Take a look at Green People's new Pet Shampoo!

Green People produce organic beauty products for all the family - women, men, kids and babies.   And now, I'm delighted to say, they have produced something for the most important member of the family - your dog!

I adore Green People's products.  I've been using their moisturiser, cleanser and sun protection lotion for a few years now, and I love the way they make my skin feel.  They last, too.  I'm not one of those people who spend ages getting ready for the day and I have to say it takes a lot to get me interested in any sort of beauty stuff, but I'm a big fan of Green People.

One of the reasons is that they work with a number of charities - in the past they have worked with BornFree, the Marine Conservation Society, the Woodland Trust and Plantlife.  

The company is based in West Sussex, not far from us, so that's another reason for my loving them.  

Now they have two allPaws pet shampoo products, one for younger dogs and one for older dogs and those with sensitive skin.

Green People say they are safe and gentle, good value for money (because they last) and if you wash your dog outside, the product won't damage the environment.  The tubes are easy to squeeze (handy if you have to chase your dog round the garden to wash him or her) and they won't cause skin irritation.

Take a look anyway and see what you think!  

The PDSA is a charity that cares for sick and injured pets whose owners cannot afford vet care. 

Now before I go any further, I must stress that you have to be eligible and if you’re looking for free vet care, take a look at whether you qualify for it here.

(You could take a look at the Blue Cross as well, as they do some free vet care too, subject to certain criteria you must meet.)

©PDSA

Anyway, back to the PDSA.  They are a remarkable charity aiming to do 3 things

• Educate owners
• Preventing disease
• Carrying out life-saving operations

They are a charity and are dependent on donations etc but there are many ways you can support them, from volunteering (this may need to be something you do down the line when the coronavirus lockdown is over), donating, fundraising, spreading the word etc.  Visit their website here to fetch ideas as to how you can help

One of the things they have is a special corner for young people.   It’s called Pet Protectors HQ and young people can find out all about taking care of pets, discover more about the PDSA and also find out how to get into a career in veterinary care, whether you want to become a vet or a vet nurse!

 ©PDSA

Pet Protectors is a membership club for young people – but actually it’s full of useful information about pet care for anyone of any age.                               

Lockdown could be a good time to look at how you are looking after your pet and whether there’s anything you should be doing differently to help improve their welfare. 

©PDSA

And there are some wonderful photos of pets, such as cute puppies, kittens, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, rats, and goldfish.

Baker Ross have up to 34% off their  creative animal world collection so that you can keep the kids entertained with a range of farm animals, jungle animals, sealife and more!

Baker Ross cover all sorts of animals – sloths, llamas, rats, pigs, hedgehogs, farm animals, blue tits, koalas, chickens, snakes, woodland animals, dogs, bats and mice! 

This offer ends on 10th May 2020, so take a look at their amazing animal craft collection today!

Bored at home?  

The lovely folk at the World Land Trust have created some word-searches and crosswords for us all to do – and what’s more, they’ve even provided links to the answers as well!

Go to tease your brain here

They have just announced that their fundraiser to save 642 acres of land in Columbia has been successful and that the land has been saved!  They hit their target of £295,000 in just a few weeks which is all the more remarkable because of what was happening in the world – the coronavirus began to make its impact felt shortly after the fundraiser was announced.   Anyway, it’s a great way to get involved in conservation and to donate to something where you really can make a difference.

Thanks to the World Land Trust’s supporters, Fundacion Biodiversa Colombie (FBC) will be able to protect more of the amazing network of habitats in Barbacoas, middle-Magdalena Valley, home to many of Columbia’s most threatened species.  The Lowland Tapir, Brown Spider Monkey,  and West Indian Manatee all call this home, along with many bird species.

Take a look at the news from the World Land Trust here.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has an Osprey Webcam so take a few minutes and enjoy the sight of ospreys at the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre in Highland Perthshire. 

Fly off to the Scottish Wildlife Trust's You Tube page

They have other webcams as well - you can see what's happening in the natural world in Scotland!  Lose yourself in nature! 

They also have lots of information about how you can encourage wildlife to your garden.  Give them a home, and they will come!  We’ve done that in ours and there’s nothing I love more than listening to and watch the results.  It’s like having our own nature show!  It’s only a small garden but hey, even a patch makes a difference to wildlife. 

Visit the Scottish Wildlife Trust's website here - its wonderful!   There are lots of ways you can get involved and help, too.   Find out more here

Have you been watching Secret Life at The Zoo?  It's on our screens on Thursdays on Channel 4 at 8pm.  The enthusiasm and love the keepers show for their animals never ceases to amaze me, and there's good news from them from the animals at Chester Zoo!

A rare Asian elephant was born. 

The female calf was born to 15 year old mum Sundara Hi Way, after a 22 month gestation.

And the birth was caught on CCTV cameras!  The rest of the family herd welcomed the new born, including 1 year old half brother Anjan and 3 year old sister Indali.

Asian elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Sadly the species is threatened by habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict - like so many animals.   A deadly herpes virus threatens them as well.  

Chester Zoo is working hard to help elephants in the wild, focusing on human-wildlife conflict in Assam, India.   The zoos' conservationists are working to prevent the deaths of elephants and to help find ways in which elephants and people can live side by side.

And they are also working to search for a viable vaccine to help rid elephants of EEHV.  Progress is being made - and hopefully one day this threat will be dealt with. 

Plan your visit to Chester Zoo here - you'll find all the information you need!

The 27th February every year is International Polar Bears Day!

It's a chance to raise awareness of the status of the majestic polar bear;  a chance for us to find out more about these beautiful animals and the charity dedicated to them and their conservation. 

That charity is Polar Bears International, and they have a team of scientists working hard to preserve this incredible species.   Polar bears are well suited to living in the Arctic - you can see why on the video below:

One of the things they do is to track polar bears - and you can track the bears too and find out where 11 of those being tracked are.  The tracking is delayed to protect the polar bears.  

There are a number of things you can do to help polar bears - exploring Polar Bears International website is a good place to start! 

Why not adopt a polar bear (you can do an eco adoption for $25)

Virgin Experience Days has some great expereinces in their Animal Experience listings!  These include a number of Falconry Experiences and a lot of them have special offers on them!

This is a great chance for you to get active with animals and try your hand at owl handling, go for a hawk walk or handle eagles. 

Falconry Taster

Take a Hawk Walk for Two

Introduction to Owl Handling for Two
Hold and fly a selection of owls in Kent
Was £178, now £78

Fly away to see the Falconry Experiences
available through Virgin Experience Days

Did you ever do a first aid course on people?   Well, now you can do a Pet First Aid Course with the PDSA.

The PDSA is the UK’s leading vet charity.  It’s got a network of 48 pet hospitals, and it provides treatment for millions of poorly pets who are sick and injured and who belong to people in need – there are criteria you need to meet to have your pet seen to by the PDSA.

The PDSA also promotes responsible pet ownership.   And one of the things they are doing is running Pet First Aid Courses!  

Pet First Aid Course

The main focus of the training is to help you identify when something isn’t right with a pet and then how you can act accordingly in an emergency situation before you get to a vet.  The course also looks at how you can prevent  some emergencies happening in the first place. 

• Recognising normal for your pet
• Heatstroke
• Bandaging
• Bloat
• Poisoning
• Seizures
• Choking
• Resuscitation
• Being prepared

These take place around the country and you can find a list of pet first aid courses here.   They are delivered by the PDSA’s Community and Education Nurses, using some theory work, group discussion, case studies, video examples and practical exercises.  You can test your knowledge afterwards by completing an online quiz – you’ve got 7 days and 3 goes to pass the quiz and then a course certificate will be emailed to you.

Find a Course Near You

The course is free but not surprisingly it’s very popular so the PDSA have introduced a £5 admin fee for booking. 

Please note - due to the increase in demand for their Pet First Aid courses, the PDSA have had to introduce an administration / booking fee of £5.00 per person (that’s non-refundable & non- transferable) (Including VAT)

You can also sign up online for their Free Pet First Aid Guide

Why not take out Pet Insurance with the PDSA and help support them that way?  It’s one way they raise funds to continue providing free vet care to the UK’s most needed pets and to promote responsible pet ownership.  Find out more here