1 Motorhome, 4 legs, 8 paws and the NC500! Part one…

If you are looking for an adventure, I can highly recommend the North Coast 500 in Scotland. We have travelled around Scotland on 2 occasions now, taking on different routes and seeing some of the most spectacular views, not just in the UK but in the World. I can’t believe this has taken me 2 years to write, but in a way I am glad it has. Looking back, this could have been a first and a last, but I am so happy to say that 2 years on, we are loving holidays in a motorhome.

Out first adventure was in 2020 when travelling had become impacted by the pandemic. We had spoken many a time about holidaying in a motorhome, but I will be honest, I had put it off, as I didn’t think it would be ‘my thing’. Oh how wrong I was. We packed up the car (to the brim, I am not a light packer!) and headed up to Edinburgh where we picked up the motorhome we had hired from Swift Go. It was a Swift Escape 664 and was perfectly sized for the 2 of us, and the 2 dogs. We loaded up the motorhome and headed on our way. We met up with our friends on the way who also have 2 dogs.

On our first trip around the NC500, we only had 6 days (the motorhome needed to be returned on the 7th morning) so we had to be especially strict on our timings, and the route we took. We found a remote spot for the first night, just south of Inverness before starting the planned route on the following morning. We headed north up to Fortrose Bay where we stayed one night at the campsite there. Our pitch was facing the ocean, which was absolutely perfect and walking the dogs as the sun rose, was the best start to our holiday. Fortrose is a great spot for seeing dolphins, whales and seals. Unfortunately, we hadn’t checked the tide times so had just missed the dolphins when we got there, but we did see a cheeky seal hunting for fish on the following morning. From Fortrose Bay, we headed to Fairy Glen Falls, and Dunrobin Castle. Fairy Glen is dog friendly and a great woodland walk before a dip in the waterfalls, however Dunrobin Castle isn’t dog friendly (the gardens are spectacular so I understand why) but there is a walk nearby for them. Due to the time restraints, we powered on up to Wick and John O’Groats. We got there just before sunset, and I highly recommend this time. Now, nothing was open, but it was quiet and the sunset was stunning. We found a local spot to camp and got our heads down for the night. In that day alone, we had covered quite some ground so an early night was needed.

Don’t plan to sunbathe on Durness Beach, but rather you can enjoy a beautiful, quiet and serene walk down the coast on a quiet, drizzly day. A truly relaxing experience”

Stuart, Carte Blanche Media Ltd – Worlds50beaches.com Durness Beach no. 44 of the worlds best 50 beaches

The next day was cold, but clear and dry so we took full advantage and headed for the beach at Dunnet Bay. Of course, we had to go via a gin and whisky distillery! I am an avid gin fan, and The Dunnet Bay Distillery do a selection of gins and vodkas called Rock Rose. After this, we headed to Wolfburn Distillery which is the first (and last) whisky distillery on the main land. We are not whisky drinkers, but my Dad is so I had to get him a bottle or two to enjoy. By the time we made it to the most northerly part of the country, it had clouded over and become rather cloudy but not one to miss out on the fun, we loaded the dog strollers and headed down to the shore. The beach was absolutely gorgeous, even on the grimmest of days. The water was so clear, it rivalled that of the Caribbean (shame the temperate didn’t!). Once we were utterly battered by the wind, we headed back to the vans to get warm, and just in time as the heavens well and truly opened!

One of the most popular campsites on route is the infamous Sango Sands. We were only able to grab the one night there (book prior to travelling!) and when we arrived all rain and wind beaten, our pitches seemed rather daunting as they were on the edge of a hill overlooking the beach. The morning however brought new weather, and it was another gorgeous sunrise. The bay in Durness that it sits above is yet another idyllic spot with crystal clear waters and golden sands. We had a lovely breakfast from the facilities there, packed up and then made our merry way round on to the West Coast of Scotland. This is where we fell even more in love. Everyone will ask you when you have travelled the NC500, “what was your favourite, the east or west coast?” This is incredibly hard as hands down, it is all beautiful, however having done it twice now (and will go again in the future), our favourite is most definitely the west.

Continuing our journey on, we found ourselves at Kylesku Bridge. This is breathtaking. We couldn’t help but just sit there and take it all in. There is the architecture of the bridge to your left (as you face out from the car park) but then the spectacular views of the landscape, the rivers below and the rolling hills in the distance. As the skies cleared, we headed for another beach, this time in the hope that we wouldn’t be sandblasted! Achmelvich Beach was even more perfect than the other two we had visited so far. There was no one on the beach other than us, and it most definitely looked like a postcard beach. It was warmer today so the coats came off and we all went for a paddle. Looking back at the pictures, its so hard to grasp that those beaches are in this country and on the most northerly part of our island. There is a village just by Achmelvich Beach called Lochinver. This is the first village we had come to with multiple shops in such as a post office, small supermarket, butchers etc so we took full advantage and did as much shopping as we could here. I will add at this point that throughout our journey, we always aimed to shop locally and support local businesses. For local communities to continue welcoming those in caravans and motorhomes, it is vital that we do this and continue to clean up after ourselves. We grabbed some pies and steaks from the butchers (the best we have EVER had!) and headed on with our journey. We found a remote spot overlooking vast fields with a Loch in the distance and enjoyed a beverage whilst we planned our next few days ahead.

We had all read about the Applecross Path when researching the North Coast 500 (if you haven’t done this, then I would suggest you do), and both us and our friends wanted to travel along this to complete the holiday. We made sure that both our motorhomes were suitable to travel along Applecross, and I will add that make sure you are a competent driver if you want to also travel Applecross.

To pick up the journey we needed to do this, we went through the delightful Torridon National Trust Estate. This is where you will find the famous Stag, Callum. He waits around the car park to great visitors, or perhaps try and steal their food. He seems friendly, although I am not sure I would want to get too close with the dogs so we made sure to keep them onboard so as not to distress him (or them!).

From here, we headed down Applecross (whilst holding my breath) and completed the North Coast 500 official route. We had left ourselves extra time to head over to Isle of Skye as we wanted to see the wonders of the Fairy Pools. Sone of the photos on instagram almost made this area feel unbelieveable, but it is even more stunning without the ‘gram’ filters on. Parking is a challenge here so you have to get their early or be patient. We had to drive around for quite a while in order to get in here, and it is costly, but you can make sure you take full advantage of being there as the walks are vast, and you can continue to climb as long as your legs will let you. As we had Candy in her stroller, I only headed part way up (she was having a particular good day so was out of her stroller more than she was in) and my husband and Ozzy headed quite high up to take in the views.

Unfortunately, from here, it was the route back down south to pick up the road back over to Edinburgh to take the motorhome back. We went via Ben Nevis which was mind-blowing. I had always fancied climbing Ben Nevis, however sat at the bottom of it in the comfort of the motorhome, I think I may just enjoy the views. Maybe one day.

It was an incredibly busy 6 days, and a complete eye-opener in to the world of self catering motorhome holidays, but we had only been home a matter of days before planning our next trip. There were absolutely no downsides to the trip around the NC500. Even the couple of days ‘bad weather’ didn’t dampen our holiday and to my amazement, 2 wet humans, and 2 soggy doggies weren’t too bad on there at all. The perk of hiring the motorhome was that we could start to learn what suited us best, what worked and what didn’t. So here I will list some of the pros and cons.

Lets start with the negatives as there are very few:

• Restrictions on time. This is completely unavoidable. When you have a budget to stick to, annual leave from work limits, and the fact that you don’t know how you will get on, 7 days is the only option. The only other option was 14 days, and there was the risk we would hate it…seems pathetic now as from day 2, I was in love. I say day 2…I was not loving life on the first night trying to unpack, and prepare food all whilst being attacked by midges as it was damp.
• The bed was to the right hand side of the van with ‘my side’ of the bed under the window. Whilst it was spacious, it was annoying that I had to clamber over my husband and Ozzy to get up for a wee in the night…it also meant that when the 2 boys stole the duvet, I was against the cold side of the motorhome haha!
• The shower was over the toilet which was great for space saving but did mean that we wasted a few loo rolls as awe kept forgetting to pop them away before having a shower.
• Hiring a van meant that you didn’t have much in there in terms of ‘cleaning’. For those of you with dogs will know that you can’t go hours without being covered in dog hair, let alone days so it was a challenge to keep the van clean (and I am a bit of a clean freak). They also asked that you returned the motorhome clean, and as you had collected it. Impossible. So there were a few occasions where I found myself cleaning the van with kitchen roll to sweep the hair out of the door.
• Kitchen equipment…they provided all of them which is great…however they were all crockery! If you have travelled in a motorhome before you will know what this means. Yes, if you didn’t pack correctly it was going to be VERY noisy on the road, and you also run the risk of a heavy mug falling on your head when you park up for a cuppa. Melanine or plastic plates and mugs are an absolute necessity on these vehicles.

I told you there were only a few didn’t I. So what about the perks…

• Everything is up to you. You choose when and where to go. The 7 days were complete free for us to do what we wanted. Yes you have to book sites in advance (especially in 2020 when lockdowns lifted and we all wanted a holiday) but other than that, you choose what you want to do. I loved the freedom of eating out, eating in, having bbs outside and just being in the great outdoors.
• A week with my husband and the dogs with very little interference from social media, tv, mobile phones, work…the list goes on. This life is very much about enjoying the ‘now’ and not through a lens or phone. We did have a TV onboard, and we did have it on from time to time (if there was signal) but we did not spend our evenings glued to it like we do at home.
• Seeing things you would NEVER see on a traditional holiday. You are able to park overnight in places that are allowed in Scotland (most for a donation which of course we did) and some of these spots are just unbelievable. Some call it wild camping…I am not sure there is anything ‘wild’ about it as we were in a motorhome, but we were in an unofficial camping spot with no facilities. Please, please, please if you do ‘wild camp’ make sure you are responsible, do not have wild fires, and take away every bit of litter with you. It is very disheartening to see where people do not do this, and I completely understand why locals become irate with people visiting.
• Being self-sufficient. I won’t lie, the thought of being ‘off-grid’ scared the hell out of me. What if we didn’t have power? What would we do for food, water and heating? Well in most motorhomes you will have a toilet and many have fully functioning bathrooms. We had a toilet, sink and shower in this motorhome and we could easily last 2-3 days without needing to visit a campsite. The main reason we needed to visit a campsite was to refill water (for cooking and drinking) and to empty the toilet. Again a tip here is to buy suitable containers for water refilling. We had a few bottles that we reused, but have since brought 2 x 10L hard containers that are far better.
• It teaches you to be more sustainable. When you have limited space, and water and energy that you can see running out, you learn how to protect what you have.
• Effortless! Everything about this holiday was effortless (other than the driving and planning which was at times a little stressful I won’t lie) but there was no make up, no hair styling, no planning what to wear. It was chuck on anything, make sure you have your boots handy and always have your waterproofs in easy reach.

That’s why I love road trips. It’s like doing something without actually doing anything

John Green

This was the start of my love for the motorhome life and I will be documenting more on our adventures since starting in 2020 and as time goes on, it will become more about the motorhome than the journey but as always, it will be about the dogs.

Smiles all round 💙

The Golden Years

Any dog owner will hopefully find themselves (at some point) living with an older dog. It is inevitable that dogs will grow older as we do, but what does that mean for your dog, you and your lifestyle/routine?

Ozzy & Candy

We adopted both Candy & Ozzy when they were 2 and 1, and we are now in the incredibly fortunate position to now have 2 senior dogs. Candy will be 12 this year and Ozzy will be 10.

Just like humans, getting older means that they will get slower, they may struggle to control their weight a little more (they could lose or gain weight quickly) and they may not be as alert as they once were in their younger years. Unfortunately it sometimes means that they will have ailments that are connected with old age too.

For this blog, I will mostly be talking about Candy as she is almost 12. According to the Blue Cross, dogs enter the middles aged/senior age around 7. For insurance perspectives, many will class a senior dogs as being 8 and above. I will add here that Candy was just into her senior years when she was officially diagnosed with hip dysplasia and spondylosis. She had symptoms for a while but lucky we have a fabulous vet who identified them, verified with scans and treatment commenced to make her more comfortable.

Candy still climbing in the Lake District
at the age of 11 🐾

We have noticed with Candy that she has lost a little weight, without really trying and this is mostly due to muscle waste as she is not as active due to her conditions. This has also slowed the old girl down. May older dogs however will put on weight because they are less mobile. We went through this stage with Candy and we have now adjusted her diet to allow for using less calories, and have introduced better, more entertaining treats/games. Both dogs are on a mature dog food.

I will dive straight in here and advise that looking after your slower dog is imperative. We have Ozzy who is a stream train and will keep on walking, and doesn’t seem to slow down so keeping up with him was causing Candy to become distressed and often we were over walking her which then caused her to be serious amounts of pain and discomfort for days after. To ensure that she still gets exercise and we have family walks, we invested in a pet stroller. This is not an accessory to make my dog look cute (although she pulls it off incredibly well!), this is a necessary tool to give my dog the best life that she deserves. Candy will walk as much as she wants (or until we decide for her!) and then she will hop in her stroller and enjoy the smells, the environment and being outdoors with us all.

I will get a negative out of the way because there is just 1 negative with having a dog in a stroller…ignorant people! We have unfortunately experienced some awful comments about our stroller but these are so in the minority, they don’t even matter. Having a happy and healthy dog, as well as being together as a family and Ozzy having all of the exercise he needs and wants is FAR MORE important than the opinion of someone who doesn’t matter. If you have a spare few minutes, this is a link to our Facebook post regarding this topic and we were so unbelievably overwhelmed with the responses! So many people loving the stroller life, many more now investing in one after our post and all the lovely comments and more positive, dog loving people out there than I ever expected to read, or care about our post.

Life’s better with a stroller!

In addition to the stroller, we also use supplements to support Candy’s condition and generally help her older joints. We use YuMove (the strongest ones for older dogs) and a mix of Joint drops and turmeric supplements. These are specific to dogs, and I would always advise that you seek advise from your vet before you add anything to your dog’s diet, especially if they are on medication. Ozzy for example, can’t have turmeric in his diet as he is epileptic and would affect his meds.

Our daily supplements for Candy (Ozzy has the salmon oil too)

We made the decision a few years ago to ban ball play, or certainly over a considerable distance. We thought we were being great parents taking them over the fields and endlessly launching a ball across the field for them to retrieve (they are Labradors after all). We later found out that the sudden stop/start was causing Candy more harm than good so we decided that it was time to knock that on the head. Such a shame as playing ball was their fave game but we still manage to stimulate their minds with other activities.

Older dogs do start to feel the cold a little bit more too, now I’m not one for dog coats (more so because our two wouldn’t keep them on long enough!) but I do make sure that they are dried off as soon as they come in from the wet and Candy does have a lovely warm, memory foam, snuggly bed from SilentNight. There are also blankets in her stroller too.

Snug as a bug 💤

You may notice that your dog may start being a little more ignorant…or are they? A older dogs senses will start to change as they get older. Noticeably their sense of smell and hearing will change. We sometimes think that Candy might be ignoring us, but just like your Nan or Grandad would lose some of their hearing, dogs do too. I notice that Candy’s ear wax builds up a little bit quicker than Ozzy’s so I do notice that when I give her ears a wipe or use an ear cleaner, her hearing does improve. This will also reduce the risk of any infections too, regardless of their age. 

So, what else do we notice with Candy? We have noticed that as she has got older, she can have days where she doesn’t want to know us much at all, or she can have days where she cannot leave our side. I think we all have days like that though don’t we? Candy is an incredibly independent dog, so the days where she likes to be on her bed or go any lie outside in the sunshine, we do not take offence. Equally, the days where you cant walk without falling over her because she is right at your feet is just as lovely and I will always welcome cuddles on the sofa after a long day. I have noticed that on this point, she has become a little more anxious. I am unsure if this is lockdown life, or the fact that she is getting older. Candy has never been bothered by being left, or by fireworks for example, but these last 12 months I have noticed that she barks more or is curling up more tightly on those nights when fireworks are being let off. When we are allowed out, we leave the telly on for them to try and combat any external noise or I have the radio on when working from home so that there is noise in addition to my constant Teams or Zoom chats. That way, when we are out at work, she will have the noise that she is used to. I have a separate blog on helping anxious dogs so please take a look.

A little greyer by the day but still gorgeous ❤️

We allow our dogs wherever they want to go so beds and sofas are not out of bounds. We noticed that Candy could no longer get up on them, so we have introduced stairs/ramps to assist her and we support her getting in and out of the car either by lifting her in, or using the ramp too. We do not want her to jump up and catch her back legs but want her to maintain the comfort she has always had.

Candy’s fur has changed over the years and I notice that she needs a little more grooming than before, especially on her legs where a couple of ‘knots’ appeared so we try and give her a brush and a massage regularly. In addition to her fur changing, Candy has a couple of ‘hot spots’, this is where little bald patches appear and normally is due to how dogs tend to throw themselves down on the floor. I use some coconut oil or YuMove skin cream on these to stop them drying out and cracking, and we have seen that some hair has strated to grow back too. Bonus! We have noticed as Candy has got older, that a few lumps and bumps have appeared. We made the decision to have them all checked out and removed as they were getting quite big and we wanted to rule out any issues. We were very fortunate that they all came back clear. Please seek advice if you notice any lumps or bumps.

Swimming in the Highlands

Finally, we haven’t yet experienced any ‘accidents’ due to Candy’s age or condition but I am sure they will come. What I would advise on any accident is that they are exactly that…an accident. Whilst they should be reminded that indoors is not for weeing or pooing, please be mindful of their bodies changing, and if you notice an increased need to go outside for the toilet, please make allowances for this. We all know what it is like to be desperate for the loo, and a dog is no different. For when the accidents do happen, I mop them up, clean and disinfect the area and I do not comment positively or negatively. Even the slightest ‘oh, its ok Candy’ could confuse her that it is ok to start going to the loo indoors and no one wants that. If there is any staining on the carpet (yes we are a dog household and have carpet because I didn’t want them slipping on the floor and hurting themselves!), I use the Dr Beckmann cleaner (with the brush attachment) – it works wonders and doesn’t cause you to over scrub the carpet. For over 20 years I’ve been obsessed with Zoflora so there are sprays and bottles everywhere so for sure this gets used to! That’s normal day to day life though for me…zoflora in my mop every morning and used in the wash for their bedding etc too!

I’m dreading the pair of them getting really old so for now I’m embracing their changes and learning as each day comes. I’d like to think that someone will be kind to me when I’m old so I will be exactly that to my dogs…always!

Family walks with Ozzy the Steam Train (strollers there for when Candy is ready)

If you have any questions or suggestions as always, get in touch! We love hearing from you all. For now, take care, enjoy the sunshine with your doggies ☀️

Best wishes, Sam xx

*Please always speak to your vet if you are concerned about any changes to your dog. I am not a vet or in any shape or form, a professional. I am just a Dog Mom with 2 aging dogs so hope you find this light hearted info helpful.

Canine Epilepsy…our story so far.

26th March is Epilepsy Awareness Day and until we got Ozzy, I had no concept that dogs (and other animals) also have epilepsy too.

Our experience started back in 2013 when after our normal run around the field playing ball, Ozzy collapsed at the side of the road, having what we now know to be a seizure. I had never experienced anything like it and if it wasn’t for an incredibly caring member of the public, who stopped to help me with Candy so I could concentrate on Ozzy, I don’t know what I’d have done. Once he’d come out of the seizure (unscathed and back to normal immediately), my husband picked us up and rushed us to the vets. We were advised to keep and eye on him and if it happened again to let them know. He was checked over and put down to a ‘blip’.

The seizure itself felt like a lifetime but was maybe a minute or two. He was still conscious and could hear and see me, or at least seemed to be reassured by me and the wonderful lady who stopped to help. It was almost like his limbs had just gone rigid and went into spasm. Back home we went and nothing else really happened for a good year or so.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Ozzy had only had 2 seizures and on his third that was a little longer, and he lost bladder and bowel control, we consulted the vet again. It was at this point that bloods were taken, scans were done and Ozzy was referred to the wonderful teams at Willows Veterinary Hospital. Ozzy’s consultant was absolutely amazing and performed suitable tests on him that gave the conclusion that he had epilepsy, of which he believed it to be idiopathic epilepsy and for no known reason or causes. This was the best possible outcome as meant that he didn’t have a tumour or anything, but did also mean that he would now be on medication for life.

There were a number of medications that we could of had, however many could have affected Ozzy’s nature or personality and whilst they were the more affordable, (unfortunately we weren’t covered by insurance for this condition…a lesson learned, and one I will never repeat!) we did not want Ozzy to change. With this in mind we opted for a drug called Levetiracetam to administer daily, and diazepam to administer when he has a seizure to protect he brain and other organs.

Ozzy’s seizures were controlled for a good few years after this and it was only when the seizures started to increase (or get a little longer) that we added to his medication and he now has Epiphen in addition to his others daily. Ozzy may have on average 3 – 4 seizures a year so we aren’t talking huge numbers, but at one point they were monthly and on the rise so his medications are doing the trick and he is still our Ozzy.

We were advised very early on to keep a diary of his seizures and where possible to time them. With documenting the seizures, it would help the vet assess him every 6 months (along with his blood profiles) and see how he is doing. They did suggest filming them, but that is the last thing on my mind, and I don’t think I could bring myself to do it. The diary has definitely helped though.

Through keeping the diary, we were able to notice traits with his seizures: they mostly happened at night around 3-4am, they also happened when he could have ‘overheated’ and they also happened after eating rawhide treats. With this in mind, we have (after 2 occasions of seizures) banned all rawhide treats in the house, we have our cool mats all over the house and wherever we go we take water, cooling towels and mats and also have a nighttime routine in place.

Fortunately as we are both at home, we seem to have adopted a routine for when we hear Ozzy have a seizure. My husband is the ‘comforter’ and will make sure Ozzy is safe, away from harm and will comfort and speak to him. This leaves me to run and get the cool towels, the cool mat, the diazepam and note the time. If the seizure lasts longer than a minute, the diazepam is given and this brings him out of his seizure more calmly (and quicker) and we’ve noticed that since having these, he doesn’t lose bladder or bowel control.

Once Ozzy comes out of a seizure, he is right as rain, grabs and toy and wants to play (yes even in the small hours of the night), until he stops, lies down and then will sleep for a LONG time. Apparently having a seizure is like running a marathon so no wonder the boy likes to nap continually the next day.

So…all of the above doesn’t sound to bad does it? Ok so there’s the cost, the worry and the interrupted sleep but I wouldn’t change our boy for the world. It makes him, well, him. Now don’t get me wrong , there are some downsides, depending on how you look at it but to us, this is all part of being a pawrent. Given Ozzy is on medication multiple times a day, I do have to think about work days, social events and holidays incredibly carefully. Day to day, I ensure that Ozzy has his tablets as needed and we will plan our day around those. Some may think that this is a lot to do, but it’s amazing how quickly we adapt to something new. Knowing he is safe, is my top priority.

I have learnt a lot since having Ozzy diagnosed and I wish that I had a connection to discuss this with when Ozzy was diagnosed so I will always welcome people to get in touch if you need any advice. Many a days I cried over the situation, the seizures and sometime guilt (even though I had nothing to be guilty about) but it didn’t stop the tears. Now we have a fantastic routine, medications sorted (although regularly reviewed) and 8 years experience of an epileptic dog.

Please get in touch if you would like any more information or questions about your dog. We aren’t vets (obviously!) and can’t give medical advice, but if I can help, I will.

Thank you for taking the time to read 💜

A little bit about ‘us’!

A picture tells many a story. This one: Mom who loves a selfie, Dad whos complaining about yet another picture, Ozzy who takes every opportunity to grab a snog and Candy who has had enough and wants to steal the blokes sandwiches across the way! The orb…? Who knows.

I have been around dogs all my life, starting with Max (a rescue German Shepherd) who was my protector right from birth. I don’t really remember much about him but he did not leave my side. Probably where the obsession started.

Max had issues (bless him) and hated men, and that is not an understatement. We do not know his story before we rehomed him, but we can only assume that he had been severely mistreated by a man. That said, he absolutely loved my Dad and my Grandad. Max was so loving and would do absolutely anything for the women in his life, including letting me ride around on his back, the poor thing, even as a baby I was a bit of a chunk 🙂

From the age of 4 – 18, we had Lady (another German Shepherd) and she was my absolute best friend. In fact, I used to get upset as a child because my friends would possibly only come round to see her and not me. Would I get upset now? Hell no. She was the most amazing dog. Throughout your teenage years, you go through so much and she was there at my every milestone. On those nights where I couldn’t sleep due to exam stress, I would curl up on her bed with her and instantly zonk out. She was the Buzz to my Woody.

As with all of our beloved pets, they simply do not stay with us for long enough and she passed at the great old age of 14 whilst I was away training for my first job. I was absolutely devastated that I had missed her last days, but she never actually went anywhere. I have all those amazing memories with me every day. I still chuckle when I throw away toilet roll middles; Lady would steal them out of our family bathroom and play with them. She hated dog toys and would leave them to one side, untouched, and go mad over a bit of cardboard.

Fast forward 8 years to when my now husband and I first moved in together. We knew instantly that we wanted a dog, and without any debate, we decided on a Labrador. This is when Dream came in to our lives.

For anyone reading this that met Dream, you will all have your own memory of Dream, and I can guarantee most of those will be funny as she was a mischievous little so and so.

Before I continue about this little devil, you will notice that I am referring to her in the past tense. This is because unfortunately she was taken from us far too soon and we lost her at the age of 1 due to an underlying health issue from birth. One day I will write about this experience more.

Dream was the best little puppy. Yes, we had the little accidents but she really took to toilet training so well, and quicker than I expected! We decided we would crate train Dream as we both worked away from home, and we wanted to protect her more so than the house, although it did help contain the destruction!

Would I crate train again? Absolutely! Although I must warn you if you are thinking of crate training a puppy that you will come in to accidents in the early days, and if unprepared, they can be chaotic. We had one of those water bowls that hooked on the side of the crate (because I was worried about having one on the floor of the crate), and Dream would find it hilarious to head butt it off the side of the crate and paddle in it. Cute right? Nope. Not when she has had a little poo in the corner and this has now created a little pooey puddle for her to splosh in and splash it all up my living room wall! I will never forget coming in from work on my lunch break and seeing my gorgeous little pup, covered in runny poo.

There are so many stories that I could bore you with about her, most of them containing dirt and muck – in just 1 year we did so much with her and I am so glad that we did.

They say there is a reason for everything and although I would have preferred to still have Dream with us, she paved the way for us to rehome Candy first, followed by Ozzy a year later.

Due to circumstances, we decided that a puppy, at this time, was not the right option for us. We found so many dogs looking for their forever home, and Candy, then 2, joined the family 3 months after losing Dream.

We had Candy about a year and decided that a little companion would be perfect. I would also add at this point, that she is a total Daddy’s Girl, and my sofa was feeling empty! So, we did the same again and looked to rehome a Labrador to join us. Enter, Ozzy, 18 months old.

The complete opposite to Candy, and in fact has the spirit of Dream. By that, I mean the boy is a whirlwind! Would I change either of them, absolutely not. They are our world. We now have 2 senior dogs (although Ozzy is definitely in denial on that part) and we enter a new stage of being dog owners.

So, that’s a little about us. You will hear so much more about Candy & Ozzy through this blog don’t worry and don’t forget you can keep up with our adventures and crazy (and lazy) days on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Our Guide to Planning a Dog Friendly Holiday

Packing

It sounds silly, but the first mistake I ever made when we first took the dogs on holiday was to pack their stuff in with ours. It is highly likely that at some point on the journey you will need something for the dogs, be it to calm or cool them down or in our case, give them medication. Make sure you pack all their stuff in a separate bag to yours and this will avoid any opening of cases/bags mid car park! No one needs to see your (not-so) smalls at a Welcome Break whilst trying to find enough treats to get Ozzy to take his epileptic tablets. 

Also, keep a bowl of water handy (or a bowl and a bottle of water), as the dogs will need regular stops and drinks. We aim for at least every 2 hours to stop, stretch our legs, use the toilets (or grass area for the dogs) and have a snack and a drink.

It will feel like you are travelling with everything but the kitchen sink but make sure you have the following essentials:

• Food
• Bowls (most places will have water bowls but it’s always a good idea to take one just in case)
• Medications
• Toys (especially if you will be leaving them for a little while, it will give them something familiar and to occupy them!) 
• Bed…we let our dogs on our sofa, bed…in fact anywhere at home but some dog friendly places may prefer you not to do this so a bed or blanket will help keep them off furniture
• Summer Essentials: Sun cream…especially if you will be out in the day and in the sunshine. Dogs do get burnt too. Cool mats to keep them cool. Shade either a pop-up sunshade or a brolly. We put sun cream on noses and ears and any visible skin and make sure we have plenty of water and cool mats/towels. 
• Shampoo…mainly for Ozzy.

Travel

It is a legal requirement to have your dogs secured in the car. Many will have their dogs secure in the boot however we personally do not like to do this and like them to have the back seat in the car. 

Now, whilst we want our doggies to be comfy, we need to ensure that the seats do not get damaged so we invested in a couple of seat covers. These weren’t expensive and you can often find them in the middle aisle bargains! 

We also have 2 seat belts for them so they are the freedom to move but ensure we are still adhering to the law. We attach these to their harnesses and each of them sit/lie comfortably in the car. Ozzy will often sit watching the traffic go by (or will use the door handle as a chin rest!) and Candy will lie in the middle, keeping an eye on us humans and ensuring we do not make a wrong turn and get there as quick as possible! 

We make it as comfortable as possible for them by popping a blanket on the back seat for them, and if it is a warmer day, we use cool mats on the back seat too. If your car has air-con then this is a must for summer holidays, but let’s face it, who doesn’t like the window down a bit to feel the wind in their…ears?

Make sure you plan and look at dog friendly places for stop-offs for the toilet, food, walkies etc. We use Dog Furiendly (www.dogfuriendly.com) for areas or places to stay, and everything, well, dog friendly! We tend to do this every couple of hours, but you will know your routine and how long your dog can be left without toilet stops.

Where to stay?

We have stayed in a variety of places with Candy & Ozzy, from basic yurts to 5* lodges and boats, but all of them will have stipulations on what you can and cannot do with your dogs. 

We have never had a bad experience and quite often dog friendly places are run by owners with dogs so are incredibly understanding. We did stay 1 week in a B&B before in the Lake District. Unfortunately, it was probably one of the wettest weeks I have ever experienced and it was a little too much being on top of each other in a double room with wet clothes and towels all around, but for a couple of nights, it was ideal. We later found out there was a laundry room outside with dryers that we could have used but by then we had managed to dry everything on radiators – although Candy & Ozzy took a little longer to dry.

We always take extra towels or a little mat as most of the places will have wipeable floors which is great for keeping clean but not so great for water and dribble so a small towel or mat will help capture and avoid slips. 

We try and book somewhere with a shower too…unfortunately, Ozzy loves to roll in poo (mostly fox) so a shower is a must for those quick, unplanned showers. 

On one of our recent boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads, we moored up at a lovely little pub and had been informed of a nice walk that would take us around the local area and provide ample exercise for the dogs. As we were heading to the pub for dinner after the walk, we thought that would work well as the dogs would then sleep and give them a little break from the humans for a bit, and let them have a doze. 

As we ventured through the woods, we noticed a swan and her cygnets relaxing in a small pond within some reeds. Before we could do anything to stop him, Ozzy decided that he wanted to introduce himself to the family in front of him and have a little paddle with the little cygnets. Fortunately, Ozzy is not aggressive, the same could not be said for the protective mother who thought the large dog launching himself at them was about to take her young. 

We will fast forward a few seconds where the swan quickly ushered the cygnets away whilst giving Ozzy a warning cry and off they went into the river, leaving Ozzy wallowing in the dirty pond covered in scum and whatever else was causing the wonderful stagnant smell! Ozzy come out a little upset that the birds didn’t want him there but also quite proud that he had managed to cover himself in all sorts of horrible yuckiness! I had to very quickly walk him back to the boat as he smelt, very bad!

I pack shampoo wherever we go (as this is standard Ozzy practice!) so back on the boat, he went straight into the shower! Such a blessing that we had this otherwise bathing a dog, in a bath, on a boat would have been VERY difficult. Just a note that I have recently come across HOWND ‘You Stink’ dog wipes. These are the best wipes I have used to date (and we have worked our way through most stores selections!) and remove the smell of fox poo if you are out and about or without shampoo.

Both dogs absolutely loved the boats we have stayed on, and we got to see far more than we have done on any other trip with them. If you are going on a boating holiday, most places will allow you to rent or buy a life jacket for your dogs, but we purchased ours online so we knew they fit and were comfortable. 

If you are looking at a boating holiday, try and get one that has a low entry/exit. We have stayed on boats where you must go up steps on to a top deck and then down narrow steps into the boat. Fine for able-bodied people, however dogs (especially with wet paws) can cause a few issues. Candy learned of this the hard way and managed to fall off the bank into the Broads whilst attempting to get up on to the higher deck to enter the boat. Candy was wearing her life jacket so no harm was caused, but it could have been very different so on subsequent trips, we had a different boat which was much better.

Eating out with Dogs

Some will think you’re mad, but why wouldn’t you want to enjoy a lovely meal out together? Again, Dog Furiendly will have some fantastic suggestions on where you can eat with your dogs. Most places now will certainly allow you to dine with your dog’s outside and most will allow dogs in the bar area. Check ahead online or call up to check before you have a disappointing journey. Who knows they may even have a menu for your dogs to choose a dinner from too! 

If you are dining out with your dogs, be sure to pack some distractions…treats! With others eating around you, they will be tempted to peruse what is on offer at other tables either in the form of food or fuss.

Most places will also have dog bowls available but I always have a pop up bowl in my bag just in case and the bars will always top up for free with tap water.

Days out with Dogs

Visit the local tourist information for places to visit and check if you can take your dog with you. The local tourist information will also be able to suggest places that you haven’t found online or walks around the area too. 

Are you a member of the National Trust? If so, a lot of them will allow dogs in the grounds so this can be a great day out exploring and parking is great to venture further afield should you so wish.

Why not have a look at local public transport – if you do not know the area, use the public transport and take your dog(s) on board. Some excursions locally will also allow dogs, such as boat trips.

If you are more of an explorer, then be sure to pack a towel and wipes with you. After a day out walking/hiking, a quick rub down will allow you into more places and will also save the mess in your accommodation or car. You’ll also want to remove any grass seeds etc. that your dog may have picked up along the way. Also after a day at the beach, give your dogs a quick rub or wipe down to remove excess salt and sand. These can become an irritant and dry your dog’s skin.

So, abroad or Staycation?

If you are staying here in the UK then you’ll know we must pack for all seasons, for us and the dogs, regardless of when you are travelling. As well as those items already mentioned, some key things we take are glow in the dark collars, raincoats (again depending on breed and dog) but always take towels and wipes. We are yet to stay anywhere that gives you dog towels but they will normally provide you with poo bags, bowls and treats as a little welcome.

A small first aid kit is a great thing to have even though you will hopefully never need it. Your accommodation will normally list local vets should you ever need more urgent attention but a small first aid kit will avoid any costly trips to the vets that can be avoided. 

Before you travel anywhere, always check your dog over, and a health check at the vets will ensure claws and ears are ok. Especially if you have a swimmer in the family that will do anything to be in the water. Be sure to be up to date with flea, worm & tick prevention too and check for ticks and other additional travellers if you have been anywhere near areas, especially near sheep, cows etc. Pop a tick remover in your first aid kit, they are incredibly handy and ensure that if you do pick up a friend, you can remove them easily. 

We are yet to venture abroad with Candy & Ozzy but it is on the list for next year. We have already had a chat with the vet to ensure we follow the right timescales. Each country will have their requirements (just like they do for us humans) so be sure to plan well in advance so that you can have any injections required, you have the right insurance and you can also get your Pet Passport in time. We will most likely be heading to France on our first overseas voyage and will go via Eurotunnel. We have already scoped it out and they have a fantastic dog exercise area in Folkestone where we can all stretch our legs. I will keep you posted on our first trip overseas…

Well, I am all geared up again ready to book our next trip so I am off to look into some Dog Furiendly locations to stay in. We will keep you posted on out travels, be it here or in Europe!

Happy travels everyone and hope you have lots of fun

*please note this was written 2019 before the pandemic so therefore we are no longer planning to go abroad just yet with the dogs but it remains on our list to do!

Lockdown causing anxiety? Us too…

Everyone has a different home routine when it comes to their dogs. For us, whist we take our dogs to as many places as we can, we also do not worry about leaving them on their own for a few hours. Let’s face it, they probably welcome the break from our noise, rushing about and endless photo taking. 

When I think back to March, it genuinely fills me with dread (especially as we are now into a second lockdown, a probably not the last) but I was so excited at the thought of being able to stay home with my dogs every day. 

I think if you asked Candy & Ozzy to recall their March, it would be very different.

We absolutely destroyed their routine, and for the first few weeks, they were exhausted. Not just from the increased ‘walkies’ but we were home all day. I was working from home with endless calls and Team calls (other video call platforms are available apparently!) and their Dad was unfortunately furloughed. I say ‘unfortunately’ but like many, he absolutely took advantage of the time he had been gifted and ticked off (and created) a lot of those jobs we all put off until we have ‘time’. Whilst great for us humans, for the dogs it was again endless moving about, noise making and disturbing their normal peace.

Pre-COVID, they spent most of their days sleeping, ensuring that they were awake and lively for when we got home. During the first lockdown, they weren’t having their naps at all. I was getting up early to get a home workout in, which Ozzy had to join in with (his choice!). We would then spend the entire day making noise; me upstairs and their dad downstairs doing various DIY tasks and just when we stopped making noise, and they settled down for a sleep, the leads would come out and we wanted to go out for a stroll. We soon realised that the dogs were struggling somewhat with lockdown.

There was very little we could do to change the situation, and mostly, the dogs needed to adjust to this new lifestyle just as we had but how do you explain COVID and lockdown to animals? You can’t. 

We found ourselves, trying to be more courteous to the dogs and respecting their space and we also started spending time doing ‘mindful’ tasks indoors such as searching to toys/treats, buying or making creative toys where they would need to earn treats. This would help to relax them and wind down for their naps. 

Another problem we encountered was the constant attention seeking. To look at it from their perspective their humans are here all day but ignoring them…”what have we done?”, “why are the hoomans ignoring us, have we been naughty?”, “I can hear the hoomans talking, they must want me…let’s go see…”, which was then normally followed by my clients and colleagues cooing over the dogs invading the video call, or witnessing the dogs lying or running through something they shouldn’t be amongst the DIY that was in hand that day.

I can’t begin to count the amount of calls or video meetings I have been on where one or both dogs have come running in because someone dare to walk past the house which would result in the shouting of “hey friend”…also known as constant barking. This had increased somewhat in lockdown as there were more people about as we were all at home and pottering around to keep busy. It’s hard to then get them to stop in time to continue your call or mute in time and then hope that they stop so that you can begin interacting again without the choir of barking. Safe to say, we implemented a rattle on the desk very quickly…a tube of treats that would get a shake to distract them, when the stop barking they get a treat, a quick “on your beds, please” and then quite resumes so I can continue! The barking has reduced and now is back to normal…a bark to let me know the delivery man is here (again) with more parcels!

The last thing you want to do for these ‘issues’ is tell a dog off…they’re not actually doing anything wrong but how do you work around them when you are working from home? I suppose it is a similar task faced by parents and having their children around the house when trying to work. The two shouldn’t be treated differently…I mean I doubt Candy nor Ozzy would sit and watch Peppa Pig however some background noise will help soothe them and will revert the normal outdoor noises suddenly becoming a threat to their ‘hooman’ who they’re just trying to protect. 

Whilst we were both at home, I created a safe space for them in the spare room and got them settled and put a radio on for them. When Candy would come wondering in and started to pace about I realised that she wanted to be by me so I moved a bed into my office and she settled immediately by my side. I must say, a snoring dog is somewhat comforting when having a very stressful day.

As we fast forward through lockdown and working life returned to a bit more normal, the dogs had adjusted an the ‘new normal’ was working well. Until both of us went out to work again…neither dogs had ever suffered from separation anxiety but we started to see elements of this creeping in. 

We always talk to our dogs and like any dog parent, we always tell them where we are going and when we expect to be back…but after months of not really going anywhere, even popping to the shops must have felt like we were abandoning them. 

We would come back through the door after 30 minutes and they would not leave us alone. Incredibly heart-warming, but upsetting at the same time. On preparing to leave the house without them, they would both run to the door to come with us. After all, the only time we had left the house for months was with them for walks! If we were going to be out for a while, we started to introduce active treats such as frozen treats or long life chews. We don’t have dogs that chew or are destructive, so we knew we were ok to do this (do not leave your dogs unattended with treats, toys etc if you are concerned). We have 2 very loving dogs, but we noticed they were jumping up us more when we left and when we came home and sat down, it was immediately cuddles that were being demanded. One day I actually went out to work and for almost 2 days, they sulked and I was not their biggest fan anymore. They would go to their dad as he was out at work every day but me…? I had been at home working for months, how dare I go out now! 

I had super parent guilt over this. Do you think it is acceptable to refuse to go out to work so that you can stay at home with your dog? I’m guessing this is not a legitimate reason to stay at home. Just as I had started to think about a routine to help the dogs re-adjust again (and soothe my guilt), we embark on another national lockdown for at least 4 weeks. So in a bid to put them first, we will not go back to how we were in the original lockdown and we will try to leave them be to enjoy their sleep. We will ensure we have a lunch break to go out in the afternoon and have a walk as this will help them have a sleep in the afternoon. We will also be trialling something new and as gyms shut, Ozzy will be coming running with me. As he has endless amounts of energy and he is the one that seemed to be chewing his Nylabone more, I am hoping his will help. It will also help me run as I will have a companion and he can pull me along when I start to slow. 

There may not be many places for us to go on our own and the weather wont be as nice to sit outside and socially distance with friends as we did in the Summer but don’t be afraid to leave your dogs for short periods of time to get them used to post lockdown when they will have times of the day without you. 

Just like the majority of us, dogs love a routine, they just need time to adjust. If you are stressed or anxious, your dogs will be too. Take time to look after your own wellbeing and mental health; eat well and stay active and make time for you and your dogs to get outside for fresh air. 

Let’s face it, this is new to all of us and it is all trial and error. This is not a tutorial and you have to do what is right for you and your furiends but we are all facing this together so try and enjoy the time we have been gifted to spend more time at home with them.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.