Treat vs. Treat Season One Showcase

Welcome one and all to the Treat vs. Treat Season One showcase! Today we are looking at the 8 treats that are heading in to this competition.

My aim for Season One is to promote treats that are commonly available in Supermarkets. All of these treats (apart from two ringers purchased from a local pet store) were bought in Supermarkets, at what I consider to be a reasonable price.

I will preface this by saying that Pixel is on completely cereal free food for his daily meals, so I am not concerned about the giving him cereals in his treats. If your dog has problems digesting cereals, the majority of these treats will not be suitable.

Competitor One: Pedigree Tasty Bites

Perhaps one of the most well-known dog food brands, Pedigree Chicken Tasty Bites claim to be "delightfully crispy treats with a delicious centre...", as well as being a good source of Omega 3, Vitamins & Minerals, as well as having no artificial colours or flavours.

Pedigree Tasty Bites are 29% protean, which isn't that bad for a non-jerky treat. They are however 25% fat, which isn't so great... It does contain come cereals, and the exact percentage or type is not listed.

Competitor Two: Tesco Chicken, Beef, & Liver Meaty Rolls

Simple and cheap, these Meaty Rolls come in a pack of 15. They contain cereals, as well as some form of colouring. While being composed of 31% protean, they are also 26% moisture. With a fat content of 5%, they are pretty low in fat compared to the other treats on offer.

Competitor Three: Alpha Spirit Active Sticks

Alpha Spirit Active Sticks present themselves as being very healthy. They are 85% protean, which is amazingly high considering they are not dried meat. They are also gluten free and meat meal free, and claim to be 100% natural. Intended for high activity recovery, these treats clock in at a minimum of 8%. I wouldn't go giving these to your hyper-active dog unless you've got a long walk planned.

Competitor Four: Good Boy Tender Beef Fillets

These kind of treats are I like to give Pixel the most. I often call the Jerky-like treats because they are pretty much dehydrated and dried meats. Very little extra goes into these treats. The Good Boy Tender Beef Fillets come are almost completely made up of crude protean and moisture so you can be happy that your feeding your dog good food.

Competitor Five: Bakers Sizzlers

Our first Purina entry, Baker's Sizzlers are delicious smelling bacon styled dog treats. Bakers are often criticized for the quality of their dog food, which I admit is not great. That being said I am a firm believer that everything is okay in moderation. Baker's Sizzlers fall into the same problem as many treats, they are composed of cereals, and what kind of cereals is not listed. Coming in at 15.2% protean, which isn't bad for non-jerky treats, they also contain milk which isn't great for dogs, especially those who have sensitive digestion.

Competitor Six: Purina Adventuros Venison Flavoured Strips

Found these on offer in our local supermarket, these are soft, almost spongy treats, flavoured Venison. Ruthie declared that our dog eats better flavoured food than we do! At 13.5% protean, these treats contain cereals but no milk like the Sizzlers above. These treats are perfect for tearing up into little pieces.

Competitor Seven: Purina Adventuros Boar Flavoured Nuggets

These boar flavoured treats are the nearly identical in composition as the Venison Flavoured Strips above. These come in nugget form, perfect to giving to your dog.

Competitor Eight: Purina Bonio

Our final entry is the classic dog treat, Bonio biscuits. Coming in at a whooping 90% cereal, of which 30% of that is whole wheat, these treats have been a staple of our dog cupboard. If you are planning on feeding your dog a cereal-low diet, these are too be avoided, however most dogs love their crunchy texture and flavour.

Binkies and Barks! How to Introduce Rabbits and Dogs: Bringing the Dog Home

Disclaimer: Many breeds of dog and bred to hunt rabbits and other small animals. Introducing a dog to your rabbits can be risky. The purpose of this series is to mitigate risk as well as find ways in which you can control any risky situation.

This series is based upon my experience of introducing my dog to my rabbits. It is also written from the perspective of someone who had rabbits and then introduced a dog. They have been successfully introduced and now happily live alongside each other. If at any point you are not comfortable with the introduction, you should put an end to the encounter. It is important that you are comfortable and confident during situations that your dogs and rabbits are interacting.

I have never introduced a puppy to our rabbits, only rescue dogs, and this series reflects this. Many of the steps in later installments will crossover.

If you've just come here, you might be interested in: Part One: Selecting the Right Dog

I have not included any timings in this guide, simply because it can differ. It took us 6 months to fully introduce our dog to our rabbits. It might take you longer. It is important not to rush the process.

So, you found the dog you want. You've gone through the process of adoption or purchasing and you are ready to bring the dog home, what do you do?

Preparing the House

The first thing you are going to want to do before you bring your dog home, is get the house ready. For the process of introduction to work, it needs to be over a controlled period of time, this means that you cannot just let the dog meet your rabbits the minute you bring them home. This does mean that you might have to split your time between your rabbits and dog for a little while, at least for a short time. Your rabbits are going to have to be placed into another room where your dog is not allowed to go. 

To prevent your dog from accessing the room, you should either keep the door closed, or use a childgate (personally we used a childgate, and put a blanket over it at first so that he couldn't see the rabbits but could hear and smell them).

Once the rabbits have been moved, I suggest that you thoroughly clean the areas where they typically lived, this should hopefully prevent your dog marking when they are brought into the house.

Bringing the Dog Home

When you first bring your dog home, they are going to be very overwhelmed by the experience, They may try and mark or run around excitedly. Any attempt to get into the room where the rabbits live should be firmly discouraged (although avoid negative reinforcement).

Your dog may repeatedly try to gain access to the room, this may be because they can smell/hear the rabbits, or they are pushing against your authority. It is important not to create a negative association with the rabbit room, however if you keep your rabbits loose, rather than in a hutch or cage, you might considering keeping the rabbit room door closed to ensure the safety of your rabbits. That being said, through reinforcement, your dog should quickly learn that they are not allowed into this room. It is important at this point to ensure that this is consistently enforced.

Acclimatising your Dog to Rabbits

Once you are confident that your dog will not try to access the rabbit room, you can move onto acclimatising your dog to the presence of rabbits in the house (and vice versa). If when you opted to have the rabbit room closed off when your first brought your dog home, you should now introduce a childgate covered with a blanket to keep the dog out of the room. You should regularly go into the rabbit room, and interact with your bunnies, leaving your dog on the other side of gate. While doing this, you should ensure that your dog does not enter the room, but also praise them for being good. Through your regular interaction with the rabbits and praise, the dog should associate the rabbit room as something positive.

Once your dog seems uninterested in the rabbit room, you should remove the blanket from the childgate, so that the dog and the rabbits are able to see each other. Keep a close eye on the behaviour of your dogs and rabbits at this stage, ensure that neither are fixated on the other. In controlled circumstances you can allow your dog and your rabbit to "meet" through the bars of the gate, or in the room if your rabbits are in a hutch at the time. Ensure that such meetings are brief, and that they end in a positive manner, with treats being given to both. You want to cement the idea that such interactions are positive and should be rewarded to bring about positive association.

Next time: Binkies and Barks! First Meetings

If you have any comments, or questions, pop them below. I am always happy to help!

Zoomies: Wordless Wednesday

Poorly Hoomans & Packmate Poppy!: The Pixel Diaries

Hello hoomans! It might not have escaped your notice that we have been quiet over the last few days, this is in part because my packmate Poppy came to visit, and in part because my humans have been unwell. You'll have to forgive them for posting this on Thursday, instead of Sunday, but they have both been working and resting...

The week was quiet. My lovely coat kept me warm in the little spring cold snap that we have been having. I am still completely in love with my coat, I wear it almost every night so I don't get cold! My human has promised that a full review of the AK Creations House Coat will be coming in the future.



This weekend my packmate Poppy came to visit me from Somerset. She is my human's old dog who lives with his parents. She can be a little off with other dogs but has mostly been okay with me. We've spent plenty of time together since August, and every time we meet, we become better friends. I am always really excited to see Poppy, although I think she is not always excited to see me. At Christmas we were really close to playing inside the house, but we didn't really have an opportunity to play like that this weekend. We did have a lovely time running and playing out in the fields, and I am excited to see her again so we can run together. On the Saturday evening I even managed to cuddle up to Poppy. I hope she will let me cuddle her more when we live together.

Just sunning my self #Dogslife

I just walked into the bedroom to find Pixel like this:

He is not supposed to be on the bed when we are not in the room, but I couldn't bring myself to be mad. He just looked so warm and happy.

Fine. He can be on the bed for the moment while he suns himself.

Bag for life > Dog bed: Why my dog isn't smart

We were out of the house and on our walk pretty early this morning. Just before sunrise, it was a cool but lovely spring morning. Pixel enjoyed his chance for zoomies and was happy when we got home. I toweled him off as best I could, gave him breakfast, and went back to bed because it was still before 7am.

It took him the usual 10 minutes to eat from his Slo-Bowl, and when he was finished, he came into the bedroom, looking to come up on the bed for a cuddle. He was still damp so we told him that he wasn't allowed up.

Apparently Pixel was not happy with this decision, as he promptly dragged the bag for life onto the floor, emptied the toys that were contained within, and used the now flat bag as his bed, directly next to his memory foam mattress. He then proceeded to alternate between staring at me and ignoring me.

Eventually he gave up his pursuit of getting onto the bed, instead deciding to literally lie on the bed that he had made for himself, and clean off his muddy paws. After a while he was clean and dry enough to come up for his cuddle.

At one point he even got off the bed to go lay on the bag again. Sometime I think my dog is really bright, then he does stuff that reminds me that he isn't that smart...

Binkies and Barks! How to Introduce Rabbits and Dogs: Selecting the Right Dog

Disclaimer: Many breeds of dog and bred to hunt rabbits and other small animals. Introducing a dog to your rabbits can be risky. The purpose of this series is to mitigate risk as well as find ways in which you can control any risky situation.

This series is based upon my experience of introducing my dog to my rabbits. It is also written from the perspective of someone who had rabbits and then introduced a dog. They have been successfully introduced and now happily live alongside each other. If at any point you are not comfortable with the introduction, you should put an end to the encounter. It is important that you are comfortable and confident during situations that your dogs and rabbits are interacting.

I have never introduced a puppy to our rabbits, only rescue dogs, and this series reflects this. Many of the steps in later installments will crossover.

So you want a dog, but you also have rabbits that live inside your house? You don't have to chose between one or the other, you can have both, and they can live happily side-by-side. I've seen it with my own eyes, our Lurcher, Pixel, lives happily alongside his bunny buddies, he bows to them and plays as they binky about. But before you rush out into the street and bring in the first dog you find, there are two points I want to make, that might seem oddly contradictory.

Know your breeds

Dogs are bred to fulfill certain roles, a Border Collie is bred for herding, Dalmatians were coach dogs and Greyhounds were bred to hunt rabbits. You need to know what every breed was meant to do before you can consider whether they are going to be suitable to live with rabbits. If you want something easy, look into what breeds are considered cat friendly, these will often overlap with dogs that are also rabbit friendly. You should avoid anything that hunts by sight, such as Greyhounds or Whippets, and you should also avoid Terriers as they tend to grab and shake small animals. Also consider carefully the size of the breed, rabbits are small and some dogs are simply huge in comparison.

While every breed has the potential to harm rabbits, some breeds are more closely associated with hunting than others. Many places won't consider rehoming these breeds to rabbit owners, we were turned away from a Lurcher rescue centre in Kent because they refused to consider a household with rabbits. I think they were perfectly within their right to do this, even if we might hold different philosophies in this respect. I am a firm believer that dogs can be taught to do anything you want them to, dogs are not dictated completely by their breed.

While selecting the right breed can be very important to rabbit-dog relations, I believe the most important thing is to select the right dog...

Know your dog

Imagine this, you go into a rescue shelter and you are looking for a dog that could live with your rabbits. There are currently five dogs held by this shelter:

1. Greyhound-Labrador
2. Greyhound-Deerhound
3. Border Collie-Australian Cattle Dog
4. Whippet-Mix
5. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier-Mix

I would forgive you for thinking that of those breeds listed that only one would be suitable for living with rabbits, number 3. But the breed of a dog is not the only defining character of their temperament. Every dog is unique and different, and while the temperament of a specific breed will give you a good insight into their likely behaviour, it is not the be all and all. These are all dogs I have owned:

1. Tina- She was an accomplished and deadly rabbit hunter. She would not have been suitable for life with rabbits.
2. Lorcan- He was an amateur hunter at best, only ever catching a couple of rabbits, if any. He could have been trained to live with rabbits, his size would have been the only obstacle.
3. Poppy- She was Tina's partner in crime, ferreting out the rabbits and pushing them toward Tina. Despite this, she has had positive interaction with our rabbits and given further training would be suitable to live with them.
4. Pixel- Our current mutt is perfect with rabbits, and unlike his dominant breed, has no prey-drive whatsoever.
5. Scally Wag- This old girl was the softest dog you could ever meet. Absolutely no threat to rabbits.

So of the five dogs listed above, only one would have been unsuitable for a rabbit household.

The point I am trying to make is if you have rabbits, and are looking to get a dog, then talk to the shelter you are rehoming from and they should be able to offer suggestions. There are certain traits that you are looking for. When looking for a dog, we asked whether the dogs were considered cat safe, if they were, we considered them to be safe for rabbits (when discussing Pixel they told us he never even bothered with cats). Battersea even offered to do a controlled introduction of the dogs with our rabbits, something everyone should consider if the shelter offers this option.

What you need to know is that you need to spend sometime with the potential dog. Get to know what they are like, walk them, play with them, and interact with them. Many centres encourage people to take the dog home after one visit, no matter how tempting this might be, do not do it (advice I would give even if you don't have any other pets). Go away and think seriously about the dog's personality. How will it relate to your rabbits? Multiple visits are key to getting to know any potential dog. Before getting Tina, Lorcan and Scally we visited them three times, and for Poppy we visited twice (this is without owning rabbits). For Pixel we visited twice, with a total of 3-4 hours of contact with him before deciding that he was suitable.

Things to takeaway from this:

• Consider potential breeds to look for/avoid.
• Get to know the dog. 
• Visit the dog with your rabbits in a controlled environment if possible.
• Do not rush the process.
• Talk to the rescue centre.
• The safety of rabbit and dog is the most important thing.

Next time: Binkies and Barks! Bringing the Dog Home

I didn't cause this mess: Wordless Wednesday

Pet Munchies Chicken Strips vs. Purina DeliBakie Fishies

Fresh out of last weeks defeat, Purina DeliBakies step into the ring once more, this week with their Fishies biscuits. Their opponent? Pet Munchies Chicken Strips! Can the DeliBakies win over Pixel, or will they once again be found wanting when confronted with a more meaty alternative? Can Pet Munchies match up to the cheesy smell of the Fishies? Let us delay no longer. Let the fight commence!

Availability

As I have mentioned before, the Purina DeliBakie brand is available practically everywhere, most supermarkets stock them, as well as being readily available online and in stores like Pets at Home, typically these treats are sold for £1.25. 

The same cannot be said for Pet Munchies. I have not seen the brand in supermarkets, and neither is available in Pets at Home (I know, some people really hate this store, but honestly it is an easy way to find stuff for your dog). Pet Munchies can be found online for around £2.99. It is a shame that the Pet Munchies brand is not more available, because they are good treats, but as it stands, Purina is simply a dominant name in the market.

Winner: Purina DeliBakie Fishies

Goodness

Purina DeliBakies have a tendency to be a little fatty, however the Fishies are significantly better in this respect. A typical DeliBakie product can only be given to your dog three times a day, these Fishies allow your dog to have seven (assuming your dog is around 15kg). The problem still remains, however, that these treats are very high in cereals. Fishies are 60% cereal (and at least 55% of that total is flour which can be difficult to digest).

Pet Munchies on the other hand are 91% chicken breast. The packet claims to be high in protean and low in fat, and it is hard to argue with that. These treats are 100% natural, with no added preservatives or flavours. They are just wholesome dog treats.

Winner: Pet Munchies Chicken Strips

Taste Test

The two treats and placed into the arena and the mood is tense. In previous friendly matches the delicious Edam and Gouda Fishies have dominated their competition. Only yesterday the Pet Munchies Chicken Strips suffered a loss at their hands. The Purina DeliBakies have an air of quiet confidence, they think they have this in the bag. But anything can happen in the Treat vs. Treat arena and in a shocking upset, Pixel goes straight for the Pet Munchies Chicken Strips. The crowd is silent, unable to process what had just happened. For a second time, Purina DeliBakies have been defeated. This match-up should have been an easy win for them, but it goes to show that you cannot rely on anything here in Treat vs. Treat.

What a titanic upset here at Pixel headquarters.

Two treats enter, no treats leave.

Winner by two rounds to one: Pet Munchies Chicken Strips

The Leader Board

1. Pet Munchies Chicken Strips (W:1/L:0)
2. Tesco Sausage Treat (W:1/L:0)
3. Purina DeliBakie Fishies (W:0/L:1)
4. Purina DeliBakie Hearts (W:0/L:1)

Pixel loves his rabbit friends (sort of): The Pixel Diaries

Hello Hoomans! When my humans brought me home I tried to let them know that I really wanted to have some friends. Back in the kennels they would bring cats out to meet me, and I bow and spin and let the people know that I liked the cats, I wouldn't mind having one around. So when my humans brought me home, I was excited to smell that they had some rabbits too!

For the first few weeks of being in my new home, I could hear and smell the rabbits, but I wasn't allowed to see them. They were in another room, behind a gate with a blanket hung over it, so that I was not able to see them. Whenever my humans when into the room to feed them, I would catch a glimpse of them.

After a week or two they uncovered the gate so that I could see the bunnies. They were awesome, there was Moonpig a rotund looking French Lop, and Button, a tan and white Harlequin (he looks like me in rabbit form). At first I liked to stare at them, they were interesting to look at, but then I realised they were my friends and didn't bother after that.

After a month and a bit, my humans brought the rabbits into the front room and I got to meet them through the bars. Moonpig didn't seem to like me, but Button and I became friends, and regularly touched our noses together to say hello. Then the rabbits started to come out of the crate in the front room. At first I had to wear my lead, which was tough cause all I wanted to do with play with the rabbits. I would cry and grumble about the fact that they could walk about freely but I had to be on lead. My humans would walk me over to the rabbits so I could meet them. I liked my friends and was excited to play with them.

After six months of slow introductions, my humans finally decided to let the rabbits out while I was off lead. At first I thought it would be awesome, I could play with Button! But then I realised that without my humans to back me up, the rabbits are scary. On my first off-lead interaction with the rabbits I ran away and hid with my mummy in the bed, while the rabbits had free fun of the front room.

Eventually my dad came and got me, he said he wouldn't have a Lurcher that was scared of rabbits. He brought me back into the room, and I made mummy come with me for moral support. I realised that the rabbits weren't as scary as I thought. Moonpig ignored me mostly, but Button was binking and it made me excited and I bowed to him and spun about him! It was fun to play with the rabbit (although I am still a little scared of them, especially when they thump).

I always look forward to the next time that I can play with them.

Notes from Christopher: When we were looking to get a dog, we contacted a local Lurcher rescue centre and they said that they wouldn't even consider homing any of their dogs in a household with rabbits, and I respect that decision. I've owned Lurchers who hunt, I know what they are like and the safety of my rabbits has been at the forefront of my mind when picking a dog.

That being said, I am a firm believer in getting my dogs to do what I want them to do. We selected Pixel because he had aced every cat test that the kennels but him through. We slowly introduced him to the rabbits over a 6 month period, allowing him to get used to their presence. I observed Pixel's behaviour while outside, he did chase rabbits and other small animals, but whenever he caught up with them he tried to play. Over time I realised that he had an abnormally low prey-drive, especially for a whippet cross.

The safety of my rabbit and my dog was always at the front of my mind when we made introductions. I am glad that I did introduce them. Pixel loves his rabbit friends, and is excited to play with them (always supervised) and the rabbits enjoy finding ways to be naughty in the presence of a dog who watches on. I am extremely happy with how everything turned out, and I know we are lucky to have a dog who likes rabbits. Not every Lurcher or Sighthound can be bonded with rabbits, but if they can, they make the most loyal of friends to them.

New Coats and New Homes: The Pixel Diaries

Hello Hoomans! I am excited to announce that my humans and I will be moving to Somerset in the summer. This makes me very happy because I am going to spend a lot more time with my friend Poppy. I think Poppy is my friend, she tries to play with me and then when I get excited and spins she just runs away, but she is silly like that. Because we are moving, my humans have started packing up, and this makes me uncomfortable, I know they will not leave me on purpose, but I worry they might forget me by accident. To make sure this doesn't happen I am staying really close to them, they can't forget me if I am right under their feet, can they?

My humans have been getting rid of some of their stuff, thankfully, none of mine though. So we seem to spend lots of time just waiting for people come and pick up their stuff. But we still managed to squeeze in lots of lovely walks, and it has been warmer in the days so I have had plenty of time to sun myself. I don't mind sleeping most of the day, I quite like it actually.

On Monday my humans left me, and I got a little nervous and barked at the door when they were out, I must have knocked one of the locks somehow as I locked out my mummy. She didn't like that and found it very stressful. I told her I was sorry, and she eventually forgave me.

This weekend my final birthday present arrived. I love my brand new housecoat, it is so snug and warm. I don't need it during the days at the moment, but I love sleeping in it, it keeps me nice and toasty. I have also spent some more time with my rabbit friends, but they still scare me... But I don't mind, I like them anyways, and I am slowly getting more confident!

Pixel is told to leave a treat

Pixel new coat arrives

Pixel's brand new housecoat arrived today, custom made by AK Creations. I know we don't normally post things on Saturdays but I just couldn't resist showing you how handsome he looked. The coat is absolutely perfect and will keep him nice and toasty.

Pixel hears the rustle of biscuits...

Purina DeliBakie Hearts vs. Tesco Sausage Treats

This week two treats bravely step into the Treat vs. Treat arena! Introducing first, coming in bags of 100g, made by Purina, it is the DeliBakie Hearts! And the opponent, coming in packs of 20g (two small sausages), made by Tesco, and rich with Beef & Tripe, it is the Sausage Treats!

Round One- Availability

The Purina DeliBakie range is available everywhere, most supermarkets will stock one of the flavours from the range. They are also reasonably priced at £1.25 for a pack. It is hard to beat that kind of availability, at that price point. 

The Tesco Sausage Treats we purchased for 40p, the catch here however is the catch that we bought these when they were "reduced to clear". At this point this specific treat has been discontinued by Tesco, there are, however, other Sausage Treats available by them. Despite this, it is impossible to argue that a discontinued treat is more available that we a treat distributed by a well-known brand.

Winner: Purina DeliBakie Hearts

Round Two- Goodness

As I have mentioned previously, one of the failing of the Purina DeliBakie range is their fat content, and the hearts are no different. While the range is made with wholesome ingredients, the majority of these treats are made up of Cereals, typically used as a bulking agent. While some cereals are not harmful to your dog, and some of them are even good, there is a minimum of 30% (of a total cereals of 65%) of wheat cereal, which can be difficult for dogs to digest.

In compassion, the Tesco Sausage Treat actually has a higher fat content, but is also 95% meat, with little added additives. That is a nice high level of delicious proteany goodness. I am not going to argue that your dog should be cereal free, Pixel isn't by any means, but it is clear that some cereals can be problematic to dog digestion. With the Purina DeliBakie it is not clear which cereals you are giving your dog (beyond the known inclusion of wheat).

Winner: Tesco Sausage Treat

Round Three- Taste Test

The final around is upon us, and these two brave treats stepped into the ring without fear. Each of these treats had won a round, so there was everything to play for, and nothing to lose. The treats were ready, Pixel was summoned and prepared to give the final verdict. For Pixel, there was no doubt in his mind, or hesitation in his actions. He chose the winner, and greedily devoured the Tesco Sausage Treat in a few short bites. But he was yet unsatisfied. He turned then upon the defeated treat, the Purina DeliBakie Heart was trapped. Pixel descended and gobbled up the fallen.

Two Treats enter, no treats leave.

Winner by two rounds to one: Tesco Sausage Treat

The Leader Board

1. Tesco Sausage Treat (W:1/L:0)
2. Purina DeliBakie Hearts (W:0/L:1)

Pixel vs. The Hairdryer

Today Pixel faces his greatest foe, today Pixel battles the Hairdryer.

What does it mean to be good?: Philosophy with Pixel & Poppy

Sniff! Sniff! Bark! There are many impossible questions in this world, but today we will try and answer the one most dogs are concerned with: "What does it mean to be good?"

Our humans often praise us for being "good boys" or "good girls". But what does this mean? What have we done to receive such praise? We mean, we know that Sitting on command is good, but why is it good? And how comes when we bark at our humans, telling them to sit, we are considered bad? It is enough to confuse the brightest of Collies.

It seems to us that our humans are the ultimate arbitrators of what is considered good and what is considered bad. We are reminded of the works of the famed Greek Philosopher, Plato. He writes of the metaphysical Form of "Good". All things we perceive in this world are imperfect reflections of their perfect form. We, as mere dogs, are therefore unable to see the form of Good, presumably because it is Green or Red (or somewhere in-between). Our humans, however, are capable of seeing this form of Good and instruct us on what they see so that we may be gooder dogs.

So, it does appear that we, as dogs, will never be able to see what it means to be good, nor will we ever understand the essence of goodness. We simply must trust the words of our humans, for they are great, and able to view the (Green or Red coloured) Forms, and they are benevolent beings that share the wealth of their knowledge with us.

What does it means to be good? Our humans know, and they are good. Follow their example and so too, you can be good.

I will climb every mountain: Wordless Wednesday

Pixel locks us out: The Pixel Diaries

If you cuddle your dog more, they won't lock you out

Yesterday started out like any normal Monday, I took the dog out for a walk early in the morning, before coming home to do a little bit of housework. It coming up for my time to leave, I take the dog down to the garden, bring him back up, leave him with a couple of treats and then I am off to work.

Our front door has a couple of extra bolts, one at the top, and one at the bottom. Our neighbours have warned us about using these as they are temperamental and prone to sticking, they even told us that someone needed to call the fire brigade when one of their locks stuck. It is with one of these bolts that Pixel locked us out. At some point in the day, Pixel had gone to bark at someone outside the door and knocked the bolt's handle enough to move it across and prevent us from opening the door.

When Ruthie got home after work, she unlocked the door and went to open it. It didn't budge. For a moment she cursed me for leaving the door unlocked, she must have just locked it instead. She tries again. No luck. That's when she realises something was wrong. She pushes against the door, maybe something just fell over and could be moved with a little force. Nope. The bloody mutt had somehow managed to lock us out of our home. All the while, Pixel was crying and barking at the door. He knew Ruthie was there but couldn't work out why she wasn't coming in.

Eventually, with the help of a neighbour, they were managed to jimmy open the door, and human and dog were reunited once more, and the door didn't need to be broken down.

The moral of the story? Give your dogs more cuddles or they'll lock you out of your own house.

Treat vs. Treat

Just like the Gladiators of old would fight in the arena to satisfy the crowds of Rome, so to will these treats battle for our amusement! These brave treats will step into the modern day arena, hoping that their all-mighty Emperor, Pixelus, will grace them with his favour. Two treats, no treats leave!

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I would like to introduce you all to our new series, Treat vs. Treat.

What is Treat vs. Treat I hear you ask? It is simple really, you get two treats and then you make them fight it out for our amusement! Treat vs. Treat will compare two treats across three rounds. The first round, Availability will assess which of the treats is more readily available and in addition to this will take into account the cost of the treats. In most cases the winner of the first round will be the treat that is either the most readily available, or the one that offer the best value for money. The second round, Healthiness will compare the ingredients of the treats, examining fat content and how many of the said treat your dog can have in a day. The final round is the Taste Test in which we present both treats to Pixel, the one he chooses to eat first is the winner.


I intend to do lots of Treat vs. Treat reviews (at least one a week), so I will be keeping running scores, so that we can all see how treats are doing in the rankings. Don't be surprised if treats appear in multiple battles.

As with all our reviews, your mileage may vary, and Treat vs. Treat is by no means meant to be a formal review, instead it is a light-hearted way feeding Pixel treats while looking at what they are.

So prepare yourselves for battles that will be sung of for centuries to come!

A Busy Week and a Homemade Snood: The Pixel Diaries

This week has been very busy, and as such we haven't been able to spend as much time as we would have liked with Pixel.

I had to work Monday and Tuesday, so Pixel spent most of these days asleep in the spare room. On Tuesday night we all bundled into the car for a flying visit to the west country. Unfortunately the journey wasn't as straight forward as we are used to and Pixel got a little travel sick and threw in the cup holder by the back seat.

Despite not getting in until a little before 1am, Pixel and I were up at 6am to go for a walk with Poppy. Every time Pixel and Poppy spend to time together they grow even closer, and this time was no exception. After a couple of hours together, Poppy was trying to play with Pixel but continually chickened out after Pixel got a little over-excited and started spinning on the spot. They were, however, very comfortable with sharing toys, neither growing jealous if the other picked up a toy that they had been recently playing with.

Our stay in the West Country was brief, and we all clambered back into the car for the journey back to Kent on Wednesday afternoon. Pixel, looking a little green around the gills, was unable to help himself and threw up once more. Next time we travel, we are going to talk to the Vets about Pet Travel Sickness tablets, hopefully these will make it a little easier for all of us.

Thursday, Pixel spent the day recuperating from his little adventure, as Ruthie and I both had to work again. I accidentally left our bedroom door open and came home to find my pillow pushed off of the bed, and our travel bag thoroughly rooted through.

Not looking to slow down this week, Pixel and I jumped on a bus on Friday and headed down to Ashford to spend some time with family. As we traveled down on the bus, we didn't a bed with us, so poor Pixel was subjected to having to sleep on the bed with us, which I am sure he absolutely hated.

I was working this Saturday so Pixel and Ruthie headed over to a friends for an afternoon of crafts. Ruthie knitted Pixel a rather fetching Snood to keep his neck warm, and we also discovered Pixel's love of napping in armchairs. Luck for Pixel then, that we should be getting an armchair in the next few months. I am also pretty sure that Pixel's Snood collection might be expanding again in the near future.

So we finally roll round to Sunday and all of us here and Smooth Pixelater have taken the opportunity to rest. As I type this, Pixel is happily snoozing on the front room bed wearing his nice new Snood.