Christmas Special - For Pets

Here at The Amazing Blog we all are big pet lovers. Our lives would be half empty if we didn’t have our little furry friends with us. Dogs, cats, rabbits; they’re all part of the family and naturally, when December comes, we put all the effort we can into finding them the best present ever. With our suggestions, your best friend will be totally spoiled this year.

I think we can all agree that Christmas is a snuggly time of year, but why should that just apply to us humans? Help your pooch to get cosy with a new blanket from The Stylish Dog Company.

They have a huge selection and we’ve never seen anything more stylish and comfy for our pets. Their collection of Fur Dog Blankets are available in a range of colours, from the lightest cream to a darker chocolate, offering an option to match your decor. Whether you own the smallest Chihuahua in the world or a mastiff, The Stylish Dog Company created 4 sizes of blankets to suit every dog. We didn’t mention cats but we are 100% sure they’ll love it too. All the blankets are available here for £49.

If accessorising is more your thing, this year you can do something special for your dog and for hundreds of other puppies by customising a unique identification tag from Hashtagdogtag. They support Pup Aid, which helps to fight against puppy farming.

With an impressive array of tag styles to choose from, including various shapes, hashtags, materials like  brass, aluminium or copper and sizes from small to large, you're sure to find something to suit your pup. Find out how to create a bespoke treat for your pet here, from £14.50.

We all know that dogs aren't just for Christmas, and Ruby and Duke offer the perfect year round present for your canine pal in their monthly boxes. After all, why should we be the only ones to enjoy the fun of subscription boxes?

On Ruby and Duke's website you can activate the best plan for you. If you’re not sure, start with a 1 month subscription and once you realise your dog loves it, you can go for a 3 month subscription or even 1 year (that's next Christmas sorted too!). Every box is packed to offer the right amount of fun, with products always safe and created for your dog welfare. Usually a box includes 4-6 food items and toys approved by professional…dogs. The price is very affordable, from £20 for a month, £18.50 per month for 3 months and £17 for the whole year. Sign up and order your box of canine goodies here.

This year, it seems as though we're going to have more of a 'Wet Christmas' than a 'White Christmas', and Long Paws offers the perfect gift for those fussy pets who would rather not get their fur wet - MacPaws. Special raincoats that can be easily folded and kept in a small bag, they're practical and look super cute too.

Pack it up before a long walk, just in case, and once dirty, just pop it in the washing machine. Available in 6 sizes, their colours are so pretty, we’d love to have some human sizes as well! Keep your dog warm and dry, and pick up your own MacPaws here for £7.99.

It's all weel and good buying your dog lots of material treats, but understanding their needs is also crucial to having a happy pooch. Thankfully, Tony Cruse, dog lover and dog trainer, wrote a little manual to help us out. With ‘101 Doggy Dilemmas’ he teaches how easily we can misunderstand our dog’s signals. 

From the reason they destroy the garden, to why they like to chase the postman, this book is a valuable support not only if you’ve just decided to get a puppy, but also to improve the behaviour of a long time family dog. It is available in kindle edition and paperback for £2.99 or £7.99 here.

With these sweet gift ideas, Christmas is sure to be a wonderful time for all of the family, even our lovely canine companions.

London Pet Show

Who can resist puppy dog eyes and furry tailed cats? Come and see dancing dogs, rabbit jumping races, and a weekend full of exotic animals at the London Pet Show on this weekend 11th and 12th May at Earls Court Two. It's no secret that at we at The Amazing Blog are all dog lovers, so what better way to spend our weekend than with an array of cute and energetic dogs?

This year the UK’s largest pet showcase is right around the corner for us at Earl's Court in London. The showcase will feature animals from dogs and cats to royal pythons and micro pigs - although I'll be sure to stay far away from the snakes. The show will be broken up into four different sections: Discover Dogs, Discover Cats, Discover Animals, and Discover Small Furries. Featuring elaborate demonstrations and luxurious animals, each section is sure to provide a one of a kind experience.

The section that I'll be spending the most time at will be the Discover Dog zone - of course! And with over 50 dog breeds and a programmed event every hour it'll be quite difficult to pull me away . These dogs will be dancing around on stage, playing a fast-paced game of flyball, and showing off their skills in the agility obstacle course.

The kids will love the new “Pony Paddock” area where they can braid their mane and learn about the different types of ponies the showcase offers. Riders can also learn how to use the equipment and tools involved in caring for their pony as well as mounting, dismounting and maintaining balance on The Pony Club’s special mechanical horse. So spend time with family, friends, fellow pet lovers and some exotic animals this weekend at The London Pet Show. Tickets are on sale online for £14 for adults and £9.50 for children over five years old. Family and senior tickets are also available.

Give a dog a home.

With the arrival of the New Year comes the dreaded making of one’s resolutions; a chance to look at the year ahead, set challenges and make promises that one invariably fails to keep. And at The Amazing Blog's HQ in Chelsea we've been busy discussing ours.  There is the ‘lose half a stone’ that I, along with most of the female population have sought to do; the ‘drink eight glasses of water’ in the hope of achieving a glowing complexion, and of course the ‘drink less wine’; a challenge I find so alarming I find an insurmountable urge to sit down with said pinot. This year however, I also made the resolution to find a charity to support whose ethos I am passionate about; thus making a New Year’s Resolution that shouldn’t be a struggle to keep. When chatting to our lovely client Louise Sandberg (fellow dog owner) she told me that she was importing a new friend for her dog all the way from Thailand. She told me that on a recent trip to Thailand, she was so shocked by the number of strays that she was determined to help publicise the organisation  Soi Dog Foundation in the UK; who are desperately looking for donations to help save the dogs and cats affected by the recent severe flooding in the Bangkok region.

As owner of the much loved Tibetan Spaniel, Mojai, my heart went out to the thousands of animals who have been effectively ‘orphaned’ after large scale evacuations during which those being evacuated were not allowed to take their pets with them.

This is where the Soi Dog Foundation comes in a not-for-profit, registered charity with branches in Thailand, the US, Australia, the UK, France and Holland. Made up of volunteers and fundraisers, their common goal is to help neglected and abused cats and dogs. Without the tireless work put in by the Soi Dog Foundation, these abandoned animals may have to spend the rest of their lives in government shelters, without the care, love and affection they really deserve.

Both the work the Soi Dog Foundation do and their efforts in reinstating these animals to good homes is incredibly inspiring but they desperately need donations in order to support the continued rescue which, sadly, is far from over. In fact, having recently intercepted 4 trucks on their way to Vietnam carrying over 1000 dogs, they need your help more than ever. Donations can be made on either a one-off or a monthly basis, and really will make the world of difference to their diligent campaign.

With a fab new blog and an active Facebook page it's never been easier to keep track of exactly how your donations are helping.

So if like me, you want to make a New Year’s Resolution you can keep, support a very worthy cause and dig deep. http://www.soidog.org