So incase you didn’t guess it, today I am celebrating 5 whole years since Hunter practically bounced into the lives of my husband Luke and I. It’s a day I can remember like it was yesterday, picking up this tiny little puppy and the stark reality hitting me that we are now responsible for keeping this little puppy alive! ALIVE! Like he was going to be totally dependent on us for the rest of his life! It was a very anxious feeling, but something that Luke and I got into very quickly. If you want to read my previous Hunter posts then click the links below.

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/02/18/then-2-became-3/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/02/23/puppy-post/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/07/06/pup-date-2/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/05/16/pup-date/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2022/06/05/its-all-about-hunter/

So back to celebrating 5 years of being a dog mum to Hunter, well that means 5 years of dog mum bun hair, I mean I live in the Essex countryside, but I look far from country chic on my dog walks! I usually have mud on my coat, I’m always wearing a winter ear warmer headband, I have a coco pups dog walking bag (that’s an essential) I’m always in a pair of hunter wellies (any season). And yes you’ve guessed it my hair is always up in some messy bun! I can’t seem to juggle being a dog mum and looking country chic and cute! Oh and I usually have little ginger hairs all over me (from Hunter)

My house – pre Hunter used to have a show home vibe, now I have throws on the sofa, Hunter toys are scattered in every room, there’s random little treats I find under the sofas, and Hunter has decided that no room now is off limits. Spare bedroom bed – Hunters, our main bedroom bed – Hunters. Hunter pretty much rules our house.

As with all dogs (well most/some dogs) mine can be the best boy and best friend, or he can be an absolute terror! He can be super good and remember all the commands taught at training, or he can completely ignore every single command you say. He’s this absolute ball of energy, and has made outbursts of zoomies.

But then we have the us time, those moments where we just chill and connect, and he snuggles so close to me I can feel his heart beat. It’s then that I’m reminded just how short a time a dog is with us for. I love those little moments where we are content chilling on the sofa, and he is fast asleep then his little tail starts to wag in his sleep, and I know he’s happy, and I know he feels safe and loved.

With life so busy, it’s very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of everyday things, work, life, shopping and general adult bits that we have to do. But then I see Hunter and all he wants is a cuddle and some attention and it hits me so hard that it brings tears to my eyes. We only have a few precious years with our dogs. In the blink of an eye, their time on Earth is done. We are there for the whole of their life but they only get to share a small part of ours. Hunter brightens up every day, he never judges, he doesn’t care what I look like, he just simply unconditionally loves both me and Luke.

Hunter is the centre of our world and every decision made is carefully made around him. He comes to work with me Monday to Thursday and Fridays he stays home with Luke. He’s never left for more than 4 hours at a time and my parents are the very very best grand(pawrents) (sorry couldn’t resist) that we could ever wish for.

I cherish every moment with Hunter, it’s the purest kind of love.

Happy gotcha day buddy!!!

The post Dog mum buns appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Hello, well as if the fab weekend wasn’t over so quickly! And also is it seriously STILL January?- this month is going on forever! Although I’m sure that when we get into February I’ll be moaning that month is going way too fast, forever the indisicive girl.

So another week has been and gone, and that week was long! But in between the storms, the power cuts and the nearly falling asleep at my desk during the working week, I somehow survived all of it! Winning at life right now.

So as we have established the week was long, and just so draining. And main reason behind that was Hunter. I have always prided lifestylelisa as being as honest as possible when it comes to what I write and share in my posts. So taking the rough and tough with the smooth the reason why last week was so difficult and draining is because Hunter my lively 4 year old Hungarian Vizsla is going through an awkward phase, and trying to get to the root of the issue is proving a problem. Hunter is lively and friendly and so so affectionate and I absolutely love him for it. But his behaviour over the last year and especially over the last few months has made me question whether Luke and I are really the right owners for him, and maybe that somehow we had failed him. It’s been an emotional roller coaster feeling torn between absolutely loving Hunter and wanting what’s best for him. Of course I always knew that re-homing him was never ever really on cards even if I did wonder if it might be best for him. I mean honestly no one on earth loves my dog as much as Luke and I, Hunter is our entire world. But behaviour wise we have been having issues that are getting harder and harder to ignore. So on Sunday we took the plunge and had a lovely dog behavioural expert come round and asses Hunter and more importantly us to see where it’s gone/going wrong and what we can do to rectify the situation before it gets too out of control. So the meeting took place on (Sunday) at our house and it was informative and thorough, and although we have a long way to go, Luke & I have a number of things to work on and I am feeling very positive that by the summer we could potentially have really turned things around (here’s hoping)

The behavioural expert confirmed something that I really had wondered lately and that was just how much Hunter loves us. And deep down of course I knew that, but hearing it from someone with so much knowledge, hearing her say that he loves us so much, and in return we have over loved him (which is why he’s a little messed up) did actually mean the world to me. She also confirmed that he is the sweetest boy, and is so willing and ready to learn, and honestly I couldn’t be more thankful that we contacted her, and I couldn’t love my fury ginger little bear anymore than I do.

So whilst last week may have been a bit up an down I am hoping that this week will be so much better.

This will now be my last blog post until the middle of February as I am off on a brand new journey with my husband and will be making more amazing memories. Of course I am already getting tearful about missing Hunter but once again mum and dad to the rescue as they will be looking after him and the house whilst we are gone. And I know Hunter will be well loved and looked after, and although I will be enjoying my holiday I will also be looking forward to that big hug and wet kick from Hunter when I return.

The post Let’s Talk About Last Week appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Okay okay, it IS fun – sometimes, I mean definitely not all the time! You know like when it’s windy, rainy, snowy oh and extremely hot when you can’t walk your dog, but your dog doesn’t understand so sulks all day because he wants to walk!

But other than that, it’s all cool – honest ……..

I get that not everyone will get or appreciate this post, it takes a special kind of person to become a dog mum/dad right. Some people prefer cats, some people dislike animals full stop. Some people like dogs but could never possibly own one. And I honestly I get all of it, but to be an actual dog owner, we’ll if you know, you know right?

I have been a dog mum for over 3 years now, and to be honest I do love it (I do, I do, I really do, says this multiple times because Hunter does like to push me to the limit’s sometimes!) But for the most part it is good, and Hunter really is the sweetest boy.

I mean the fact of the matter is Hunter is a complicated dog! He is super needy, although to be fair that is the nature of his breed. But he really needs lots of attention, love and affection – like all the time!

He’s a homeboy and definitely prefers to to be at home than anywhere else, he struggles to settle in different environments. So having hunter come to work with me Monday – Thursday is a struggle. It’s one of those situations where I am so lucky that Hunter gets to come with me everyday but at the same time, when he’s in one of those moods where I have no idea what he could possibly be so unhappy about, and to be honest I don’t think he knows either it makes for a really (long) tough day.

Mondays are our worst office days together, Hunter hates them, seriously my dog has the Monday blues! He can never settle, he’s constantly crying – he wants to go out, he doesn’t want to go out, oh no wait he does want to go out! I mean it’s relentless with him. It gets to a point that when he does eventually settle I have to weigh up whether me going to the toilet is worth it, or do I just hold it in so I don’t disturb the sleeping dog – yea the struggle is real!! I think it’s safe to say that we just don’t vibe on Monday’s, and I don’t vibe for Mondays ever! So it just makes it a whole lot worse!!

I do feel as though my husband gets off pretty lightly as he only has Hunter on Fridays, and believe me those days I love! Because as much as this ginger lovable dog is my world, having time away from him is a good thing! Plus it means I get a whole hour for lunch, instead of the 20 minutes I usually get, because the lunch time walk is a necessity.

Of course I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t plenty of good days, because there are, so so many good days. As much a Hunter is for part is a complicated dog, his personality is huge, and he has a few personalities that’s for sure! We have happy, excited, crazy, needy, loving, sleepy, cute, whiny, boisterous, unhappy and my favourite one of all – super loving.

It’s true what they say, we don’t really deserve dogs, they love you unconditionally and they never ever judge you. Hunter is always happy to see Luke & I, in fact he’s always happy to see anyone, anyone who will give him fuss that is. He follows us everywhere, he just likes to know we’re still there and haven’t disappeared or left him. I walk out of the toilet, and there he is sitting right outside the toilet door waiting for me.

The absolute reality is, being a dog mum means you always have poo bags and dog treats in random pockets. You’re usually covered in dog hair, you have dog slobber on your coat and heading out on a nice country walk in anything but your “old dog walking clothes” is a no no. You have throws on the sofas that you once swore your dog would never be allowed to sit on, your car becomes a dog transportation vehicle and the backs seats are covered in dog hairs and for the most part your hair is usually chucked up it what can only be described as a messy bun, because sitting there styling it only for it to get ruined on one of the walks is a complete waste of time! We have good days and bad days, he loves to test my patience regularly, he argues back at me (seriously not joking) he’s the most vocal dog I’ve ever known. He’s always trying to push the boundaries a little further and he will always let Luke & I know when he’s not happy and he lets us know by being very very loud!! But the rewards are plenty, I mean here is this living breathing 4 legged fury animal who cannot wait to see you, who wags his tail every time he’s with you, who loves you unconditionally, brightens up any day and just wants to be with you, even if it is 24/7

And in all honesty, I wouldn’t change it for the world

The post Dog mum life appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Todays post if you haven’t quite guessed is all about my dog Hunter! It’s been a while since I did any kind of pup date, so I thought Why not dedicate a little post to him.

Name – Hunter

Breed – Hungarian Vizsla

Age – 2 years & 6 months

Since Hunter came bouncing into our lives over 2 years ago, mine & Luke’s life in general seems to revolve around this needy dog! And although I’m rolling my eyes at the the sheer thought of how much Luke and I have had to adapt to accommodate him, I also know that really I wouldn’t have him any other way.

He was such a tiny pup when we travelled to Wales to pick him up, on a really stormy day back in February 2020 (just before lockdown!) Luke was amazing with him and had him toilet trained in like 2 days! The only accident Hunter ever had in the house was a wee on the rug the first day we got him home, other that that he has always gone outside, seriously what a good boy!

For the most part I absolutely love being a dog mum, Hunter is an extremely friendly, loving and very happy dog, his tail quite literally never stops wagging (it even wags in his sleep, cute or what!)

Due to the nature of the breed Hunter likes to be with a human at all times, the breed are actually nicknamed “Velcro dogs!” And Hunter most certainly takes that to a whole new level. He is super super needy! Bordering social anxiety behaviour, meaning that Luke and I can never just leave him for a few hours whilst we hit the shops, pop out for a meal, or visit some friends! If we do we need to get a dog sitter!! Cue mum and dad to the rescue! They are great at dropping everything and having him at short notice, whether we drop him round theirs or they come to us and sit with him for a few hours, he’s never left alone.

Monday – Thursday We pack up Hunters back pack (yes he absolutely does have one, a dinosaur one!) and he comes to work with me, it’s not always easy and sometimes he is a complete nightmare but for the most part he’s okay, a little restless at times, but we just try and deal with it. Friday he is lucky and gets to stay at home with his human dad as Luke works from home on a Friday. So as far as the working week goes he’s pretty lucky and gets to be with us (I don’t think he even realises just how lucky he is!)

Hunter has always been extremely vocal, right. From when we picked him up and bought him home as a puppy he was extremely vocal and that isn’t something that has gone away! He is still extremely vocal, and is very quick to let us know when he’s not happy or when he needs something. He is equally as vocal if we leave him alone for a short hour to pop to the supermarket (heaven forbid!)

My house is now very much Hunters home, he sits on the furniture, he leaves toys and chews everywhere, and my once show home (as my mum called it) is less of a show home and more of home that has a dog! Yes I am forever cleaning a bit of mud of the walls, hoovering up dog hairs, and washing the throws that now sit on the sofas. Hunter sleeps in until 11am at weekends and falls asleep around 8.30pm, I think he’s in that teenage stage now!

He’s not the easiest dog if I’m honest, and he tests my patience on a daily basis, but when I see his face he melts my heart every time, and I can never stay mad at him for long.

I have of course done little random posts about a hunter which you can check out below!!

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/02/23/puppy-post/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/05/16/pup-date/

https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/07/06/pup-date-2/

Or fancy finding out more about this wonderful breed check out the post I found here

Enjoy the last day of the weekend!!

The post It’s all about Hunter appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

So of course Hunter turning 6 months was marked with the obligatory photo shoot, which Hunter finds completely boring, you can almost see him looking at me like “mum, really, just put the camera down” Unfortunately for Hunter I’m a big fan of photos and selfies so he’s just going to have to deal with it. The photo shoot we did took a good 20 minutes, it was mainly Luke and I trying to position him, wishing that we hadn’t done that first 8 week photo on the stairs that he can no longer fit on (epic fail really) There was lots of treats involved and 30(ish) photos taken before I settled on one that looked decent.

I have to say Hunter has completely changed mine and Luke’s life, he has this happy and loving personality and he has the ability to instantly make you smile. He has this cute habit of greeting Luke and I with a toy whenever he sees us which we encouraged from an early age to save our arms and clothes as he’s just so excited to see you he grabs onto anything (and that includes hair)https://lifestylelisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/img_8403.mov

Hunter is this crazy, energetic, at times extremely naughty and boisterous puppy. Luke and I were adamant that the dog would NOT (emphasising the NOT) be allowed on the sofa…… which to be fair lasted for about a month. So with Hunter now allowing himself to not only to sleep on the sofas but also sofa surf from sofa to sofa Luke and I have had to invest in throws so protect our lovely new(ish) sofas from claw marks and mud, not exactly how we envisaged dog life. We have so far kept him off of our bed, though that’s not for the want of him trying, but we haven’t caved!!

Hunter is like our child, I am that absolute annoying puppy parent, I worry, I fuss, and I seem to talk about him a lot, Luke is equally the same, so it isn’t just me!

Before Hunter Luke and I did have an absolutely immaculate beautiful “show home” as my mum used to call it now, and although it’s far from ruined and is still beautiful it has endured a little more than it should have since Hunter bounded through the door. But would I change any of it? mot definitely not, he’s completed the life that Luke and I once considered complete, we love him beyond belief, and I am so looking forward to all the adventures the 3 of us can have when the new normal falls into place.

6 months in and this guy is spoilt and definitely feels at home with us.  

Check out my first Pup Date post here

The post Pup Date appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Today’s little post is of course a PUPPY POST ?? One week has now passed since we introduced Hunter our 9 week old Hungarian Vizsla into the Kendal-Taylor house. If you missed that particular blog post then you can check it out here ?? https://lifestylelisa.com/2020/02/18/then-2-became-3/

I think it’s safe to say that Hunter is going to be featuring in quite a few of my blog posts from now on, and YES I am definitely going to one of those “dog moms” who posts millions of pictures of him, but I mean he is just super cute!

Okay so one whole week since Luke and I introduced this absolute little bundle of joy into our lives and it’s been really enjoyable so far. He’s actually (touch wood, don’t want to jinx it”) a real chilled out little dude who LOVES to sleep! No really he LOVES LOVES LOVES his sleep and spends most part of his day sleeping! As a new puppy parent I of course worry, it doesn’t help that I’m a worrier anyway , but I’m always looking at him, checking he’s okay, not too hot, not too cold, not hungry or thirsty etc! YES I’m a nightmare.

We’ve spent the week getting to know each other, he really does have a super personality already and seems to have settled into home life. Luke and I both work full time, so naturally we have had to plan everything carefully to make sure that Hunter isn’t on his own for very long and if we can help it at all! So we are very thankful for our amazing family who have stepped in to make sure Hunter gets all the love and attention he needs, and even a shout it to my boss who let hunter come to work with me for a couple of days!

Although the first few days were certainly all over the place we are slowly settling into a routine now. I mean being a new puppy mum isn’t easy! The first 3 days dinner for me was 3 rice cakes eaten in the kitchen when Hunter was eating his dinner, we had the 2am whimpers and wee’s (it side) We’ve had the “you haven’t given me enough attention, so I’m going to howl the house down” And I’ve also had random bits of food on my clothes where he eats and then wants cuddles! Luckily I haven’t worn anything designer although I did catch him chewing my Ralph Lauren bag! OH THE JOYS!!

Oh and then there’s trying to get out the door with a new puppy! The amount of things I have to remember, lead, car seatbelt, food, food bowl, water bowl, treats, poop bags, toys, crate AND blankets…… EXHAUSTING!!

And finally not to mention the fact, that I’m now a new puppy parent, working full time, trying to run a blog AND learning a new skill for 2020!! YEP this year is certainly a busy one so far!!

With all that said we love him so much and can’t wait until he has his second lot of injections, that’s when the real fun will start.

The post Puppy Post appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I have been a little quiet on the blog front this last week, things have just been ridiculously busy for both myself and Luke. Working lots and preparing to welcome a new arrival to the Kendal-Taylor household ??

YES we became proud puppy parents on Saturday to Hunter, our 8 week old Hungarian vizsla. It’s been a crazy few days of us just kinda getting to know each other, and hanging out with him. Hunter was quite shy and quiet for the first few hours when we got him, but his little personality is starting to come through and he’s now much more confident than he was on Saturday when we bought him home.

Luke and I have both grown up with dogs, so it was only natural that eventually we would get our own. We’ve been in our house for a year now, and so the timing just seemed right. We did a lot of research into what breed would be right for us, and had quite a lengthy list of dogs we thought would suit. I have in the past had a mix of dogs from our beautiful loyal boarder collie, our golden retriever, to more recently my gorgeous Rottweiler, our Dogue Du Bordeaux and of course our cute little Westie. Luke grew up with his beautiful Labrador who he adored. We were very mindful that we didn’t want to have a breed of dog that we had already had the pleasure of owning, as it didn’t seem right, and I could never replace what we had lost.

We eventually settled on a Hungarian Vizsla for many different reasons, like their amazing temperament, and the fact that are active and like to do things and be out and about. Luke is an 11 times tough mudder and enjoys running (well he did) and we both enjoy long walks, so the Vizsla just seemed the right choice for us. Plus they are known own to be very loving and affectionate.

Hunter has made the biggest impact on our lives already, we absolutely adore him, he’s super cute, super needy, loves cuddles and LOVES his sleep! He also like to nibble on anything he can, usually fingers, toes and clothes

I can’t wait for this new chapter of our lives to start, and to get to know him and watch him grow. He’s slotted into the family well and everyone loves him, he’s definitely not short on getting attention. I’m also looking forward to blogging about our adventures together, and finding doggy friendly places to take him.

And YES I am definitely going to be one of those annoying dog moms who posts a tonne of pictures and videos #sorrynotsorry

Any animal lovers out there? OR new puppy parents? Share the love and leave me a comment ??

Lifestylelisa

The post Then 2 became 3 appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I woke up super early this morning (05.30) it’s actually too dark outside to see if it’s going to be nice or not. I can’t at least hear any rain, that’s a good sign right?! I can hear the bats though, they are very active this morning!!

I set my alarm for 06.00 this morning, we are getting up early today because We have an excursion booked, which means we are being picked up at 08.00am from the hotel (Constance Ephelia), so breakfast will be eaten at 07.00. My stomach is actually rumbling although I don’t feel hungry. Luke is still asleep, he needs less time to get ready than I do, it’s a man thing!!

It’s raining!!!! It’s really really raining!!!!

07.00 I managed a nice almond coisiant and a cup of tea, I didn’t want too much as I was setting out on a safari reef cruise booked with mason’s travel. The tour was booked to leave the hotel at 08.10am and arrive back at the hotel around 18.00pm.

Please rain can you stop!!!!

Finally the mini bus was here for our collection!!

Firstly there did seem to be some confusion with the pick up time as were told 08.10 but others were told 08.20! However eventually everyone who was booked on the tour was safely on the transport bus (eventually)

We were dropped off at the the Victoria marina where we picked up the catamaran that would be our main base for the reef Safari. The catamaran took us away from the marina and to a glass bottom boat that was waiting. It was here we got to see lots of different fish at feeding time. I’ve never been on a glass bottom boat before so this experience was awesome, and included in the price! That seemed to last for around 30 minutes. We then all got back on board the catamaran and headed out a little further to where we would do the snorkelling. This would be my first time snorkelling out in the open water, I have previously only done it at typhoon lagoon when I went snorkelling in the shark reef so this was a first for me. I was both excited and nervous about doing this, but confident I was with Luke who wouldn’t let anything happen to me so I felt pretty safe.

Snorkelling gear including flippers were provided by the boat.

The water was cold! Seriously I don’t know what I was expecting but I was thinking more along the lines of warm bath water! But it was slightly (a lot) colder than that! Flippers were something I wasn’t used too and in the beginning and I struggled a bit. Relaxing into it, I saw an array of different coloured fish and coral and some sea urchins too! I must admit I did panic a little when I got too close to the coral reef and was worried I might touch an urchin or a stone fish!!! ALARM BELLS!! We ended up snorkelling for around 30/40 minutes which for me was enough time. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either! I really want to get into it as Luke is a qualified diver, and I would love to do that as well as snorkelling with him. So adding that to my list of things to do!!

Returning to boat we were treated to a lovely buffet meal, on offer was rice, chicken curry, tuna steaks, lentil dressing and another dressing, as well as a veggie sweet and sour for me! After we had coconut nougat and banana cake! It was wonderful authentic cuisine and filled the gap in my stomach just nicely.

Our lovely tour guide even treated us to a little song

Drinks were not included in the price but were available priced at 25 rupees per can. Water was available free of charge.

After dinner we were taken over to moyenne where we had free time to explore and swim if we wanted. You can walk around the whole island in 45 minutes and because their is so much history to Moyenne I highly recommend you do so.

I loved meeting this guy

He was so friendly and happy to jump around catching crabs and other sea creatures. He belonged to the owner of Moyenne who passed away 7 years ago, the dog has remained on the island and lives with the maintenance guys, he is well fed and looked after and as you can see perfectly happy.

There are plenty of well marked paths around Moyenne island, and lots of great photo opportunities. I would recommend taking a pair of trainers or converse when walking through Moyenne. Luke and I just had our flip flops on, but the ground was uneven and slippery in places, plus there were quite a few ants nests and I stood right in one!!

As well as walks and beautiful beaches Moyenne Island is also home to giant tortoises! You see them everywhere, they just mind there own business as you walk by. And then you always get that ONE person who goes a bit too far, and decided to pick up his young daughter and sit her on the back of one of the tortoises, am I the only one who doesn’t find this acceptable!!!

On the catamaran home for moyenne the captain made us all a rum and orange cocktail’s which was a perfect way to finish off a really good day!! We even had blue skies and sun (eventually)

Arriving back at our hotel with more than enough time to shower and get ready for dinner tonight at the corossol!

Our resort room was ABSOLUTELY freezing by the time I got back there as someone (Luke) likes to keep it like a fridge! But after a long day in and out of the sea and sitting on an air conditioned bus, I was pretty chilly and didn’t overly appreciate walking into a fridge! Anyone else’s boyfriend/partner like their hotel rooms like that?!

ALSO taking bus and taxis into Victoria really makes me sleepy because of the motion!! I’m. Always so relaxed after a car journey!!

Dinner as usual was amazing, and I was much hungrier than usual this evening so I splashed out a little and even managed a dessert!! PLUS they had sushi on the menu!!! YES PLEASE!!!

When in Seychelles finishing the night off without a cocktail (or 2) is criminal!! Just one more then I am off to bed, tired after my 05.30 get up, I can’t wait for my head to hit the pillow tonight!!

Can’t wait for Saturday as we are off on an island tour! Keep a look out for the blog coming soon!

Check out my other travel blogs here

Thanks for reading lifestylelisa

L xxx

The post Seychelles Travel Diary- Day Five appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.