A Puppy’s 1st Birthday

On Sunday our gorgeous little Benny celebrated his first birthday. It seems like only yesterday that he was a tiny pup who nicked my laundry and chewed on my make up brushes.  

We decided to take him to Frensham Little Pond, a lovely area of heathland, woods and a large pond with sandy shores.

 He had the time of his life splashing about, chasing sticks (that were a little ambitious in size) and rolling about in the sand. I attached my GoPro to him, ready to capture footage for ‘Dog Cam’, a new feature on my upcoming YouTube videos (I will provide links when they are uploaded).

Even Elsie and I joined in, jumping around in the freezing waters!

 We met some gorgeous little pups including a 4 month old beagle who  I struggled to resist kidnapping! Although not every dog was quite as cute. As we chatted away to an owner, her naughty greyhound came sniffing over to Mum’s handbag, quickly running off with Benny’s bag of treats in his mouth!

After chasing Benny around the pond, we headed over to The Bluebell, a dog friendly pub in Dockenfield with a large outdoor garden and play area. 

Mum, Alan and I were immediately tempted by the roast duck, served with a creamy cauliflower purée, honey roasted carrots and a must-have Yorkshire pudding. 

It was honestly one of the best pub dinners I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a fair few! We couldn’t leave without satisfying our sweet tooth so I opted for the sticky toffee pudding with honeycomb ice cream.

Back at home, it was time for Benny to make a birthday wish as we presented him with a homemade birthday cake made up of two tiers of dog friendly liver cake,  cream cheese and peanut butter icing and hot dog decorations (learn how to make one for your pup here).

After a quick sniff, he delved straight in, woofing down a whole tier in less than thirty seconds!

All with very full bellies, we collapsed on the sofa whilst Benny dreamed of chasing sticks and hot dogs.