SEPTEMBER, 2017
Premium Products for You & Your Pet
STORIES/LIFESTYLE/YOUR PET NEWS & VIEWS
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Sophie & Nell’s Choices Premium pet products, destinations & activities for you & your pet chosen by Sophie & Nell, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, assisted by Marie. A little bit of what you fancy... We love these extra special gift boxes that are perfect pick me ups for both you and your pet! There are currently 31 gift packages to choose from and each conveys a special message such as ‘you inspire me’ or ‘you are loved’. The ‘Get well soon’ Pet box, contains a little pick-me-up for both pet and owner, but more than that, it is a sign that you understand how heart breaking it is when a pet is unwell. There is also a pet remembrance box for those who have lost their pet. Each item has been chosen for its uniqueness and beauty. Gift boxes start at just £15 making them accessible to a wide variety of budgets. www.faithhopeandsunshine.com
A tinned feast for pups Canagan Puppy Feast is a complete and balanced grain-free food with organic vegetables, fresh meat and chelated minerals; making a wholesome, tasty and nutritious meal ideal for puppies. Our pup taste tester enjoyed his meal, and it can make a good alternative to dried food, or raw meat alternatives. www.canagan.co.uk/wet-dog-puppy.html
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Keyrings of your pet! We adore these bespoke keyrings of Sophie and Nell - don’t you think they’re a fantastic likeness? They are lovingly handmade in felt and are wonderful accessories for any handbag or else to keep your keys on. Your beloved pooches can now be with you wherever you go! These are priced at £8.50 each. From a selection of other bespoke products available at www.misheleneous.co.uk and Etsy.
Dog Buffs! Now your dog can also wrap up warm while looking funky in these stylish dog buffs. Available in a range of styles. Priced at £10.25 each from www.buffwear.co.uk
PS/ We’re always looking for premium products & services to review for both pets and people! Please get in touch with the boss at editor@petsmag.co.uk. Love,
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Sophie & Nell
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Protecting your sofa from mucky hounds! We love these beautiful sofa toppers from the innovative and stylish Lounging Hound company. Not only are these handmade bespoke toppers snug and protective, but they’re also pretty super we think you’ll agree. They come in a wide range of colours and can even be made to measure at no extra cost. Made from either plush velvet or pure new wool. Priced from £130.00. www.thelounginghound.com/toppers
PS/ We’re always looking for premium products to review both for pets and people. Please get in touch with the boss at editor@petsmag.co.uk. Love,
Sophie & Nell
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Rise of the disposable Pups... A dog may be for life, but shockingly many people spend more time choosing a pair of shoes or their weekly supermarket shop than they do a puppy with devastating consequences.
shoes. Choosing a puppy will take 36 percent of people 20 minutes or less, compared to just 16 percent who are prepared to be so reckless with the time spent on their weekly supermarket shop.
Pups are more likely to get ill and their owners suffer financial and emotional hardship if chosen hastily, as people fall victim to puppy scams.
And one in five (20 per cent) of people admit that they spent no time researching where to buy their puppy at all, compared to just 8 per cent who decide which shoes to buy on impulse, or 13 per cent who spontaneously decide what to watch on Netflix.
Almost a quarter (23 percent) of people will spend 5 minutes or less researching where to buy a puppy, but a similar percentage (22 per cent) will invest half an hour or more when choosing a new pair of
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welfare as a rather terrifying picture is emerging of a nation of people who are careless when it comes to choosing where and how to buy a dog, and who feel clueless about where they would begin, if they were to attempt to do this responsibly.
“There is a massive gap in consumer knowledge and we need to help people understand what a good dog breeder looks like. At the very least we urge people to make themselves aware of the scams and tricks of the trade, so that they can Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the spot the people who are Kennel Club, said: “This putting puppy welfare at risk.” research is a wake-up call for anybody who cares about dog Pets Magazine
By Royal Command... We meet pet portrait makers par excellence Claire and Tony Dhanjal of Royal Cats and Dogs who specialise in creating unique portraits of your pet that really show they are blessed with blue blood. So, if you’re looking for a perfect gift that is an ideal depiction of your little prince or princess, no further! Petslook Magazine
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We meet pet portrait makers par excellence Claire and Tony Dhanjal of Royal Cats and Dogs who specialise in creating unique portraits of your pet that really show they are blessed with blue blood. As well as pet portraits, both royal and unadorned, Tony and Claire, create gorgeous handmade cushions, also with a royal twist. We meet them and delve into their particular inspirations...
Q. Tell us a bit about your business... We are inspired by a passion for our furry friends good health and to celebrate them in art. Our friendly UK studio is run by Claire, a concept artist
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and Tony, a graphic designer. As pet owners ourselves, we're
passionately committed to helping pets enjoy happier, healthier lives by providing them the very best organic products and a selection of exclusively designed cushions for their style-conscious owners.
gift or a pet memorial and keepsake to be cherished forever. Every bespoke portrait is intricately digitally coloured to create a soft oil painting effect using a brush stylus and graphics tablet, similar to a paint brush and printed using Tony and Claire pigment inks producing unrivaled image quality. We
Working from your pets photo, we lovingly capture the personality and character of your pet Regal: Sophie in a loose lifelike artistic style to laminate the canvas surface for handcraft a one-of-a-kind the ultimate protection - No Canvas Portrait to celebrate cracking, water resistant, your pet, a wonderful reminder cleanable, scratch proof, and of the good times you have with UV protection of up to 200 shared together as the ultimate years. Pets Magazine
Q. Why 'royal' cats and dogs? We think that all pets as "royal' anyway and the original idea came to us when we were on a walk with our Ozzy in Great Windsor Park - to create products inspired by the pet dogs throughout the
True to life: Pets Magazine’s Sophie and Nell
British Monarchy's history and to help make a difference by contributing to the Dogs Trust and In-KindDirect. To date, they have helped us to contribute to them over 300 cushions to raise funds for both people and pets in need. Q. What are you favourite royal pets of all time? We love all royal dogs and have a particular fondness for Border Collies and of course the Welsh Corgis.
Q. Do you have any pets yourself? Yes, Ozzy a Border Collie mix and a moggie named Molly. They bring us enormous inspiration, fun and positive energy. ................................................... To Order your Bespoke Royal Pet Portrait, visit: www.royalcatsanddogs.co.uk
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Dog Owners Are HAPPIER & HEALTHIER! Dog owners are happier and healthier than people without a pooch, a study has found. A poll, of 1,000 dog owners and 1,000 adults without a pet, found 80 per cent who have a pooch are ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’ with their life overall. But just 70 per cent of people without a fourlegged friend can say the same. It also emerged 86 per cent of dog owners believe having a pooch can help to bring stress levels down, with 28 per cent going onto say they believe their mental health and wellbeing is above average. John Davies, co-founder of leading manufacturer of premium pet supplements Lintbells, which commissioned the research, said: “Dogs are amazing companions, offering their owners much more than
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just a wag of their tail in the morning. “They are often the first to greet anyone arriving home, they inspire us to spend more time outdoors and offer unconditional love to their owners.”
But those without a dog are more likely to enjoy reading, listening to music and watching TV.
In fact, it was found people without a pooch watch 14 hours more TV a month, averaging an extra 3.5 hours per week, than those with a four-legged friend. Unsurprisingly, people with a And while non-dog owners are pet pooch spend an hour and 12 most likely to opt for a quiet minutes longer outdoors each night at home alone, people week than those without a dog. with a dog prefer a more social Dog owners’ hobbies are also evening in with friends or a more likely to be active and night at the pub. outdoor pursuits, with them being bigger fans of cycling, So, here’s three cheers to the going for walks and gardening. health benefits of owning a dog! Pets Magazine
Coming up to Scratch...
Retired vet and author of Pets Aplenty MALCOLM D. WELSHMAN on a problem pooch that left him scratching his head for a diagnosis... ‘I’m afraid your next A raised client is likely to be voice, rather grumpy,’ peppered with confessed Beryl, exclamations, pausing to look up announced the from her computer. arrival of the My receptionist lady in twisted round on her reception. ‘I stool and subjected really don’t see me to one of her why I had to Malcolm and Dora customary hawkmake an eyed stares. ‘It’s Mrs appointment.’ Beresford-Smythe. And she’s definitely not in a good mood. ‘Extremely inconvenient.’ Ming gets so distressed.’ All spoken Oh dear, that’s all I needed for as if through a mouthful of my first consultation of the day. pebbles. What was upsetting her? I wondered. I was soon to find Ah I thought Beryl had out. obviously insisted the lady make an appointment as was
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practice policy these days rather than have a house visit. And when Mrs BeresfordSymthe stormed into my consulting room her face said it all. A brazier full of glowing coals couldn’t have done better. Okay. Time to swing into action with my best bedside manner in an attempt to placate the lady. ‘So what can we do for you?’ I said brightly. ‘You can’t do anything for me. It’s Ming that needs seeing to,’ she replied tartly.
I felt my face starting to glow as hair loss down the dog’s back well. Calm down. Calm down. and, where the skin was exposed, several raw spots. ‘Yes, right.’ I looked down at the pekingese she had firmly ‘He’s been under our yew tucked between her right elbow hedge,’ she said. ‘That’s what’s and waist. done it.’ ‘So what’s the problem with Ming?’ ‘It’s obvious.’ ‘It is?’
leg swung up in a vigorous scratch reflex. Okay. Now I needed to find out why he was so itchy. I had one obvious cause in mind. It was the commonest one that resulted in this type of dermatitis. As if reading my mind, Mrs Beresford-Symthe huffed, ‘It’s not fleas if that’s what you’re thinking. I brush Ming regularly and haven’t seen any. Not that I’d expect to. I pride myself on keeping him up to scratch.’
I was momentarily puzzled. Long enough for Mrs Beresford-Smythe to spot my uncertainty. She gave an exasperated sigh. ‘He’s so itchy ‘Of course. You don’t need to be he’s been rubbing his back on a vet to see what’s wrong.’ Mrs the lower branches.’ Beresford-Symthe twisted Ah, there we had it. Just to sideways and lowered the peke verify the fact, I tickled Ming’s on to the table. Indeed, it was flank and immediately his back Uhm. An unfortunate turn of clear. There were patches of phrase to use under the
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circumstances. But it was precisely what I was thinking. If the itchiness was due to fleas, I just needed to confirm the diagnosis. So, I started to carefully examine Ming’s back, parting the fine hair at the edges of the lesions. I was looking for black flecks. The idea was for me to then transferred a few of the flecks on to the consulting table, squeeze some water from a wet lump of cotton wool over them and wait for tiny red streaks to appear. This would be digested blood from flea dirts. Proof that Ming’s problem was due to fleas. But to my dismay, I couldn’t find any.
Come on, I thought to myself, show you have some grasp of the problem. So in as an authoritative voice as possible I explained that the itchiness and consequent dermatitis was allergic in origin. Even one flea
Uhm… Okay. Point made Beryl. Time for me to eat humble pie. Just hope I’m not allergic to it.
bite could set it off. So an antiinflammatory injection and some follow-up steroid pills should help to ease the itchiness and calm the skin down. I didn’t add that I hadn’t any real idea as to the cause. But it seemed to do the trick. Least according to what Beryl told me a few weeks later. ‘Mrs Beresford-Smythe phoned through to say Ming’s fine now. No scratching. And the hair’s regrowing.’
Mrs Beresford-Symthe’s antennae were quickly at work again, fine-tuned to my uncertainty. ‘You don’t know what’s causing it do you?’ she ‘Really? I was unable to keep queried, her lips twisting to one the surprise out of my voice. side. Beryl nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye.
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‘But then, before she left, I did persuade her to try out one of our new dietary ranges. Well it was on special offer. I suggested the low protein one. You know, the one that’s good for allergic skin conditions due to diet.’
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Malcolm D. Welshman is author of Pets Aplenty published by Austin Macauley Publishers 0207 038 8312 at £7.99 Kindle version 99p www.malcolmwelshman .co.uk. *****************************
LARS B. ANDERSEN, CEO of Arty Lobster On 3D Pet Sculptures Click this link to watch the video.
And here’s two examples of Arty Lobster’s fantastic 3D sculptures. Visit their website at www.artylobster.com to order a 3D sculpture of YOUR pet!
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