Crufts & Craziness

Wowza...this week has just flown by! 

We have been sooo busy here at Puppy Love HQ getting all our new products together ready for the new online store launch next week! Things are coming along well... teasers for you include an addition to our ECO© collection... hand-crocheted ECO© beds, glamorous Tuxedo bandanas AND new hand-knit sweater designs. We will also be shipping imternationally too from the new store...fab news! 

More great news is...we will be at Crufts this year at Birmingham's NEC! We don't have a stall but are visiting our fab friends Karen & Neil (gorgeous @Soxiloxi's Mami & Papi) at the Galen Therapy Stall and are very excited indeed. Galen Canine Myotherapy Treatment is a gentle and non-invasive treatment for muscular problems and there will be live demonstrations going on - if your doggie has any muscular isuues,, check out the therapy and get more info, including local practitioners, by clicking the link ... 

We will also be meeting up with beautiful @Cassie_Spaniel and her mummy, Sylv, on the Support Dogs UK stall! Support Dogs UK is a fantastic UK charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with epilepsy, physical disabilities and children with autism by training dogs to act as efficient and safe assistants. Each dog is taught tasks tailored to his owner's needs, enabling them to lead a fuller and more independent life... really an amazing charity! Aside from all the amazing things these doggies learn to do, a cuddle can make the biggest difference! And we've even managed to line up some special Cassie-cuddles for us too!! 

Only a few more sleeps to go now...  Crufts starts on March 10th and we will be there on the 12th. If you see us, or Galen & Support Dogs do come say hi!! x x

Friday Funny

It's that time of the week again.... and this week's Friday Funny comes from Tilly the Boston Terrier in Glasgow who has found herself a new favourite toy... the trampoline!! Clever girl! Enjoy! x x

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Have a smooch-tastic day!!! Lots of love & hugs from all of us here at PUPPY LOVE x x x

Sausage Saturday... Darling Dachshunds

Whilst checking through the daily pet news this morning, we found a rather disturbing article in one of the 'great' British tabloids (The Sun) saying that Dachshunds or as they are affectionately known 'Sausage Dogs' were on the endangered list?! And none other than rock and roll superstar, Liam Gallagher, was planning on championing their cause! He and Nicole Appleton own a little doxie called Ruby and last year he was the face of PupAid. Thankfully...after some frenzied internet research, we can't find any evidence of the adorable breed being endangered! *phew* In fact, in the USA, these cuties are one of the most popular breeds :) We thought, what with it being #sossidgesaturday on twitter... it was the perfect day to highlight the breed. Here are some p-awesome facts about the gorgeous Dachshund:

1. The name Dachshund comes from Germany and means literally 'Badger Dog'... doxies were bred for hunting back in days gone by! Yet...in Germany, they are more commonly known as Dackels.
2. Dachshund paws are especially shaped for digging! 
3. Some people race their Dachshunds...we don't know quite how we feel about this. If doggies genuinely enjoy chasing and are well looked after, it can be a fun experience for them but we HATE racing for the number of doggies left homeless or worse once their careers are over. 
4. The German Olympic Games in 1972 chose a Dachshund as their mascot! His name was Waldi.
5. Famous Dachshund owners include Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Donald Rumsfeld.

Photo @ theindependent.co.uk

Some more news for this Saturday morning is that we are taking part in the Saturday Blog Hop brought to you by Two Little Cavaliers, Life with Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume! Find some other great Pet blogs by following the links after the jump!  > >

There's still time to get a gift for your Valentine ...

Not long now until that special day of smooching... there's still time to get your doggie darlings and pretty kitties a special something... click on the 'BUY' tab above to see our special Valentine themed bandanas... x x

Last orders for UK delivery in time for Valentine's day on Monday 14th February is FRIDAY 11th 5pm

Forget the Super Bowl XVL ... It's all about the Puppy Bowl VII on Animal Planet!

This weekend is the NFL Super Bowl which sees the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers at The Cowboys Stadium in Dallas....but we're not interested in a bunch of big hyped-up guys crashing into eachother are we?! Nooo... bring on the Puppy Bowl VII instead! So much more entertaining! So much more cuteness!!

For the 7th year, Animal Planet has put together an alternative game for Super Bowl weekend, featuring puppies from shelters to raise rescue awareness and have some fun. Kitty cat cheerleaders, chickens & bunnies have all featured over the years & this year is set to be the best yet. Check out the starting line-up:

You can watch the Puppy Bowl from 8pm GMT (3pm E/P) this Sunday 6th February on the Animal Planet channel. To find out more & see more videos plus yummy recipe ideas visit the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl website here. x x

Dogs can help detect Colon Cancer - Amazing!

This is an amazing story in the news today... Japanese researchers have trained an 8 year old black lab to sniff out colon cancer on the breath of patients. Now, our twitter friends will know that cancer research has always been a cause close to our hearts after losing loved ones over the years, but has become even more so following Dad being diagnosed with prostate cancer in December. Thankgoodness, his op was a huge success and he has been making a brilliant recovery. But this is really exciting news for us! 

Dogs are already used to 'sniff out' bombs and drugs due to their amazing sense of smell, but have now been shown to be able to sniff out a number of cancers just by the patient's breath. This particular little lady, sniffed out 91% of the cancers and excluded 99% of the cancer-free samples. When given *ahem* other samples to sniff...she identified the cancers 97% of the time. 

Doctors have said that it may be difficult and costly to introduce 'sniffer dogs' in replacement of colonoscopies, but this certainly is an important step forward in the fight against the big C & proof that doggies really are man's best friend. 

You can read more about this story by clicking here. x x

NEW!! The Puppy Love Online Store...Coming soon!

Exciting times here at PUPPY LOVE HQ...the new & improved online store part of the site will be launching very soon! Full of fab & funky bandanas, fleece hoodies, our p-awesome new range of  ECO© jumpers & shirts, homewares and lots more! 

Until we launch though, you can still buy a few selected designs by clicking on the BUY tab above. x x