Sunny Hunny

The sun was shining this morning, so we decided to take Alfie to the beach for the day! It was so nice. We drove to Heacham and walked down the beach to Hunstanton from there. Alfie is a real beach babe, and loved playing in the sea and running around!

On the way back we stopped at Burnham Market and found a very glamourous, yet dog friendly pub, The Hoste. I had an amazing glass of Pinot Grigio in there, highly recommened… hiccup J

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We're Game

Yesterday Alfie and I had a fab day with Louise & Mac at the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. The sun was shining, and we had a lovely time with our chocolates, people watching and, of course, a bit of shopping! The Joules tent with its big discounts was hard to resist!!

The boys even got to have a swim in the palace lakes, and got lots of fuss, as usual!

Next year, the CLA Game Fair takes place in Leeds from July 31^st – August 2^nd, and we thoroughly recommend it for a great day out!

Lisa x

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Changing Shops

This week we have been so busy emptying the old shop and getting the new shop open; and we are already loving our new home at the Rural Shopping yard in Castle Ashby. The other shop owners have been incredibly welcoming and helpful, and so supportive of me!

I can’t wait to share some pics of the shop when it’s all ready to go on opening day on Tuesday 10^th – but until then here’s a sneaky peak of Alfie posing outside!

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We love Bernie & Riley!

We are huge fans of BBC Radio Northampton’s Bernie Keith & Riley at Barkitty, so we really enjoyed this video. Especially since Riley is still wearing his personalised name collar!

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Virtual tour

I thought I'd share a virtual tour of the shop for those of you who can't make it in store to see for yourselves :)

Barkitty Pet Boutique

Heart of the Shires Shopping Village

A5 Near Weedon, Northamptonshire, NN7 4LB

(01327) 349328

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A Harvest Hike

I took Bobby & Alfie on a lovely long walk yesterday, through the fields and tracks between Horton and Ravenstone in Northamptonshire. It was really relaxing actually, and the 3 of us thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s funny because, at home, or in the shop, or any enclosed space, Alf & Bob constantly play fight like, well, dog and dog. As soon as they are in the great outdoors, they barely acknowledge each other and prefer to engross themselves in their own missions. Bobby just likes to find things for you to throw for him, and searches continuously for the next object. Alfie is intent on sniffing, then spraying any slightly upright object he sees. This normally means Bobby is way out in front, Alfie is hanging well back (sniffing something), and I am in the middle!

We got to see a few combine harvesters doing their thing, which was a very picturesque Autumnal sight.

The boys, of course, did manage to find the smelliest, dirtiest, blackest pond in the world, and gleefully swim in it before I could catch them up! All part of the fun I suppose, just hope they didn’t drink any!

I think Autumn is my favourite time of year to walk the dogs, and I’m not looking forward to the dark nights ahead. Oh well, at least I’ll get to wear my nice wellies again J

In the pictures Bobby is wearing his Puppia harness in the new colour, navy! You can buy yours here --> http://www.barkitty.co.uk/category_dog_harnesses_2.shtml

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Jolly Holidays

Jason, Alfie and I have just returned from a few days on the Yorkshire coast, which have been great. My number one objective for the year was to get Alfie on the beach for the first time, and we definitely did that.

It was so nice to be out and about in the sunshine and enjoy the British summertime! I’ve never seen a dog so happy as Alfie, as he ran around after his ball in the sand! We managed to encourage his swimming in the sea too, but it did mean getting in up to our waists, which was a bit nippy at times!

We found 3 really great dog friendly beaches in Scarborough, Filey and Whitby, and 2 great places to eat with him alongside us too.

If you visit Whitby Abbey (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/whitby-abbey/) you are made to feel very welcome with your dog. We parked at the Abbey and paid £6.40 each to get in, then we were able to wander through the grounds, and into the museums with Alfie on a lead. We sat outside for a spot of lunch, then took the 199 steps past the church into the seaside town. After an amble through the busy streets, we stopped off at the dog beach for a run around. Alfie got absolutely covered in sand here, as he was just skidding and rolling around with joy!

We went to Ox Pasture Hall (http://www.oxpasturehallhotel.com/) for dinner and ate in the beautiful Bistro there. Alfie was very welcome to sit alongside us as we dined. The food was great, and beautifully presented. I fell in love with this place a little bit! Tasty and stylish grub, a big cool glass of chilled Pinot Grigio and my Chocolate Lab at my feet! Perfect!

The best beach we found was Hunmanby Bay, which is situated near Filey, between Scarborough and Bridlington. You can park for £2.50 for a whole day, and there’s plenty to do for a few hours. You can walk the long length of the beach to find a variety of cafes and beach huts for refreshments. There are plenty of dogs wandering around, but the beach is so huge you’re not bumping in to each other. If you have a dog who is less confident around other dogs, you can easily find your own private space to enjoy. Alfie was in and out of the sea for hours, and had a really, really great time there. So many things to sniff around, and plenty of waves to jump in. I liked Hunmanby Beach so much I would definitely consider visiting there even for the day, just to see Alfie so happy!

The other dog friendly beach we visited was North Bay in Scarborough, which is smaller, but still well worth a visit. There is a restaurant on the edge of the beach called Blue Crush Bar & Restaurant (http://bluecrushbar.com/), which allows dogs inside with you before 6pm. If you’re eating later than that (as we did), they can sit outside with you on the seafront with stunning views. We weren’t sure what the food would be like, but I have to say it was very good indeed, and really well presented again.

If you’re looking for a day out with your pooch (if you’re located near enough) or a few days break, I truly recommend the Yorkshire Coast.

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Mutts & Hounds Union Jack

One of my best sellers so far has been the Mutts & Hounds harness and neckerchief. I thought I'd share some of my favourite customer pics in these lovely products. Available from www.barkitty.co.uk from £26.00