Summers Finally Here

Hi Everyone it's Mavis, well the summer is finally here, it is boiling outside! I love spending time in the garden but its so hot, i can overheat quickly and its makes me feel so tired and makes me pant! While its lovely to spend time in the garden my mum always makes sure there is a nice bowl of water for us as well as shady areas and sometimes we have to come in the house where is is cool - I even have my own personal air conditioning unit - Mum says I should share it with Bella and Oscar but its mine!!

Heat stroke can kill dogs, we dont go out in the car when its like this for more than a few minutes and when we do we have water and the windows are open, please dont leave your dog in the car, ensure they have a shady area to lie in and plenty of water available throughout the day.

Walking can also be too much in this weather, we go out early in the morning and late at night - I couldnt be bothered to walk in the hot sun! Sometimes Bella wants to go out more but as a big dog with a squishy nose she will overheat too much!

Mum says if you think your dog is suffering from heat stroke, cool him down slowly, a towel drenched in cold (not freezing cold) water is best and seek veterinary advice.

I love water, Mum says I gulp it too much and have to slow down, it is really important for me at any time of the year but even more so on days like this, if you are going out with your dog you should carry a bowl and make water accessible, however bowls can be bulky and take up lots of space so we are pleased to stock the amazing TazLab folding bowl, durable, hugh quality and innovative design - can you afford not to have one - we have one for when we go out!

Here is a video demonstration of how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSuUzD1Lbnk

To buy http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/253.html

We also stock the Tazlab stretchy collars, when the lead is not attached the collar is elastic so if you crate your dog when travelling in the car and he gets stuck the collar will stretch and come off. We also stock a matching range of leads, fully adjustable and can be worn around the waist for hands free walking

http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/255.html

And finally we also stock the brillant Doog Walkies belt, fantastic for keeping all your bits and pieces in when walking your dogs. This award winning design is amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9_9BSvQdU

http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/257.html

So, enjoy the sun but keep your dog safe and well

Here comes the Summer

Hello, well we have been very busy at Brightpaws over the last month with lots of new and interesting developments taking place in fact we have been so busy the poor blog has been a bit neglected! Well all that is about to change :-)

The best thing we have done this month is finally complete the course in Animal Communication. Do you ever look at your pet and wonder what they are thinking or how they are feeling about something? well we can help you with that - I know it all sounds a bit like mumbo jumbo but it isnt, it is the most natural form of communication there is, we can connect to your pet and pick up on their feelings and use this to help you deepen your relationship together. We have had some brilliant success through the case studies, and have had many emails of thanks - our favourite one is from Sandie, a little dog who used to chase the cat and get wrong, through the communication we picked up that she in fact loved the cat and couldnt understand why she was in trouble, the owner trusted her and found them snuggled up together the next day ... the photo was so sweet

As part of the course we had to do case studies and took the opportunity to raise funds for Oldies Club which created huge demand, in fact we are still in the process of working through the requests - weve raised over £300 for Oldies in the process

Mavis has been a model as well, we wanted to get some really good pictures of her as the little monkey will not let you take a good picture of her ... so we went to Jesmond Dene where we met a budding photographer and got some lovely pictures, here are a couple of my favourites:

We will be getting some framed and put up on the wall with the others.. :-)

Its hard to believe how far she has come in the past 9 months, we were taking some pictures at my mums and she was jumping up to get a the treats .. ok so thats naughty but considering she could hardly walk when we got her I was overjoyed to see her jump up ..

This week we started advertising on woofbook.co.uk, sign up for our very special offer through the woof pass promotions

If you dont already follow us on Twitter .. why not?? follow us today @brightpaws or if you want to see the world through Mavis' eyes then @mavisbrightpaws is the one for you

Finally we want to let you know about a very special little dog called Polly, she is walking 95 miles in aid of Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue. She is walking from Glasgow to Ben Nevis on the 15th - 22nd May .. please sponser her and help her raise funds for her staffie friends in need!! Go to www.sbtrescue.co.uk to donate

If you have any good causes that you would like help promoting with please let us know. We work with many rescues offering behaviour work, animal communication

We are also working on exciting expansion plans for Bright Paws and a new business idea - watch this space for more information :-)

Look forward to hearing your comments.

A busy Easter weekend

Well this weekend has been a busy one, and its not even over - all good busy though!

Been training for the GNR today - wow that hurt, i am very unfit but determined to keep going and I have been assured it will get easier, will be going out on the bike tomorrow and plan to do something every day with one day off ...

This weekend we also became a stockist for Badger Balms - now I know they are technically not for dogs but I couldnt resist stocking a little luxury for the mums and dads out there - I love badger balms and my favourite has to be Sleep Balm - i love it, relaxing lavender and bergamot always sends me to sleep relaxed and refreshed. I also love the Tension Soother, this is fab if you have a head ache - rather than pumping your body full of synthetic drugs why not try a natural remedy?

We are stocking the full range, Mini Balms priced at £4.50 - see the website for details or drop me a line!

And finally this weekend I started my case studies for Animal Communication - an amazing qualification I am doing which has made me grow and develop so much, I am really enjoying the space to learn and explore this before offering it fully - this month i am doing FREE communications - ever wondered what your dog feels and thinks, here is your chance, all i am asking for is feedback and a donation to the Oldies Club or SBT rescue .. tell your friends and contact me at rebecca@brightpaws.co.uk for details and to book.

Ok well I am going to see what is happening on the forums and watch Harry Potter now!!

Fundraising

Hello everyone, its Sunday morning and I feel refreshed and recharged after a couple of days relaxing! I am having a busy day today getting back on top of everything, just packaged this weeks orders from the website ready to take to the post office in the morning and done the washing!

I have decided to do the Great North Run which is no small thing for me, I have never ran more than 100 yards before and even then am exhausted but I want to do something special what will be really achieving something personally and on the way raise money for 2 of the most wonderful rescue charities that there is:

www.oldies.org.uk is a charity that rehomes older dogs, most people want a puppy when they get a dog so often the older ones get left behind - this wonderful charity finds them new forever homes

www.sbtrescue.co.uk is a fantastic charity that helps staffies in need, ran by some lovely people who have hearts the size of dinner plates!

I am going to set up a paypal account for donations and will donate 50% of whatever I raise to each of these 2 charities!