Blog

  • Toy tip: going beyond classic Kong for frozen food toys

    This morning I did my weekly ritual for the second time since Grace arrived in family: filled a dozen toys and froze them. While it is common advice to new puppy owners to use Kongs and especially frozen ones, in the first two weeks I was too much in a haze to be that organised Read more

  • The things we do for our dogs

    Last night, we made a sandbox. Both dogs, especially Nell, have a deep love of digging – pun intended, because the first thing she did when we moved here in November was to dig huge craters in the garden. So, in the interests of keeping our new garden (once it is ready) safe from the Read more

  • How my heart dog has changed my life

    Some months ago I read about the term ‘heart dog’ – the dog who “comes along once in a lifetime and grabs your heart so tightly he changes the way you live life”  and who is “forever a part of our emotional existence — a part of what made us who we are”. Even thinking Read more

  • 1 dog +1 puppy = more than 2 dogs!

      I knew raising a puppy would be hard. I knew we would need to work hard to nurture the relationship between the two dogs. And I knew all of this would be doubly hard because of the breeds we’ve chosen. Yet, I hadn’t quite realised just how much work the combination of all those things Read more

  • Puppy meets the Lady of the House

    My biggest fear about getting a puppy, or second dog in general, was that they would not get along with Nell who is mostly the sweetest dog you’ll meet – except when it comes to whatever she considers her possessions. And even more unfortunately, Nell’s definition of “her” possessions is the widest possible you could Read more

  • Fresh start

    I’ve wanted to start this blog for over a year, but life got in the way. Two weeks ago we welcomed a new family member, Grace, and I thought now is a good time to start documenting our experiences of keeping two dogs busy. Two weeks in, I have realised how much work I have Read more