PUPPY LOVE

Closed for Christmas

2011-12-15T21:25:00.000+00:00

Happy Holidays lovelies!! We will now be shut shop until the New Year! You can still order via our eBay store or the online shop here, but all items will be processed and then posted out from January 2nd 2012. We hope everyone has a fantastic festive period!! x x

Dog Fancy Dress Wins $6000!

2011-11-22T17:47:00.000+00:00

There have been some really very upsetting dog stories in the news just lately .... so here is a nice change for you Puppy Lovers! Meet 18 month old Rufio...

Doesn't he look pawesome all dressed up for Howl-o-ween last month?! And we're not the only ones to think so! Rufio, a Plainfield Neopolitan Mastiff, has won $6000 in the PetSmart Monster Cute Photo Contest in the USA. And that's not all....he's won at least 25 other competitions! And, what makes it even more pawesome...his owner Kathryn Dunlap is using his winnings to help rescue dogs!! She has already bought an animal shelter food with her $500 giftcard. Infact, Rufio and Kathryn are on the look out for an agent to reperesent him and Kathryn says “My goal for him is to be a spokesperson for other dogs, especially those in shelters and rescues” and being such a rare breed and so utterly gorgeous, we are thinking he will be great at raising awareness of the importance of rescue centres and the plight of homeless dogs... you know, the only Plainfield Neopolitan Mastiff we'd seen before was 'Fang' in Harry Potter. Bigger dogs are often found in rescues due to becoming too much for their owners to manage as they grow...it breaks our heart! Hopefully star-pups like Rufio wil help raise awareness of these loving gentle giants. For more information about Rufio and his new line of greetings cards, visit www.rufiosrumblings.com or find the Rufio Ricardo Fan Club on Facebook x x

New Bandana designs! Twilight inspired ...swoon

2011-11-08T19:27:00.001+00:00

OMG Puppy Lovers... it is now less than 2 weeks until Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part One is out at the cinema! Very excited indeed here at Puppy Love HQ! Next Friday we shall be staging our very own Twiathlon with our gorgeous friend Nicola and watching all 4 films in succession... I know, i know...lickle bit nerdy but it's only like the boys watching successive football matches on a Sunday afternoon right?! Lols. In honour of the Sparkly One and (not quite so much but still) the Furry One, we have a new addition to our bandana collection.... Twilight inspired Team Edward & Team Jacob designs!!

Made with 100% cotton, and fastened with Velcro, each one is handmade and embroidered using our lovely embroidery machine with really nice, slightly sheeny Mettler embroidery threads. They are available now in our eBay store from £6.99 and as always come in all sizes. As an extra treat for you...scroll down after the jump for the Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part One movie trailer!! *SQUEAL!* x x

Puppy Love Petwear Bandana Review

2011-11-01T12:42:00.000+00:00

We're famous!! Check it out...our very first review!! It's delightfully entitled "How to make your cute pets cuter" and written by gorgeous Mary at The Critter Sermon:

So very excited indeed...and very flattered! So many lovely compliments *blush* Here's a little excerpt:

" I came across a stall selling handmade Bandanas..they were SO cute! There was a little dog next to me who had just been bought one and he was sitting there proudly wearing it!...I was greeted with smiley helpful faces and more importantly dog lovers! I showed them photos of Darkley and said about how I was hoping to adopt Holly and all the issues we were having with that...

So with Holly home and more than happy to be dressed up I wanted to get some made for Holly and Darkley... The awesome thing is that if you want a particular colour or something extra snazzy for your pup they will try and do it if they can...As they are handmade they can be made exactly how you want for your pups and best of all at such a reasonable price- because dogs will be dogs and I knew full well that mud and all sorts will end up on them!... They can happily play in them too, they don't bother them in the slightest! They are also made with Velcro at the back so if the bandana gets caught it wont hurt them at all as it will just undo (which is good to know with my clumsy pups...but i haven't had any problems!)

...it is so nice to buy handmade things and not the same old stuff from pets at home! "

We met Mary and her Mum at the Dogs Trust Harefield Open Day back in August and we kept in touch through the Puppy Love Facebook page yet only discovered her wonderful blog earlier in the month.... I can't believe we didn't know about it sooner!!! Packed full of news, anecdotes and tips it's a fab read and I strongly urge ~~push~~ you all to go read & then of course follow/subscribe to The Critter Sermon... Now!! ;) And of course by doing so you also get to coo over pics of gorgeous rescues Holly & Darkley ... Adorable!! x x

Trick or Treat!? This week's Friday Funny...

2011-10-28T18:12:00.001+01:00

BOO!! It's Howl-o-ween weekend Puppy Lovers!! Who's dressing up? Mr Buzz and Miss Hunbun have their Halloween bandanas ready and also a special treat for the 31st... a Vampire costume for Buzzy and a Pumpkin for little missy. Piccies will be coming, no fear!! We hope you all have a spooktacular time if you are going to a party or just staying in with a scary movie and popcorn. Remember to get those treats in for the trick or treaters! Here's a cute little Halloween themed Friday Funny for you from Little Guy who look like he could be Lubo's long lost cousin! Such a cutie! And clever too... Enjoy! x x

The best Friday Funny ever? Meet the Salsa Dancing Chihuahua ...

2011-10-21T09:58:00.001+01:00

This week's Friday Funny really is just too p-awesome for words! One of our all-time faves! Prepare to squeal with delight.... Enjoy! x x

Cassie the UK's Fattest Dog Slims Down & a list of Doggie Poison Foods

2011-10-19T11:37:00.002+01:00

Meet 7 year old Cassie the Collie....

Isn't she a cutie? She is one rather special little girl as just six months ago she looked like this:

Cassie has lost the title of UK's Fattest Dog by also losing half her body weight! Go Cassie!! When Cassie arrived at Dogs Trust Kenilworth earlier this year, she weighed a shocking 7 stone after being fed a diet of full sized portions of fish & chips, roast dinner, crisps and *gasp* chocolate!! The lady who really was killing her with kindess would even order double at the takeaway! Now, sadly, so often we hear animal abuse stories that chill us to the core, and although this involves no vile mutilation or violence, it is still a form of abuse. Poor Cassie could not walk for more than 3 minutes before she gave up the ghost and it took 3 people to lift her in and out of the car.

Dogs Trust Kenilworth manager Sandra Wilson said: "Unfortunately, when owners treat their pets as if they were humans and feed them the wrong food, they're simply killing them with kindness... She was at risk of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis, but it's great to see the progress she has made in a relatively short time and a testament to the hard work of the staff here."

She has been working out on the treadmill and with hydrotherapy, which she loves, and is now ready to go to her new home. But her story is a warning to dog owners around the world... Most doggies will keep eating unitl they go off pop! Many a time I have commented that Buzz, left to his own devices would end up a little ball with legs...just like poor little Cassie looked earlier in the year. I decided to look into the pyschology behind a dog's relationship with food and what I found was interesting... Sarah of Sarah's Dogs comments:

"In the course of the history of humankind's relationship with the dog, the dog has come to look at people as being able to provide it with food. Since a dog is also a pack animal with a social hierarchy, the treatment of food by the pack is important to a dog. In the dog pack, the top dog will eat first...
As the leader of the pack, you must eat before the dog eats. If you allow your dog to beg from you and to get a morsel of food before you, you are giving the dog a boost up the social ladder in your home... Once someone shares some of their food with the dog, the dog then not only realizes that its dog food is inferior in taste, scent and appearance to what its masters are getting, the stage now has been set for more begging. The dog will beg for another morsel, and once that begging behavior has worked, the dog will continue begging nonstop. At every meal, you will see the staring or blinking eyes that are entranced by every move you make...In that case, your alpha status has been weakened, especially if you give the dog a treat before you feed yourself. As the leader of the pack, you must not tamper with your leader status by interfering with whose food is whose..."

You can read more of her article here and be sure to check out the rest of her site - it's very informative!

This is exactly what happened with Cassie in terms of her then turning her nose up at the proper dog food - she even went on hunger strike for 3 days when first confronted with dry dog food. Of course, Cassie's story is an extreme case. Before dog food was mass-produced, dogs did eat 'human' food and obviously in the wild back in the day, they didn't pop to Asda's for a bag of Harringtons or tin of Pedigree Chum but they would have scraps (ie. small!) and raw meat. And of course, there is the raw diet so popular now. It's nice to give your dog a little treat sometimes by way of a chew etc and you have to be mega-tough to resist those puppy dog eyes at mealtimes but just be aware that by not giving in as much as you can, you are actually doing your best friend a favour. Just like us humans, being overweight puts them at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis etc... and please check out the list of potentially poisionous foods for dogs after the jump! There are some that were real shockers to us, and we thought we were pretty clued up so please do look.

We'd love to know what you think about Cassie's case, and the concept of doggie diet, so please do comment! x x

Plants and foods that are or potentially are toxic or poisonous to dogs

- via http://dogpsychologyhelp.com. See the full article by clicking here.

Almonds*
Amaryllis bulb*
Apricot*
Autumn crocus ( Colchicum autumnale)*
Avocado (leaves, seeds, stem, skin)*
Azalea (entire rhododendron family)
Begonia*
Bird of Paradise
Bittersweet
Bleeding heart*
Boxwood
Bracken fern
Buckeye
Buttercup (Ranunculus)
Caffeine
Caladium*
Calla lily*
Castor bean* (can be fatal if chewed)
Cherry
Chinese sacred or heavenly bamboo*
Chocolate
Choke cherry (unripe berries)*
Chrysanthemum (a natural source of pyrethrins)
Clematis
Crocus bulb
Croton (Codiaeum sp.)
Cyclamen bulb
Delphenium, larkspur, monkshood*
Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia)*
Elderberry (unripe berries)
English ivy (All Hedera species of ivy)
Fig (Ficus)
Four-o'clocks (Mirabilis)
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Garlic*
Hyacinth bulbs
Hydrangea*
Holly berries
Iris corms
Jack-in-the-pulpit*
Jimson weed*
Kalanchoe*
Lantana*
Lily (bulbs of most species)
Lily-of-the-valley

Lupine species
Milkweed*
Mistletoe berries*
Morning glory*
Mountain laurel
Narcissus, daffodil (Narcissus)
Oak* (remove bark for use as a bird perch)
Oleander*
Onions*
Peaches*
Pencil cactus plant* (Euphorbia sp.)
Philodendron (all species)*
Poinsettia (many hybrids, avoid them all)
Potato (leaves and stem)
Rhubarb leaves*
Rosary Pea(Arbus sp.)* (Can be fatal if chewed)
Scheffelera (umbrella plant)
Shamrock (Oxalis sp.)*
Spurge (Euphorbia sp.)
Tomatoes (leaves and stem)
Yew*

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods SUCH AS PORK
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

NEVER EVER give Tylenol (toxic to liver) or ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin, Advil, etc.).Ibuprofen is very toxic and fatal to dogs at low doses. Only aspirin is safe for dogs, and buffered aspirin or ascriptin is preferred to minimize stomach upset.

Ointments containing zinc can cause stomach irritation in pets

Mosquito and lice sprays formulated for humans are toxic if applied to pets (because they are likely to lick themselves and ingest the DEET or permethrin).

Onion and garlic poisoning

Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop hemolytic anemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

Spooktacular Halloween dog bandanas & this week's Friday Funny!

2011-10-14T18:31:00.001+01:00

Wow...Friday again already! Is someone spinning the earth faster or something?! This week has flown by here at Puppy Love HQ where we have been busy making lots of spooooky skull and blood curdling bat bandanas for Halloween...which is only a couple of weeks away now! We still have a limited amount of fabric left, so if you'd like one get to our online eBay shop vampire-speed fast by clicking here. Prices start from £3.99 with free P&P and as always, come in all sizes from XS to XL.

Halloween is one of our favourite holidays and we will certainly be getting into the spooky spirit with a pumpkin, sweeties & a scary film on the 31st! What do you have planned?

Dressing up is a must and if a spooktacular bandana just isn't flamboyant enough for you, check out this week's Friday Funny for some crazy costume ideas!

Strictly Come Dancing & this week's Friday Funny

2011-10-07T11:50:00.001+01:00

Happy Friday Puppy Lovers! We hope you've had a fab week in the sunshine? It's been absolutely wonderful! As the weather starts to cool down again from today, we are already getting ourselves ready for the winter hibernation...

Tea, Coffee, Hot choccy - check

Munchies - check
Bunny slippers & Snuggie- check
Fab reality/competition TV - check!

Yay...we admit it... we are addicted to the Saturday & Sunday night goodness that is Strictly Come Dancing & the X Factor *blush*
All the beautiful dresses on Strictly send me into a tizwoz - esp as the seamstress in me stands up and coos over the hours of work and skilled quality put into each outfit and wonders about it's construction. Hosted by the legendary Bruce Forsyth (whose dad did the wedding cars for my Nana's wedding would you believe?!) and beautiful Tess Daly, this years line up includes footballer Robbie Savage, Neighbours & now Fosters ad star Holly Valance, Lulu, Russell Grant & McFly star Harry Judd. Now last week, they were all very good....especially Mr Jason Donovan! But we think if the judges got a look at this little chap, he would be stiff competition for even the professional dancers!! Check out this week's Friday Funny, featuring one very nifty little mover doing 'the Kibble'... Enjoy!! x x

Dog Does Funny Dance For Kibble - Watch MoreFunny Videos

In Memoriam & Save Lennox BSL

2011-09-30T08:49:00.001+01:00

Brook. Crossed OTRB 28/9/2011. Run Free sweetheart

In honour of our dear & beautiful furriend Brook, Charlies Angel of Hilsider, who unexpectedly crossed OTRB this week, there is no Friday Funny this week. Instead, in her memory, we'd like to talk about BSL, Lennox & dangerous breed stereotypes.

Dobie Brookie was the first Doberman I had actually had face to face contact with, and although loving all dogs big & small, I was a little weeny bit nervous incase she didn't like me! Now in the media, we hear about Pitbulls, Staffies etc as the 'dangerous' dogs, but when I was little, it was Dobies & Rottweillers. Of course though, my fears were completely unfounded!! The first time I met Brook I was confronted with a big, powerful, sleek barrel of love & soppiness :) We had lots of cuddles and kisses and I only wish there had been chance for more. I am truly heartbroken that the world has lost her beautiful doggy soul...BUT I do know she is rocking up a storm over in Rainbow Bridge right now with her brother Byron :) Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, Karen, Neil, Kayleigh, Dino & Sox at this painful & sad time. Love you all!!

Today, a decision will be made on the fate of American Bull Labrador cross, Lennox, in Ireland. He is Micro chipped, Neutered, DNA Registered, Pet Safe Registered, Insured and Licensed every year with the Council yet on Wednesday the 19th May 2010 he was taken from the family home by Belfast City Council as they believe he falls under the dangerous dogs act for Northern Ireland. They declared Lennox to be a breed of "Pit Bull Type" and so wish to kill him simply because of the way he looks... Racism anyone?! Belfast City Council took Lennox from his loving family home using a wrongly addressed warrant and copyright ADBA (American Dog Breeders Association) breed standards guide which the Council were never authorised to use. Lovely Lennox has never attacked anyone or anything yet the authorities have removed him from his home where he lives with his family kennel mate Juicy a 2 year old female boxer and various other foster dogs. You can find out more here. So, today, in memory of another doggie who would once have been looked at like she was a monster, everyone please join the #pawcircle of positivity for gorgeous #Lennox.

Breed-specific legislation, BSL, is, according to Wikipedia:

"a law or ordinance passed by a legislative body pertaining to a specific breed or breeds of domesticated animals. In practice, it generally refers to laws or ordinances pertaining to a specific dog breed or breeds."

We firmly believe each dog, like every human being on the planet, is different & should be judged individually. Yes, like some humans are born and are just a nasty piece of work, you do get some dogs who are more volatile or angry, but for 99.9%, we believe any angry behaviour is down to the owners & the way the animal has been handled. Dogs, by nature, are loyal and loving to the humans that they idolise and rely upon. We could talk for hours on the subject, but I think this picture sums it up perfectly....

We have shared this image onto our facebook page wall, please share it with your friends and help spread the word.

Under BSL, this little pitbull Sharky could be seized just like Lennox ... does he look like a dangerous dog to you? Do watch these videos, they are just beautiful x x

Petscorner.co.uk Dog Toys Review

2011-09-22T20:30:00.001+01:00

Our Buzzy is one very happy dog at the moment... he was lucky enough to be chosen to do a review of 3 (yes, not 1...3!!) fab new dog toys for one of t'interweb's best online pet shops... www.PetsCorner.co.uk!! We already knew that Pets Corner online pet shop have so many fab items in stock so we were v excited when the parcel arrived.... here's what Buzz got to try out:

1) Great&Small Rubber Toy "Extra Bouncy...bring it on!"

2) Great&Small Rope Toy "Boring toy... pull the other one!"

3) Great&Small Squeak Toy "For dogs that live LOUD!"

First off we tried out the Rubber Toy which is a soft but sturdy rubber ring that you can throw, play tug with, or doggie can chew... Buzz has never had a dog toy like this before so was a little puzzled at first until I threw it, then he bought it back to me with this face which I think pretty much sums it all up... H.A.P.P.Y!!!

He also had a little chew on it later, holding it easily between his paws and we also played toss with it inside the house and as you can see here in our little video, it definitely has the paws up from Buzz:

I'm also very impressed at the quality...here is the toy after a whole afternoon of Buzzy's knasher abuse (usually his toys struggle to make it past a couple of hours entact! lols) and it still looks great. I think that it will certainly become one of his faves and last a loooong time too! Pawesome!

Next up was the rope toy tugger!! Now, Buzz always has a penchant for tuggers and I knew he was going to go crazy for this one... I wasn't wrong... Check out those canines!!

I did make a video of this too but he was just soooooo noisy that I've opted for pics instead. (I also fell over from the force when I let go of the other end which was slightly embarrassing and did not make for great footage! *blush*) The colours are lovely and vibrant and it also didn't get too mucky after being thrown and pawed around the garden which was a nice surprise :) It's soft but tough and Buzz also thinks it makes a nice nose warmer from the looks of it, and again it withstood lots of tugging and nibbling. He is a bit of a shredder after all, but I was pleased to see only little tufts had come free!

Lastly we played with the Squeaky Ball which I was the most concerned about in terms of it's longeviety - tennis balls tend to have a max 1 hour lifespan once Buzz gets his paws on them as do any rubber/plasticy toys with air inside. However, as yet, he has not punctured it! The squeak is not very loud really which although dogs would probably enjoy it better if it was louder, I think owners will be very satisfied with indeed. It has a nice little squeak which is not at all irritating after long periods of play. Buzz very much likes the ball - infact out of the 3 I think it could be his favourite as he kept returning to it over the other two. He has always been very good at playing by himself and balls are great for that where they roll... here he is (looking somewhat cat-like actually! lols!) playing ball:

As you can see he really has been trying to chew on it with his sharp teeth and strong jaw but without making a hole yet :)

So...all in all... 3 wonderful, fun, and good quality dog toys from those fab people at PetsCorner.co.uk!! From Mr Buzz and myself, thankyou so much lovelies! On the PetsCorner website it states that they are a family run business with a 'commitment to the environment & animal welfare' and 'with providing their customers with the best value' and I really do think that not only do they do that, but that this comes across clearly in all their products and price points - from cosy cat beds & Buzz-proof dog toys to the more exotic reptile feeding equipment! Go check them out now!! ;)

M & B x x

P.S. To see our furriend Teagan's review of her selection of toys from PetsCorner, head on over to her blog at www.teagantimes.wordpress.com by clicking here!

Great Greyhound Gathering & this week's Friday Funny

2011-09-16T10:41:00.001+01:00

Happy Friday Puppy Love-rs! What do you have planned for the weekend? We are going to the Great Greyhound Gathering in Nottingham tomorrow and rather excited indeed! So many of our fab twitter & facebook pals will be there, including gorgeous Lisa Rees with her Dog O'Nine Tails stall and Soxi, Dino, Karen & Neil....we can't wait to see Karen and hear her news...she has been training as a Galen Myotherapist - dog massage - and will very soon be qualified! So any achy pups out there, get in touch!!

The show tomorrow will include fun & more serious dog shows, stalls, etc, and takes place at the Nottingham Racecourse, Colwick Park, Nottingham NG2 4BE from 9am. We will also be meeting up with beautiful Bethan from Greyhound Rescue Shropshire & Borders and the rest of their fundraising team. We have launched a range of ECO shoppers made especially for GRSB, part of the Retired Greyhound Trust, and they will also be selling other Puppy Love items on their stall to raise much needed £££ for the Greyhounds in their care.

You will be able to buy the shoppers directly from our eBay store from next week where a good percentage of the sale will go directly to GRSB! Here's a sneaky preview of one of the designs...

And of course, being Friday it can mean only one thing.... it's time for this week's Friday Funny! This one is just soooo cute.... meet MAY(yorkie) and LUNE (maltese) in a bonio speed eating contest! Enjoy! x x

9/11 Dogs Ten Years On

2011-09-11T12:18:00.000+01:00

10 years ago today, the world changed. Big time.

As George 'dubbleya' Bush said in a rare moment of sincerity & depth, at yesterday's memorial for Flight 93 in Pennsylvania ...

“When the sun rose in the Pennsylvania sky 10 years ago, it was a peaceful September morning,” he said, “By the time it set, nearly 3,000 people had lost their lives."

Even a decade on, whenever I look at the images from that day, my brain still struggles to process that what I'm seeing is not a movie still or some angry computer game. Today we want to honour the bravery of all involved in the rescue operation at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and those heroes of Flight 93 who really were the first to stand in the 'War on Terror' or whatever the politicians term it. To us, they just fought back and triumphed against pure evil.

Of course, it wouldn't be Puppy Love if we didn't move on to the heroes of the furry variety... and we can't believe that somehow we missed this story over the last ten years! Maybe it has something to with the leaky eyes of grief and outrage but at last we have discovered the story of Michael Hingson and his guide dog Roselle who were working on the 78th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit Tower Two. Together, beautiful yellow lab Roselle leading the way, they began the evacuation and ended up just 100 yards away when Tower Two collapsed. And her fellow guide dog Salty also did the same for his owner in another area. I never have words for the loyalty of dogs, just a big lump in my throat. Roselle, like so many of the rescue dogs who worked on 9/11, has now crossed the Rainbow Bridge but just like the thousands who lost their lives that day, and in the resulting conflicts and attacks around the world, they will never be forgotten.

Over 350 dogs worked at Ground zero and Boston journalisist Laurel Sweet worked with vet Dr Cynthia Otto who was treating their injuries from searching through the debris ... "I think the dogs were the only thing that kept people going at Ground Zero," Sweet quotes Otto as saying. "You'd actually see their faces change when a dog walked by."

Dutch photogrpapher Charlotte Dumas has tracked down the 15 still living FEMA doggies and complied a beautiful book called 'Retrieved' which is available now...

If you don't want the leaky eyes, and believe me they'll come big stylee, click away now, as here are some of those doggie-heroes :

From the NY Times: Bailey, age 14, Thompson Station, Tenn. She went to the Pentagon following the attacks of 9/11.

Bretagne from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days

Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days

Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts who stayed for 8 days from Sept 11th

Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble

Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee

Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days

Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went to the Pentagon

Abigail, left, was deployed on the evening of September 17

Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day

Hoke from Denver searched for 5 days

From the NY Times: Orion, age 13, Vacaville, Calif. He worked at the World Trade Center for five days after the attacks
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033628/Surviving-9-11-rescue-dogs-scoured-Ground-Zero-bodies-commemorated-decade-difficult-mission.html#ixzz1Xdnr20gt

Black Dog Appreciation Day

2011-09-09T11:40:00.001+01:00

Today we are not doing our weekly Friday Funny as we want to talk about a serious cause close to our hearts. Today is Black Dog Appreciation Day where, worldwide, animal lovers celebrate black dogs and highlight Black dog bias or Black Dog Syndrome.

Now if you haven't heard of Black Dog Syndrome before, you will be as surprised as we were to find out that all those beautifully sleek, glossy furred, gorgeous black dogs and cats are more than often the last pets in rescue centres and shelters to find homes, if at all, because they are passed over in favour of the lighter coloured animals. And it's not just the bigger breeds or Heinz 57's that the phenomenon applies to - even the toy & pedigree breeds are affected.

As you know we have two black rescue dogs in the Puppy Love family, Buzz and Lubo, both of whom spent a long time in the rescue centre waiting for us... Lubo was at the Mayhew for 3 months:

and also these three beauties in our extended family, where again Brook's fursis & bro Soxi and Dino are rescues:

Noone is 100% sure why this happens - it is thought that they don't photograph as well so aren't as appealing on adoption websites, and that people often still associate black with superstitions ie: black cats etc (although I always thought that a black cat crossing your path was lucky!?) Other theories put forward include the idea that in movies and the media as a whole black dogs are usually the aggressive, mean ones or that noone wants the dark fur malting. Personally I LOVE black dogs and cats but I must say when I went to the rescue centre all those years ago in Hull, Buzzy provided the perfect example of Black Dog Syndrome and I am eternally grateful to the staff there for spotting we would be perfect for eachother. He was stood there quiet as a mouse hid in the background away from us, whilst all the other dogs jumped and barked, and I think this is another factor. Certainly in the smaller rescue centres and shelters where it can be a little dark and gloomy, the black fur just doesn't show up :( A shelter in LA did a study to try and challenge the Black dog bias or Black Dog Syndrome by saying a full 28% of adopted dogs were black, but the facts still stand sadly...

So, today help us promote how totally p-awesome black dogs and cats are and raise awareness of Black dog bias/Black Dog Syndrome! There is an event on facebook here today with over 12000 people attending online where you can share pics of your black dogs and share your stories - sooo many gorgeous pups! x x

For more info on Black dog bias/Black Dog Syndrome check out the links after the jump>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-dog_bias

http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-black6-2008dec06,0,3619388.story

http://www.thebark.com/content/black-dogs-face-hard-choice-shelter

Dutch Dogs, Sailing & Sewing

2011-09-08T16:04:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year again already... Back to School. How times flies! But for us it has been Back to Sewing!! We had a fab time in Holland visiting Dad and learning to sail :) We even met this handsome chap who has years more experience sailing than we do... he has been sailing for 13 years!! Wowza! That sea-air must be good for you huh?! We met him in the harbour at Lelystad which was the first harbour we moored up in on our 3 day sailing trip. He had a fab bright orange doggie life jacket-coat which I must say was not only good to see for his safety but also looked very fetching & cosy.

Infact, in general, the Dutch seem to be big animal lovers! We saw sooo many gorgeous dogs out running alongside their owners' bicycles, in little baskets on the front or in trailers behind... and of course just w-a-l-k-ing the usual way! And did you know...there is a tax on dogs in the Netherlands which is paid annually and calculated according to the number of dogs in the household. We are not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.... whilst promoting responsible dog ownership we fear it may also mean that the rescue rate is low and abandonment rates high. What do you think?

Being back at Puppy Love HQ means that the Puppy Love eBay shop is now back to business as usual, as is the Online Store here so if your little sea-pup is in need of nautical dog bandana like Lubo is sporting below, you know where to go! ;) x x

This week's Friday Funny... Jack Russell Terrier Jesse & his amazing tricks!!

2011-08-26T11:22:00.001+01:00

As we were searching through t'ínterweb for this week's Friday Funny we came across the amazingly talented Jesse the Jack Russell Terrier.... and we are now, as Bella would say about Edward in Twilight, completely and irrevocably in love with him!!

We were delighted to find that he has his very own website www.justjessethejack.com & also a blog at www.justjesse197.blogspot.com where you can see updates from Jesse and his gorgeous trainer, Heather :) Do go check it out and help vote for Jesse's furriend Mickey who is collecting votes to win 5 new beds for AZ Jack Russell Rescue... or vote here http://kuranda.com/blog/dog-of-the-month.

Enjoy! x x

We're all going on a Summer Holiday...

2011-08-23T09:31:00.001+01:00

aToday we are off on holidays!! *Excited!*

We are visiting Daddy Puppy Love in Holland until the 3rd September so will also be there for my birthday which will be nice :) We haven't visited for ages where he was so poorly so we are really looking forward to it! We still be staying on his yacht which will be something new as I have never been on one before... I hope I dont get seasick! :S lols! But I do wish I could pack Buzz and Honeybun in the suitcase with me....

We will still be able to post while we are away so stayed tuned for updates of gorgeous Dutch doggies! I can't wait to meet Dad's doggie next door neighbour Kischa in the reals and see over the way doggie neighbour TomTom again. He is a little terrier cross with a mind of his own - his name is TomTom because he goes off on little walks by himself if he isn't watched 24/7 but always finds his way home!

This means that whilst we are away, the Puppy Love Online Store & eBay shop are 'closed' but you can still order while we are away & we can respond to messages etc, it's just that any orders will be made up and despatched from Sept 5th :) x x

Showbiz Saturday: X Factor 2011, it's New Judges & their dogs!

2011-08-20T09:45:00.003+01:00

Tonight the X Factor starts again on ITV and it's all change this year with 3 new judges joining Louis Walsh on the judging panel... Take That's *cue girly scream* Gary Barlow, gorgeous international superstar Kelly Rowland & the beautiful Tuilisa Contostavlos from N-Dubz. It's cycle 8 so it's good to see some new input and a fresh panel... plus, just like Cheryl Cole and Sharon Osbourne before them , the girls are animal lovers! Check out Kelly's adorable Yorkshire Terrier and Tuilisa's gorgeous staffie girl:

Meanwhile, Louis' pets, Jedward, are currently taking part in Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 5! Lols!

Being Saturday, it's also time for the Saturday Pet Blog Hop!! Join in after the jump! x x >>

Northampton Market Square Dog Show & this week's Friday Funny

2011-08-19T09:19:00.000+01:00

We're staying close to home for this weekend's show.... about 5 mins walk away actually!! We are sooo excited for Sunday's Fun Dog Show & all round Fun Day in our hometown :) Last year we had a lovely time... after we got our head around the totally surreal feeling of being on our very own market square lols! This year the show is bigger & better with more stalls, more space and more fun and once again is raising funds in aid of local charity Animals in Need. They are a fab little charity in Little Irchester & really do rescue ANY animal in need, not just your usual pet menagerie. When I volunteered there I also helped look after hedgehogs, ferrets, squirrels, blackbirds...the LOT! Integrated into the site is Maxicare which is a dog rescue which along with taking in strays etc, also save dogs from pounds who put animals to sleep so they do an invaluable job and constantly require support & supplies so increased awareness through this event is fantastic. This weekend is also the 22nd annual Northampton Balloon Festival and we are hoping to catch up with our gorgeous staffie model Benson & his almost as gorgeous *winks* mama Jayne from Fake Bake Princesses who are visiting for the festival so if anyone is town for the Hot Air balloons, come down and say hi to us!! Entries are taken from 10.15am and you can download your entry form here.

It's also time for our weekly Friday Funny & today's is one to make you squeal with delight. Here is the absolutely divine Kiwi, an Alaskan Klee Kai puppy, discovering a lime wedge for the first time! Enjoy!! x x

Dogs Trust Harefield West London Fun Day

2011-08-17T11:49:00.001+01:00

You know what? We are sooo lucky to be able to spend so much time with so many gorgeous dogs! This Sunday last was the Dogs Trust West London Fun Day at Harefield & once again we were there with our stall having a fab time!

It was our first time at the Harefield centre for their Fun Day (we go there alot for books etc when we visit The Millers though as it's only round the corner!) and we were so impressed with lovely Sian's organising - the site looked pawesome! There were yummy pancake & donut vendors, a cake stall with the biggest muffins I have ever seen, a little funfair section for the little ones, a petting zoo, tombolas & raffles and much more!

The Puppy Love stall

We were so lucky with the weather - it was tropical! Lovely sunshine all day :) And the sun brought out the visitors, at one point the queue for the car park was over half an hour up the road and there was a real possibility the car park would have to shut altogether! Which is brilliant news for the charity and all those dogs needing care and shelter. And check it out, its a HUGE Site...Wooo!

As the site is so local to Lee's family, they all came up to visit us which was really lovely! Even 92 year old Grandad Ben came along in his wheelchair ♥

Mum fell in love with 10 year old Lurcher William who is in desperate need of a new home as he is getting increasingly distressed & depressed in kennels and is refusing to eat. He would have been coming home with her had it not been that he needs to be the only dog in the household so if anyone you know is thinking of rehoming please please mention him to them!

Laura @mistew on twitter came to see us too which was a lovely surprise & meant we got to see scrumptious Min Pin LJ in real life! Check out his adorable photo in the gallery! Her new London based dog walking company, Fun on all Paws, is doing really well & she is a sweetheart so be sure to check out her facebook page here!

More pics after the jump or check out the full album on our facebook page... www.facebook.com/puppylovepets ! >>

Gorgeous Sian who organised the day

Hercules

Maisy

Tex

Lily

The Millers! L - R: Judy, Grandad Ben, Lee, Lorraine

Football Team Dog Bandanas

2011-08-13T22:39:00.000+01:00

Today the Barclays Premier League started again! For this Arsenal-loving household it was not really the start we had hoped for... sendings off, saying bye to Cesc Fabregas & Samir Nasri and an injured Jack Wilshere BUT for all you other football supporters out there we hope you enjoyed the first game of the 2011/12 season! Did you know that we have a fab range of football supporter bandanas available for your dogs? Here's scrumptious little Benji in his 'I ♥ Man Utd' bandana and gorgeous Rufus and Keagan showing their support for the other side of Manchester in their 'I ♥ Man City' numbers:

If you'd like one for your proud pooch, you can visit our eBay shop or if your team isn't listed, just drop us a line at puppy_love_petwear@hotmail.co.uk ♥

Dogs Trust Salisbury Fun Day

2011-08-11T11:10:00.000+01:00

So last Sunday was the fabulous Dogs Trust Salisbury (@DT_Salisbury) Fun Day!! It was our first Dogs Trust event of the summer after we had to cancel Kenilworth last month due to that evil summer flu I generously passed around to everyone *oops!* The day was once again a roaring success with lots of lovely stalls for doggies and their bipeds...including a doggie bobbing for hotdogs stall, a timed doggie dash, bric-a-brac, pancakes, beer tent, fun dog shows, an attempt to break the world record for the biggest simulntaneous sit and MORE! *and breathe*...

Once again we had a fantastic time meeting all the gorgeous dogs and their wonderful owners. The total raised is an amazing £18,450.53!!! Wooooo!! A big paws up to gorgeous Leslie who organised the day and is a constant supporter of Puppy Love *big hugs lovely lady!*

World record attempt in Progress - Photo by Helen Smith

Unfortunately there just weren't quite enough doggies to break the record of 629 but an amazing 463 did take part! Wow!! And it was such a lovely sight to see - and sooo quiet! I think alot of doggies got ALOT of treats over those 3 minutes :)

Photo by Helen Smith

We also met up with our 'I'm Deaf' bandana muse & model, Jasper!! It was sooo lovely to see him & his family again and hear how well he is getting along now. He also won a rosette in the show! GO Jasper! Kathleen, Becca & his fursis Poppy have done so well training him and making him feel happy & secure - you're stars! Again Kathleen and family have been great supporters of our products - thankyou so much lovelies! *hugs*

Photo by Helen Smith

We also met Helen Smith of Reflectionz Photography who is an amazing photographer and took some wonderful shots of the whole day AND the Puppy Love stall! They are awesome - thankyou Helen! And not forgetting Artist Patricia Davies who is a brilliantly talented lady - see her fab pet portraits at www.patriciadavies.co.uk.

So all in all a wonderful day making new friends and catching up with old whilst spreading the Puppy Love... we can't wait for next year Leslie! Book us in! ;) And be sure to check out the latest additions to our customer gallery - some real beauties! x x

Photo by Helen Smith

More photos after the jump!! >>

London & UK Riots and the brave Police Dogs and Horses

2011-08-09T21:11:00.001+01:00

We did have a blog post about Dogs Trust Salisbury ready to publish today but we just couldn't not mention the horrendous rioting that has been going on in London and now in cities across the UK over the last few nights.

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mirror

I have certainly never seen anything like it in my lifetime, and i don't think I can think of another time in UK history when the drive behind such mindless violence and looting is seemingly just pure greed and destruction. All of us here at Puppy Love are sickened by the behaviour of these vandals and thugs - the majority of which are in their teens! It is scary and sad to think that this is what a portion of the next generation is capable of. They have no respect for anyone or anything - including themselves. There has been criticism as always of the police force but really with such limited resources and such a large number of rioters we think they are limited in the way that they can react. It is truly flabergasting to watch the footage on the news of these looters and how easy it is for them to cause such havoc with no police or otherwise around to grab them. But our biggest praise always goes to, surprise surprise, the animals. We never fail to be moved by pictures of the police horses and dogs who do such an amazing job and are so brave and calm in the face of craziness. Tonight on Sky news it was reported that 5 police dogs have been injured in the rioting so far and we are sending them lots of love in the #pawcircle to get well soon. They are so loyal and do their jobs so well... all for the reward of a tennis ball bless them! We also send out love to all those animals affected by the violence and of course their humans. Stay safe everyone and join the stand against the rioting by joining the Facebook group to clean-up here or by using the twitter hashtag #riotcleanup and visit the site www.riotcleanup.co.uk x x

Photo courtesy of Demotix

Photo courtesy of the Daily Record

Photo by Lee Massey

Friday Funny: Post v Doggies

2011-07-29T18:54:00.000+01:00

This week at Puppy Love HQ we've had lots of deliveries from the postman - lots of lovely new fabrics for the AW2011 collection!! But luckilly they all came in one piece unlike the letters in this week's Friday Funny... Enjoy!! x x

See more dog and puppy pictures here

Alexander McQueen Leaves Thousands to Dogs

2011-07-28T19:01:00.000+01:00

Last year the fashion industry lost the amazingly talented Alexander McQueen and today it has been revealed that not only did he have a huge talent, but also a huge heart. He left large sums of money to all around him including his 2 housekeepers but has also left £50000 to his 3 beloved English Bull Terriers, Minter, Juice & Callum. Here he is back in 2001 with Juice who looks absolutely gorgeous!

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail

The money has been left for their future 'upkeep' and although we have seen rather a lot of criticism within the media for the sum of money left to as some say 'just dogs', we think it's lovely. He loved them & wanted to ensure that they are well looked after and continue to be loved now that he is gone without expecting the responsibility to fall on anyone else. We would do the same if we had the funds. And, after-all he had an estimated £16m fortune at the time he sadly died last year and also has left over £164000 to charity - including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and the Blue Cross. In an interview with Arena Homme + in 2009 he said:

“My dogs are the only thing in the world I really trust.”

RIP lovely soul - we hope you have found peace & I will forever LOVE your beautiful collections! x x

(See the latest beautiful Alexander McQueen collections & shop online here)

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Northampton Market Square Dog Show & this week's Friday Funny

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Dogs Trust Salisbury Fun Day

London & UK Riots and the brave Police Dogs and Horses

Friday Funny: Post v Doggies

Alexander McQueen Leaves Thousands to Dogs

New Bandana designs! Twilight inspired ...swoon