Hunter Wellies!

Hiya guys,

As some of you may know, I am going to university to study animal science so have been looking at all of the different brands in which you can buy from which is good quality and value for money as the different boots and coats etc will need to last me three years!

Last year, sorry awfully late blog post! I purchased some hunter wellies! The wellies in which everyone said you NEED. the best wellies you can purchase and to be honest they had a lot of living up to, to do and sadly I don't feel they did. Purchasing them for £75 (the short ones) I felt that they were going to be brilliant and everything to live for in a wellie, especially when I knew that I had to wear them every Wednesday and every rainy dog walk! Sadly they wasn't as comfortable as everyone made them out to be and the material didn't last as long as I thought it would. The actual "welly" material on the outside marked really easy and when you are going to be wearing them on a farm you don't want to do this. The cleaning substances to clean the hunters was a additional price and I just didn't see the point of buying them especially now as the hunters are just sitting in a box and come out in a once in a lifetime chance. To be fair the colour is beautiful and the first few times you wear them they are comfortable, however if you are going to live in them I wouldn't recommend these wellies! However if you are a person who would occasionally wear them and want something stylish then hunters are definitely the wellies in which you would want to purchase.

The below image isn't my picture, however it is the colour and same wellies which I have, they are just new ones!

Colchester Zoo

Hey everyone,

Recently I have been to Colchester zoo, I haven't been to this particular zoo for a few years so it was nice to see all of the developments and see what new animals are kept within the zoo.

Colchester zoo is one of my all time favourite zoos! I love it to bits and will always keep going there. There are a number of different animals and a number of different animal enclosures designs. Just looking at a number of different enclosures you can see that animal enrichment is taken extremely seriously within the zoo as every animals from their sunbears to their birds have got things to make it more enriching for the animals as a whole.

Another thing I would like to comment on is how impressed I was with the quality and the prices of the food there. It was around the same price as if you were to go to KFC, which makes a change because commonly you would be charged a lot more because it is a tourist attraction. The food was great and the drink was amazing aswell. The prices within the zoo gift shop were good and I adopted a elephant for only £20!

There were a number of different places within the zoo which visitors had the chance to donate monet to different animal charities. This therefore proving that a big part of their zoo was doing greater zoo within the animal conservation around the globe.

This is definitely one of my favourite zoos alongside Longleat, and I would 100% recommend it! Great for adults and children and great to educate people on important animal conservation issues and situations alongside educating people on the animals within the zoo itself!

Definitely go check it out!

P.S you get to feed both the elephants and giraffes for FREE. yes I said FREE!

Gentlemens Day- Newmarket Racecourse and going to the British Race School!

Hey guys,

As some of you may know, I have been completing a Level 3 Animal management course for the last 2 years and recently I have had the chance to go to the Newmarket Racecourse, the July course specifically and go to the British Race School.

Firstly, HOW AMAZING! We started off at the British Race School where we were shown around and saw some of the horses along with their riders practicing on the runways. It was a amazing experience to see them practicing but then we were able to go to the yard and see all of the retired racehorses in their boxes and we had the chance to interact with them. There was this one Irish one which was just so so gorgeous! The yard was massive and so good for the horses. If you were a race horse and you were to have the chance to go here you would hit the JACKPOT! After this we went to the room in which the riders could get on electronic horses and practice and for their general fitness as this is extremely important.

After this we went to the July course, for Gentlemens day, there was such a amazing atmosphere at the course where everyone was so excited to see all of the horses and see them race. I have never bet in my life so I was so confused about it all! But I bet twice and lost twice so I think it showed! We were able to go to the weighing room where we saw some of the riders being weighed and we also spoke to some of the judges and the riders about the different things to do with going into the horse racing profession. After seeing the horses race, it was overall such a amazing experience and I will definitely been attending next year!

Overall, horse racing isn't everyone`s cup of tea I know, but I would definitely recommend going! It will be a day to dress to impress!

Also, if you fancy a profession within horse racing, look at;

-Careers in racing- on facebook and online, showing when chances come up
-British Race School- They always have jobs and courses going!


 (British Racing School)

(July Course- Newmarket)

London Zoo-Sunset Safari

Hey guys,

Recently I went to the Zoological Society London(ZSL) also known as London Zoo. For their sunset safari event. This is a after hours event which means that people can go after the time in which the zoo would normally close.

The night was brilliant, starting at 6pm and finishing 10pm, it isn't as long as you would get if you were going there during the day, and it costing around the same price in which you were to pay and get all day, there were some down points to it. However if a adult were to buy a ticket children under a specific age would get into it for free, which is extremely good if you were on a budget!

Obviously anyone who knows me would know that I LOVE going to the zoo! I mean LOVE. And I truly believe that the ZSL plays a key role in animal conservation around the globe. All of the different enclosures are done so so it would improve the animals wellbeing. Also the animals are most commonly kept in groups meaning that they have a good social wellbeing! Also around every enclosure is animal enrichment, which would give the animal a more enrichment.

The sunset safari part of it meant that there were a number of different food bars which were located within the central part of the zoo, along with face painting(I couldn't resist!!) and also a number of different photo choices. This meant therefore that it was a completely different experience to what you would normally get if you were to get from the zoo.

Overall, I would say that everyone should go there to experience this. However I would say that it is something in which is mainly for adults as there was a lot of alcohol there and also more adults than children, however you would have guessed that due to it being late. However it is a great experience for people and I enjoyed myself. However one thing in which I would moan about is that a lot of the animal enclosures were shut and people wasn't aware of this until we got the programme outside of the gates. Also there were big lines outside of the entrance and I believe that more staff should be outside to make it better managed.

To end, I will definitely be going next year, I just hope that more of the animal enclosures are open and the lines are smaller. However I think it was a great day out and a completely different night out in the heart of London.

Dog Nail Clipping! 101 On How To Do It!xo

Hey Guys!

Todays post as you can see from the title is about dog nail clipping! I am going to be explaining how to do it, why a dog owner should do it, safety procedures and nail filing!

The importance of clipping a dogs nails

Trimming a dogs nails isn't necessary for all breeds of dogs, some dogs will need it more or less than others. If you have a indoor dog, they have a increased need of getting their claws cut, however it you have a outdoor dog this is less likely. Some breeds are known for having fast growing nails such as the basset hound and dachshunds so they will need theirs done more frequently. If a dogs claws are not trimmed, it could lead to in growing into the dogs paw pads and these could lead to a number of different problems, such as the dog limping and getting infections.

When cutting your dogs nails you will need;

· Guillotine-type nail clippers

· nail files

· Scissor type nail clippers

· Styptic powder

How to do it!

Grasp the dogs foot from the ankle up in the palm of your hand , grip it firmly but gently.  Ensure that you do this in a position which allows your hand to be facing in the same direction of the paw, ensuring it is away from the dog. Never hold the paw in-between the pads as it will tickle the dog and they could jerk away.

Stabilize the nail to cut– Gently wrap your fingers under the pads as you use your thumb to stabilize from the top of the claw which you are working on,

Identify the quick– If the dogs nails you are cutting are white, it will be easier for you to see the red quick in the middle of the nail. With dark nails, ensure you are careful not to cut the quick as it will cause bleeding, so do it little by little to decrease your chances.

Tip the nails for the beginning– do this if the dogs claws are unusually long or if it is the first tine you have done this. Tipping the nail would involve stabilizing the guide protein of the clippers to the surface of the dogs nail and taking a thin saving of the nail off with the blade.

Cut the nail-  When ready to cut the nail-, look at its shape. You will be able to see that the bottom of the nail is straight until it curves sharply at the tip. Using the clippers, cut the tip by continuing the straight line. However ensure the quick isn't damaged.

  

Filing the nail

Simply use the original technique to grasp the paw and hold it away from the dog. Get the nail file and simply file away any edges from the dogs nails to stop them from getting themselves. File as you would if you were filing your own nails.

If injury occurs (if the quick is cut-take control)

Stem the bleeding– use the styptic powder and place it at the end of the nail. Use the original grasping technique and press the powder to the end of the nail until the bleeding stops.

If your dog has dark coloured nails– try lighting a torch underneath them! This will show exactly where the dogs quick is!

Safety Procedures!

-Always ensure before clipping the dogs nails you have all the equipment ready!

-Always ensure you can perfectly see the nail before cutting!

-Always remember the dew claw!

-Don’t clip the pink part of the nail as it can cause bleeding!

-If the nail is still bleeding after half an hour-please see a veterinarian!

-If your dog really doesn't like you cutting their claws take them to be professionally done (by a vet or groomer) because it is less traumatic for them.

-If you are worried about the first time cutting your dogs nails go and see a professional most of the time they will be more than happy to help!

Thank you so much for reading this! Stay tuned for the next blog post!

Love Sam&Pepper xoxoxo

It's breeding awareness month!xo

It's breeding awareness month!

Let's take this time to think about the breeding of animals in this country!
Everyone knows that there's kennels in a number of different places in the UK and all over the world! Some breeds of animals don't need to be bred, for example Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Bearded Dragons! So in some cases it could be irresponsible breeding these animals when there is animals in need of a loving home in different places! I feel like if someone wants a specific breed like a Staffie or larger breed then check the dog homes and kennels before rehoming because you could save a life!

However breeding animals in the correct way is important as it shows people the high standards of how it is done! As everyone knows there are some people who are unable to breed animals in the correct way and this often leads to puppy farming which everyone knows I DONT agree with, I feel like there should be high standards in which people have to follow to be able to breed animals no matter the animal or the breed,

But this is the time of the year where everyone should take a look at what they can do to help! Spread the word about bad breeding and spread the word about good breeding!

As a final word I feel it is important to spread the word about ALL animal breeding, horses, exotic animals, cats, fish, rodents and other animals. It is also important to give love to animal rescue centres which are giving animals these second chances!

Thanks for reading!
Sam&Pepper xo

Bakers Mini-Bones and Rewards Treats Review-xo

Hello!

Animal Zones latest post is going to be on  Bakers "Mini-Bones" and "Rewards".


The Rewards treats are listed below showing that they come in beef, chicken and beef flavouring. Now I found this important as it shows that by getting these treats that your pampered pooch will get a variety from them. Another thing which I like about these treats is that they are easy to break into smaller pieces meaning that if the treat is too long for your pampered pooch you can break it into smaller pieces so it will be easier for them to eat. For new people using these treats at the back of the pack there is a chart showing how much of the treat different breeds can have per day. This is important because it shows the nutritional benefits.

Price-wise- If you go into must supermarkets you will pay around £1.80 per pack, with deals like 2 for £3 which I don`t think is too bad. However you can get these in some Pound shops and cheaper online so always shop around!

Overall Review- Pepper seems to like them. I have also been using these as rewards to teach him tricks and it has worked a treat!(literally!) So yes, I do recommend giving these a try as normal treats and as training treats.


The next treat is Bakers Mini Bones. Now these only come in chicken flavour, chicken flavour is a popular flavouring in dog treats so I didn't think this much of a issue. Like the rewards they are easy to break in half meaning if would be easier for smaller breeds to eat them but Pepper (Shih-Tzu) doesn't have a issue with eating it. With the rewards treats if you look at the back of the packs you can see the nutritional benefits of the treats and the restrictions on the amount of these treats your pooch can have a day, which of course is important as it will stop your pooch getting various illnesses or obesity.

Now I have found that recently they have decreased the package size and keep the price the same which is kind of disappointing as Pepper loves these. However Im sure that I will probably buy these again, or try another treat by Bakers as my pooch does particularly like these.

Many Thanks For Reading!
What do you think of these treats? Does your dog like them?

Sam and Pepper xo