Black & Taylor - Archie Black's Dog Soap

What a wonderful discovery we made at The Amazing Blog with the handmade soap company Black & Taylor. Our dear and recently departed four-legged friend Mojai was just the perfect guinea pig for their Archie Black’s Dog Soap . In fact, you couldn’t ask for a better subject to test out a specific ‘doggy bar’ of handmade soap. Mojai was ‘super’ hairy with a rather unique double-coat, he had the most amazing undercoat which comprised of oodles and oodles of the very softest fluff.  He was also rather partial (thank goodness) to bath-time.  This dog soap contains Sunflower Oil which is rich in vitamins A, D, and E and is easily absorbed by the skin. And is scented with Lavender and Citronella Essential Oils which act as a natural bug repellent. All of which is extremely useful for those of you who have pets – with Summer approaching and with all the nasty beasties that are lurking in the long grass. It is easy to use and lathers up nicely. I was apprehensive as I wondered if it would leave a ‘knotty’ matted coat that I would spend hours combing out. But I’m happy to report that both pet and owner were extremely happy with the result – and with the price at £3.95.

Black & Taylor don’t just produce a Dog Soap they have a wonderful selection of products for humans. We were particularly taken with the Gift Sets like Gardeners and the Patchouli & Rosewood. I also love the idea of  Black & Taylor Wedding Favours.  Where you can choose up to any two soaps from their entire range of special wedding gifts for guests. i.e. Rose Geranium and Sunflower Blush for the ladies and Patchouli & Rosewood for the gents. All of which can be made into heart shapes or blocks and wrapped in a variety of coloured Organza bags to match the wedding day colours. Black & Taylor soaps are vegetable oil based, meaning they do not use animal fats and are scented using high quality essential and fragrance oils. Each of their soaps are genuinely handmade using a centuries old process that ensures each bar is of the highest quality. They will not dry your skin as they have absolutely no detergents or harsh ingredients. We are sold on this great little British soap company and their prices - starting from £3.95 on their website. We particularly love the way that these handmade soap last so much longer than commercial soaps. So throw away that supermarket brand and back British!  

Power Paws

As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know we have the elderly and much loved Tibetan Spaniel Mojai as a regular member of staff. He recently turned 15 (that’s 105 in human years) and I’m very conscious that his mobility is lessening (due to arthritis) as his little back legs are sliding around on all shiny floor surfaces. Mojai doesn’t have a bad life, he eats better than I do (always organic chicken no less), has a larger array of food/joint supplements than I do (including my Vital Greens) and definitely has more cuddles and compliments than I ever do! So that’s why it’s only the best for my dear one – which is where I hit upon Power Paws.

What I love about these Power Paws socks is the fact that they are really easy to put on. As all dog owners will understand, I generally get the filthiest of looks and a torrent of verbal abuse if I ever fiddle with Mojai’s feet, and so I was most concerned that this was going to be a bit of a mission.  However, Power Paws went on quickly without too much fuss. As you will see from the photo they are gripping the floor as they have a rubberised paw shape where the pad is which helps to give traction. I like the stylish black socks  (click on the greyhound image to see the variety of colours) and they also come in blue, pink and even a festive Christmas themed pair!

The thing to remember is that these socks are elasticated so will need to be snug fitting and not oversized, as they will simply roll on the foot or slip off.  The correct fitting sock will stay on without slipping and will allow one finger's room into the cuff. Power Paws come in a choice of 8 sizes and in packs of 4.   For Mojai I went for a ‘small’ which is a snug fit – curiously I notice that he has smaller back paws than the front! I cannot recommend these highly enough for anyone who has an elderly dog, as they now mean that I can leave him alone in the kitchen without worrying that he will slip and not be able to get up when I’m not there. These socks are machine washable and in my view are a very reasonable £16.99 and they have certainly given ‘power’ back to Mojai’s paws.

Mojai gets his rocks off!

It’s very hard to keep a nice lush looking garden when you have an elderly fluffy dog who likes nothing better than to spend hours having a potter. Mojai (fellow team member of The Amazing Blog) just loves to snuffle and truffle in and amongst the flower beds ‘marking his territory’ as he goes. Thus all my hard work primping and preening my postage stamp sized garden goes completely to waste... After a long conversation with a trusty friend (and dog owner), about Mojai peeing on and killing all members of plant life in the garden; she then enlightened me with her secret Dog Rocks.

Dog Rocks? How interesting, but how could some simple stones thrown into the dog’s water bowl really help my scorched grass and plants? Dog Rocks are 100% natural and are mined in Australia. The purpose of the rocks is to filter out impurities from the dog’s urine, such as tin, ammonia and nitrates, which are responsible for ‘burning’ the grass when the dog pees on it. Each pack has approximately 2/3 stones in it, and after giving the stones a little rinse, they are placed in the dog’s water bowl. The stones last up to 2 months, then they need to be replaced. Marvellously easy! Yes and they do make a difference, but at £10 a pack they’re a bit of a commitment. But if you’re a pet owner and like me you do battle to try and keep a green and fragrant garden – then these Dog Rocks are definitely for you. Available here.

Hugo & Hennie

Regular readers of this blog will know that here at Amazing PR our beloved company mascot, aka Tibetan Spaniel Mojai, rules the roost and like us, he is partial to the finer things in life. From his fondness for organic treats to his bespoke dog coats and office water-bed for the warmer months, Mojai is always one paw ahead of the pack and wouldn’t dare settle for the mass-produced products his contemporaries have to put up with. In order to cater to Mojai’s exquisite taste we are constantly on the look out for unique brands that both satisfy his high standards yet still maintain a practical element and blend into our existing decor.

Hugo & Hennie was created by mother and daughter team, Carol Cooper and Katie L’Herpiniere who wanted to produce quality products for dogs that were both beautiful and useful. Tired of having to quickly hide the less-than attractive dog beds every time guests came round, Carol and Katie wanted to create appealing and practical products that both owner and dog will love and that blend seamlessly into any home. Their range of dog beds and unique crate covers (that transform the most mundane dog crates in a flash) are all handmade in the UK to ensure that the are of the highest quality. Keen campaigners of ‘buying British’ Carol and Katie want to encourage everyone to support British-made products and pride themselves on the workmanship and high quality of their products which are designed to last for years. Not only do their furnishings look stylish in any setting they are also practical and feature removable and machine-washable handmade covers and optional waterproof inners. Hugo & Hennie are careful to only offer a number of prints and colours to choose from which they change seasonally to ensure each colour combination is not mass produced and so you can be safe in the knowledge that your dog has a unique bed which can be updated by buying a new cover. They also offer a bespoke service where customers can use an ‘interactive designer’ on their website to pick and choose from a selection of fabrics and design a bed that works perfectly for any colour scheme. Mojai certainly approves...

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