Radio Silence

Some of you may know that I work for the emergency services.
With the COVID-19 pandemic currently ongoing I think it's fair to say I'm going to be very busy over the coming weeks and perhaps months.
I'm going to do my very best to keep my blog updated - my dogs are my peace at the end of a hard day's work and nothing will change in that respect BUT I'm probably not going to be posting quite so much because of how busy I will be.

So, before I go incognito I thought I'd post a few pictures and an update of how they are all doing:

My little man Stanley has been struggling with his joints recently. He hasn't enjoyed the last couple of walks that we have done, so he is on some anti inflammatory medication that will hopefully make him feel better very soon. He also takes herbal supplements which seem to really help.

I am hoping that the meds will be a short term only solution, but this will need to be assessed regularly and may well end up being a permanent solution to his joint issues.

Unfortunately Stanley is unable to have surgery on his legs due to tracheal collapse, so long term pain management is our main goal.

All in all poor Stanley is a very badly bred, albeit lovely dog. He is so very loved and is incredibly special to me. It hurts my soul when he isn't himself 😭

The girls on the other hand are just fine. Great in fact. They are absolutely loving life and our walks and are just as happy as happy can be. 

Peggy pulls the best faces!

Unfortunately the girls' modelling job for The Big Bark has been postponed until 15th August - hopefully things will be somewhere near normal again by that time.

All of the Championship shows have also been cancelled or postponed too - we were supposed to be at The International Poodle Club Show in a week, with the aim of once more qualifying for Crufts. Unfortunately the date that this show has been rearranged for is most likely going to be inconvenient as I'm hoping that Edna may have pups at that time.

Neither of these things are worrying me too much because I am so busy right now I have lots of other things to focus on.

Over the coming weeks I am going to be throwing myself into my work and serving the public - something I am very proud to be able to do. 

I hope that all of our friends and family stay safe. Much love to you all and we'll see you on the other side! ❤

Edna the Model!

Today we had the most exciting news!
Edna has also been asked to model at the Big Bark on 18th April, alongside her daughter Peggy.

I can't wait to see the girls in action!

Peggy the Model!

On Saturday 18th April Peggy will be doing some modelling work for The Big Bark at A Doggy Day Out, which takes place at the Bath and West Showground, in Shepton Mallet, Somerset between 10:30 and 16:00.

A Doggy Day Out looks to be a fantastic event for both dogs and humans alike. There are stalls, have-a-go agility, a family dog show, canine displays and so much more! And the best part about it as far as we are concerned, is that all proceeds go to a Charity - Happy Landings Animal Shelter. Something we are more than happy to support.

Further details about the event and ticket prices can be found by clicking on this link:

The Big Bark

Tickets start from just £6 for one adult and one dog.

We'd love to see some of you there!

Crufts 2020

Well, what a whirlwind the last few days have been!

We are just back from Crufts, where Peggy participated in two very strong classes - Yearling Bitch and Postgraduate Bitch.
There were no placings for Peggy this year, but I am nonetheless incredibly proud of my girl who behaved impeccably and moved well, despite my nervous handling!

Here are some pictures of Peggy from the day.

And here are a few shameless pictures of all of the things I bought this year (I might be slightly poor now LOL)

I also wish to give special thanks to my helpers - my two lovely friends - Jade Goman; who spent many hours grooming and trimming Peggy, and Shelley Harlow of Izzandi Poodles, who helped with the spray up and gave both myself and Jade a lesson in spraying up the topknot. I am so grateful to you both!

Disappointing news

Unfortunately Edna hasn't become pregnant from her mating with the boy we used in January. So there will be no Marcasite poodle puppies this spring.

We will try again on her next season - expected in June/July this year.

I am a little disappointed for the people who I had excitedly waiting for a puppy. The majority of them will continue to wait for an Edna puppy, and for those who are unable to wait any longer I will assist them in finding something perfect from an alternative breeder.

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Crufts Prep

With just over two weeks to go, the preparation for Crufts has well and truly begun!
Peggy is having her nails dremelled (ground down) every 3/4 days and is being bathed every 5 days.
I have tried on every outfit I own, bought a bunch of new dresses and still don't have a clue what to wear 😂
To say I am nervous is an understatement!
This year we will be competing in two classes (I must be mad!) And overall there are 167 Standard Poodle entries. Unlike last year I don't really feel that we stand any chance of placing - the competition gets tougher as dogs age, but I am happy just to be going. It really is an achievement to be in the top 186 Standard Poodles from around the globe!

A Wander on Dartmoor

The weather has been truly horrible recently, and because of both that and the fact that the girls have been in season, we haven't been to Dartmoor in what feels like forever!
We have instead been sticking to boring street walks, but today we were blessed and the rain held off long enough to let us have a few hours wandering at one of our regular haunts - Roborough Down.
The dogs had a whale of a time, as you can see below.

Today also marks 21 days since Edna had her rendezvous with a gorgeous silver boy. There are now just under 2 weeks until she is scanned and we find out for certain whether she is expecting.
Let's just say I'm feeling confident though 😉

Grooming day

This weekend was a bit of a blur.
All I seemed to do was groom! Luckily, I had prospective puppy owner Jade visiting who was a great help.

I bought a ton of new grooming products, including this very fancy (and super powerful) combination blaster/dryer. I could not be happier with it.

I then tested out the products one by one on all 3 of the dogs:

Edna tested the Pozer Forget Me Knot shampoo, which I mixed with a little Groom Professional coat restoring conditioner. It gave a lovely finish and the bakewell tart scent made me very hungry!
Edna also had her nails painted! Not something I usually do, but it was fun as a one off and looked very fancy 😂

Peggy tried the igroom Charcoal and Keratin shampoo and the Artero Protein conditioner. Again, I was very pleased with these products. The conditioner particularly impressed me, in its ability to cut through knots. Her coat felt very nice and much thicker after using both of these products.

Little Stan had the Pozer Truly, Madly, Deeply shampoo which I didn't like very much - the mango scent was nice but it didn't lather very much, which I don't like.

All of the products I used this time came from Christie's Direct. They are a good supplier, but when spending hundreds of pounds you would expect a quick delivery service and my items took 5 days to deliver, which was frustrating.

I am enjoying trying out new things and learning what works for my dogs coats - every coat is different and what works for one dog doesn't always work for another. I have heard some people swear by tresemme human conditioner for their dogs!

RIP Sharon the Ex-battey hen

Early last year I rescued two ex battery hens - Sharon and Norma.
I knew what I was getting myself into when I rescued them. Ex batts rarely live for very long - they tend to die of heart attacks very suddenly or become egg bound and have to be PTS. I have rescued many ex battery girls over the years. None of them have lived for longer than a couple of years.

Norma died around two months ago - she just went to sleep in the coop and didn't wake up.  This morning I found that Sharon had done the same.

Despite having lost these two fiesty red heads, I do not feel sad. I am so glad that I was able to rescue them and give them a nice retirement home; free range with the sun on their backs. They didn't truly start living until they came to me and I am grateful for that.

I am now down to only 5 chickens, but I'm sure there will be more rescue hens in my future.