At the beginning of 2014, I shared a personal goal of wanting to do at least two lots of fundraising this year to benefit my favourite kind of furry friend, as well as those, who need a dog to assist them though their daily lives. I already had one idea in mind at the time of posting, inspired by one of my business sidelines – working as an independent stylist for boutique accessories brand Stella & Dot – but I’ve been waiting for the right time to get it off the ground. 

April 1 saw the start of National Pet Month (ends May 5), an annual event promoting responsible pet ownership, helping pet charities across the UK to raise funds and recognising the love and companionship our pets provide. To celebrate, Basil and I are inviting you to shop our online Stella & Dot Charity Trunk Show on Wednesday 30 April, and in return I pledge to donate and equally share all of my earnings (25% of sales) between my chosen charities - Dogs Trust and Support Dogs.

Back in January, I shared my shame that I was beginning to look like the proverbial dog’s dinner stepping out to walk Lord Basil. With a near fashion disaster on our hands, we launched a new feature - ‘Walking Style’ - where we look to other stylish dog-owners for their know-how.

For our latest offering, we chat to Steph of dark fashion and style blog Faiiint and owner to handsome Nico the Husky. With Steph’s penchant for black and Nico’s predisposition to moulting his gorgeous fluffy fur, she’s got her work cut out so read how she handles it all in her fashion stride. Over to you Steph …

The clue is in the company name but if you’ve not yet heard of BorrowMyDoggy, it’s a scheme where you errrr … get to borrow someone’s pooch.

However don’t fret – the dogs aren’t loaned out to any Tom, Dick and Harry. BorrowMyDoggy is a trusted community of dog lovers where borrowers (often dog-less) help take care of pooches when their owner is too busy for walks, weekends or holidays. A win win situ all round; the dog receives double the affection, the borrower gets their much needed doggy-fix and the owner has peace of mind that their hound is happy and cared for in their absence. 

Not your average doggy business, BorrowMyDoggy co-founder Rikke Rosenlund (pictured right) tells us about her Nine to Fido shapes up running the UK’s premier pup loaning service …

Cats – we own two. (X)arama means spectacular display. Put the two together and you’ve got Cat-arama, which inspired by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home’s cat takeover, will be our monthly homage to the other furry boys residing at Barkarama HQ.

If you’re strictly a dog person, don’t panic – normal doggy business will resume come our next post but for the multi-paw families amongst you, here’s our inaugural monthly round-up of our favourite bits of all things cat …

It’s been a while since our last Breed Focus but in the wake of Crufts, where Standard Poodle Ricky scooped the Best in Show title, we’re shining the spotlight on the fanciest, pranciest dog around – the Poodle …

Happy World Book Day! We’re celebrating by sharing our new favourite dog book Find Momo, which follows the principal of ‘hound-and-seek’ to find Border Collie Momo, hidden within over hundred photographs.

The #FindMomo concept came to fruition during an Autumn walk when Momo (the handsome fella below) and his owner Andrew Knapp were playing a game of ‘catch the stick’ in their local woods. In pursuit of his prize, Momo ended up hidden behind a tree, waiting. Inspired by the scene, Andrew asked Momo to stay in his position and this became the first of many hide-and-seek shots shared to Instagram. Within a matter of weeks, Momo had gained more than 50,000 followers and is now an international success ...

Flowers, chocolates or a romantic meal are all lovely Valentine’s gestures but their shelf life is limited. If like me, your dog has captured your heart, then you’ll love our recommended picks of Valentine’s keepsakes to treasure forever …

I’ve been dying to tell you about Poppy & Rufus ever since I met the brand's founders Sue and Louise at last year’s Discover Dogs but I’ve had to sit tight until such time that their beautifully British dog products were available for your to paw over online. Poppyandrufus.co.uk is now open for business and I strongly recommend you pay them a visit.

First things first let’s talk dogs! Poppy is a working Cocker Spaniel Poppy and Rufus is a Jack Russell, Yorkie and Shi-tzu mix. Their namesake brand was born out of their owners’ (Sue & Louise) frustration in being able to find a functional and stylish dog bed that they didn’t find dull, predictable or kitsch. One thing led to another and their launch collection includes an extensive range of items for you and the dog for use at home and on the go …