Bea and Archie

 

A few days ago we met up with Bea (formally Thumbelina) who was the tiny girl from our last litter.

Bea is now 6 months old and an absolute delight. She is around 20 inches to the withers and a very compact square bitch. I don't imagine she will mature at much bigger than 22 inches - her Mother's height. She is absolutely perfect.

This girl really has got it all - brains and beauty, alongside a wicked sense of humour and a cheeky stubborn streak.

Edna, Peggy and I have met up with Bea for socially distanced dog walks several times since she left us, but we usually do lane walking around a quaint little village where it is hard to photograph the dogs because of the light when we walk down a narrow lane with Cornish hedges either side.

Today was a country park which was something different, a bit busier and a LOT of fun!

Edna knows that Bea is her daughter and is very patient with her, although as you will see from the faces she pulls in the pictures there really is no mistaking it!

We also met up with Archie recently.

Archie is Edna's son from her first litter and Peggy's full brother.

Archie is now 3 and a handsome boy, he lives just 7 miles away so I see him often ❤

Like his half sister Bea, Archie is a very funny boy with a real sense of humour. He knows the word 'sausages' and will do anything after he has heard it. He also loves a ball and will jump 4 foot into the air from a standstill to catch one!

Archie has a little human sister aged 6 months and is so loving and gentle with her. He really is an intuitive boy.

There aren't as many pictures of Archie because I didn't take my camera when we went to meet him. I will take more next time.

CRUFTS IS CANCELLED

 

Well, after spending hours yesterday doing a maintenence bath on Peggy, I recieved a text informing me that Crufts has been cancelled!

To be honest, I think most of us who had qualified expected as much - we are in the midst of a global pandemic afterall.

Dog shows can wait and we'd far rather people are healthy and safe than risking it all for a ribbon. 

I had COVID 6 months ago and am still suffering from a bad chest and on steroids. I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

Plus, I don't need a judge to tell me that I have the best dogs in the world, I already know!

The question now, is what to do with Peggy's coat. 

This Crufts was always going to be our last one as I'm planning to have a litter from Peggy later in the year, so I was always going to clip her off.

BUT I love the glamour of the big coat and my grooming is improving so much by having it to practice on. I also dont' want to be that person who has a kneejerk reaction and shaves their dog naked because Crufts is cancelled, then regrets it so I think I'm going to sit on it for a while.

The reality is that having a poodle in full coat and doing the kind of walks we do does have drawbacks - they need a once a week bath, condition and blowdry. Any longer and they are matted.
Beach trips always require a bath and dry immediately after too - salt water and curly hair don't mix well! The coat matts up within the 20 minutes it takes us to drive home.
A maintenance bath takes us 3 hours, plus an hour to clean up afterwards and a full groom takes upto 5 hours!
And whilst Peggy is fantastic to groom and enjoys the process, I find the drying tedious and always feel like they are hours that we could spend on the moors.

Most show poodles don't get walked properly, so that the coat isn't damaged when they run through bushes and play with other dogs but I can't imagine having a dog and not walking them properly.  I think its cruel not to walk your dog properly and actually I get far more joy from watching her running and playing and mud wallowing than I do running around the ring.

So as you can see, I'm very torn.

Peggy has a charity photoshoot coming up soon so needs to be in a bigger coat for that so for now it will remain and I think we'll see where we are after.

Whatever decision comes next will be whats right for Peggy, as it always has been. ❤

Spring has Sprung...or Has It?

 

Well, it DID look like spring was finally approaching, but today was blustery and rainy once again.

When oh when will it end???

Regardless of any weather have had some fantastic walks recently.

The girls and Stan have been on top form pulling faces and just living life to its fullest as you can see!

Edna has a new modelling job (more details later) and I have just paid our stud fee to a very nice silver boy halfway across the world in preparation for Peggy hopefully having a litter later in the year.

Here are a few pictures of our recent wanders in the sunshine.

And one from today, yuck! 😂

Wintery Wanders

Well its been absolutely freezing!

Dartmoor has still continued to beckon us for walkies every day, but the weather has really got to get its act together soon, I'm not sure how much more I can take!

The wind bites at my hands and feet every time I go out to the point that its almost painful. Someone definately needs to invent heated walking boots!

Its a really good job its only me that hates the cold. The dogs couldn't care less. 

Here are a few pictures of them all, taken over the last week.

Believe it or not, this was Peggy after I groomed her just 4 days ago.

Shes beautiful one moment, and a sludge covered mess the next 😂 still, at least she is having fun!

Lecker Bites

 

We were recently asked to become brand ambassadors for Lecker Bites!

Lecker Bites are a fantastic freeze dried raw food company and their ethos is provide high quality raw food and treats that are nutritionally rich.

As many of you know I am an avid raw feeder and have been for over 15 years. I honestly believe that this is the best way to feed our beloved pets.

NO colourings, NO preservatives, NOTHING extruded and absolutely ZERO E numbers!

I believe that feeding my dogs a 100% raw meat diet is species appropriate and this is something that the Marcasite Poodles gang have a lot of pride in! 

All of my puppies are weaned onto raw food and I am always happy to provide ongoing support if needed. I even run a small Facebook forum for raw feeding - Raw Fed Poodles UK.

Unfortunately, however the concept of raw feeding sometimes falls down when it comes to treats or training snacks. It isn't really possible for hygiene reasons, to carry a bag of raw mince around in my pocket when we go to the Moors for a walk or to training classes. Its also incredibly difficult to travel with raw fed dogs as the food can be difficult to store and spoil very quickly.

This is where Lecker Bites come in!

Lecker Bites produce a high quality raw food, which is nutritionally just as good as raw but has the added convenience of being dry, which makes it perfect for complete meals, treats and more! It really is the perfect combination and I am incredibly proud to be a brand ambassador for a product that I wholeheartedly believe in.

(I would have no qualms whatsoever in turning down a brand ambassador request for a poor quality dog food company!)

Marcasite Poodles can offer an exclusive 10% off all orders from Lecker Bites. You simply have to use the code: MARCASITE10 when placing your order.

You can join their mailing list Here and win freebies.

And for £5 off a £20 or more shop, follow this link: Lecker Bites

I am absolutely certain that you will love Lecker Bites just as much as we do.

Here is a photographs of their products.

Our personal favourite are the chicken herb cubes. They contain 96% chicken and are fantastic for arthritic dogs like Stanley as the only other ingredients are natural anti-inflammatories such as Devil's Claw and nettle leaves.

As you can see Lecker Bites get the girls' approval. Peggy thinks that they are so good she cannot believe her eyes!