We think he is beautiful but he does have one slight drawback… flatulence! Codi’s wind problem sometimes can clear a room! I mentioned this to a colleague recently and they suggested I give Supadog Sensitive a try. So we did…

We were excited to see what Codi (and his extremely high standards) thought of it and before we could even manage to open the bag Codi was sniffing around at the scent he’d picked up.

We started Codi off on the Scottish Salmon and Rice by mixing a small amount into the food that he was already on. It’s important to make a gradual transaction to avoid any stomach upset. Before we managed to get the Supadog kibble into the original dog food Codi had his nose in the bowl, he loved the smell and the taste and literally couldn’t wait!

We are now looking forward to see the physical change in Codi after a few months of changing to Supadog Sensitive, and we hope that Codi continues to stay happy with this food. We also hope it can help cure some of his smellier moments!

The Vitamins and nutrients are guaranteed to improve his overall wellbeing, which is great for us as dog owners as well as Codi, We look forward to giving his lovelier, shinier and healthier coat a regular and good grooming!

Polaris Sled Dogs has now grown to 7 with the arrival of 10 week old Polly, a rescue girl, red in colour with two blue eyes.   In her short life Polly has already had 2 homes, the last one in a flat where the central heating was on constantly, and when she wasn’t needed she would be locked away in a room on her own.  The social services removed Polly and the next step was a text from a friend of mine saying that he had a Husky who needed re-homing immediately. 

Rusky, the pack leader, has taken Polly under his wing and looks after her.  All the other oldies love her but the other pups. Oska and Storm, enjoy supervised play with Polly as they are just a little rough for her at the moment.

Polly is now doing well, has settled in superbly and loves life with the pack.  We have two more races left this season and Polly will be coming along to those with the rest of the family.

Making a Dog a new addition the family wasn’t a decision that could be made over night, as there are so many things that we needed to take into consideration first. For example, would we able to give the dog plenty of exercise? Could we figure out a schedule around our working lives so that the dog wouldn’t be left alone for long periods of time? We knew from past experience that a new dog would need time to settle in to our home and we wanted to ensure the experience was completely stress-free.  Fortunately for my family there is someone at home during the day, so we could be confident that our new four legged friend would not be left for prolonged periods of time.

After a lot of planning we decided that we wanted to rescue a Siberian husky, as there are many huskies that are abandoned or given away because people don’t realise how much hard work goes into looking after them. As a family we are very familiar with dogs and felt confident that this breed was right for us.

Huskies like being part of a pack and this is what we love about this particular breed of dog; being part of the pack means being part of the family. Huskies need loads of exercise as they are big dogs but this is fine because all of my family are extremely active and love going on long walks and runs all over Yorkshire. This ensures that we have plenty of time and energy as a family to exercise such a high maintenance dog.

After doing our research into the huskie’s behaviour we discovered that they make ‘scrapes’ which are shallow holes that they dig in the wild to keep themselves warm. We had to prepare ourselves for Codi doing this in our garden, so we expected holes to be dug out all over the place! We also had to take into consideration the cost of owning such a breed; we wanted to get him micro chipped and had to think about the cost of vets bills, food, toys and grooming.

When we rescued Codi he was just over a year old, and he was quite a reserved and quiet dog. We expected it to take quite a while for him settle into our family, but it was surprising that it only took a few days for him to feel comfortable. Before long we had a content and happy companion.

Codi has been with us for four years now and is a real part of the family. We get up to some fantastic adventures and every week I will update you with some of the highlights.

So for this week “Goodbye” from myself and Codi!

Can the love of dogs help you find your perfect partner?

We all know that Dogs are a man’s best friend, but is it possible for them to play the Cupid role as well? If you’re single and ready to mingle, why not grab your four legged friend and get out there? It’s not really surprising that Dog’s help us meet new people as they are great ice breakers, their friendly and mischievous antics can really stir up a conversation. In some parts of the UK there are dog training social classes where dog owners can meet up and enjoy a drink together. Why not take your ‘chum’ to a dog friendly cafe/place to eat so they can enjoy a nice meal and a good drink as you enjoy yours.

Dog owners usually look for certain qualities in a partner, what does owning a dog show about your personality?

Well, there’s a common interest in dog owners personalities, but having a pet shows the caring, nurturing and fun side to someone’s personality. On average 9/10 of dog owners said they wouldn’t get into a relationship if their potential partner didn’t like dogs.

It’s not only you that will enjoy benefit from having a companion. Your dog can too! It’s always better to pair puppies together from a young age, MOST dogs are socially adaptable creatures, and this means they can be more tolerant of other dogs sharing their lives. But this does mean that not all Dog’s will get along, and raising two dogs can be A LOT of hard work, so always bare that in mind if you’re thinking about making a  new addition to your family.

Has your pooch helped to provide you with your perfect match? Did you meet your “other half” whilst walking the dogs?  If so we would love to hear your story!

The night race was first and we were off like a rocket in freezing conditions. We kept up a good pace, executing the turns well and flying up and down the hills until Shanta took a left turn too sharply and became tangled in the rig.    We stopped for about half a minute to sort this out and were then heading towards the finish line where the trail has been resurfaced in places.  The team slowed down with every section of new surface and picked up speed with the old surface, but we were now within sight of the finish line  and for the last half mile we sped along.

Sunday morning’s race was over the same trail but in daylight and again we flew off the start line.  After the first right hand turn Shanta again slowed her pace and every so often picked it up again.   It becomes obvious that she didn’t like the resurfaced patches of the trail so we ran at her pace. As we near the finish line Rusky and Shanta decided they wanted to go and say hello to a marshall but with a quick word from me we carried on and crossed the finish line.  Upon inspection of the trail the newly surfaced area has been covered with  the size of stones you would find on a railway line.  We finished in sixth place in each race (well done the team) and were still the fastest all rescue four dog team.

Our next race is on the 29 January at Longmoor, over a six mile trail.

The training session with all 4 dogs, Rusky and Shanta leading and the puppies Oska and Storm behind in the wheel, was very good.  Over the festive period we had four good runs with this combination of dogs over some very heavy wet grass and muddy trails.  The last training run was over 5.77 miles which we did in a time of 23 minutes, so I had high hopes for the New Year’s Eve race at Wareham.

We were second to last out in the four dog class and all went well until the half way point at a T junction where we needed to take a left turn.  The 2 leading dogs decided this didn’t apply to them and went straight ahead to say hello to the spectators.  From there on the pace became slow with the temperature rising, as was the humidity.   At the next right turn the line between the front and back dogs became tangled in Storm’s paws.   After untangling Storm’s paws and having a few minutes rest we restarted again but at a very slow pace.   After a left turn the finish line was only about half a mile away but by now we walked and trotted to the line as the dogs were too hot to run at full pace.  The temperature was now 13 degrees celsius at 92% humidity and because of this we decided to scratch from the New Year’s Day race.  Our final time was 23:14:11 with an average of 9.68 mph for the 3.75 mile trail.

Bones

Watch out for bones! The delicious smell of turkey wafting through the home is enough to make any tummy rumble. With a hungry tummy usually comes pleading eyes from your cat or dog (or both); you must remember though that small bones are a choking hazard. With this in mind you should avoid offering your pet any part of the turkey which includes a bone, so no drumsticks or thigh.

Overfeeding

Whilst it is nice to offer your pet the occasional tasty treat you don’t want to over indulge them (we can’t say the same for you… if you want another chocolate you should treat yourself, it is Christmas after all)!! Go easy on the treats and of your pet has eaten more cooked or raw meat than usual you should bear this in mind when portioning their regular pet food.

Foods to avoid

Certain festive foods can be harmful to cats and dogs, including raisins and grapes. Remember that mince pies and Christmas puddings contain raisins so they should not be offered at all. Chocolate is another pet no-no so please avoid feeding it no matter how much your dog pleads.

Out on the road

Many of us travel at this time of the year and often have overnight stays at houses unfamiliar to our pets. If you are travelling with your dog this year then you should consider a dog harness to help keep him safe in the car if there was to be an accident. Cats should be kept in a cat carrier. Make regular pit stops and take a two feeding bowls with you, one for fresh water and one for food. If you are planning an overnight stay then try to take your pet’s bed with you. It will offer a safe, familiar and comfortable place to sleep.

Brrrr, it’s cold outside

If you have pets that live outdoors such as Rabbits or Guinea Pigs then you need to ensure that they are kept safe and warm (true for the entire winter period, not just Christmas). Ensure the hutch is insulated and packed with plenty of straw so safe and snugly burrowing. Make regular checks on the water bottle so you ensure it is never frozen.

Ideally your guinea pigs should be kept indoors during prolonged periods of cold weather, so consider moving them from the garden to your garage or other room.

Frantic Fun

Christmas should be a time that we can meet with our families and enjoy ourselves. But parties and social gatherings can be rowdy affairs and this can be frightening to any pets. Some pets will take crowds, noisy music, young children etc in their stride but others will become incredibly stressed. Dedicate a familiar room in your home to your pet, such as a spare bedroom or conservatory. Place their bed / hutch / cage in there along with food, water and a litter tray for a cat. Make sure you tell people to avoid this room, especially children. Allow your pet some time to familiarise themselves with this room and let them use it as a safe haven if things start to get too rowdy for them.

If you have any other Christmas related tips you would like to share with us please drop us a “comment”. We would love to hear them.

The entire team at Burgess Pet Care wishes you all a fantastic, happy and healthy Christmas and New Year! Give your pets an extra big hug from us.

We have raced over this trail before but were not ready for what lay ahead.   This was a mud and stone fest and just walking to the start line was a mud fest.    We started off well at full pelt into the first couple of turns and then we hit the open trail of stones with mud and sand and this is where we started to lose time as Diesel didn’t like the surface and backed off to a walk which slowed down the whole team.   We carried on as best we could despite the trail being very stoney, very wet and very muddy.  At about the 2 mile point we were back to the very smooth ground and Diesel picked up his pace and again we were racing at full pelt to the finish line.  Despite the hard going we crossed the line in good spirits covering 2.9 miles in 18:36:98 at an average speed of 9.3 mph. and third in class.

Later that day I took Oska and Storm, the 2 youngsters, over the same trail and by this time it was pouring with rain and much colder than earlier.  The 2 dogs ran like rockets until we reached some small slopes but once up these they were back to full pace.  Oska and Storm  covered the 2.9 miles in 17:25:60 which is amazing for just two dogs.

Mike and the Polaris Sled Dogs Team

Despite their popularity rabbits and rabbit food are still very much misunderstood. The PDSA recently declared a “Diet Disaster for UK Bunnies” as many owners continue to feed a diet lacking in fibre and packed with sugary, unhealthy muesli and muesli style mixes.

Rabbits need to eat lots of fibre in their diet and they can get this by eating fresh greens and leafy green plants. Luguminous plants such as alfalfa would form a staple part of their diet in the wild. Hay should be offered to your pet rabbits on a daily basis and they would typically consume as much as their own body size in hay every day. Yet, in truth around 42% of owners either do not feed this or do not even understand that hay should be offered as food.

Keep Chewing

Each small furry has different dietary requirements, but rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats and chinchillas all have one thing in common and this is the fact that their teeth are open rooted and grow continuously throughout their life. To help keep their teeth in good shape these animals need to be provided with food to gnaw on; Excel Gnaw Sticks are perfect for this!

Leafy Greens

In addition to hay and nuggets you should offer your fibrevore a variety of leafy fresh vegetables; leafy fresh greens in particular are great. Good options include parsley, kale, spinach and romaine lettuce. Veg high in starch, such as potatoes should be avoided.

Vitamin C

A guinea pig should not be fed nuggets intended for rabbits. Guinea Pigs cannot make their own vitamin C and this can lead to conditions such as scurvy. You should therefore feed specialist guinea pig food in addition to hay/grass and vitamin C rich vegetables.