The Dogs of Peru

When I first landed in Cusco, Peru I was immediately whisked away to Ollantaytambo to catch my train to Aguas Calienties, but not before I was struck by the amount of dogs wandering the streets. I wasn't sure if these dogs were strays, but they looked healthy and cared for and I discovered later are all quite friendly and love a chin scratch and a 'good boy' as much as any other dog. 

I fell in love with seeing these dogs that seemingly belonged to no one and to everyone at the same time; going about their business of sun soaking, food scrounging, and playtime. 

I couldn't help myself from trying to capture, photographically speaking, these beauties every chance I got.

I came across this dog at the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu. Show off.

We didn't see as many cats while traveling through Peru and Bolivia, so when we did, we attacked them with love.

Am I alone in this? Anyone else love seeing animals on their travels?

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Wednesday Wanderings

Wet ground so the dog sits on his owners shoes, 

Langdon Park, London

Fun travels!

Pinterest Challenge Recap 3: Dog Treats

For my next challenged I decided to attempt making dog biscuits for my precious (yes, I'm one of those pet owners and proud of it). I like the idea of being able to reward my dog with healthy treats that I've taken the time to put together.

I have pinned many different kinds of recipes for this but decided to more or less follow this one as I had all the ingredients in the house already.

I used:
1 cup oats ground in blender to make a coarse flour and a handful more to roll the dough in
2 tbs peanut butter with cranberries (apparently bought out of curiosity and then relegated to the dog's Kong when it was determined to be no good.)
4 tbs apple sauce (random snack sized container in the fridge with no sugar added)

I didn't have cute little bone cookie cutters so I just made them into rectangles that are a good size for breaking apart and feeding to Betty.

I preheated the over to 300 F and cooked them for 30 mins. They were still a bit soft so I stuck them in for another 10 mins. I let them cool completely before letting B try them (we all had a nibble too just to see. They smell good, but are fairly tasteless).

she says 'thank you'. Such a polite dog.

Fun travels!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

This week I'm fiercely missing Betty, so my photo set is all about my pretty girl. Whether you like it or not. 

But I hope you do.

                Three

Betty the dog, hanging out with my Sam the bear and her Pierre the penguin. There's three of them, you see?

Hand(s)

Wrist and paw, that kind of counts for hands, right?

Fence

Betty rolled over into the fence and stayed there for 20 minutes. I think she was just enjoying the sun too much.

Cuddly

Betty is not a super affectionate dog (took her almost 2 years to wag her tail at seeing me) so when she is, I always must document it.

Sign

 

The grad hat is a sign of a well adjusted puppy who can follow commands. I never noticed her tongue sticking out to the side! So cute.


If you've participated in the hunt, let me know in my comments and link up at Ramblings & Photos.

Fun travels!

The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate.
2. You’re encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
3. If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I’m not too strict about it – I do my best to take fresh shots).
4. Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) – you can use the button above.
5. Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (with so many new participants each week, it’s the only way I know to be inclusive).
6. Have fun!

One for the Dogs...and Cats: Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

Today, I visited a magical place. A place of hope and love, a place to help me reconnect with my centre, a place called the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. (It's been a hard month y'all, I needed to touch some puppies)

The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs was opened in Holloway, London by Mrs. Mary Tealby in 1860. It was soon after moved to its present location in Battersea (beside the Battersea Power Station) in 1871 due to complains of noise and smell coming from the facilities. In 1883, the Home began to accept cats as well. During the First World War the Home housed over 26,000 dogs and 2,000 cats belonging to soldiers on active duty. They even have had both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II as patrons.

The Home has been around for over 150 years and are still going strong.  The week I visited it was half term and they were providing free tours of the facilities  during their open hours. There was a small donation fee to visit the dogs and cats, but it was totally worth it. 

I had a great afternoon there, getting a snack at the cafe, visiting the animals in the kennels and cattery and being entertained with a small agility show.

This was a former stray Lurcher Cross named Gerald. He is a puppy and  still being socialized but I got to say hello to him; he had the softest coat, like a duckling's down. 

This seems to be a fantastic facility where the staff take their roles as care givers to these animals very seriously and are determined to find a home or job for each and every animal. Having adopted my pup from a Humane Society and lucked out with such a great girl, this place and the work these people do have a special place in my heart.

This lovely boy's named Hudson. Dogs at the home will stay an average of 38 days there before being rehomed. The aim of the Dogs and Cats Home is to never turn away a dog or cat in need; reuniting them with their owners when lost and rehoming them when a new permanent home is needed.

But seriously, just look at this face!

Check out their new campaign: "Staffies; They're softer than you think"


P.S. This is not a sponsored post. All the opinions expressed are my own. I just really enjoyed my time here and think you should visit your local shelter too. It's a great stress reliever...but only if you like animals.

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