Destinations in Crete: Richtis Gorge

 Hello furiends! 

Excuse me for the silence on the blog but the hooman writers where occupied with life responsibilities.Don't worry, even if they did not had much free time, I am still the queen of the house! They also took me on a pawtastic roadtrip in East Crete. Let me show you where we went for a hike:

Our adventure started with a long drive from our home to Richtis Gorge. If you come from the middle of the island towards the East you will meet Richtis and afterwards the city of Sita.

There is a parking spot on the mainroad (right next to the highway, it has big plates with info about Richtis) but if you have a 4x4 car you can follow the path to the entrance of the gorge. You will recognize the entrance by an old stone bridge and parking spots for busses. If you go off season you will find spots to park near the entrance. If you go in the middle of the summer you might have to stop next to the highway and start your hike from there. 

Richtis gorge is know for it's magnificent waterfall and pleasant walk in the forest. We went in the middle of May when the temperature wasn't too hot for my royal paws and the amount of tourists was handleably. In high season you might stumble upon groups of tourists which makes it a bit less comfortable to hike as some parts of the path are really narrow. 

Now on to the good part! The gorge is about 10 km in total so it takes the average hiker around 2 hours to complete. Now if you love to dive under the waterfall count some extra time to swim in the crystal clear waters and have a snack stop (You can never have enough snacks!!). 

The hike difficulty was easy peasy lemon squeezy for me but ofcourse since I am a dog maybe my opinion doesn't count. If I ask the hoomans they would say "you need to be in a good condition and able to climb some stairs/bridges. There are slippery stones so good shoe wear such as hiking boots are recommended". 

My favorite part: THE WATERFALL! Honestly it isn't the biggest I've ever seen in my life but still it was pretty decent and a unique piece of natural beauty. Be aware that the water is ice cold but oh so refreshing after the long hike! You can even make a little swim. The closer you go to the waterfall the deeper the water is so be careful if you are a cute doggo like me or a small child. 

To conclude: Richtis gorge is an absolutely must if you are in the East side of Crete. The hike is dog friendly (a fit dog can easily follow the trail and there are lots of shady parts). One thing to keep in mind that this hike might give you muddy paws/shoes so make sure to bring a clean pair to enter the car. 

Destinations in Crete: How to book a hotel with your dog?

Hi furiends! It's me Luna again. Long time no see here on the blog side. I hope you're all doing great!! 

Today I want to bark a little bit about hotel howlidays wif the humans. 

In Crete tourism is big business, in 2022 the inbound arrivals were roughly 4.7 million. 

As tourist come in all kinds of styles unfortunately not everyone is happy to see my cute furry paws walking in their hotel. 

If you want to go on holidays in Crete and take your pawrents, I have the following tips for you:

1. Check apps (my personal favorite is booking.com) with petfilter to see which hotels are available and petfriendly.
2. Sent the accomodation a request and ask if they have a calm room with outdoor space/balcony and clarify that your experienced with traveling so the dog is trained in sleeping calmly and not destroying the room
3. Upon arrival in the accomodation clarify what are the rules. Does the owner accept letting a dog alone in the room? Can breakfast be served in the room? Can you exit the hotel early in the morning to let the dog out?
4. If you are not feeling 100% confident call before arrival so there are no surprises. Sometimes smaller hotels also advertise to be not petfriendly but make an exception if you show up with a well behaved dog. We had this experience once in Kalamaki in South Crete and because we had such a nice time we return yearly! 
5. Put on a note on the door "Do not knock dog in the room + telephone so they can call you if needed." In Greek this would be something like: "σκυλί στο δωμάτιο, παρακαλώ μην χτυπήσετε την πόρτα." The receptionist can write the Greek version 😉
6. Take your own dog blanket and bowls as most basic hotels do not have this as a service. Petfood can be found in every minimarket/supermarket. Ofcourse it's the best to take the food your dog is used eating at home. In big cities such as Heraklion, Chania, Agios Nikolaos, Rethymnon you can find petshops with "high end" dry food brands such as Acana, Purina, Orijen, etc..
7. Enjoy the moment! If you don't like to be petted by strangers let your human advocate for you as Greeks tend to pet every single dog without asking haha 😆

Luna in Spili Rethymnon

The impawtence of chewing!

 Helloooo furiends, It's me Luna again. 🐶 New year means new blog posts!

Hope you are all keeping up those wonderful new years resolutions. Mine are simple.. more treatos, more naps and more tennis balls! 

For New years I got a lovely present, a new chewstick. Did you know that besides of annoying the humans with loud smacking noises it also has several other benefits??

• Most impawtently it relieves stress and anxiety. Because I don't like to be left alone at home but sometimes the humans don't have any other choice. In that case once they return home my chewing stick gives me the opportunity to chew the stress off (of course you can also shake it off like Taylor swift used to sing 😁)
• They say it reduces plaque build up, to be quite honest I still have a little plaque build up but ok maybe it would be worse without chewing. 
• Burns excess energy: Well this one is quite impawtent too, as a working doggo I need to have something to do. Cannot sit still all day alrighty!
• It shows we feel good, if we stop chewing maybe their is something wrong with our teefies our general health. 
• Jaw training, because you never know when you need to bite a burglar in his leg 😈

So now you have read the most impawtent benefits it's time to send the hoomans to the petshop! 

In case you are wondering what I am chewing, it's the Kong Chewstix (NO spon!)

Luna chewing her large Kong chewstix

Ps. Thanks for visiting my little dog blog, feel free to follow me on insta or leave your feedback at lunathecretanbordercollie@gmail.com

Happy howlidays! 🎄⛄❄️🦌

 Hi furiends, it's me Luna again! 🐾

I just want to stop by to wish you all pawtastic howlidays! 

Enjoy your time with family & furiends! And I hope santapaws is passing by with lots of gifts. 🎁 

Also I want to send a virtual hug to everyone who is missing a loved one or is feeling lonely ❤️ 

Dogsport in summer, is it possible at all?

Hi furiends, it's me Luna again!🐾 After a little social media break (the humanager was not available due to family visits and work) I am back on social media and on my blog! I hope you're all doing great and having a pawsome Summer. 

Today I would like to bark about a topic that is very essential here in the mediterranean and also in other area's during summer: 

Sporting in Summer!

Just like the humans we can overheat also if we go sport in the middle of the day when the sun is shinning and the outside temperature is very hot but with the correct modification or adaptation all sports can be done. It also strongly depends on the condition of the athlete whether it is possible at all. 

Here are some top sports for summer:

1. Watersports: Kayak, canoe, SUP, dock-diving
2. cani-hiking, you can use the same gear set up as with canicross but you adapt the tempo and distance 
3. the most obvious is swimming ofcourse! whether it is in a river, lake or sea bring a squeaky fetch toy for extra fun. 
4. Scent work, it's one of the newer sports but it requires a lot of focus from your dog so it will definitely make they feel fulfilled.
5. agility/obedience in indoor arena, some dogclubs have airconditioned indoor arena's. If you're a lucky member of one of this clubs you can keep training at an high level even in the hottest august days!

Now that we have seen some good sport ideas for summer we can dive deeper into how to sport and what is the best preparation:

- To begin with the best is to start building your dog's condition before the summer months arrive, the better the condition of the animal the easier it is to cope with summer sporting. Keep in mind that certain breeds such as huskies, pugs, bulldogs, samoyeds, Bernese mountain dogs, etc.. are recommended to avoid intensive activities in summer at all costs.

- If it's your first time you start sporting with your dog or if it's a while ago you have paid a visit to the vet it's highly recommended to do a routine check up and mention you are planning to start sporting. Sometimes the vet gives some extra attention to certain areas that might be extra important if you want to sport with your dog. 

- Learn to observe your dog, how quickly does my dog heat up? How long does it take to cool down and get a normal heartbeat again? Is recovery going good or has the dog problems with walking the next day? etc.. One good way to feel the temperature of your dog is inside the ears, if your dog doesn't accept this you could check the temperature at their chest also. 

- Climate considerations: Keep a close eye to the weather reports and most of all the humidity index and ofcourse the heat. Also observe yourself how you feel in the weather, if it feels warm and humid for you it might be super hot for your dog! 

- Do proper preparations:

Give your dog that summer haircut if possible, make sure they are hydrated before the activity and provide necessary equipment. I personally only use light weight equipment such as our canicross harness and provide a cooling bandana. A vest is also an option but be careful as some vest actually cause overheating if the fabric isn't breathing well. 

- Also don't forget to do a good cooldown aswell this can be done with a brisk cool-down walk or a refreshing swim. If swimming is not a possibility you can cool down your dog also by splashing some water on their chest area. Your dog should always have a cool and wet nose. Does the nose feel dry? Make sure that your furry furiend drinks water as soon as possible. Once home you can provide a cooling mat to relax on, some dogs like this while others like me Luna prefer to lay on the floor. 😁

- Study the signs of heatstrokes and dehydration before you go on adventure so that you are prepared to take immediate action if necessary. Cary your mobile phone with your vets number and another vets emergency number

Last but not least don't forget to have fun! Do you have more tips for summer sporting? Let us know by email or send a DM at @lunathecretanbordercollie on Instagram. 

Paw from me,

Luna 🐶

Luna working out in the park 😜

Luna's favorite type of harness and why you could consider it too..

Woof Woof, welcome to my blog furiends. 2022 started for me with lots of walkies in the park and one impawtent tool for great walkies are comfy harnesses.  Therefore I would like to bark my opinion on dog harnesses. Are you ready?

First and foremost you should know that I had an shoulder injury in my younger years. Luckily  I recovered from it but it made my hooman reconsider recently what she could have done to help the healing process.

And that's where the harness choice pops in, it's such an important piece of equipment we dogs wear every single day (for more then an hour). We run, jump, turn and so much more so it should be comfy right?!

So my mama decided to do some research and after a while she realized that the harness I was wearing was actually restricting my movement. Now what kind of harness is then good?

Picking the right harness has a lot to do with the way your dog is build but overall the "Y or H shaped harnesses"' have shown to be the most comfy and they're also recommended by many Chiropractic professionals.  It makes sure that the forelimb can move freely back and forward and when the dog pulls hard on the leash it doesn't make any damage to the neck or other sensitive parts. Beside of the harness shape it is also very impawtent to have a look at how the harness fits your dog, not every Y or H type of harness is a good one. 

Some tips to check when picking a new harness:

- Is there room enough behind the forelimb and doesn't it sit too tight in the armpit?

-The middle of an Y harness sits on the chest bone, if you put your hand on the front of your dog you will feel a bone sticking out and that's also the point where the middle of your harness should sit.

-The shoulder front should be free, straps should not sit on top of the bone.

-The part between the forelimbs should be soft fabric and not too wide (otherwise it might rub the forelimbs)

-The second strap should be approximately 2-4 fingers behind the forelimb but make sure that the end of the harness doesn't go behind the last rib (it can not hang on the soft abdomen area)

- Are there any metal parts/buckles that hit while running? 

- What kind of material is the harness made from? lightweight fabric with plastic buckles or with metal buckles? In case your dog needs to run long distances (such as in canicross) lightweight options are better. 

If you have checked all the above this and your dog looks comfy you have found your new harness ✅

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that a harness is not a tool to teach your dog to stop pulling, the only way you can stop this is by training consistent with a professional to guide you. Also keep in mind that using tools such as the front ring of some harnesses might harm your dog because when they pull all the force comes on 1 side/leg.

Luna's current harness:

At the moment we are very happy with the ZeroDC Short harness, this harness is made for daily walks aswell for dogsports like canicross and fits Luna greatly. (Not sponsored) Each dog is different so always measure before purchasing online, we hope you find the pawfect harness too! 

Paw from Luna 🐾

which harness not to buy

ZeroDC Harness "short"
(not sponsored)

Me in my new pawfect harness
(lots of space behind my forelimb)

Destinations in Crete: Heraklion

Hi furiends! It's me Luna 🐾 In this article I would like to show you around in the capital of Crete: Heraklion. Beside the fact that this is the biggest city in Crete it's also the 6th biggest city in whole Greece with a population of 211,370 people! 

Heraklion was also the Europe's fastest growing tourism destination of 2017 according to Euromonitor with an 11,2% growth in International arrivals.

For me Heraklion and it's parks are like my backyard. In the beginning I had to get used a lot to the hustle and bustle of the city dog life but now I can say I am pretty much adapted (still struggle with some reactivity but it improved a lot)

How to reach Heraklion?

With the ferry:

There are all year round daily ferry trips from Athens to Heraklion (in summer/touristic season also from Greek islands such as Santorini, Anafi, Ios, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, Thira, Tinos)

The big benefit of coming with the ferry is that you can literally walk in 11min to the heart of the city center. I have been on the ferry from Athens already! 😊

Before booking your ferry tickets we recommend you to call and ask specifically about bringing furry furiends on board. Some small ferries might have different rules then the big ones (with kennels) Generally dog's must always be leashed and accompanied onboard but sometimes they ask also to be muzzled in buzzy areas. 

With the airplane:

The airport is located 4km from the city center, if you are a fervent hiker the walk is possible to do but most people prefer to take bus or taxi. In the bus only small dogs are allowed inside a bag, taxi drivers might accept you if you guarantee them that the dog will sit on your lap (and not scratch their precious car😁). Right next to the airport are also many rental companies located, since it's pretty busy there I would recommend to book your car beforehand. 

How to spend your time in Heraklion:

Shopping!:

There are lots of lovely boutique's with jewelry/clothing but also bigger shops such as Mango, H&M, Bershka, Pandora, Sephora,... In many stores we have seen dogs already since most people don't really mind. If you explain that you travel with your dog and can't let him/her alone in the hotel most staff will understand and let you take the dog inside. 

Also a very important thing to notice is that this city has lots of different petshops and vets so if you start your trip here don't forget to stock up on food and medication for your furry furiend since small villages in the mainland might not have the exact product you want. In every super or mini market you can always find some very basic dog biscuits but for specialised food (grain free, allergy, etc.) you need to visit a pet store. 

Visiting Restaurants:

Crete (and whole Greece) is known for it's pawtastic mediterranean cuisine. Another benefit is that because of the mild climate it is pawsible to sit outside for most of the year! On every outside terrace dog's are allowed,  everytime we bring Luna they welcome us and bring some water and sometimes even a little snack for her. 😄

City walkies:

After a nice walkie in the city center you might want to visit one of the parks in Heraklion. It's a nice place to meet other dog's and their humans, play fetch, do a sniffari or even visit a closeby monument! 

The best spot for walkies are the Venetian walls of Heraklion also called the fortifications. The first city walls where build in the middle ages and where build to protect the city Candia nowadays called Heraklion. The walls remain largely intact and are a very popular places for citizens to relax and walk. Click here to check a short video of my walkies to the Northside of the walls. 

If you walk to the North sea side the end of the walls is at the beginning of Talos area. Talos is a small shopping center and on the opposite side of the street you can find "Yuri Gagarin Park". Here is an organized off leash field for your dog with some agility obstacles and you can enjoy the beautiful seaside view. If you have a reactive dog keep in mind that in the evening hours it might be extra buzzy. 

If you walk the walls more landwards you will meet the "Grave Monument of Kazantzakis". Nikos Kazantzakis was a famous Greek writer some of you might know him from the worldwide known book: "Zorba the Greek". The Grave monument is surrounded by a beautiful garden and the place has a stunning view over the whole city. A perfect place for a pick nick or reading a book! Dog's are welcome in the garden, please respect the place with keeping your dog's on leash and poop in the poo bag. 

Our second favorite space for walkies is Koule and the surrounding walking paths next to the sea. The Koule area starts from the Venetian harbour of Heraklion on your walk you will pass by from the beautiful Rocca Mare Fortress which is visitable in the morning hours but unfortunately no dog's are allowed inside. 

Luna's final verdict 🐶😜:

All in all Heraklion is a small but wonderful place to explore, because of it's size it's possible to walk to the most important shops/restaurant/monuments/etc.. Dog friendly accommodations are found mostly on platforms such as booking and airbnb. 

I hope you have lots of fun sniffari's in the city!

 

What to do if your dog gets a seizure/epileptic attack?

Hi furiends it's me Luna again! Today I would like to bark to you about a very impawtent health related topic: Dog seizures. 

2 years ago I had something that looked like a seizure attack myself which scared my humans like crazy! Right after they rushed me to the vet but fortunately they didn't found anything and it only occurred once. An impawtent thing to know is that Border Collies are more prone to seizures then some other dog breeds so here are some tips what to do just in case..

How to react when your dog has a seizure:

• First and foremost STAY CALM it may sound like a silly advice but if it's the first time you see (your) a dog having a seizure it might be very frightening. Some dogs make crazy sounds and movements, others stair in front of them and fall over. Each dog reacts different.
• Remove all objects around your dog and try not to move them, also a dog doesn't swallow it's tongue so it's not necessary to come close to the mouth. Since they can't control themselves there is a high possibility they might accidently bite you. You can sit down next to them and talk with a calm voice to let them know you're closely, touching is only recommended once the dog is fully awake and responding again. 
• Track how many seconds/minutes the attack is going on, if it takes longer then 2-5 minutes or it are multiple small seizures the dog starts going into a dangerous zone and needs to be transported to the emergency vet.
• If possible film during the attack this way the vet later on can evaluate better how serious it is, in our case we didn't do it and it made it very difficult for the vet to diagnose the situation.
• If it happens again in 24 hours it is considered a "cluster" case and you need to return to a vet immediately (even if the dog had a check up after the first attack) 

In any case it is necessary to speak with a professional veterinarian after a seizure. Most important is to keep your dog safe during the attack so it doesn't injure it's head, right after the seizure the dog might feel disorientated for a while. Give the dog some time to rest and have water and food available. 

I hope you will never need this knowledge but it's better to be safe then sorry! Take care furiends. 💓

Paw from me,

Luna 🐾

A throwback picture of Luna last august 😜

Is the AEG LX7-2-CR-A vacuum cleaner worth it?

Hi furiends! It's me Luna again. 🐶 Today my human wants to share some information about MY BIGGEST ENEMY aka the vacuum cleaner 😅. She bought it a couple of months ago when we moved to our new home and my mom is obsessed with that thing but I really hate it.. so I give the word to my mama because I have nothing positive to bark about that thing. 😜

Let's start with some general specifications:

• Model:  AEG LX7-2-CR-A (Animal Edition)
• Type:    Bag less vacuum cleaner (Dustcontainer capacity 1,4L) 
• Price:   (In Greece anno 2021) 140,0 euro
• For which kind of floors?: Hard floors and parquet
• Cord length: 6 meters
• Attachments: Combi nozzle, Turbo nozzle, Crevice tool, upholstery tool, parquet brush, pet kit nozzles
• Has special allergy plus filters
• Weight: 5kg

What are the positives about this vacuum cleaner?

-The machine is relatively lightweight (5kg) and has a big handle on the top with a good grip so easy to carry while cleaning the stairs.

- Dust container instead of bags (more cost efficient)

- I can vacuum the whole house without emptying the dust container in between (and Luna looses lots of hair!)

-2 washable filters (AEG website recommends by heavy use to change them every 2 years)

-lower prize but in it's category decent quality

-The power is really impressive! I mostly use it on the lowest stand (first stripe) and only when I vacuum our big carpet or the car I use it on medium power.

-Energy class A 

Negatives (personal opinion)

-The turbo brush makes a lot of noise and beside of that it doesn't pick up all the dirt, it makes dog hair fly around instead of picking it up. Off all the attachments this is the one I never use again.

-Although the filters are washable it takes 24hours to dry them in the sun. While we have a lot of sunny days here in Crete this is perfectly possible for us but I can imagine if you live in a country with lots of rain this can be a nightmare. The filters absolutely need to be 100% dry otherwise they start smelling bad and molt can build up inside.

-The advertisement of this vacuum suggest it's very quiet but to be honest in comparison to the other vacuum cleaners I have used in my life I would say it just sounds normal, definitely not more quiet so if you buy this model specifically for the silence I would recommend picking another one.

-The cord is just a few meters too short for me to clean our stairs completely so I have to change plug, for the rest of our rooms it's long enough though.  

Let's dive a little deeper in the different type of nozzles and which one I use the most:

First of all we have the parquet brush, I use this one on our upper floor of the house because we have a sensitive marble floor there. The outside of the brush looks like cheap plastic but after using it now for 4 months it holds up pretty good. It definitely protects our floor and goes well in the corners but in comparison to the combi nozzle it's a little bit more stiff (doesn't slide and turn so smoothly)

Secondly the combi nozzle: like the name says it can be used both on hard floors and low-pile carpets. It has rotary knob on top where you can choose between hard floor/carpet/ or combo where it automatically detects what kind of surface your cleaning. I always have it on the combo and I find that it detects quickly when I go from hard floor to carpet. The combi nozzle gets called also "dust magnet" and it certainly lives up to it's name. From all the attachments this one is my absolute favorite to go into corners and pick up even the smallest dog hairs. The only negative I would say is that the wheels are making an annoying noise when you pull it backwards and that they sometimes get stuck also (then you have to pull out all the little dog hairs).

Crevice and upholstery tools: Nice little attachments to go into corners, between car seats, ... The upholstery has soft padding like most standard ones out there in the market. The best thing is that you can attach this 2 on your telescopic tube so you carry them around all the time.

And last but not least: the 2 pet kit nozzles, it may sounds fun that even though we use this vacuum cleaner mostly to tackle dog hair that these are actually the least used. It's not that they don't work but it's just that I have enough on the upholstery one to clean our sofa's etc. and that I'm too lazy to get them from the storage place while the basic ones hang on my telescopic tube 🙈

Brief summary:

This vacuum cleaner is perfect for daily use in households with lots of furry furiends. With easy to empty dustbin and cleanable filters it makes your life less complicated. The wide range of nozzles give you the right attachments for each job while the cord length is good enough for the average size of house. For a reasonable prize of €140 you can't expect a sublime finishing touch in the looks of the device but you get a decent machine that does the job. 

I hope you liked this article furiends! I hope the hooman wrote enough about that annoying vacuum, now for more of my dog adventures check out my Insta or YouTube!  

Sincerely paws,

Luna 🐾

Hepa filter and dust container

Foam filter

Luna sniffing her biggest enemy 😂

Are pet flea treatments a hazard for the environment and poisoning the aquatic systems?

Hi furiends, it's me Luna again! If you follow me for a while you might have seen that I love spending time on the beach, swimming in the sea and splashing through the rivers, and probably you love that too.. but what if I bark you that our flea treatments can actually damage the environment and the aquatic life?!

We as dogs probably all have been to the vets and got as a recommendations some flea products even though we didn't had any flea problem: spot on, tablets, collar etc.. and if you have read the manual it always states that we should keep it far away from mini humans and that we shouldn't lick or chew it. But if it is so dangerous for us what about the others?

Unfortunately there haven't been done that much research on this field but if you use some logic it's pretty obvious that substances that harm us and humans also will harm the rest of the eco system. 

When swimming in natural waters flea treatments that have been applied to the skin of the dog get released in the waters, for example substances such as pyrethrins/pyrethroids which are found in "spot-on" treatments for dogs are even in a very small amount DEADLY for fishes. 

Many dog owners think that by changing to tablets that no damage is done anymore but that actually moves the toxins to the inside of the dogs body and partially also to the faeces. Even when you pick up the poop from your dog in the park there are still small particles left behind that get washed in the ground or rivers with some rain.  

Beside of the hazard for the environment and aquatic life some studies also refer to the health hazards for the pets and humans themselves.

When my human learned about all this things it made her think: Why do vets recommend this products every visit even though they are so dangerous and why do we give our pets treatments even if there is no sign of fleas or worms etc..? When my human got her Veterinary assistant degree she of course tried to find out the answer on this question.. unfortunately non of her professors or colleague students gave a decent answer but almost all of time the vets where sponsored by one of the companies that produces this products (funny isn't it?!) 

So as a dogpawrent try to use your common sense, don't overuse treatments and try natural alternatives instead. When you let your dog swim often think about the aquatic life and take off flea collars!

If you want to read a little more about this topic here are some easy to read research papers:

Current Research on the Safety of Pyrethroids Used as Insecticides (scroll down in the article to find more pet related info)

Pesticides commonly used as flea treatments for pets are contaminating English rivers

Poisons on pets

Fipronil and its degradates in indoor and outdoor dust

Fipronil washoff to municipal wastewater from dogs treated with with spot-on products

Also a health hazard for humans? Read here more

Happy howlidays! 🎄

 Dear furiends,

I wish you the most pawtastic howlidays! 🎄 Are you gonna have snow for Christmas? Here it is raining for the last days. The weather forecast predicts sunshine so my paws are crossed for a sunny Christmas. 

I hope you all have a pawsome feast with family and/or friends. We will celebrate at home with lots of food (the Greek way 😅) and I hope Santa brought me some gifts 🎁 too. Mam say's I was a good dog 🐶 with some mischief sometimes 🤭

It's also the first year we have a little Christmas 🎄 tree in the house. Did you know that traditionally in many Greek villages they decorate a small boat instead of a tree?! 

Also we continue the pawty season all the way until the 6th of January when Greek Orthodox humans celebrate the "Epiphany". I don't really know what that is but it makes the humans happy so I guess it's a good thing. 😄

Last but not least.. Luna's pawty advice: 

My advice is to look supaw cute at pawties to get some yummy food, also if you dress nice (pick your favorite bandana or sweater) all the grandma's will be unable to resist your begging puppy eyes! 

When the new years eve comes and the stupid firework are there stay home and safe. ❤️ Avoid walks if it stresses you out and watch some nice dogshow on the tv instead. 

Many paws 🐾 from me,  

I wish my furiends a pawtastic Christmas and an even better new year! 

Καλές γιορτές! fijne feestdagen! happy holidays! Bonnes fêtes! Frohe Feiertage! 

Click here to see me in my Christmas outfit

Winter season calls for a cup of (herbal) tea!

Hi furiends, it's me Luna again! Days are getting shorter and temperatures getting colder. It's the time of the year that the humans start bringing out their tea maker on cold mornings and evenings. 

But... Did you ever tried sipping some tea on a cold day?

!!! Very impawtent disclaimer: we doggos should NEVER drink tea that contains CAFFEINE since it can harm us!!! ALWAYS check the ingredient list to see if the tea is decaffeinated. Drink tea 🍵 in moderate amounts. 

Several herbal teas that the humans brew can also positively impact dogs health. Tea can help to improve digestive and immune system, alleviate inflammation, calm itchy skin, help with anxiety, etc..

Tea contains substances called catechins. They protect the plant from environmental toxins and repair damage and can play a similar role in our bodies when consumed. Antioxidants help slow down damage of our cells caused by the action of free radicals. Free radicals get formed when we expose ourselves to UV rays from the sun and environmental pollutants which happens to us (humans and animals) every single day.

 

Do's & don'ts 

Don't: drink hot tea, always let it cool down or add lots of ice to bring it to room temperature if you want your dog to instantly try it 

Don't: drink tea that contains caffeine, always double check the ingredients. High amounts of caffeine are extremely toxic for dogs.

Do: use a glass cup, mug or bowl to serve, incase you want to use plastic check if it is BPA-free so that it doesn't release any carcinogens. 

Do: If your pup needs to get used to the taste or likes sweet stuff you can add half a teaspoon of natural raw honey 🍯

Do: Check in with your veterinarian (even by phone call) if you dog is ok with drinking tea, some medications may react badly if you add new things to your dogs diet. 

Do: Add some herbal tea as a topper over your dogs daily meal (over the kibble or raw) 

Top list of herbal teas for pups:

• Chamomile tea: Know as the top tea for stress relief and relaxation , great to help heal upset stomach and indigestion. When applied to the skin it can help speed up the the healing process of wounds since it has antimicrobial properties. 
• Echinacea tea: echinacea helps the immune system to naturally fight viruses and bacteria. It also gives a boost to the lymphatic system to drive toxins out of the body. 
• Lemongrass tea: packed full of antioxidants, helps in cooling off the body by activating the organism to sweat. 
• Rooibos tea: Another one full of antioxidant which contribute in slowing down the process of aging effects and contribute to prevention of certain cancers. Just like the others it helps optimizing the immune system and has great anti inflammatory effects. 
• Peppermint tea: Great one to fresh up your dogs breath, also helps to relax the muscles and improve breathing by relaxing the nasal activity. 
• Ginger tea: Popular remedy for nausea, helps to lower the blood pressure and blood sugar levels. To prepare this tea you can just add hot water to slices of raw ginger and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Which one would you try first? Or do you have a favorite taste of tea already? Mine is Chamomile. 

Paw Luna🐶🐾

How to keep your dog (and yourself) safe during an earthquake.

Woof! It's me Luna again. Island life is such a fun life but sometimes mother nature surprises us with unexpected things.

Today we had a terrifying earthquake (magnitude 6.0) in the morning which luckily lasted not long. We feel very grateful that our loved ones are safe but still we felt the tremendous amount of fear and panic around us during the little aftershocks.

What helps in such a situations is to be prepared as good as possible, this can give our humans a more secure feeling. If you live or travel in an earthquake prone area keep the following tips in mind:

1. Make sure your pet is microshipped and most impawtent that the information is up to date! (Don't forget to mention the new address if you move out)
2. Make sure your dog wears a fitting collar (2 fingers of space not more because then the collar can slide of their neck) and if possible also a tag with owners information (name/address/phone number/family number)
3. Make sure you have clear and recent pictures of your pet in your phone/Google drive. If lost this can help people to search for them and/or proof that you are the owner if the passport is damaged.
4. Have a rescue alert sticker mentioning that there are pets in the building. Describe how many and which kind. Cats/dogs/..
5. If you are inside the house: depending on the dog, situation and time you have available there are 2 considerable options, 1 is to have the dog free in the house and let it find it's own place to hide (Luna automatically goes hide under our wooden desk) or 2 put the dog in a crate under a strong wooden desk/table and make sure no surrounding furniture can drop on top of them. 
6. If you need to evacuate outside the house: always have a backpack ready next to the door with basic survival stuff such as: 2 torches, portable phone charger, blanket,copy of dogs passport, extra leash/collar, muzzle (muzzle train your dog beforehand even if you think you will never need it),food&bottle water, life straws , fire starter, medicine if your dog needs them (think about epilepsy medication for example), (chew) toy so that if you are in a basement with other people the dog can release some stress with chewing and having something familiar from home with them, first aid ⛑️ kit (basic is: Chlorhexidine rinse, cotton balls/squares, triple antibiotic ointment from the vet, bandages + tape, vetwrap, small scissors ✂️), documents with numbers from family members/vets/petsitters people can call in case you get injured, crate if possible since many pets get panicked and run away during our after earthquakes. If you can't crate them make sure you hold on tide to them and use double combination leash + harness to avoid escaping possibilities or even better a leash that you can attach around your waist (running/canicross style) so that you have your hands free and you not have to worry about your dog running off.

I hope no one has to endure such a situations but it's better to be prepared for the worst! If there are any tips you have that are not included feel free to send me an email ✉️

Stay safe & lots of licks and paw from me 

Luna 🐾

Small business review: Wags and Barks

Woof woof, hello dear furiends! Hope your feeling well. 

Finally autumn season arrived which we enjoy very much here after the hot Greek summer. With lower temperatures comes also the chance for my mama to buy me some new fashion stuff. In summertime I don't like to wear very often bandana's or bowties since I spend a lot of time playing in or near water. 😊 

Now in autumn I love to dress up like a little lady, people call me "cute" I don't know what that is.. but at least I get a lot of extra treatos for modelling my new stuff 😋 

My newest fashion items come from "Wags And Barks" a small Greek business runned by 2 ladies, mother&daughter team. They have handmade bow ties and bandanas and soon will also be adding watercolor portraits to their Etsy shop.

My mum found their small business on Instagram and decided to go for 2 bowties.

The little one is called "red stripes bow tie" and we ordered it in size small. It still fits my medium size dog collar though! 

The attachment elastics

The big bow tie is called "falling stars" and is size medium, both bowties have elastics on the back so you can easily slide them over the collar.

I was actually surprised it fitted over my extra wide collar too so easily, for me personally I prefer the elastic attachments instead of velcro straps since velcro gets tangled in my fur. 😱

Falling stars bow tie

Would I order again from "Wags And Barks"?

Yes definitely! The package was shipped 1 day after I placed my order on their Etsy shop. They have worldwide free delivery, the quality of both bowties is great (soft fabric and strong elastic attachment) and most important they sended my mama a follow up mail to ask if everything is ok with the order and if we are happy with it, absolutely great service! 

Beside of that we got a little gift with our order a super cute armband for my mama and chain to hang on my collar with the same butterfly 🦋

Disclaimer: this article is NOT sponsored, mama paid for the bowties herself and makes this review just to support a small business.

Hope you enjoyed this mini shopping haul, if there is a small (Greek) business you think we should absolutely know don't hesitate to send their website or insta account to my email or insta dm's! 😊

Paw from me,

Luna 🐾