Ever think your lil pup deserves that extra little something? I can't help myself when I pass the treat tin to slip Alfie some extra treats. But, as I'm reminded constantly by my parents - too many treats aren't good for him.

Well, while my sister and I have been home this past summer, we've been in the kitchen making a batch of home bakes weekly. Home bakes just taste so much better than shop bought. So who's to say that's any different for our little furry friends?



By making your own puppy treats, you can control what's going in them and keep them healthy for your pup. We decided to give it a go and see whether Alfie would enjoy some home made treats. And what can I say, its gone down a huge success.

These pup cakes are super easy and quick to make. We decided to make them into little fairy cakes, but this can also be combined into one big cake (say if you're celebrating a milestone in your pup's life). Although these are small fairy cakes, we've decided to half them when we're giving them to Alfie. Ever heard of too much of a good thing?



Ingredients:
1 egg
60ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80g honey
135g grated carrots
120g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees / 160 degrees fan and grease cake tins.
2. Combine the egg, oil vanilla extract and honey together in a bowl. Stir in the carrots.
3. Sift the flour and the bicarbonate of soda together and fold into the mixture.
4. Bake for 40 mins in oven.
5. Leave to cool before serving to your pup.



It's as simple as that! Other recipes also put in peanut butter, which you can add to the mixture - but our family isn't the biggest fan of it so we didn't have it on hand. The mixture holds together nicely and looks just like a human fairy cake. Almost good enough to eat, but I wouldn't recommend it!

Let me know if you try these and if your pup enjoys them too!

Man's best friend, dogs have really become part of the family. I find myself calling my dog Alfie my little brother, or cooing at him calling him my baby. Dogs are just as cute as little babies, and as much trouble as toddlers, but they're a treasured part of the fam.



Can you tell I'm a dog owner? My instagram is covered with pictures of my dog, who I'm totally in love with.Their dopey expressions, their personality and wagging tails make it hard not to fall in love with them. In which case, they shouldn't be forgotten at Christmastime. Dogs deserve a little treat for being a good boy or girl all year long too, so here's a light hearted gift guide for those loved fur babies.

An Edible Stocking
It's no understatement that dogs will eat everything and anything, so why not give them something that they're actually allowed to eat? Lots of shops have fun edible stocking that are filled with lots of treats, to keep your pup occupied while you tuck into your Christmas dinner.



Personalised Treat Tin
Speaking of all those tasty treats your dog has, why not store them in a cute tin that has their name on it? This way you don't have packets lying around (for these to sniff their way to) so really its a gift to you too!



Personalised Dog Bandana
I love seeing dogs in bandanas - they look so cute. These bandanas are adorable for Christmas day and will have your dog looking swish. You look your best on Christmas day, so why not let your dog too?



A New Bed
Half the time they're a ball full of energy that you can't contain; the other half, they're curled up sleeping. A new bed is perfect for this time of the year, after all it's endured a year full of muddy paws so could probably do with a spruce up.

Christmas Pet Parcel 
This pet parcel is adorable (and they have a version for cats, for any feline lovers). It's from pets at home and will make Christmas shopping for your dog a lot easier. For £15, you get a box filled with treats and toys, which is a huge deal cheaper than if you bought them individually. Your dog will love finding all the surprises in this box!

Fun Dog Bowl
Food is always a good route to take with dogs - and this dog food bowl is a great gift for all year. Since dogs can't speak, this bowl is perfect to convey what's on their minds - more food. This bowl is from Dogs Trust, meaning you're helping out a charity too!



Squeaky Toy
This is a gift purely for the dog's joy - I haven't met anyone who loves giving squeaky toys to their pet, but if you can't make an exception at Christmas then when you? A squeaky toy will give your dog hours of fun (and you a headache), and since its Christmas you can get a Christmas Pudding shaped one from Wilko so that it fits in with the decorations.



A Raincoat
Its cold and wet this time of the year, so while we get wrapped up for going out on dog walks, it seems right to give your dog a coat of its own. We have one for Alfie and it keeps him warm, and keeps mud from covering his body so the coat needs a quick wipe, rather than cleaning messy dog prints and splatter marks (from the inevitable shake when they get in the door) around the house.

I can't wait to spoil Alfie rotten on Christmas day with lots of new toys and treats. After all, he deserves lots too. Do you get your pet gifts?

Love,
Emily
xxx

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While I was on holiday with my family in Leominster, we took a day trip to the Rhayader Dams which are in Wales. My brother acted as a tour guide for us, telling us about the history of these truly stunning water stores. If you've ever watched "The Dam Busters", then you may recognise some of the photos that I have included in this post.



Not only are these dams famous for their beautiful scenery that surrounds them, but they also played a key part in World War 2. The British Air Force used the Rhayader Dams to practice bouncing bombs off of the water in order to cause an explosion off of the dams, thusly destroying a German town, which was the target of this attack. The film "The Dam Busters" is based on this event, but was filmed partly at the Rhayader Dams.When standing on these dams, it was amazing to think that such activities were occurring where we stood, around 70 years ago.



The dams are also incredible to view from standing on top of them, looking down I experienced a strong feeling of Vertigo, and must admit I didn't feel quite so safe on the view chamber that had been created. Hills surround them, making them feel very enclosed and peaceful, but you can imagine the sound that these incredible structures would make when they were actually turned on, and surprisingly a house was situated at the bottom of the largest one! Looking into the actual reservoir, you can't see even close to the bottom, the still water was so vast. Anthony told us of how for one of the dams, they flooded a whole village, and when the water level was very low, you can actually see the church spire and the tops of the taller buildings.


We also found a little chapel, just off the path to the first of the dams, which offered us a break from the sun and the walking- and also some music as it has an old pump organ, which my brother played as we explore the area.




It made for a lovely day out, we took the dog, a picnic and plenty of water and had a good ol' time exploring the hills and the wildlife around these spectacular features.




Much love,
Emily
xxx

Back in April, I wrote a post titled "River Side Walk", after I was snapping all the different plants that I saw on one of the regular routes for a dog walk. Over the past few weeks, we've been going elsewhere for our walks, such as the beach and forests and so haven't seen the river in a while. With my parents away this weekend, dog walking responsibilities were passed onto myself and my sisters... or more like me. An unexpectedly boozy Saturday night meant that driving was out of the question- I am pretty responsible when it comes to these types of things- and so, I donned my wellies and made my way with a very excited dog to the river.

Today I was out on a walk with my sister and my dog. Alfie was behaving himself and we were having a lovely little stroll, when another dog appeared that Alfie ran off to greet. We're used to him running off to see other dogs, and he's learnt to come back when we call him, so we carried on walking as normal. However, Alfie and this other dog were having a right good sniff of each other, and wouldn't return. The other owner was shouting orders at his dog, and he sounded like an angry army commander or something the way he was snapping at his dog. It definitely wasn't a way that I'd talk to my dog.

But the most shocking thing was that when Alfie returned to us, and we were praising him for returning, he got his dog to sit then whipped its back with its lead.

I don't know what made this man think that he has the right to hit a dog, but it actually really upset me and disgusted me. Its in a dog's nature to run up to each other, and whenever dog owners act like my dog is badly behaved when he runs up to their dog, I have to laugh. All Alfie ever wants is to sniff at another dog, and he immediately comes back to us when he is called, so unless the dog is vicious, then I don't understand what the problem is. Alfie and this other dog were happily having a sniff at one another, neither growled, nor jumped up, so why this dog deserved to be beaten is beyond me.

It makes me worried about what that dog has to go home to, and it really upsets me that this won't have been the first nor the last time that it was beaten. Every dog deserves a good home, and beating a dog is not going to make it feel safe.

I really feel like a dog should never be shown violence, and by beating it, surely that encourages the dog to be have a violent nature too. We would never ever hit my dog, sure he is badly behaved, but we reprimand him by putting him on his lead, or he doesn't get his bone at the end of the walk and he learns not to do that again. Alfie knows the difference between play fighting and violence, and we have never had a problem with him being over vicious, and I believe that is because he has never been shown violence, and doesn't have a reason to resent us.

Not only do I think that it could encourage the aggressive behaviour in a dog, it could also do the opposite and make the dog a quivering mess. It could become so scared of its owner and the outside world, that it won't enjoy life. How is that fair for a dog? Why does it deserve that kind of life? I honestly don't understand how anyone could hurt an animal, they don't fully understand what we want them to do- they don't speak our language. Sure, you can teach a dog to react to certain commands, but I honestly think positive reinforcement is the best way to go. I know that there will be people out there that don't agree with me, but I have such a happy, loyal and well behaved dog and the thought of hitting him never crossed my mind.
It just angers me that some people think that they have that right to hit an animal just because they are bigger. Tables turned, and that dog could do much more damage, but chooses not to. Animals should be respected, and violence as a means of teaching that animal is not the way to go.

I realised that this post is a serious topic, and not a light hearted read like most of my posts have been so far, but what I saw really angered me today and I felt the need to post my views on the matter, because it provoked a lot of emotions in both me and my sister, and we had a deep discussion about it after we witnessed it.

Feel free to post your opinions on this matter, because I'm really interested to know what people think too.
As always, love and hugs,
Emily
xxx




Disclaimer, these are just my thoughts, and I haven't done research or what not, I just felt like writing on this, feel free to disagree. Also, I tried to lighten the mood a little with the picture (source http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/03/dog-disciplineor-abuse/) but I do understand that this is a serious and important issue.