Max and Willow

01/07/2023

“HIYA”, said every British person ever. It’s Meg here. I’ve been rather quiet lately. Honestly, I don’t know where I stand in this space anymore and it has me reflecting a bit. Since emigrating to the UK, our lives look vastly different and a lot of that doesn’t apply to or interest people as it did previously. I understand that UK content doesn’t serve our SA audience and vice versa so I’m in limbo.

We’re no longer supported by brand partnerships which is liberating in a way but has also left me feeling a bit creatively empty. The girls are also not as keen on photoshoots anymore and I am respecting that they don’t want a phone shoved in their faces 24/7.

For nearly 8 years this account has given me purpose, accomplishment and a platform to share our journey. I don’t want to let it go. There have been some really beautiful, unique moments we’ve shared here in addition to the raw, difficult times that so many have sometimes been too afraid to address. Some of the friendships I’ve built will last me a lifetime thanks to this account.

The girls are still separated. Our house here is smaller and there have been tense moments and fights because of this. I haven’t posted much about it as we’re just trying to figure it out. We’re doing our best to manage it without letting it rule our lives as it has in the past. It’s not easy but for the most part it feels normal.

For all these years I have put my girls’ needs before my own. I didn’t know it was possible but I feel I have become less of a helicopter dog mom and am focusing on myself more. There is guilt attached to this but I’m trying to accept that life outside of my babies does exist and that I can love them just as much without giving up on my own identity altogether.

I’m not really sure where we’ll go from here but I suppose stay tuned if you’re still interested 💕

15/05/2023

When she wakes you up from a perfectly good nap to take a damn photo 😤

27/04/2023

It’s wild to think the girls arrived in the UK six months ago today. So much has happened since then 🤯

08/04/2023

Guess which word mom uttered to get this cute shot 😍

03/04/2023

We enjoyed some ball throwing on the tar this eve. Max hates having her nails trimmed or filed so it’s a pretty good way to get them down a bit.

26/03/2023

Sunday kisses 😘

19/03/2023

You know it’s been a good walkies when the boots and paws are muddy 🐾 🥾

17/03/2023

This is the cute face of a dog that has formed an extreme dislike of anything entering the letterbox. The same face will bark at said letterbox until a human comes to inspect it for safety. Even during work meetings 💀

11/03/2023

Happy birthday 5th to our precious Willow Pillow. Looking back on this last year, you’ve conquered so much. I wish everyone could know you the way we do. We love you so much ❤️

02/03/2023

If I fits, I sits 💁‍♀️

23/02/2023

Just so extremely grateful to have made friends through the South African dog community that now transcend continents. seeing you was just that bit of home I needed ❤️ Also got to see how little Ben has grown into a big Ben! This time last year we were celebrating his baby shower.

14/02/2023

Max making us fall in love circa 2016

04/02/2023

🐾 So Brain, what are we gonna do tonight?

🧠 The same thing we do every night, try to take over the world!

31/01/2023

The truth

Shout out to everyone who also loves their dog(s) unconditionally

26/01/2023

Did you seriously just say “where’s daddy” to get me to look at the camera? 😤

23/01/2023

Apparently we have to sit to get one of these treatos. How unfair is that?

13/01/2023

I hope today you feel loved beyond measure 💛

09/01/2023

Happy Monday ☀️ We’re trying to look on the bright side of things today. Sometimes it takes work to think positively 💪

29/12/2022

We’ve figured out how to spy on the squirrels on our own 🐿️ 🧐🕵️‍♀️

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate 🎄🐾

11/12/2022

.cockerspaniel has advised that we’re officially UK doggies if we have the infamous Pets at Home donut toy 🍩 🇬🇧 😂

09/12/2022

Important PSA ⚠️

Public Service Announcement:

These as****es are blooming in South Africa again.

They are called cycas/cycads, and as pretty as the plants might look, those little red seeds are incredibly toxic to dogs.

We lost a pup 2 years ago after she found a seed in our garden and chewed on it. It was incredibly tragic. Little Emma Stone. We had the plants moved out of our garden BUT there are soooo many around SA and I would hate for one of your dogs to have the same fate.

Just keep an eye out and if you have this plant in your yard, please remove the seeds ASAP.

Okay. Love you. Bye.

06/12/2022

What do you mean I can’t bark at the birdies in the tree for 30 minutes on end? 🤔

27/11/2022

We’ve discovered squirrels in the trees 🐿️

24/11/2022

Happy 7th birthday to our first born Max girl. You have endured conquered so much. Some days are harder than others but our love for you grows each day. Here’s to many more birthdays as a UK doggie. Last photo is the gem 💎

25/10/2022

And they’re off 🚐 ✈️ 😭😭😭

Thank you to for helping us make it happen and for being our pillar of strength in SA for our girls.

24/10/2022

As I sit here and write this, tomorrow afternoon the girls will have completed the first leg of their journey to the UK from Cape Town to Johannesburg. On Wednesday night they fly direct from Johannesburg to London. We tried everything to avoid any kind of connecting flights but the CPT to JHB flight was unavoidable this time. Thankfully they’ll be overnighting in Animal Travel South Africa boarding suites.

Naturally we are concerned about Max’s fear of loud noises and Willow’s fear of people and how they will cope with everything along the way. Also giving strangers complete control over their security and keeping them separate- this is something we almost always have under our own control and letting go of that has been so incredibly challenging.

I simply cannot wait to hold my babies in my arms again. Time is such a blur but it feels like months since we’ve seen them. This country is so welcoming to dogs; I see them quite literally everywhere I look. Seeing this reaffirms that we’ve made the right decision and they will hopefully be okay here, even though I doubt myself constantly.

We have a little Airbnb in London sorted for our first few weeks until we can find an area most suited to our lifestyle.

In the meantime, they have been in the best care with .

We’ll keep you pupdated.

07/10/2022

Oh wow, over three years of the girls being separated due to fights. It feels like a lifetime ago but yet just the other day. Since then we’ve uncovered a long list of issues in both Max and Willow. A lot is a result of bad breeding of spaniel bloodlines in South Africa (an issue I WILL be speaking about soon enough). We’ve learned and grown so much since I wrote this post. Even the language I use and perspective I have is totally different now.

They’re still separated and our worst fears of having them separated for life will probably stay that way. However, despite the temporary stress of us emigrating, they are happy.

People think we’re nuts for living like this - and now for going through the effort of moving continents with them. By the ignorant we are judged heavily for our choice of lifestyle; by the knowledgeable we are admired and supported.

They’re our family and our children. That bit remains the same. They’ll always be with us.

REAL TALK // This is the last photo I took of the girls together. It was on 16 August. This was my favourite time of day - morning cuddles in bed as a family. My heart aches. It feels like we’ve lost our baby girls.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that we’ve been very absent online. I feel terrible about this because I love our community and I haven’t been present. The truth is, without sounding dramatic, life is very hard for us right now.

As some know, the girls have not been getting along for a few months now. It has become physical and escalated from fighting over outside playtime and toys to inside possession and bad fights. The type we struggle to break up.

We’ve landed at the vets a few times which thankfully wasn’t too serious but costly and unnerving. We’ve spent THOUSANDS on natural and prescribed medications, gear, crates, training. You name it, we’ve bought it. Some has worked, some hasn’t.

We had a really good month of progress with no fighting, just a few tense moments but we managed. A week ago they had another bad fight and they’ve been separated since. It’s a logistical nightmare, especially living in a small house.

There is no single answer as to why our current situation is the way it is. It’s a combination and we’re slowly starting to understand and piece it all together.

Without the help of our incredible trainers, I honestly don’t know where we’d be. As we stand, I can’t imagine living the next 10 to 12 years like this. We feel hopeless when they fight, like it’ll never get better. But then we make a breakthrough- something as small as presenting a sit when we expect defiance.

We won’t ever give up on them. It is not an option for us. They are our children. We are working our bums off to make it work for our future as a family. It’s really hard. I have no other way to describe it. Money and time is no longer a luxury for us. We are always training (within reason). I feel like we’re constantly at war - waiting for an attack or misbehaviour. It’s exhausting. But we are making progress which is encouraging and we have a lot of support here so I am thankful for that.

It’s an uphill journey but we’ll get there. Please be kind in your feedback

03/10/2022

My girls ❤️

21/09/2022

Just because they work short term doesn't mean they're effective long term 🙃 Using aversive training methods breaks down the relationship of trust you have with your dog.