Hello everyone,

Just to let you know about some special offers for cats and dogs this month (June 24) from Zooplus.  They  are an online store with everything you need for your pets, from cats and dogs to small pets - gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs - and garden birds.  

This month, they have a number of discount codes for your dogs and cats!

Here they are:

20% discount in Pedigree products
Use the code: PEDIGREE20 

25% discount in Pro Plan products (only for new customers)
Use the code PROPLAN25

20% discount in Whiskas products
Use the code WHISKAS20 

25% discount in Purina One products (only for new customers)
Use the code PURINAONE25

These codes are all valid for the month of June 2024, so head on over to Zooplus and get shopping!

Do you want a magnetic monthly planner?
Zooplus have also got a magnetic monthly planner to help you be organised! 

You can pop it on your fridge or other magnetic surface and get planning!  Walkies, visits to the vet, get together with your pet loving friends, reminders to shop for your pet...whatever you like can go on your magnetic monthly planner!   Use the coupon code PAWSNPLAN on orders £39+ until 30.06.2024 or while stock of the free gift item lasts.  Find out more here.

Have a good month !

Go 30 Days Wild this June!

Every year, the Wildlife Trusts in the UK all have an event called 30 Days Wild.

The Trusts are a network of 46 charities, all independent, and they manage nature reserves, run campaigns, and have lots of activities and events to enable people like you and me to connect with wildlife.

The Trusts go from Alderney in the Channel Islands right up to Scotland, from the South and West coast of Wales to Norfolk, and Cornwall up to Northumberland.   They do lots of amazing work, and they will be particularly busy right now preparing for the run up to the UK’s General Election, as they try to ensure politicians realise how important nature.  You can find your local Wildlife Trust here. 

The idea is that for 30 days, we all do one wild thing every day.   You can sign up for a free pack (you are asked if you want to make a donation of £5 towards it to help with costs, but this isn’t essential) and you’ll get lots of ideas of things you can do during the 30 days when you go wild.

It’s a great way to discover more about nature and the natural world, too.  I’ve just received my pack for registering (by email) and there’s a butterfly spotter, a minibeasts spotter, and a summer wildlife spotter.  I can also do a spot of mindful colouring, too.  There’s a sensory bingo, to help engage all the senses when I’m exploring nature. The booklet that comes with it explains what #30DaysWild is all about.

The 30 Days Wild are divided into parts:

1. The 1^st to 9^th June is all about discovering nature.  Celebrate World Environment Day (5^th June) or World Oceans Day (8^th June),  check out the aforementioned spotters. 
2. The 10^th to 16^th June is about moving in nature e.g. walking in woods, doing yoga in a park etc.
3. The 17^th sees the start of the phrase to help nature – you could sign an e-petition, take an action to help in your garden, spread the word, write to your MP to tell them how important nature and the natural spaces around you are to you.   It also coincides with the Restore Nature Now March in London on the 22^nd June which starts at 12pm so one option may be to go and join in.   Why not take part in some of the Trust’s campaigns, or find your local Wildlife Trust and see what they are doing and need help with?
4. The 24^th to 30^th June is about being mindful and connect to nature – do some stargazing, craft your name with leaves and branches, close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the natural world around you.

You don't need a large garden to help wildlife,
as this video from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust shows.

You could also join in on Facebook – there’s a 30 Days Wild group – or Instagram, and there’s a chart you can download and pin up which is full of ideas of things to do which follow these four phrases.

And you could share your activities on social media to encourage others to have a go and feel the benefits of connecting with our natural world.

Making social media connections...

#30DaysWild  @30DaysWild (Facebook and X), or The Wildlife Trusts (@thewildlifetrusts) • Instagram photos and videos

Visit the Wildlife Trusts here.

Sign up for 30 Days Wild here.


PS If you miss the start date, no matter - just count 30 days from the day you do start!

International Dawn Chorus Day is on Sunday, the 5th May 2024 

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and lay in bed listening to the birds as they sang outside the bedroom window and thought how wonderful it must be to have such a glorious chorus every day to be so happy! 

Listening to birdsong is a great way to start the day!

In fact, I’ve been waking up a lot recently at about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, and I find I just love lying in bed, listening to the birdsong.  It’s such a lovely start to the day!   OK, sometimes I do drift off back to sleep, but the birdsong is both soothing and motivating at the same time – I let my mood take me where it feels.  It’s a wonderful way to empty your head of everything and just listen to our feathered friends.  I find it very therapeutic.

Sunday, the 5th May is International Dawn Chorus Day

Anyway, the first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day.  Would you believe that the event started out in the 1980s in Birmingham and now, people in over 80 countries take part!

It’s a worldwide celebration of the dawn chorus and people all over the world will be waking up in time to put the kettle on and just listen to our beautiful birds, whilst sipping a cup of tea, or perhaps they’ll just lie in bed and listen.

You can listen to the life outside chatting away, and singing a song, and ask yourself, What is it that makes birds so cheerful at this time of the morning??   And who am I listening to?

The Wildlife Trusts's website has help on identifying bird song (such as the blackbird and robin, the chiffchaff and the blue tit), and you can actually listen to a number of birds so that you know what to listen out for if you want to pick up the sound of a particular species. 

The Wildlife Trusts have events taking place in many different areas.  There are 46 Trusts in the UK, and you can find your local Trust here.

The RSPB also has a number of events - take a look at them here.

Take part – just listen to birdsong!

All you have to do to take part is listen!  Who might you hear? The song thrush, the blackbird, or robin or blackcap or chiffchaff?  You could record some of the song on your phone and then play it back to see if you can recognise any of the sounds, using the Trust's website to help you.  If you're listening outside, don't forget that it can still be chilly in May in the early mornings so a coat and a hot brew could be handy...

Fly off here to the Wildlife Trusts’ website to hear some great birdsong!

By the way, if you want to try your hand at birdwatching through binoculars to see who you can spot and what they're doing, the RSPB has a guide to buying binoculars which hopefully will help you if you're just starting out.   

Also, did you know that there are some wonderful videos you can listen to on You Tube for bird song?   I personally found this one very relaxing (I didn't listen to all of it because I nodded off, but it was very enjoyable to listen to and a nice change from the radio or TV). 

Did you see the Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5 tonight (the 30th April 2024)?  

On the programme, there were some amazing dogs giving blood - so I thought it would be helpful if I put up a quick blog about the Pet Blood Bank with a link.

The dogs giving blood can really save the lives of dogs in need, just as people can with the human blood bank.   You can find out more here - the Pet Blood Bank has lots of information on its site for dog owners and they are working on a pet blood service for cats. 

This is Yogi the blood donor.  He's a Doberman, and so far this very special dog has saved the lives of up to 60 dogs by giving blood.  Pet Blorod Bank say that every unit of blood can save up to 4 lives. 

The criteria for whether your dog can give blood is here.

A huge thank you to the vets and the programme for raising awareness of the chance pet owners have got to take their pets to give blood, if they can.  And to the dogs for being so brave and their owners for volunteering their dogs. 

Visit the Pet Blood Bank here.

 
Those lovely folk at Pooch & Mutt have a range of treats for your woof, whether you want to show them even more love than usual, or help their dental health or calm a nervy dog.  

They've got natural meals, treats and supplements to give dogs the optimal ingredients they need to boost their mood and behaviour "paw in paw", as they say,  with their physical health.

Although Easter is over, Pooch and Mutt have Easter meaty treats for your canine member of the family! 

Take a look at their Easter probiotic meaty treats!
Why not create a meaty trail for your dog to hunt out?
If it's a rainy day, you could do this indoors.
Find out more here.

Give your pooch a tasty spring fling, with Pooch & Mutt’s Easter Meaty Treats! With ingredients of Lamb, Chicken and Spring Greens to get them feeling good, it’ll be a romance to remember - aaaaahhh!   Dig out more here.

Spring Is Here!  And there's a great offer from Pooch and Mutt for you: 

Put A Spring Into Your Dog’s Step, With Pooch & Mutt’s 20% Off!   Use the code SPRING to get 20% off site wide until 8th April 2024.  

Spring into action here to get your 20% off!

Don't forget that Pooch & Mutt have also got some delicious dental treats, too...

These are Superfood Dental Sticks for Dogs for £3.99
made with natural functional ingredients. 
A convenient way to clean your dog's teeth!

They have calming probiotic meaty treats, suitable for ages 12 weeks plus.
They are grain-free, Turkey & Hemp moist Meaty Treats
designed with nervous dogs in mind.  £3.99.

And there are Skin & Coat Probiotic Meaty Treats, 
with Shrimp & Coconut for £3.99.  
Pooch & Mutt say they are just the thing for dogs 
who are prone to dry and itchy skin or
who may need some help developing a glossy coat. 

Head off to Pooch  Mutt - they've got lots of lovely goodies for your dog (and cat) which will get tails wagging and cats purring! 

1^st April to 1^st May is #NationalPetMonth.

It celebrates pet ownership and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership.

It also encourages everyone to raise funds for those animal charities working so hard to help pets – and they’ve really, really need our help at the moment.  Many charities are just absolutely inundated with pets, many of whom were got during lockdown with little thought into training and the time and care pets need. 

Pets have many benefits.   So National Pet Month wants to hear about fundraisers and events supporting the UK’s many pet welfare organisations and charities. 

These fundraisers and events can be individual efforts or larger events, and they can be virtual or in person.

Animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups, pet lovers and pet owners can all get involved and celebrate our wonderful pets, and they can also raise awareness using the resources National Pet Month has on its website!

Find out all about it from National Pet Month

 National Pet Month on Facebook

and on Twitter 

#NPM24

And if you're a dog lover, you could take a look at God made a Dog - a video on You Tube which personally I found very moving!

Would you like to….spend a night in a cage to raise funds for moon and sun bears who’ve been or could be rescued from a life in a cage?

Free the Bears is an amazing charity based in Australia.  And they rescue bears who have been trapped in cages on bear bile farms in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and take them to bear sanctuaries to have the very best bear care for the rest of their lives.  They get veterinary treatment, good food, water, enrichment activities and all the bear necessities a bear could need.

So there are a number of ways you can help out and help Free the Bears care for the bears in their care and continue to rescue bears still trapped in captivity, and enduring painful bile extractions.  They live a life of exceedingly restricted movement, often only having room to sway from one side of the cage to another, minimal water, very little food and no veterinary care.

This costs money, of course, and during lockdown, fundraising activities ground to an abrupt halt.  However the Founder of Free the Bears, an incredible woman called Dr Mary Hutton, was not to be defeated.  Despite being in her 80s herself, she decided to spend a night in a cage to raise funds for the bears, the idea being that it would give people an insight into what it might be like for a bear to spend his or her whole life in a cage.  Mary has now retired, but she is still taking part in Night in a Cage in 2024.  

Help Free the Bears undertake rescues like this, 
and then to care for the bears after the rescue in their sanctuaries.

A Night in a Cage has been running since 2020 and in 2024, it is taking place on the 13^th April or if you want to set up your own "cage", you can during May as well!

You can get involved by:

1. Spending a night in a cage yourself as a fundraiser for Free the Bears!  You can create your cage from anything – a cardboard box, a tent, a shed in the garden…  You could form a team with bear loving friends and spend a night in a cage on the same night, encouraging each other on!
2. Sponsoring Dr Mary Hutton as this amazing woman (in her 80s) spends a night in a cage or sponsoring one of the teams – there is a UK team (take a look at the list of teams on the Night in a Cage page)
3. Sharing information about the fundraiser to encourage other people to sponsor you or others
4. Simply make a donation to Free the Bears – honestly, every single bit helps the bears
5. Share what you’re doing on social media to raise awareness of the incredible work Free the Bears is doing to help moon and sun bears

Visit Free the Bears' Night in a Cage page 

Visit Free the Bears' website

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,
this is the bingo game to end all bingo games.

From the 25th July to 1st September 2024, London Zoo have Poo at the Zoo,
a discovery into the fascinating world of animal waste!

At London Zoo this summer, you can become poo-ologists for the day and visit the unique 'pooseum' - you can find out all the vital insights that can be gleaned from a number two!  Challenge the whole family to poo-inspired giant games on the laws or there's live storytelling sessions on selected dates over the summer.  Head to London Zoo for more information. 

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