Catching up with Bella and Bertie

I've been meaning to write this post for a while but have been so busy over at jadegreenvegan.com so here is a very belated update on the gorgeous Bertie.

My mum, Poppy, Kitty and I went to visit him in his new home at the end of the summer and boy, had he grown! He looked absolutely gorgeous with is smart, little hair cut and I am pleased to report he still gives great cuddles!


















It was so lovely to see how well he has settled into his forever home and how loved he is by his mummy and his sister Bella. Even though the dogs didn't initially seem to remember each other, they had a great time chasing each other around the garden (well Bella, Bertie and Kitty did, whilst Poppy watched from the sidelines and gave them the occasional telling off)! Thank you so much to Nikki and family for giving Boris the amazing home he deserves.

I have one more piece of exciting news to share with you all; Evie's mummy is going away for Christmas and New Year so Evie will be spending the holiday season with us. That means five dogs in our house at Christmas. Yes, five! Did someone say heaven!? I think it's safe to say you can expect lots of pictures of cockapoos dressed up in Christmas costumes this  coming festive season. Speaking of which, you can now follow us on instagram for daily picture updates @4cutecockapoos.

Pupdate

First of all, sorry it's been a little quiet over here recently, we've been super busy and there have been some exciting things going on with Jade Green Vegan that I can't wait to share with you soon!

So here's a little update, or pupdate (too cool!) of what's been going on!

1) Teddy had his big boy operation to ensure we don't end up with any more little blessings! He looked super cute rocking his inflatable collar for a few days and thankfully made a really speedy recovery.

On the first night when he came back from the vet he was really docile and sleepy; all of the girls were so gentle with him and Kitty kept trying to kiss him better.

By the next day he was back to his crazy self and keeping him chilled out for 10 days whilst he recovered was pretty hard! Since the operation, he has adopted a lot of girly traits; he now cries with excitement on the way to the park like Poppy & Panda, and is always wanting a cuddle!

2) Kitty's obsession with healthy eating has expanded from carrots into any kind of fruit & veg! She's becoming a regular star on the Jade Green Instagram as the resident healthy pooch!

3) After taking a break from running for a couple of months, last Sunday Teddy and I went for an early (well early for a weekend) morning run. I forgot how much I'd missed running along the river in the morning breeze with Ted; it makes me feel so energised and is the perfect start to the day.






































4) A little while ago we received an awesome letter from Jamie, the puppy who now lives in Scotland, telling us all about his life with his new mummy and best pal Dillon.

Jamie is the only puppy we haven't seen since he went to his new home as he lives so far away; so receiving this letter and the enclosed pictures meant so much to us. I found the letter when having a little tidy up tonight and Kitty and I decided to write Jamie a reply! Considering her lack of opposable thumbs, she did pretty well. Look at her looking all proud with herself - what a cutie!



We promise not to leave it so long between posts in future.

Lots of love,
All of the angels with paws xo

Feel Good Thursday

The members of the Cockapoo Owner's Club UK have dedicated today to 'Feed Good Thursday' and have been sharing all of the ways our dogs have helped us. There have been some truly amazing stories, and I have been an emotional wreck reading them all day. I felt inspired to write this post about 10 things that my incredibly special dogs have helped me with, that I'm sure will resonate with most dog owners.

1. Laughter - no matter how bad a day you're having, there is nothing like watching dogs playing to cheer you up and make you laugh. My personal favourite is when Teddy and Kitty go on 'toilet roll stealing missions' and run around the house with their stolen goods, secretly passing them to each other as if they're in MI5.
2. Healing - when you're feeling unwell dogs seem to instinctively know and are silently but surely there for you, giving you cuddles and kisses until you feel better. Panda is particularly good at this, and always seems to know where the pain is and lays on that part of your body.
3. Loss - dogs help to ease the pain of loss by giving you something else to love and focus on.
4. Unconditional love - no one will ever provide you with such selfless, unconditional love as your dog. Dogs don't care if you're rich or poor, happy or sad, all they want is to be with you.
5. Keeping fit - it's so easy to fall into a pattern of not making the time to keep your body healthy by being active; however, when you have someone else relying on you, not getting up for a walk/ jog every day, rain or shine, is just not an option.
6. Support - a dog is a non-judgmental, best friend, who will always be there for you no matter what you're going through. Every day for the past 6 years without fail, I have come home to Poppy's excited whimpers and wagging tail - there is no better feeling than someone being so excited to see you simply because they love you just for being you.
7. Getting excited - dogs get excited by the smaller things in life, like their loved ones coming home from work or chasing after a pebble on the beach. I don't know about everyone else's dogs but Kitty has definitely taught me that sometimes it's okay to get so excited that you can't help but let a little wee out!
8. Friendship - not only are your dogs the most lovingly, loyal friends you'll ever have, but when walking your dog or joining a dog club like the Cockapoo owners club, you become part of a loving, compassionate community and make amazing, life-long friends.
9. Forgiveness -  dogs don't hold onto any negative feelings or harbor any grudges. No matter what has happened to them in their past, they always seem to find a way to love again.
10. Living in the moment - a lot of us get so caught up worrying about the past or the future that we forget to live in the moment and enjoy the now. One thing that is inherently beautiful about dogs is that they only live in the present and are so much more care-free and happy because of it.

It is clear from reading members messages, that everyones' dogs have helped them in uniquely special ways. However, one thing that seems to be synonymous among all of the Cockapoo club members, is that whatever struggles you are facing in your every day life, be they big or small, there is no therapy or medicine better than sharing your life with a dog, or in my case 4 dogs!

Doggy Date

Last week I was chatting to a couple of guys I work with and told them what I got up to the night before; they thought  I was insane. I already have a rep as crazy-dog lady, and this really didn't help that! Just when they thought it couldn't get any crazier I took it to a whole other level... last week (and this weekend!) I took Panda on a doggy date with her boyfriend: my friend's dog Benny. Yep, that happened. They first met when we had a summer BBQ last year, and it was puppy love at first sight.

Ever since then, there has been lots of texting and video-messaging; and as with any new relationship, Panda and Benny have had their fair share of Facebook drama, like the time I posted this picture of Panda and Teddy at the beach....

... And Benny got all sad like this! Look at those puppy dog eyes; I mean, come on!

Fast forward a year, and they are still loved up; so to celebrate this, we took them to Danson Park! They had a great time running around and attempting to swim with the ducks. They both got jealous when a dog of the opposite sex came over and made sure to ward them off!

`

As any good date does, the evening ended with food. Even if Benny was a little embarrassed that this meant him and his date were being hand fed by his mummy!

This weekend we headed back to the park, this time with Poppy in tow, for a little picnic. They all had such a fun time playing fetch and watching us play bat and ball, that Poppy barely even noticed that she was the third wheel!

I think we'll have to get another doggy date in the diary soon #crazydoglady!!!

Summer at the beach + Teddy 1 year update

We have been making the most of the sunny weather in London recently by making lots of trips to the beach. We usually go to Herne Bay on the Kent coast, as it is not too far from us and has dog friendly areas all year round. It is without a doubt the dogs' favourite place to go, as they all love chasing after stones and playing in or at least near the water. Whilst Poppy and Teddy love to go swimming, Panda and Kitty watch from the sidelines, afraid of getting their paws wet!

On our last visit to the beach, after a long stone chasing and swimming session, we decided to get chips to eat on the beach. Whilst my mum went in to the fish and chip shop, I waited outside with 4 soggy dogs, smelling - as I'm sure you can imagine - absolutely delicious!! 

The drowned rats dogs sat so patiently whilst we ate the chips; okay, you caught me, only because they were waiting for the sausage that's in my hand (using food as a bribe is pretty much the only way I can get a picture of all 4 of them together)!

Whilst the dogs love playing at the beach, I think we enjoy watching them have fun even more. It is especially nice to see Teddy running around like a crazy dog and swimming in the sea, as this is something which he was too nervous to do a few months ago.

I can't believe it was 1 year ago yesterday that someone posted a link on the Cockapoo Owners Club to a preloved advert for a brown cockapoo boy needing a home. Over the past year, he's become so much more confident and loving, and we couldn't imagine our lives without him. Whilst I love puppies, there is nothing like rescuing a dog! It is is such a rewarding thing to do if you have the time and love to help build up their trust. Teddy has transformed from a nervous and withdrawn dog; into a crazy, loving, and very mischievous little monster... who occasionally likes to wear flowers in his hair!

You have changed our lives for the better; and we love you TEDSTER!

Country living

This weekend we went to Great Malvern to visit Matt's mum and dad. I was super excited, of course to see them, but also because this was the first I was reunited with Evie and her mummy Tina since she went to her new home. The feeling seemed to be mutual, at least on Evie's part, as judging by the wagginess of her tale and all of her wriggling, I think she definitely remembered me.

We went for a walk on the Malvern Hills, although to me it felt more like we were climbing Mount Kilamanjaro! However, it was well worth it as the view from the top was stunning. It was also so nice to see Evie running around the Hills enjoying herself.

Evie also had her first encounter with horses, including Grand National competitor Simon. She was a little unsure at first, probably thinking that they were very large, very strange looking dogs! She alternated between nervous little barks and hiding between Matt's legs!

Evie has grown into such a confident, friendly little dog; and it was so nice to see how happy she is with her new mummy.

Pampered pets at home + some exciting news

Last night, my mum and I made a trip to Pets at Homes to buy the dogs some kongs... An hour later and we emerged with this stash!!

For some reason, we decided that the beginning of summer was a great time to buy the dogs fleeced rain coats (how cute do they look though?!)

My mum also decided that Kitty had to have this little sun hat, as she's only a baby and she sometimes squints when the sun is in her eyes... Well, I can tell you that the hat has definitely been doing a great job of stopping the sun from getting in her eyes... in our house ;).

In other non-doggy-fashion related news, I have something very exciting to share. I have decided to become vegan due to the amazing health benefits and of course my love for animals. What's even more exciting for me is that I have started a blog about it here. Whilst the main focus of the blog is all things vegan, of course I have found a way to work my dogs into it, as I always do!

So far Poppy has featured in my post about my first cookie baking session (this was a crazy experience for her, as in the 6 years we've lived together, she has never seen me bake)!

So check out Jade Green Vegan if you're interested in trying out any vegan recipes, or simply just to read more ramblings about my gorgeous dogs!

Busy bank holiday weekend

We had amazing weather this bank holiday weekend, so made the most of it by filling it with lots of walking, running, and even swimming!

As we've not had time to keep up with our couch to 5k runs recently, we made up for it by doing two this weekend. The first run of the weekend was along the river with Poppy AND Panda! Running with two dogs was a little harder, mainly because they got a little competitive with each other and made us run faster (go team Poppy & Jade)! Maybe by the end of the program we'll be sprinting with all four dogs!

On Sunday, we took Teddy to do the first run of week 3; the program is starting to get a bit harder now and we were all feeling shattered by the end of it. Whilst we were warming down, Teddy went all hippy on us with this daisy chain in his hair - manly look Ted!


























Today, we took Kitty on her first ever beach trip and she LOVED it! When we let her off of the lead, she followed Poppy and ran straight down the beach and plunged into the sea. I'm not sure what she expected but she looked very shocked at how wet she got and avoided the water after that!

Poppy and Teddy spent most of the day playing in the sea, and all of the dogs loved chasing the stones up and down the beach. It was such a nice day, and the perfect way to end the bank holiday weekend.

All the walking, running, and swimming made this bank holiday a very tiring weekend. So tiring in fact, that Matt couldn't even muster the energy to put some socks on, and had no choice other than to improvise with 'cockapoo slippers'. What a lazy boy (although I must admit, I'd take cockapoos to warm me up over slippers any day)!

Boris' new home!!

Boris' previous family decided they could no longer give him the home he needed, so the amazing Cockapoo Owner's Club (UK) allowed me to post a message about Boris needing to find his forever home. Within minutes, I had so many lovely people contacting me offering to give him a home. Last weekend, we met Nicki, John, Amy, Ryan and their cockapoo Bella-Boo. They loved Boris and he loved them too, so this week he went to his new home with them.

Boris, now called Bertie, is settling in very well, and spent his first night curled up by Nicki's head! I'm sure he is going to be one pampered pooch.

Happy Easter!

Today we met up with Joss, Dave and Sunny for an Easter walk in Epping Forest. At first, Sunny was a little nervous to see all of her crazy family again and used her dad as a human lamp post to make herself look tall/ to hide behind!

Sunny had her first off the lead walk and was so good! At first, she stayed close to her mum and dad for protection but was soon running around with her brother and sister!

By the end of the walk, when the dogs (and I!) were all looking like drowned rats, we made many failed attempts to take a family photo...

Sunny has grown so much since we last saw her, and it was so nice to see how happy she is with her lovely family.

When we got home, Kitty was absolutely exhausted! She snuggled up in her bed with all of her toys and would like to wish you all a Happy Easter!