The best things come in small packages and case in point when Basil and I received a surprise gift on Saturday morning from new online pet boutique Pup Tart.

Sweet, not only by name, Pup Tart’s standout factor is the special touches they add to your shopping experience to give you and your pup that warm, fuzzy feeling. As I unwrapped our gift (see with Basil on my lap), I couldn’t help but smile at the cute stickers across the packaging, bearing happy messages such as ‘Your dog’s dreams just came true!’ and ‘Yeay’. There’s even a postcard of their in-house pup Indy (above) - a Norfolk Terrier/bit of a surprise cross! …

Welcome back and sorry for abandoning you. Between a holiday in the sun and a VIP 70th birthday, we’ve been locked away putting the final touches to our new look site and HERE IT IS!

It’s been a labour of love getting the site to this stage; every image had to be re-sized, all our blog posts have been edited and shuffled into their rightful place, not to mention the hours spent to-ing and fro’ing with a very patient graphic designer and a clever web developer. It’s been well worth it and we’re thrilled with our new look.

We'd like you to meet Harvey, a handsome, one year old American Bulldog Mixed-Breed, who was taken in by the Mayhew Animal Home after being found abandoned on the streets of London. Harvey is looking for his forever home and if you think it could be with you keep reading.

TV Vet Marc Abrahams and his dog-loving showbiz pals will be back in North London’s Primrose Hill Park for the fourth Pup Aid event – a fun, celebrity judged dog show aimed at raising awareness of the horrific practice of puppy farming.

A few weeks ago we received a tweet from one of our followers, @TillysTails, which read: “@barkarama THANK YOU for the tweet about Cilla @themayhew. I showed a friend and she has given her a new home! An amazing one too.” Needless to say we were delighted to hear that we’d been instrumental in re-homing a dog.

It’s official – dogs are taking over the high street! John Lewis, one of the nation’s best-loved department stores, has launched its very own pet department to gift your furry family members.

Ahoy there maties! Today Basil and I are over on Pets Pyjamas sharing our summer picks alongside other dog-owning bloggers. Our selection has a nautical theme giving a nod to Basil Barkarama's 'holiday' home, which we’ll be heading to later this week. Pop over to PetsPyjamas.com for the full feature.

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Earlier this week we were fortunate enough to attend the Dogs Trust Honours Awards – an annual event, now in its sixth year, honouring the UK’s most courageous and heroic canines. Basil and I joined over 20 dogs and 100 humans including celebrities such as Donna Air, Arlene Phillips and Brix Smith-Start at swanky private members club Home House to celebrate the unique relationship between man and dog.