Tag Archives: hobbies

Boarding Dogs In Temporary Kennels

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Are you the sort of dog owner who likes to take your friend with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are occasions when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.

On the occasions when that happens, you will usually need to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.

A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your pet, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go abroad, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend as well.

If you can not board your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only option is a boarding kennels.

I have put my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I put my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the sales pitch of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a great holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.

I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was ‘resting’ and that it would be better to ‘come back tomorrow’. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper sodden with pee.

She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me at all.

It was three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

Ideas For A Baby Gift Basket

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Are you going to present a baby shower soon? Or have you just been invited to one and you are not certain what to do? If so, you will be expected to give a present to the baby to help welcome him or her into the world. That is fine, but a lot of individuals, particularly single men, wonder what it is precisely that a baby so desperately needs.

If you fall into that category or if you want to take a scatter-gun approach to giving a present in the hope that something will be of use, then you could think about procuring the baby a baby gift basket. You see, a baby gift basket contains a lot of small objects or big objects or a mixture of the two. Whatever you can come up with or afford really.

There are two ways of procuring a baby gift basket. You can either buy one taylor-made or you can purchase a basket and pick-and-mix the contents yourself. So, let us suppose that you are going to avoid duplication and fill your own basket.

First the basket. A traditional wicker basket like the ones they show on toffee tins, in which a maid is carrying eggs is pretty, but also pretty costly. You could get a plastic version, but maybe the box that the gifts are in is not as important as the gifts themselves. You could make your own by lining and wrapping a suitably-sized box and finishing it with a bow.

The contents. What do babies need? Or are you going to put some things in there for the parents as well? If you are going to add a few items for the parents as well, I will leave that up to you as you know them better than I do, I should imagine.

What can you buy for the baby then? Something instructive is a must; something to occupy the baby’s attention, perhaps like a mobile or a fancy abacus to string across the pram. How about music? Brahm’s Lullaby is excellent, with or without voices, in German or in English, but get it sung by a choir or a solo, but professionally-trained singer – not Lady Gaga.

When choosing music remember that by the time the baby can understand the words, the CD will have been lost, scratched or worn out. Go for peaceful music, classical is best in this instance.

Other objects that always come in handy are bibs, teething rings, special beakers and a small plate or dish. I do not think it is a good thing to do to get shampoos and soaps, it is better to let mum purchase them or you might be blamed for allergic reactions and dandruff. However, talcum powder is a pretty safe bet, but do not buy anything strongly perfumed.

Personalized bedding is a good idea. If you purchase a cot blanket, try to get one the same size as the cot for safety reasons. A lovely touch is to have the baby’s monogram or initials embroidered on it. That does not work well for clothing, because kids grow out of them, but it is great for quilts and pillow cases.

Purchase the bedding and ask (or pay) someone to do the embroidery for you. The child will grow out of the cot, but the blanket can then be used as a comforter. Embroidered pillow cases have a similarly long life.

Some people give sweets and biscuits, but personally I am not in favour of helping someone to rot their teeth, encouraging a sweet tooth or overweight babies. A good bottle of wine though is another matter, but you will need to take advice on whether it will be at its peak in twenty years time. Good Port is a safe bet. Spirits do not mature in a bottle.

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