We are lucky in Cumbria to have a great array of wild birds that will visit you for a bite to eat and in January & February they will be there in abundance as a lot of the birds natural haunts are quite often frozen over. It is important during these short days to have some good fatty treats alongside the seeds such as Sunflower hearts and fat balls as the birds will need to build up their fat reserves daily for them to survive the cold winter nights. Make sure there is a supply of fresh water for them too especially during heavy frosts.

A great energy boost that Robins particularly love is live mealworms or waxworms which are both good and fatty and will keep them coming back for more.

Pet Christmas Tips

The Christmas holidays can be a fun time for dogs with extended walks, new toys and treats, but it also brings some problems with it too, using a few tips you can make sure it a good Christmas & New Year  for all the family.

Food – Although it can be tempting to give your dog some scraps off your plate it is often not a good idea as the food can be too rich for their stomach resulting in Diarrhoea & vomiting. Keeping chocolate away from your dog is also vital as it can be lethal to dogs, if you want to give them chocolate treats buy special dog chocolate that does not contain the toxic compounds found in human chocolate.

Household Hazards – Dogs have a habit of eating anything they find on the floor this can include parts of Christmas Decorations, wrapping paper & holly. There is the danger of eating something sharp that could cause damage but there are also certain plants that are popular this time of year that bring their own problems  for example holly, mistletoe & poinsettias are toxic to dogs so make sure they are out of reach.

Guests & Parties – Dogs can get stressed out when their routine is changed and having a lot of extra people visiting your house can get a bit much for them. You can buy various products to help them feel calm (also handy with the amount of fireworks that now go off this time of year). If it’s at all possible try to make a safe zone where your dog can go to get away from the busyness, this could be a spare room or cupboard but make sure they have free access to it. Also make sure that your dog has a tag on just in case he manages to run outside with all these extra people coming in and out.

Taking these things into consideration now will help both you and your dog enjoy the holidays.

There are a few things to do to help your pets cope though so the firework season needn’t be quite so stressful.

For starters keep them indoors as soon as the light starts to fade. We had a bad time with one of our cats a few years back when we thought he’d got out of the cat flap when we couldn’t finding him on bonfire night after the first rockets had gone up. He turned up a few hours later from underneath a very low coffee table, how he even fitted under there I’ve no idea. So I’d suggest keeping cats in from dinner time to be on the safe side. With your dog give them a really good walk in the afternoon to tire them out as best you can.

Try and have somewhere in the room that your pet can hide be it a cardboard box, cupboard or dog cage, having a safe enclosed space that they can hide in as they please can help give your pet some reassurance.

Draw the curtains and put the tv or radio on to try and drown out the noises from outside. If even with all these precautions they are still getting distressed try not to pay any attention to their behaviour as fussing over them is like saying there is something to be scared of, only interfere if they are going to cause harm to themselves.

You can also buy products to help your pets feel calmer from your local pet shop. Our most popular being an anxiety drop that you can put directly on the dogs tongue or in their drinking water, this gives your dog a sense of well-being and calmness but will not sedate your dog. Sedation should only be used as a last resort as a sedated dog will never learn to live with fireworks.

Hopefully using these little tips will help you through bonfire night, Christmas and the New Year.

Well James Wellbeloved have shown us that they can still come up with some cracking new products with the launch recently of their first food aimed at small dogs. The food is for adult dogs weighing less than 10kg and comes with a host of ingredients to bring out the best in your little friend.

For starters it is a much more energy rich food as the smaller dog has  proportionately higher energy needs than the larger dogs.


Then they have added Cranberry extract to the formula has Urinary problems are common place in the smaller dog.


To cover the dental problems small dogs experience due to there life expectancy being longer and their small mouths with crowded teeth, a smaller kibble size has been developed specially shaped to help keep plaque levels down. Green tea is also added to the formula as this is known to help with dental health as well.


Naturally the food is also very palatable to the smaller dog and has all the usual benefits of the James Wellbeloved Range of hypo-allergenic dog foods.


To help us launch this brilliant product we have many special offers available in store now.

We have joined forces with Solway Dog Training Centre in Hensingham to launch our dog choke chain amnesty. For every choke chain you deposit in store we will give you 10% Off a dog harness. We will also give you the contact details for Solway Dog Training  who can offer you effective training solutions.


Choke Chains have been directly linked to:
- Injured Ocular blood vessels
- Severely sprained necks
- Cases of fainting
- Transient foreleg paralysis
- Laryngeal nerve paralysis
- Hind leg ataxia


Lets stop the use of choke chains for good!