). So we'd have to defrost the meat (equaling lots of blood and mess and just yuck!) and I'd then have to portion it up into meal sized portions. This would take me at least two hours a month - and that's before I had blended their fruit and veg, which also took a long time. We also had issues with the fact that our supplier had no food available for several months and I found it really hard to get a variety of meats; which then meant I worried about them getting a balanced diet, especially as we were feeding it to a growing puppy.

So we then put them back on Lily's Kitchen but like I said before this was out of our price range, and instead of two dogs we were now feeding four! So I started researching other suitable kibbles. I decided to put them on Acana Wild Prairie & Pacifica. They were on this for about two months, maybe slightly more. However, it didn't suit Cody well and he really struggled to keep weight on. Time for a change, again!

I had heard about Millies Wolfheart, a British made product, which is chicken, egg and gluten free. This sounded ideal for Cody's issues, and Wilson, my sisters Cavalier, also has digestive problems and can't tolerate grains. I found them very helpful, after explaining about our dogs' specific needs, they suggested we try one of their 60/40 formulas for the Bernese. Millies have several different recipes, and the 60/40 ones contain 60 per cent meat and 40 per cent fruits and vegetables. I chose the Farmers Mix (Turkey, Black Aberdeen Angus Beef and Pork) and the Gamekeepers Mix (Salmon, Venison, Trout and Rabbit).

My plan is to have them on Farmers for their morning meal, Gamekeepers in the evening (they're fed twice daily). To begin with though, they recommended we stuck to one flavour for a few weeks until they were settled on that - I decided to start with the Farmers Mix, which they've been on for just over a week now.

By the way - Holly & Wilson, my sisters dogs, went onto Millies too, although we chose the Turkey and Vegetable Mix for them instead, as we thought it would be most suitable.

So hows it suiting them? Well, Amber's doing brilliantly on it, Cody's okay - he loves the food but has got diarrhea :( He seems to have a very sensitive stomach. I've taken him off wet food altogether (they normally have half a tin each per meal, at the moment it's Lukullus) to see if that makes any difference, if not I'll contact Millies Wolfheart for more advice later in the week. I'm really hoping though that he'll settle on it because it ticks all the boxes for us and is an awesome food.

Anna xoxo

Our Backyard Animals - Meet the Chickens!

Our first pets weren't actually dogs - they were chickens (unless you count a few goldfish we had when I was little more than a toddler!). We are lucky to have a big garden and we liked the idea of having a few hens to give us fresh eggs each day. One Saturday, we went along to a local poultry farm, just to look. That morning, we came home with six chicks - they were so cute, we couldn't resist leaving them behind! We got a mix of breeds, three cuckoo marans (Jessie, Whitney, Lily), a White Leghorn (Flora), a Light Sussex (Hettie) and a Blue Jersey Giant (Maisy). They were around three/four weeks old so we set up a heat lamp in the garage, they were still too young to be outdoors. That evening, my Mom & Dad went out to check on them, and there were only five chicks in the pen - Lily was missing! After a little while of searching, and getting worried, they found her exploring the corner of the garage, enjoying her little adventure! We still have five of those original chickens, sadly Hettie died this Summer. There now around four years old, so don't lay as much but still love free-ranging during the day and eating leftovers.

Just this year, we decided to hatch some eggs. We had fallen in love with Lavender and Chocolate Orpingtons and as there are no breeders of this colouring in Ireland, the only way to get hold of them was to hatch eggs yourself. So we got an incubator and ordered a dozen eggs. We candled the eggs several times but only two hatched - both Lavenders - Peppa and Clover. When Peppa was six weeks old she got pneumonia and unfortunately died because of this. Clover was left by himself, and was missing his sister. 

We heard about a Poultry Sale locally, and went along. We had never been to one before, so didn't really know what to expect! That's were we found our five young pullets - all different breeds - Heather (Silkie), Nutmeg (Welsummer), Sparkles (Wyandotte hybrid),  Ebony (Australorp) and Victoria (Cream Legbar). Clover, who was renamed Captain, as we had now decided he was a rooster, loved his new friends. Victoria became sick one morning, we weren't quite sure what was wrong with her, but she died that day. Thankfully none of the others became ill, and they are all still doing well. There not laying yet and I don't think they will until Spring now. 

Between hatching the chicks and going to the Poultry Sale, we were looking for some more pullets to add to the flock, specifically Orpingtons. There was a breeder doing Lemon Cuckoo's, I was delighted as this is probably my favourite kind of chicken. He had a trio for sale, which meant we'd be getting another rooster, but we decided that we could cope with two, so we got Albert aka Bertie, Apricot and April. 

We've since decided Heather, is also a cockerel, bringing our rooster count up to three - certainly the limit! He's become Hiccup instead (after the How to Train your Dragon movie). We've got a broody sitting on a couple of eggs right now, who knows if they'll hatch, but we're hoping so!

So I think that's all fourteen of the chickens - nope, I've forgotten Mrs Weasley! Oops. Our friend had agreed to take on three red hens, from someone who was no longer able to take care of them. Just a few days before she got them, two of them were taken by the fox. Lucky Mrs Weasley was able to fly on top of the coop to safety. However, as our friend doesn't have any other chickens, she didn't want to have Mrs Weasley all by herself with no fellow poultry company. So, she asked if we'd take her, and we said yes, of course. Mrs Weasley has been with us ever since. She's the friendliest of the bunch and a real character! 

Anna xoxo

13 of the chooks having a drink of rainwater

Hello...

So, here's a quick introduction. I'm Anna and I'm 15 years old. It all started in 2010 when we decided we wanted to add a dog to our family - we started to research all about them, having never had any experience with owning a canine before! We then started to think about what breed would be most suitable for us, we knew we wanted a large, loyal dog so we bought lots of books. That's when we first came across the Bernese Mountain Dogs, and I instantly loved their striking tri-colour markings and the sound of their intelligent, affectionate and faithful personalities. We started to focus on finding out more about the breed, and it wasn't long before we knew this was the breed for us. We contacted the Bernese Club here in Ireland and waited on their puppy list, then several months later we got a phone call from a breeder who had a litter, and a girl pup looking for a home. This was Amber, and on the 8th of December, 2010, we brought her home. She was gorgeous! As it was wintertime, the weather was very cold and we even had snow, which Amber loved! She liked to watch the chickens (we didn't have the other animals back then) and thought the beach was brilliant! Before we knew it, we were celebrating her first birthday (complete with a tuna cake!). When she was around 15 months old, we came across Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, who were looking for puppy walkers. We took on a Flat Coated Retriever puppy, called Skye. Amber and Skye were best buddies! Skye was a challenging dog at times, very high energy and chewed everything. Skye left us at a year old to continue training, and has since qualified as a fully trained service dog. We knew we wanted a second dog of our own, so that's when Holly arrived. She's a little Cavalier X Papillon, and my sisters dog. Holly barks a lot, earning her the nickname of Little Miss Barkalot! She's a sweet girl who loves playing fetch. Amber and Holly get on well, despite the size difference. Wilson is a Cavalier who we got in March 2013. We first met Will at just six days old, he's grown since then, although is still quite small, even for his breed. Wilson is a lovely pup, he would chase birds all day long if he could. Since we first got Amber as a puppy, we had been thinking of potentially breeding from her. When we had completed all her health tests, and after lots of consideration - more on that in another post - she had a litter on July 29th 2013. That's when our Cody was born, along with his five siblings. I love all puppies, but there's nothing quite like a Bernese puppy, they're extra special! It was awesome to have another Bernese pup again, and Cody is a fantastic dog. We also had two other AADI pups over the last two years, Bramble and Louis, although we aren't planning to have another one in the near future, but we do have them for short term boarding occasionally. Over the next few weeks I'm sure you'll get to know more about all of our pets through my upcoming posts. Here's some pictures from the dogs over the last four years, enjoy :) Anna xoxo

Amber in the daisies

Running through the snow, Bernese love the winter weather! 

Skye, service dog

Holly

Wilson

Amber with her puppies at just a day old

Cody