Health

That Heart-Stopping Moment in the Kitchen The other day, I was making a fruit salad – nothing fancy, just a bit of a pick-me-up. A single grape slipped from my fingers, bounced off the worktop, and began a slow-motion roll across the floor. Before I could even move, a black Labrador-shaped shadow, otherwise known as […]

That Sinking Feeling on the Snake Pass There’s a particular stretch of road between Glossop and Ladybower that I used to dread. Not because of the tourist traffic or the rogue sheep, but because it was the guaranteed point of no return for Fern, our high-octane Spaniel, when she was a pup. One minute she’d […]

The Unmistakable Itch: Spotting the Unwanted Lodgers The other evening, I was giving Buster a good old scratch behind the ears – his favourite spot. He was leaning into it, leg thumping on the floor like a drum solo, when I saw it. A tiny, dark speck moving at lightning speed through his coat. It […]

The Telltale Sound: Why Is My Dog Suddenly Obsessed with Licking Their Paws? It’s ten o’clock at night. The house is quiet, the telly’s off, and all you can hear is a faint, rhythmic sound from the dog bed. Slurp, slurp, slurp. It’s a noise every dog owner knows. My Spaniel, Fern, often gives her […]

Confessions of a Bog-Dwelling Spaniel Owner The other day, Fern the Spaniel discovered a bog. Not a puddle, mind. A full-scale, peat-filled, ‘welcome-to-the-moors’ sort of bog. She emerged five minutes later looking less like a dog and more like a mythical swamp creature, grinning from ear to floppy ear. My cream-coloured car was waiting patiently […]

The Unmistakable Pong: What to Do When Your Dog Meets a Skunk There are certain smells that are just woven into the fabric of the Peak District. Damp earth, woodsmoke on the breeze, and, if you’re particularly unlucky on a late-night walk, the utterly unforgettable aroma of skunk. The other night, Fern the Spaniel, with […]

The Unmistakable Pong: Cracking the Case of the Fishy Dog The other afternoon, I was enjoying a rare moment of peace. Cup of tea in hand, rain lashing against the window pane, a perfect Peak District scene. Fern, my whirlwind of a Spaniel, trotted in from the garden, shook herself vigorously, and settled by my […]

From Gentle Whuffles to Full-Blown Log-Sawing The other night, I was jolted awake by a noise that sounded like a small, asthmatic bear trying to start a stubborn lawnmower. It wasn’t a bear, of course. It was Buster, my food-obsessed Labrador, flat on his back, paws in the air, snoring with an enthusiasm that could […]

The Ultimate Guide: How to Get Dog Poop Out of Your Carpet (Fresh, Dried & Diarrhoea) There are few things that can make your heart sink quite like the squelch of a sock on a wet patch of carpet, followed by *that* smell. The other day, I came downstairs to find Buster, my food-obsessed Lab, […]

Is That Snow? Nope, It’s Dog Dandruff on My Jumper… Again. There’s a certain moment of realisation every dog owner has. You’ve just had a lovely cuddle on the sofa, your dog trots off to cause some mild chaos, and you look down at your dark-coloured jumper to see a fine dusting of white flakes. […]