On the outskirts of Stafford at the Staffordshire County Showground, there's the National Shire Horse Society Show!  This runs on the  7th, 8th and 9th March at Staffordshire County Showground and if you love huge horses – or simply horses – this is the show for you!

The Shire Horse Society is dedicated "to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire Horse".  And the National show gives us a great chance to get an insight into the most wonderful of horses, the Shire.  

The National Show has lots of things going on, including...

• National Championships  
• Trade stands
• In-hand Classes
• Turnout Classes
• Ridden Shire Horse Classes
• Farriery Display
• Grand Parade 
• VIP Dining
• Evening Entertainment (Saturday)

This will be a wonderful chance to see some incredible horses! 

Find out all about the Show and book your tickets here.  And you can visit the Society's Facebook page here.

Well, I've just read a book called Twenty Wagging Tails, which actually a family friend passed on to me, knowing that I'd love it.

Twenty Wagging Tails:  One Year of Re-homing Orphan Dogs is by Barrie Hawkins, and I just absolutely loved it from start to finish.

The book was published in May 2009, and it is so very readable!   It's about a couple, Barrie and Dorothy, who decide to rescue large dogs, most notably German Shepherds.  The book takes us through the ups and downs of their first year, in which they take in 20 dogs and find homes for them.  I should say that the last three dogs arrive in the last chapter.   We meet various human characters who are beautifully interwoven into the story, such as vet Melissa, policeman Charlie and Cecelia, a friend two keeps pushing dogs their way and who is a bit nervous of that most fabulous breed, the German Shepherd.  And of course, there are the dogs themselves from Monty to Sabrina, Friend, Claude, “beautiful, white gentle Pearl” and Jess.   A wonderful year’s work, I’d say!

I just can't put this book down when I start to read it, however much I've read it, if you know what I mean.  It’s one of those books where you just want to keep turning each page to find out what happens next, and then, when you’ve reached the last one, you want to go back to the beginning and start again!

As someone who’s been involved in rescue – and German Shepherds particularly – I recognised so many of the things that happen, from people turning up early to collect dogs or late, or not at all, to promises made to send cheques to cover food and vet’s bills for dogs they’ve dropped off – said cheques never appear.  And of course that most wonderful bond which brings German Shepherd owners together in awe of and love for the breed.

The book encapsulates all the hights and lows of rescue;  the disbelief that fellow humans can treat dogs in thew ay they do;  they joy at the kindness shown, such as when one lady brings a Christmas tree as a gift – totally unexpectedly – and then meets and falls in love with Thor, a dog who has very little time left.  Needless to say, Thor and the lady fall in love.  The book has humour, gentleness, love – and yet it also deals with more awful ends of rescue which leaves those of us involved in rescue feeling so very angry and a few other feelings I can’t possibly type here.  And the love Barrie and Dorothy have for each other truly comes out throughout the book.   They take such care to find the right home for each dog.

So if you get a chance, have a read of it.  The stories of the dogs finding homes are wonderful – of course we all have our particular memories of  dogs who have made it into our hearts in rescue.   I did shed a tear when Monty went off to his new home.  And Friend.  And Claude.  And Pearl.  There many, many wonderful people involved in rescue all doing their bit for dogs and many, many wonderful owners who take them on and give them a new life and an opportunity to have a chance.  Bless them all.  And thank you all.

 You can buy this book from the publisher, Sommersdale, or on Amazon   You can get it on Kindle :-) 

If you want to know what animal a poo belongs to, you could take a look at this video from the Wildlife Trusts.  

There are 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK, from Scotland to Alderney and North Wales to Norfolk, Cornwall to Cumbria.  They are all working hard to bring wildlife back, and to empower people to take action for nature.   You can find your nearest Wildlife Trust here. 

The Trust explains that signs animals are in an area can be a good start to discovering who has been visiting. 

Ecologistsi rely on animal signs - they help them understand the behaviour of many animals, and gives them an idea of the numbers in an area.   It all helps to build up a picture of what animals are where.

There's more information about animal poo here.

Animal poo can be fascinating stuff, and give you an idea of what animals are going through your garden or which ones lives in a wood.  

And did you know that animal poo can be made into products to be made as gifts? 

Elephant poo is an example.  The online Paper High has stationery which has been handcrafted from both elephant dung and recycled paper, so producing photo albums, notebooks, greeting cards and memo pads, all excellent examples of recycling! 

The products are handmade, so the colours and designs may vary, but what a lovely idea, to recycle elephant poo and paper! 

There are Colourful Elephant Dung Photo Albums for £12.95 each.



There are colourful Memo Blocks for £9.95 each.

There's an elephant dung writing set too for £9.95.
Just choose the colour you'd like.
It comes with a natural tea wood pencil too:

Made by skilled artisans, the elephant dung comes from the Maximus Elephant Conservation Trust in Sri Lanka!  Their workshops is located in the grounds of the Millennium Elephant Foundation;  the charity cares for sick, elderly and disaled elephants. 

The elephant poo is collected and boiled so that it's sterilised (you'll be glad to hear!) and then it's made into paper. 

The pieces of paper all differ, depending on the diet of the individual elephant.  

An initiative like this just shows how positive a local economy can be for elephants and a charity, and it also helps improve the relationship between the elephants and  local people as the elephants (or what comes out of them) is helping locals in their work. 

These are all available from Paper High.

If you're looking for bird food and everythning for your garden birds and wildlife on a budget, take a look at Garden Wildlife Direct

With everything from fat balls, seed mixes, sunflower hearts, peanuts, bird baths, bird houses, wildlife houses, wildlife feed, half coconuts, feeding stations, next boxes, chicken food, hedgehog houses, you should find lots to choose from to help our feathered friends through the winter or even the next few weeks.

Garden Wildlife Direct have great offers very often, so it's worth keeping an eye on their site to see what they've got.  Make your money go further and help wildlife at the same time.  Find out all about today's offers here.

Amongst other things, they've got these great High Energy Autumn and Winter Seed Mix, pictured below, just the thing to help your garden birds through the colder brrrrrr months of autumn and winter, as they have protein-rich and oil-rich ingredients.   You can buy them in different sizes of bag, too, from 2kg to 25.1kg.  Prices start at £7.99.   

This is the High Energy Autumn and Winter Mix
from £7.99.

 
How about this Sunflower Heart Value Seed Mix?
From 2kg bags for £5.99 up to 25.1kg for £34.99
It's a combination of sunflower heart kernels and black sunflower seeds,
so it gives a very nutritious seed variety to have.

 Flap your wings and fly off to Garden Wildlife Direct here.

*OFFER DETAILS: Does not include Borderstone products, gift cards and the already discounted Sunflower Hearts (sizes 12.55kg and above).  If your discount isn’t available when you apply the code, please contact Garden Wildlife Direct prior to placing your order. Orders submitted without an offer code cannot be amended retrospectively. View our full terms and conditions here.

Orders over £25 qualify for FREE standard delivery. Delivery charges apply to orders under £25 or 'out of areas' postcodes. Full delivery details here

I was on the RSPB's website this morning and they have some very helpful information about wildlife detecting and identifying tracks and signs.   You can become a nature detective, and work out who is living in your area!

The RSPB has an activity for you whether you're in school or as a family, with an activity sheet for you to download.

And they tell you how to make an animal tracker, so that you can see who's been out and about at night.  You can make a cast of the animal prints you find in your garden, and the RSPB tell you what footprints look like for animals such as the fox and hedgehog. 

Whose been visiting your garden?  Find out if it was the shrew!
Image ©RSPB

They've got lots of activities for you to help nature and wildlife, by the way, such as creating nature highways and byways, digging a ditch for garden biodiversity, how to grow sunflowers, how to make a bird bath and make a hedgehog cafe.   Find out more here.

Head to the RSPB's here.

The Mammal Society also has pictures of poo, so that you can work out whoose poo is whoose.   Visit their website here and take a look. 

 
The Nature Tracker's Handbook is available from the RSPB's Shop.
It has extensive photography and detailed diagrams to 
help you find and interpret the evidence the animals leavel in their wake.
£14.99 from the RSPB Shop.

You can get the Poo Bingo for Kids
from Hive.co.uk for £16.49
Featuring 24 animals and their uniquely shaped poos!

PS Please don't forget to put water out for wildlife - they need water, just as we do.    We need to look after them.

For dog owners, Earth Rated Dog Poo Bags, Guaranteed Leak Proof and Extra Thick Waste Bag Refill Rolls For Dogs, Lavender Scented, 270 Count, are available from Amazon

Looking for something fun to do to get away from the Christmas rush?

Take a look at the Wildlife Trusts!   Their 12 Days Wild starts on the 25^th December – yes, Christmas Day – getting out for a walk could be a start, or gazing at the clouds or stars in the sky could be something else to do if it’s pouring with rain. 

12 Day Wild is a festive nature challenge and the idea is that from the 25^th December through to the 5^th January, you do one wild thing every day.  

You could recycle your Christmas tree, go for a walk, feed your garden birds, stargaze, cloud gaze, or draw a picture of something to do with nature.   This could be a great way to get everyone off their screens and to do an activity for nature or with nature together!

The Wildlife Trusts have lots of resources – including the 12 Days Wild digital pack – and they are all available in Welsh!

Maybe one of the things you could do is to come up with a plan of how you can help nature in your garden or local area this year? 

Find out more and sign up for free here.

Have you heard of Lily's Kitchen?

They create yummy, wholesome food for both cats and dogs - they believe our cherished family members deserve to eat proper food full of nourishing ingredients.  They're on a mission to give pets a diet full of goodness, whilst treading lightly on the planet at the same time! 

For dogs , they've got dry dog food, wet dog food, dental chews, treats, selection boxes and more.   They've got diets for dogs with sensitive tummies, and sensitive skin, and special diets that are grain free, hypoallergenic, organic and vegetarian.  You can order for puppies, adults and seniors.  They've got recepies in beef, chicken, salmon, goose, herring, lamb, pheasant and pork so you've got lots of choice!

You can buy these Bedtime Biscuits on their own for £3.50
They have a bit of chamomile in them, known for its soothing properties!

There's a Limited Edition Advent Calendar for Dogs!
Your lovely dog can enjoy a treat in the lead up to Christmas!  
It's got turkey bites, chicken bites and chicken with beef bites...
Yummy!  

Oy!  What about us?!!

Yes, there's an Advent Calendar for Cats, too!
Check it out here

And for our feline members of the family, there's wet food, dry food, treats (of course!), selection boxes and you can choose from special diets such as grain free and organic and hypoallergenic.  You can also choose for kittens (under 1), adults (1 to 6) and seniors (7 plus).  Recipies include beef, chicken, salmon, cod, trout, prawn, turkey, pork, lamb and duck.  Miaow!! 

Lily's Kitchen have also got helpful tips on caring for your dog and caring for your cat.   

And did you know that Lily's Kitchen is giving £10,000 to each of their charity partners during the festive period, namely the  Dogs Trust (Charity Numbers 1167663 & SC053144) and L.I.C.K. (Charity number: 1181426)!   

Introducing Lily's Kitchen's subscription service!  

It’s an easy way for you to get regular top ups of your pet’s food!  And it means you spend less time shopping online – you set up your subscription and Lily’s Kitchen take care of the rest.  (You can update, pause or cancel easily, too.)  The Subscription Service gives you 5% off – and free delivery – on all future series.  Lily’s Kitchen will make sure you get any promotion live on the site when you order.  There’s more information on that with the FAQs on Lily’s Kitchen website.

So how do you get set up for Lily's Kitchen and their subscription service?

1. Shop online – browse and shop
2. Add what you want to the basket and choose ‘Order Every’ with how often you want an order e.g. every 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 or 9 weeks
3. Checkout

 Subscribe to Lily's Kitchen here.

Head over to Lily's Kitchen to find out more!

Those lovely folk at Pooch & Mutt have created an range of natural meals treats and supplements that both does good and tastes good giving dogs the ingredients they need to boost their mood and behaviour and their  physical health.

They create an enhanced range of natural meals treats and supplements that does good and tastes good, to give the UK's dogs the optimal ingredients needed to boost their mood and behaviour paw in paw with their physical health.

They’ve got lots of treats for dogs and cats, and also – very handy – they’ve got dental treat.   They’ve got functional ranges – calming, digestion, weight-loss, skin and coat, dental and joint care, and they have products which are suitable for different dietary needs such as hypoallergenic, low fat, grain-free, fish based, probiotics and gluten-free.   Not only that, they’ve dry food, wet food, supplements, dental sticks, long-lasting chews, a small dog range and Christmas gifts!  Their Christmas gifts for dogs include advent calendars, Christmas boxes, and cheese fondue meaty treats – yummy!!

There's a Dental Stick Advent Calendar 

 or how about....

There's Christmas Cheese Fondue Meaty Treats for £3.99 (one off purchase).

By the way, did you know that Pooch & Mutt support Woodgreen?  They donate bags of their dry food every month to feed the dogs in their care - along with lots of meaty treats to help with training and rewards!  And when people adopt a pet from Woodgreen, they receive a rehoming pack with helpful info;  Pooch & Mutt will also be supplying a taster bag of dry food with every dog rehoming pack - and also discounts for life on their nutritious range!  Pooch & Mutt customers can add a donation to their orders or through their Pooch Rewards! 

Go on - treat the ones you love so much, with Pooch & Mutt!

Take part in the Wildlife Quiz Poo with the London Wildlife Trust

Wildlife can be hard to spot, especially if they just come out at night, so droppings are a good way to find out who'se been visiting your garden at night, or your neighbourhood.   Can you guess with this quiz whose poo belongs to who?   

Give it a go!   Take the wildlife poo quiz here

And take actions to help nature, such as recycling your Christmas tree or feeding the birds - or just look out of the window and watch the stars!    Find out more about it here.

Image of the fox copyright London Wildlife Trust