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!

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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!

Doggy Easter Egg Hunt

As you can imagine, it's hard to find friends who are as 'dog crazy' as me. Whenever, I mention 'we' in work, everyone assumes I'm talking about me and my dogs... and they're usually right. Luckily, I have Maria who is so dog crazy, she suggested we take our dogs on an easter egg hunt this weekend - GREAT idea! We decided to just take the puppies, as five dogs would be a bit much to handle; so Poppy, Panda and Teddy had their walks before we went.

We took Poppy and Panda for a walk along the river...

... and Teddy came on a couch to 5k jog with Matt and Me.














When we met Maria, Natalie and Benny at Danson Park, the puppies and Benny loved running around and finding all of the treats we hid for them!

Naughty Kitty and Boris also managed to sneak some human food when we were having our picnic; and even after this, were still begging for more treats!

We all had a great day at Danson Park - and the dogs were big fans of the Treat hunt!

Happy 6th Birthday Poppy!

Yesterday was Poppy's 6th Birthday. She was our first cockapoo, and is the most special little dog. So special in fact, that having her made us feel the need to fill our house with cockapoos! She is so sensitive and loving but also crazy and a major flirt... no more puppies please Pops! Poppy has brought so much happiness to our family and we couldn't imagine our lives without her.

























Matt, Poppy and I went on a little birthday jog when we got home from work (we're on to week 2 of Wellness Counts recommended couch to 5k)! She loved running around with us but was not impressed when we were stretching at the end! We'll celebrate Poppy's birthday properly this weekend with with a nice long walk at the beach with ALL of the dogs! At the end of our jog, we sat by the river and watched the beautiful sunset; it was such a lovely end to Poppy's birthday evening.

Couch to 5k

I am the least sporty person ever; however, in a moment of temporary insanity a few months ago, I decided to buy lots of running clothes and brand new trainers and to start running so that I can partake in a sponsored run for an animal charity! A few months later, and the only time I've worn these clothes out is to the spa on mother's day. As the weather is getting nicer and the days are getting lighter, I no longer have an excuse to just wear the clothes around the house because I think they look cool!

So, late last week I went on my first run/ jog/ crawl with Poppy. When I came back, my mum opened the front door to a happy Poppy, and me... gasping for breath, and dripping with sweat. She asked me what was wrong in a panicked voice, and I proudly said we'd had a good work out and asked how long we'd been out. 10 minutes. Well that was awkward!

My boyfriend's mum therefore suggested I try the Couch to 5k program. This is something her and Tina's business (Tina is Evie's new mummy), Wellness Counts, recommends as an achievable program for couch potatoes like me!

As Teddy has so much energy, I thought he'd be a great running partner for this training; so on the weekend, Matt, Teddy and I completed the first part of the program. It is a 9 week program, with 3 half an hour sessions of training per week. In week 1, each 60 second jog is interluded by a 90 second walk. This was challenging for me but a lot more manageable than running for 10 whole minutes straight! Even Teddy, who could give Usain Bolt a run for his money, was a little tired by the end of it!

Since then, I've been out running with Poppy and Teddy to complete the final 2 parts of week 1... and then some! I've surprised myself by the fact that I'm actually really enjoying it, and even better, so are the dogs!