Books to bark about!

I found these amazing books in the pet section of Bargain Books this weekend! Next time you're in there and you don't know what exactly you're looking for, keep an eye out for these!

From top to bottom: Treats for your dog, Shake, A letter to my dog - All available at Bargain Books

Treats for your dog - by Jane Burton

This little book is so amazing! It contains everything from DIY dog collars and clothing, to making your own dog house and gourmet dog meal recipes. One of my favorite things in it would have to be the multitude of interesting, yet healthy recipes you can treat your dog with (things like Canine Coleslaw and soups!?). My ultimate though, is the section on dog Astrology and Star Signs! Find out what your dog's star sign is and look it up in this book, because Salvador's was freakishly accurate!

Shake - Carli Davidson

This is a great book to just have lying around! It provides endless amusement and is guaranteed to cheer up anyone experiencing a 'dog day'! It's filled with up-close photo's of various breeds shaking - and that's it! Just a whole book full of flappy, sloppy, slobbery shaking dogs!

A Letter to My Dog: Notes to Our Best Friends - Robin Layton

This is such a beautiful book and it will probably make you cry, laugh, feel nostalgic, or all of the above. It contains lovely photos by Robin Layton and letters to dogs by their owners.



Licks and Kisses!

Winter Weekends

Lately there has been very little for us to do-it being winter in Cape Town at the moment. Not many adventures to be had...Yet this weekend has been rather eventful since the weather was playing along. Here are a few things we got up to.

When forest walks don't pan out...

In and around Cape Town there are some amazing places to go walk your dog! There's the famous Newlands forest contour path, Tokai Arboretum and Silvermine East, to name but a few. We were super excited to take Salvador to Newlands forest this weekend although, upon our arrival we were notified that you need a permit to walk your dog here...so I'm assuming you need a permit to go into most of the surrounding nature reserves. If you are like me and missed this very important notice on the website (that's because I don't think there is anything on the website about needing a permit...), click here to find out more on the My Activity Permit (and don't be foolish and drive all the way to Tokai forest to go and get one just to find out they are closed onn weekends!)

Since the forest excursion didn't exactly work out well for us and we still had a very excited, energetic Spaniel in our car, we decided to try out a park that I've been driving past a lot lately. It's called Paradise Park and the entrance to it is right next to Paradise Motors in Newlands. 

The park has a stream running through it and boasts many interesting and beautifully handcrafted swings and seating areas that I'm assuming people from the surrounding area made in an attempt to spruce up this previously neglected space. There's a little play area for children and the walk way is just long enough for a quick sniff about. 

Cape of Good Hope SPCA book sale at Canal Walk

I should have said something about this earlier because now it is slightly late, but there is a book sale hosted by the Cape Of Good Hope SPCA in Canal Walk shopping center this weekend. All proceeds go to this great organization. If you are in the area, go and have a look!

On getting another dog...

We've decided that now is not a good time for us to get another dog...AAAAH yes I know, it was a very exciting prospect, although we really thought of what getting another dog entails and we came to the conclusion that Salvador is enough for now! He has just started to settle into suburban living and the other thing is, being the age we are right now and trying to sort out what the next couple of years entails makes it hard to imagine if we can provide a stable living arrangement for another dog. House hunting in Cape Town was enough of a nightmare with one dog, so just imagine two! 

So right now we will just enjoy what we have, but if you are interested in getting a dog please go and check out the lovely creatures on the Cape of Good Hope SPCA website! Another place to look when considering adoption is DARG - they are in Hout Bay.

And that's it from us for now! 

Note for the week ahead : GET A PERMIT FOR SALVADOR TO GO EXPLORING THE FOREST!!! I'm sure your dog will want one too!

Licks and kisses!

Soon there might be reason to extend the title of this blog....

I've been thinking about getting another dog for a while now...and for the past few days I've REALLY been thinking about it!

Salvador is almost two now and being the 'only child', he loves to soak up all the attention, yet I can't help but think how happy it will make him to have a friend around all the time, needless to say that we could provide an otherwise homeless creature with a very loving home. 

That brings me to the next point - to adopt or not to adopt? I'm pretty set on adopting a dog from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park, and not just any dog, an adult dog. Animal shelters everywhere are overflowing with adult pets, but I, just like many of you, used to be of the notion that it's better to get a puppy. I'm not sure if this is because we feel like we will have a stronger bond with it or that they are easier to train. To be honest, I think the biggest reason I would usually have chosen a puppy is because of the idea of how amazingly cute they are! And just like that all, resistance crumble and all rational thoughts fly out the window! Done! 

Yet I went on the adoption website last night and there, staring back at me, were numerous gorgeous, and some rather quirky, dogs in desperate need of homes... For many of them this is their last chance of happiness, and I instantly had a change of heart! If we are getting another dog, it will have to be one of those old timers (and by old timers I mean any dog between the stages of having lost the charm of 'puppy-hood' to geriatric). 

Many of us forget that getting an older dog is so much easier than getting a puppy! They often come house trained and they've had time to 'develop' their own personalities so you basically know what you're getting in terms of calmness, temperament etc. And most of the time the folks at the shelter will be able to help you choose the right dog for you, since they spend time with the dogs on a daily basis. I seriously think it's the way to go! 

If you're still keen on getting a pedigreed pooch you might even find one at a shelter or you can join many groups on Facebook dedicated to specific breeds. Spaniel Rescue South Africa  is just one of the many groups with breed specific re-homing programs. There are similar sites for many well known breeds. 

So...I might just have some exciting news for you tomorrow. I think the plan is that we are going to visit the shelter in the morning and spend some time with the dogs. I guess the right dog will pick us - I think that's how it works. 

(Lets hope there isn't more than one otherwise the title of this blog might just become a VERY long one!)

Licks & Kisses!

Montagu

This weekend Salvador and I went to visit his gran, who recently moved to Montagu. If you've never been there - it's amazing!
It's situated roughly 200km's out of Cape Town and is well known for it's dried fruit. The town itself is tiny and everything seems to have started up around the main road that runs through it - as is the case with many old towns. There is no shortage of restaurants and guest houses in beautifully renovated old houses.
Salvador and I didn't have much time to explore the many walks I'm sure one can have in and around the town, but we did find a lovely one leading to a huge picnic spot called 'Lovers Walk'.
Dogs are everywhere to be found in this town so yes, this is definitely one of our favorite pet friendly outings!

This is how you know you've arrived!

Beautiful little town

                               

Salvador exploring the ICY water!

More exploring

AND we're back!!!

My word has it been a long time or has it been a long time?!

Let me start off by saying that Salvador is doing very well! We have now been living in the city for almost 3 months, yet there are still a few minor things we struggle with when it comes to 'how to behave when one is a city pooch', otherwise all our hair is still intact and our tails are still wagging.

From my side, as the mom of a city dog, IT HAS BEEN HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE! There, I said it...
The issue has not been the fact that Salvador spends more time inside, or has less free running space. He has always been more than happy to potter around after us, being a very 'nosy' dog (in every sense of the word). Some of our biggest issues have been getting him used to walking on the lead properly and meeting new dogs. And squirrels....but that's a whole new post!

There's another suburban terror that lurks in the park at around 5pm every day - one I like to call 'The circle of Trust'.
Now, at first 'The circle' seems like a lovey thing to be a part of; It could be a source of meeting new people (us being new in the area and all), people we would automatically like due to our common interest being our dogs. Furthermore, the circle consists of quite an array of young and old, breeds of all kinds and is great for getting rid of energy with other doggy friends. In short 'The circle' seem great!
 UNTIL your dog doesn't get along with one of the dogs in the circle and you are shunned for the foreseeable future and perhaps branded forever as 'the owner with the wild, aggressive and out of control dog'.
O.K, perhaps I'm over exaggerating ever so slightly about the shunning - 'The Circle' is very much real though - but I have found that park life for a dog can be ruthless.
The third time we went to the park, Salvador found one of the dogs at the park, which happens to be a dog twice his size, to be a bit too much for him to deal with and started a bit of a rumble. There was just something about this particular dog that he could not deal with. The morning after, we tried the park again and next thing I know I'm being approached by a rather upset neighbor and her dog, telling me how I'm not Alpha enough (Ceaser Millan was definitely being quoted all through that conversation) and that I would do well to take my dog to a pet behaviorist.
Now I'm not sure, but isn't it a normal thing for some dogs to not get along? It might be a smell or a body language thing?

Lucky for us, there are at least two more parks in the area where the owners seem to be less intense and Salvador gets along with all the dogs.

You know you've arrived in Suburbia when your dog's drama's starts to become another one of your every day worries right?!