Puppy Bath

How often do you give your Frenchie a bath?  We bathed Ivy much more frequently when she was a puppy as she would sometimes have accidents or make a bigger mess when she was younger.  We now bring her to the groomer once a month and give her baths as needed (as we don't want her skin to dry out).  One thing I have struggled to find is a good brush/comb for brushing her between baths and grooming appointments.  Have any of you found a good brush that works well to pull out the dead hairs? The one I am using doesn't seem to be doing the job. 

Ivy always thinks she likes baths until she is actually in it... 

Everything is a little pink hued due to the 1950's pink tiled bathroom! 

A love for local - Dogwood Barkery

We are big fans of local shops and home grown businesses. One of Ivy's favorites places to go is Dogwood Barkery located in Grandville, MI.  This is where We take Ivy for her spa days (they take care of anal glands agh something we are thankful for)  and she absolutely loves it!  They do a fantastic job and have very reasonable prices and the owners are just the sweetest.  Not only do they have a great grooming service they also have the most adorable treats in their bakery.  You should definitely check them out!  I mean how cute is this heart treat! Stay tuned for some upcoming Valentine's Day treat recipes we are dying to share.

They are also very involved and supportive of the local shelters.  Throughout the year they have adoption events.  Ivy and I always like to stop by and are tempted when Dad is on work trips... surprise new pet?! :) 

We also get Ivy's dog food here.  We struggled to find the right diet for Ivy but Dr. Gary's grain free salmon has been ideal!  We looked and you can order it online as well -worth trying if none of your local vendors sell it.  So far we have been happy with it, Ivy has better skin and less gas!  Hopefully she can stay on this for quite some time.  We often read that Frenchie diets/allergies can change, we are just thankful we have found something that works well!

Travel Bag

We will be doing a lot of traveling this upcoming year for work and Ivy usually tags along (depending on if there are dog friendly accommodations)!  One thing we had been looking for was a sturdy and fashionable dog carrier for Ivy.  We found many brands of carriers but none of them looked like they were durable and they were definitely not stylish.  Ivy currently weighs around 25 pounds (holiday treats anyone??) so we needed something big enough to fit her!   Some of our trips bring us out to the East Coast and we have always talked about taking the train into New York City but could never do so with Ivy.  That was until I stumbled upon Love Thy Beast.  We loved the structure of the bags and the adorable colors and they are made in the USA - win win!  The price is definitely worth it, we were lucky to get ours on sale and are super excited to use it this year!

I was even more impressed with the bag when we received it. They have a built in clip that secures your dog inside the bag, a greatly appreciated addition.  We ordered the large size which was perfect for Ivy's height.  The bag zips snugly around her and she has enough room to lay down.  While I don't think I would shop till I dropped with Ivy in the bag - 25 pounds is a bit much for a long shopping day.  It is ideal for traveling by train, or carrying your dog into a store for a quick trip!  There are also great pockets on the outside of the bag which are great for carrying treats, leashes and poo bags! :)

It was supposed to be a Christmas gift for Ivy but we were too eager to use it!  For a dog that hadn't traveled in a dog carrier before she LOVED it! This post wasn't sponsored by Love Thy Beast, we just wanted to share our experiences with a great brand after searching for such a long time!

Here is a link to the bag which is STILL ON SALE (woot woot) who doesn't love a great deal!
http://www.lovethybeast.com/collections/carry/products/industrial-voyager-pet-tote-natural-pink-grey

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a glitter filled festive night!  Or lets be real a night in sweats with snacks (we are totally cool with either)!

Ivy chose to ring in her new year by yawning, taking naps and drooling by the heater!

Here's to scouting more squirrels out the window in 2015!