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The Herby Hound

🐾 Author of A Year With My Dog - practical dog care, herbs, recipes & a place to keep the little memories that matter. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HPTD6PF3

11/11/2026

🎄 A little Christmas gift to your future self: write this down.

If I wrote 'Emmylou likes my bed', I’d remember where she slept. What I might forget is the great big sigh she lets out when she stretches, as though she’s just clocked off from a twelve-hour shift.

That’s the bit I’d want to keep.

Before the year ends, open a note on your phone, put your dog’s name and today’s date at the top, and finish these three sentences:

🐾 I know they want their supper when… What do they actually do? Stare at the bowl? Stare at you? Walk to the kitchen and look back to check you’ve understood the assignment?

🐾 Something they do differently now is… Think back to the start of the year. Is there something they’ve grown braver about, a new habit they’ve picked up, or a little change you’ve made that seems to suit them?

🐾 One ordinary moment I’d happily have again is… Pick a moment from this week. Where were you? What were they doing? Add one detail a photo wouldn’t catch: a sound, the weather, or what made you laugh.

If you’ve got a photo from that day, pop it in the note too. You’ve just made yourself a little snapshot of life with your dog as it is right now.

In a few years, you’ll probably remember that they always knew when it was supper time. But will you remember that they went to the kitchen, looked back at you, and huffed because you hadn’t followed?

That’s the bit worth writing down while it’s still part of every day.

Save these three prompts for when you’ve got five minutes and a cuppa. A few years from now, you might read your answers and think, 'Oh, I can hear that little huff now.' 💚

10/11/2026

It's November, the stew pot is coming out, and parsnips are back on the menu.

But did you know your dog can enjoy them too?

Parsnips aren't exactly the most glamorous vegetable in the kitchen, but they've got quite a bit going for them!

🌿 Fibre – helps support normal digestion and healthy bowel movements.

🌿 Potassium – an important mineral for normal muscle and nerve function.

🌿 Folate – a B vitamin involved in healthy cell function.

And they're naturally sweet, which might make them rather appealing to dogs who enjoy their vegetables.

Here's how to serve them:

Give the parsnip a good wash, peel it if necessary, and cook until soft. Then mash it with a fork or chop it into small, manageable pieces.

No butter, salt, gravy or seasoning. Just plain parsnip.

Start with a teaspoon or two for a small dog, or a tablespoon for a larger one, and see how they get on.

And if you're making a stew, pop a few pieces of parsnip aside before adding onions, garlic, stock cubes or other seasonings. That way, your dog gets a little treat without any of the ingredients that could cause problems.

Parsnips won't transform your dog's health overnight, but they're a lovely way to add a little variety to their bowl.

Does your dog enjoy a few veggies with their dinner, or are they strictly a meat-and-potatoes sort? 😂🐾

10/11/2026

And no, I haven't been sniffing the herbal tinctures!

Tucked away inside your dog's nasal cavity is a fascinating little structure called the vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson's organ.

It's part of a specialised chemical-sensing system that helps many animals detect certain chemical signals, including those involved in social and reproductive communication.

Which means that when your dog spends an extraordinary amount of time investigating a patch of grass where another dog has been, there's a whole world of chemical information involved that we humans barely understand.

We see a lamppost.

Our dogs encounter something closer to a neighbourhood noticeboard.

Who's been here? What chemical clues have they left? Is there anything worth investigating further?

And while their ordinary sense of smell does much of the detective work, that additional sensory system makes the whole business even more fascinating.

So the next time your dog insists on spending five minutes examining a single blade of grass, perhaps they're not wasting time.

Perhaps they're catching up on the local gossip.

Does your dog have to investigate EVERY single interesting smell on a walk?

Keep it herby,
Andrea 🌿

09/11/2026

What would your dog ask Father Christmas for? 🎄🐾

I've been wondering what Emmylou would ask Father Christmas for if she could write her own list.

Food, obviously. Lots of it.

Unlimited access to the kitchen, first refusal on anything that falls on the floor, and a legally binding agreement that my side of the bed is actually hers!

She'd also like the vacuum cleaner removed from the premises, although she'd probably tolerate it for the right number of biscuits.

Oh, and a biscuit every time she goes into the garden. She's been trying to introduce that particular rule for ages, but management isn't having it.

I suspect most dogs would have a Christmas list that bears absolutely no resemblance to what we'd actually buy them.

Forget the expensive toys and fancy beds. They'd probably ask for unlimited snacks, unrestricted sofa access and the complete abolition of the word NO.

Although Emmylou would still expect presents. Obviously.

So, what would YOUR dog ask Father Christmas for?

Not what you'd buy them. What they'd actually want.

I have a feeling some of these lists could be quite alarming! 😂🎄🐾

06/11/2026

The book I wish I’d had for Storm. 💚

Fifteen and a half years with a dog gives you a lot of memories. It also gives you the firm belief that you’ll never forget any of them.

Some are admittedly harder to forget. Like the time Storm spotted another dog and dragged me across a park on my tummy. I hadn’t planned on inspecting the grass quite that closely!

He could be very aggressive towards other dogs, so our walks involved a lot of scanning the horizon. I could spot a distant dog with the accuracy of an air traffic controller.

He wasn’t an easy dog to walk. He was my boy, and I loved him.

In August, we said goodbye.

I have so many photographs and wonderful memories of him. But there are little details I wish I’d written down. His everyday routines. How they changed over the years. The ordinary moments that didn’t seem important enough to record.

I’d love to have a page that told me about a perfectly uneventful day with him. Preferably one I spent upright!

That’s where A Year With My Dog began.

Somewhere to keep the beautiful memories, the ridiculous adventures and all the little things that make your dog YOUR dog. They don’t have to be perfectly behaved to leave an enormous space in your life.

There’s room for photographs and memories, notes about their health and happiness, seasonal care tips and herbal inspiration. All across 116 full-colour pages of watercolour illustrations, which I’ve spent a completely reasonable amount of time admiring!

It’s undated, so you can begin in whichever season you’re in.

And it’s finally here. My actual book, with my actual name on the cover. I’m excited, slightly terrified and wishing Storm were here for this bit.

A Year With My Dog is available on Amazon - £14.99/$19.99 in paperback. A keepsake for you, or a lovely gift for someone whose phone contains three photographs of their family and 4,000 of their dog.

Take a peek inside. The link is in my bio. I hope it helps you keep the memories you’ll one day be so glad you wrote down. 🐾📖

Andrea 🌿

05/11/2026

🐾 To everyone spending tonight with a frightened dog…

I hope the fireworks are few and far between, that your dog feels safe and that you both manage to get some sleep tonight.

If they need to be close to you, let them. If they want to hide somewhere quiet, let them.

And if all you manage tonight is sitting on the floor beside your dog, keeping them company while the world makes an awful lot of noise, that's absolutely fine.

Sometimes, just being there is the best thing you can do.

Thinking of you all tonight. Take care of yourselves and your lovely dogs. ❤️

Andrea 🌿🐾

04/11/2026

Bonfire Night is tomorrow. Is your dog ready?

Before the first bang, there are a few little things worth doing.

🐾 Walk your dog well before dark.

🐾 Close the curtains and put some familiar background noise on.

🐾 Make sure they've got somewhere comfortable to retreat to.

🐾 Check that doors, gates and garden fences are secure.

🐾 Have their favourite chew, toy or something to lick ready.

And if your dog wants to sit right beside you, let them. You won't make their fear worse by comforting them.

A little preparation today could make tomorrow evening much easier.

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼'𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻. ❤️

02/11/2026

Once upon a time, dogs were kitchen appliances.

No, really.

Hundreds of years ago, there was a type of dog whose job was to cook the Sunday roast.

Well, sort of.

They were called 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝘀, and they were specially bred to run inside enormous wooden wheels attached to roasting spits.

As the dog ran, the wheel turned, rotating the meat in front of the fire.

Imagine a giant hamster wheel, except instead of a hamster, there was a short-legged dog doing all the hard work.

And this wasn't some peculiar one-off invention.

Turnspit dogs were used in British kitchens and inns for centuries.

They were generally small, long-bodied dogs with short legs, and their work was hot, exhausting and hardly the comfortable life we'd wish for our dogs today.

Thankfully, mechanical roasting devices eventually replaced them, and by the end of the 19th century the breed had disappeared.

But here's something rather extraordinary.

A preserved Turnspit Dog called Wh***ey still exists at Abergavenny Museum in Wales.

One of the strangest little chapters in canine history.

And to think, these days our dogs are more likely to be lying in front of the fire, waiting for a piece of the roast to fall off the carving board!

Had you ever heard of the Turnspit Dog?

02/11/2026

Some dogs will happily plunge into a freezing lake, roll in a muddy puddle and charge through wet grass.

But ask them to step outside for a wee when it's raining?

Absolutely not!

If you've got a dog who plants all four paws at the back door and refuses to budge, you're certainly not alone.

And while it might look like stubbornness, some dogs genuinely dislike the sensation of rain on their face, wet fur or cold, soggy paws.

A few things worth trying:

🐾 Keep a towel by the door. A quick, gentle dry-off afterwards can make the whole experience more pleasant.

🐾 Make toilet trips short and predictable. Sometimes a quick visit to a sheltered spot is all that's needed.

🐾 Consider a lightweight waterproof coat. Particularly for thin-coated dogs who feel the cold as well as the rain.

🐾 Don't turn it into a battle. Encouragement and a little patience tend to work better than dragging a reluctant dog outside.

And if your dog has suddenly started refusing walks when they previously loved them, don't automatically blame the weather. Discomfort or pain could be playing a part.

Now, tell me - does your dog love the rain, tolerate it, or take one look outside and head straight back to bed?

01/11/2026

November:
The sky is exploding. Your dog has questions.

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Paris

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