It is hard to believe that Alvin has been part of The Mad House for over two years now. It is hard to imagine our lives without him. He brings us much joy and completes us. We are a family of give. So much so that we actually look for holidays and breaks that we can take him along with us.
Since we got Alvin we have only ever fed him on dried pet food, this was part of the recommendation from our lovely VET. Plus we only ever used dried pet food with our cats when they were alive, so it is all we have known.
I love having a dog as I work from home and he keeps me company through the day and also ensures that I actually get up and go for a couple of walks.
I have wrote before why I think that it is important as a family to have a pet and that the boys get so much from having Alvin around.
Alvin is a deceptive dog, he can have so much hair that he looks bigger than he is. He had a haircut this week and is half the dog he was before his clip! Saying that it is important for us to ensure that Alvin is a healthy dog.
How to keep a dog healthy:
- We have a regular exercise routine. I walk Alvin twice a day and then the boys and MadDad do at least one walk.
- He comes on holiday with us when possible, we have just all been to Sherwood Pines in a cabin for the weekend. Keeping him happy and healthy.
- We do not overfeed or more importantly over treat!
- We talked to our vet about the best food for Alvin.
For us, it was important to check out what breed would suit our family lifestyle before we considered a dog and that has gone long way to ensuring that Alvin is a healthy dog. We are working with Hills Pet food and they sent us this fab illustration of Alvin by award-winning illustrator and dog lover Gemma Corroll. Isn’t it fab?
What to consider before getting a dog:
First and foremost we had to consider that any dog we had needed to be comfortable around children. We have two boys aged 10 and 9 and regularly have 5 little boys in the house. They can be noisy and demand attention. We needed our pet to be confident, but not overly with the children. My good friend Cass has a Bichon Frise and we knew what the breed were like and also that Maxi and Mini adored their dog Buddy, in fact Maxi walked Buddy every opportunity he got.
How much time you can commit to walking a dog and how regularly.
We knew that we would be able to walk Alvin regularly throughout the day, but didn’t want to commit to long walks (especially as I figured out it would be me doing them)!
Grooming takes time and money:
We knew that we wanted a non shedding dog, so checked out the kennel clubs non shedding dog list. We also knew that we had the time to spend grooming Alvin and that he would need to be regularly trimmed.
How much space you have:
It is important not just to consider the walks that a dog needs, but also the personal sape and also the space in your home and garden. Alvin has a medium sized crate in our kitchen, along with a bed in the sitting room and one on the landing outside my office. He also has free run of the downstairs and garden on dry days.
We really hit the jackpot with Alvin. He is an amazing dog, he is crate trained and sleeps in his crate overnight and if the boys are being loud or he needs space then he takes himself to his crate. He is a great companion and our family wouldn’t be the same without him.
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I’ve love watching Alvin grow up, he is so adorable 🙂
I love your family’s relationship with Alvin – And I’m not even a dog lover! (Please don’t fall out with me ;-)) He is too cute! Congratulations on your #1 Tots position – You work so hard. In awe of your talent! x
Good post – we are thinking of getting a dog in the Autumn!
Body Condition Score – we have a cat and 2 Border Collies called A and P
Body Condition Score
We have loads of pets, including a dog
It’s A) Body Conditioning Score, we have a Bulldog called Buzz 🙂
Body Conditioning Score. I used to work at a Hill’s stockist Veterinary Practice 🙂
Oops forgot to add my dog names; I have Mia the 8.5 year old Boxer and Dougie the 13 year old ex Romanian street dog with only three legs 🙂
Body Conditioning Score 🙂 x
A) Body Conditioning Score
Answer is: Body Condition Score
Alvin is gorgeous! I absolutely adore animals! I have 2 greyhounds, a lurcher, 3 cats, 5 rabbits and 6 guinea pigs, and every single one of them is a rescue 🙂
Body Conditioning Score
A) Body Conditioning Score
Body Conditioning score
Body Condition Score
Body condition score
Body conditioning score. I wish someone would do this and work out if my Barry is a healthy weight – every vet I see has a different opinion. Some say he’s overweight, some say he’s a healthy weight, I don’t know whether to put him on a diet or not!
A) Body Conditioning Score. I have a dog called Benny and a cat called Harvey.
I have three giant dogs, they are the pain in my butt lol, but i love them when they snuggle up to me at night time on the bottom of my bed , , i cant walk them now im pregnant and they are so big but they love to have a good run in our large garden and the beach when w get time to take them
A) Body Conditioning Score
Body Conditioning Score
I would love a dog but we live in a one bed flat so it isn’t even possible x
Your CommentsBody Conditioning Score
Answer: A) Body Conditioning Score 🙂
This is a really good post and the benefits of us getting a dog are huge with our son’s additional needs but after considering everything else it just wouldn’t be fair. Maybe one day in the future.
It’s A) Body Conditioning Score, perfect for our new rescue Lab Jenson
A) Body Conditioning Score
Body conditioning score. We are big fan of dried cat food and use the Hills T&D. I wish we’d fed it all along, but our cats are used to a diet of wet and dry now.
He is super cute!! I would love to get a pet, at the moment we travel too much- but one day soon.
Body Condition Score
We have a dog
Alvin looks so cuddly! I don’t have a dog, though I would love to some day x
‘Body Conditioning Score’ – dogs
It’s the Body Condition Score. We are cat people on the cusp of getting a dog.
The answer to the question is: ‘Body conditioning score’. I currently have 3 dogs called Ollie, Lennox & Lexi. I also have a cat who we kind of adopted from being a stray, and her name’s Tilly 🙂
Fantastic post- there is so much you need to think about before getting a dog. x
GREAT COMP
The Body Conditioning Score. I have a cat called Tom and lots of fish…mainly Mollies and Red Eyed Tetras… Some of the more distinctive ones have names..named after Watford FC players , but some I can’t tell apart so remain nameless
Awww he’s adorable 🙂 I often think about getting a dog then I think about all the expense and extra work and I know I can’t afford it financially or time wise so I’ll have to wait a while longer.
The answer is A) Body Conditioning Score.
Body Condition Score. I have a dog
Hills Vets use A) Body Conditioning Score to determine if a Cat or Dog is overweight. We have three cats called Hugo, Chewy and Daisy.
Your Comments
A) Body Conditioning Score
We have two dogs … Jessie and Grizzlybear
A) Body Conditioning Score
One dog called Freddie
A) Body Conditioning Score
we have a dog Marley
a big cat Duke and a three legged obese moggy Calley
A) Body Conditioning Score
I have a 7 yr old rottweiler named tyler
A) Body Conditioning Score
Body Conditioning Score. I have 2 dogs, Mister Sweep the Border Terrier and Egbert the Chihuahua cross
It’s A) Body Conditioning Score – A dog called Alf
Answer – Body conditioning score
Body Conditioning Score
A) Body Conditioning Score
Body Conditioning Score