When I asked “How far can I walk my puppy?” of several people, I received conflicting answers. A friend kindly sent me the following image which illustrated just how long it takes for a dog’s growth plates to close. This made me determined to stick to the 5 minute rule until she reached 12 months,
Spayed females commonly mark their territory with urine, but Frankie (AKA Francesca) is a little different to most. Her marking is possessively personal and never ceases to make us smile on our walks. While Freya saunters along with prolonged sniffing, randomly leaving messages and marking territory, Frankie waits patiently behind her, has a good sniff,
Honestly, Freya has to be the queen of firsts. How on earth, on a cold February day, did she manage to find wet tar to trot through and arrive home with four paws coated in the treacly black stuff? Well in fairness, we do live on a new housing estate which is still part building
With a saving of around £50 every six weeks*, for me grooming my own cockapoo was a no brainer, however this wasn’t my initial driver. Freya has only been professionally groomed once; the groomer’s idea of a teddy cut certainly wasn’t mine and this experience was enough for me to take up the grooming challenge,
The Bike & Boot in Scarborough was founded by Simon Kershaw and Simon Rhatigan, well-known entrepreneurs with an impressive track record in the catering and hospitality industry. In September 2023, they opened its sister hotel of the same name in the Peak District (later addition: the Peak District Hotel won The Times ‘Best Places to
Out on walks while Freya was a few months old, I was surprised how many people told me they were spaying their female dogs before their first season. This didn’t feel right; surely it was important for a puppy to at least reach puberty and be fully grown before she was catapulted into what was
The Running Horse stands in Littleton, just on the outskirts of the beautiful cathedral city of Winchester. We visit regularly as our daughter lives nearby. The inn was completely refurbished early last year and re-opened in the summer beautifully designed to enjoy outdoor hospitalily. There are 15 rooms in attractive ‘shed style’ huts placed alongside
The Black Horse Inn in Kirkby Fleetham is nestled between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks, so a perfect base for a dog walking holiday. 2018, saw the inn winner of the tv programme ‘Four in a Bed‘, with the plaque heralding the award on the wall of the bar. It
The Swan Hotel at Hay sits towards the end of the market town of Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh side of the border between England and Wales, although most of the town’s postcodes are Herefordshire! This lovely Georgian hotel is managed by Adrian Wilson, with the bar and restaurant open to all. Back in the 60s,
Poplars Farm is a working farm surrounded by the green fields of Leicestershire. Converted in 2018, the Big Barn is a unique, self-catering holiday let made up of the old stables, grain store and workmen’s digs. There are also three ‘Carry on Camping’ inspired Shepherd Huts. They come with king-sized beds, wood-burning stoves, comfy cushions and everything you’ll need to prepare