Two full years of Pawsh the magazine; I can hardly believe it. They say that time flies when you’re having fun, a saying that I have always known to be true in my personal life, but rarely in my professional one – that is until I took an enormous leap of faith and started a little online space about the thing that never fails to bring me joy…dogs. (Read the new issue here!)

I was told by a lot of people that starting a pet magazine was a waste of time (that’s an exact quote). I was told that I should apply my love of words and my passion for photography to something more commercial, but that isn’t what felt right to me. I wanted to talk about our furry friends on a daily basis in a manner that truly celebrated their special beauty.

If you think about it dogs are like living works art. They convey some of the rawest emotion you can find in life; they embody the present and truly savour every moment, from a delicious meal to an even more delicious nap; and they make us endure unrivalled tragedy by their fleeting presence in this world. I wanted to try to capture their incredible beings in a magazine that celebrated all of these things through artistic photographs and poetic words.

I wanted to try and help people with their questions so they could give their pets the best lives possible. I wanted to give back to rescue organizations and animal shelters and above all I wanted to encourage an ongoing conversation about dogs. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the incredible community that would come together around this conversation.

There really ought to be a better word than ‘thank you’ for expressing gratitude – alas it is all I have to offer you. Thank you, deeply, for loving dogs as much as I do and for helping Pawsh become what is today.

Please enjoy what is now the 7^th edition of Pawsh entitled “Dog-Gone Jubilee” — a celebration of the past two years of celebration.

Now, I’m off for a lovely birthday brunch and some silly shenanigans for the rest of the day! See you all on Monday! Much love, as always!

PAWSH PERKS: Read all seven editions of Pawsh Magazine here!

Japanese design company, Oppo, has created what I think is a brilliant dog muzzle. Aptly called ‘Quack‘ this muzzle resembles a duck bill and fits securely around the snout. Does it look rather ridiculous — perhaps worse than the cone of shame? Yes, yes it does, but that’s okay.

The genius of this product lies in the fact that ‘Quack’ physically shows that dogs who are wrestling with aggression issues — be it resource guarding, fear biting or intense separation anxiety — are still loveable, goofy creatures.

Most muzzles available on the pet market at the moment are in a word ‘ugly’ and make any dog, from a large Great Dane to the teeniest of chihuahuas, look mean, unfriendly and unapproachable. A muzzle can often convey the wrong message to those who see it, suggesting to someone on the outside that they should ‘stand back, this dog is mean, a hopeless case.’

Instead the optimistic reality is that a lot of dogs who are dealing with aggressive tendencies can be retrained if given a second chance. So I would like to say thank you to ‘Quack’ for helping to change the way muzzled dogs are perceived.

PAWSH PERKS: Did you know…?

How do you like to walk your dog? I spent ages training Rory how to walk nicely on just a collar, but no matter how long we spent working on that particular lesson she would always need a stern (yet gentle) reminder that puppies should not pull and tug when out for a stroll.

I became concerned that she might hurt her neck on just a collar if she continued to insist on pulling, so I switched her over to a trusty dog harness. The difference was night and day! Not only did she almost instantly walk far more politely on the harness — loose leash, by my side, no pulling — but I felt better that her little neck wasn’t being put under strain.

Although I do adore a stylish dog collar for my pup, when it comes to ‘walkies’ I always reach for a dog harness first.

Above is a lovely example of each: a mustache dog collar and a new freedom dog harness from Muttropolis. Which do you prefer to walk your dog on — collar or harness? Which would you choose?