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vanhounds

Europe family vanhounds vanlife

Hounds of love

February 28, 2020

Headland hike with the furbabies. We get asked a lot how we manage in a van with two large sighthounds. The answer is pretty simple. It works only if you see yourselves as a family, a tiny travelling community. We all have varying needs and wants and nobody can have their own way all the time. Some people are horrified to learn that they sleep on our bed. But this came about through necessity more than anything else – our…

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Lessons from our hounds

December 24, 2019

I have to share this story of these two: ever since we adopted Bonnie (the black whippetx) 4yrs ago (at just under 1yr old) she’s been terrified of dogs she doesn’t know. This manifests in her shouting at them Very Loudly when on walks and if she’s off the lead she does a sort of fly-by shouting a them At Great Speed. We’ve tried everything, taken various advice from trainers, even a muzzle (which we all hated so that didn’t…

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Europe feature vanhounds vanlife

Vanhounds for life

December 6, 2019

Cant believe I caught this shot today. Love this pair so much. They make life on the road infinitely more interesting. This basically sums up my year, so I’m gonna leave it here for you all to enjoy. You’re welcome. #vanlife #vanlifeeurope #homeiswhereyouparkit #rescuehounds #adoptdontshop #spain #dogslife #bestfriends #vanhounds #houndsofinstagram …

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Europe feature minimalism travel vanhounds vanlife

Minimalism isn’t purgatory

November 7, 2019

The weather is fierce here today; black clouds and thick sea fog are taking it in turns to obscure the wild ocean view. Earlier we were battered by hailstones; the van occasionally rocks as if being pushed by a mob outside; the hounds only got a short run on the beach before we were harried indoors – they beat me to the van door to get in. After two winters with no heating, fitting the diesel heater this summer was…

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Europe family vanhounds vanlife

The naming of hounds

October 2, 2019

Inspired by a recent post by the utterly wonderful @briannamadia I thought I’d fully introduce our two van hounds with all of the nicknames they’ve accumulated over the past four years since we adopted them. I don’t even know how some of these started, some of them escalated quite quickly, others grew on us over time: First up is Bonnie, the black whippet-x as her repertoire is the more extensive: Bonnie, bean, string-bean, Bonnie-bean, Bonnie-bear, princess Bon-Bon of the waves,…

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family travel vanhounds vanlife

we’re all just family

August 19, 2019

A few years ago we were all sat trying to work out what the connection was between certain family members and what their titles would be: great aunt / second cousin / something else twice removed. Isaak (pictures here) thought quietly for a while then piped in, ‘it’s all just family isn’t it.’ Yes. That’s exactly what it is. ❤️ We’re all family ❤️. Rounded off Andy’s extended birthday weekend yesterday (he’s getting worse than the queen) catching up with…

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vanhounds vanlife

the perfect Saturday evening

August 11, 2019

A perfect Saturday evening of tea, cake, hounds, Eno & ebooks; this tiny space we inhabit fills easily with warmth, contentment, & love. The storms raging outside cause us no stress, instead they’re an excuse to cozy up together. It’s amazing how expansive a place can feel when you have everything you need, but I have found blogging daily more difficult since returning to Cymru so I’m following intuition, not pushing, just letting my heart guide however she will; having…

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family vanhounds vanlife

our van family

August 3, 2019

This family member is a total legend. He’s such a sweet, caring hound; super protective of us in the van, always wanting to play. We adopted him when he was five (he’s now nine) after he’d already spent a year in the doggy rescue centre because a previous owner was going to have him put down. I can’t really understand that thinking – if a dog misbehaves then something in their environment isn’t right for them (probably much like a…

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Visiting Hudson’s Garden

July 28, 2019

Photos: Andy GarsideWords: Sophie McKeand Hudson’s Garden was a lovely place to visit recently. Our friend Pauline and her pack of huskies are now homebaking and I enjoyed learning the art of folding love into doggie snacks by making them from scratch. Our hounds are not lesser beings, they are as deserving of a good diet as we are, so I loved the chance to learn more about this.  The key ingredient in this recipe is a helping of dried…

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food vanhounds vanlife

Furbabies forever

July 25, 2019

Visiting friends, I’m reminded how much thought & attention some people give to caring for their canine companions, our furbabies who are completely reliant on us through no choice of their own. I love how much love people give to the animals in their lives. Our lovely friend Pauline has a pack of huskies and has also started baking treats for hounds as Hudson’s Garden. This is a great idea! When we went to visit she taught me how to…

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