The Year That's Been: 2015 Products

Hey! What better way to wrap up one year, and say hello to a new one than by sharing our favourite things from the past year. I have found so many new products this year, a lot that have been loved by the boys and I, and some that were sadly a fail. I have decided to compile everything that we loved into one list, and hope that you can try some of these products, and places too.

Dog Toy: Planet Dog Diamond Plate Ball
Diego has gone through and loved a lot of toys this year, however this toy stands out. Diego is literally obsessed with this ball. We originally got this along with other tough dog toys from Amazon in May, and he would constantly play with it until he lost it under the bed where he would cry until I retrieved it. Unfortunately we lost that toy at the dog park one day, and would have to wait until we done another Amazon order to get it again. We were at a market one day, and a stall had one sitting there, and for only $5! We purchased it immediately. I kind of wish we hadn't. We have to put this toy away because Diego will play with it 24/7 if he had the chance, and he will sit there with the ball in his mouth for hours doing nothing, or alternatively, he will be pushing the wet ball into my lap to throw it for him. When we put it away, he will often go back to that spot and cry multiple times a day. It must be a firm favourite because all his other toys are in reach when he does this. It is pretty much indestructible, has an impressive bounce on it and smells of mint!

Dog Food: Orijen 6 Fish
We have had Diego and Asha on Orijen since we got Diego as a puppy, and they have been doing so well on it. Previously, Asha had terrible skin problems, constantly itchy and had dry, dandruffy fur. Since being on Orijen that has all disappeared and his skin and fur is like a different dog. Diego was on the same general Orijen as Asha until half way through the year we changed him over to 6 Fish as I felt he may have a slight intolerance to the red meat. It has worked wonders, and his coat is wonderful due to all the Omega-3s coming from the fish. I definitely recommend this dog food to anyone and everyone.

Dog Accessory: Bow Wow Boutique Accessories 
If you know anything about our blog, you would know that we love Alex and Bow Wow Boutique! Diego owns three sets of lead and collar combos, and Asha owns a collar as well. The quality is amazing, and the amount of different styles and prints you can get means that everyone can find something they like. These accessories really stand out, and we are always getting compliments on them when we are out and about. Alex is super sweet, and every time I go to her for a weird inquiry, or something a bit different she is extremely helpful. I highly recommend these for your pets!

Random Pet Product: BecoBowls
This year I found the BecoBowl and loved everything it was and stood for. I originally purchased the large size as a water bowl for the dogs, and since then have purchased four more in ranging sizes. The bowls are made from rice husks and bamboo and is 100% biodegradable. The original bowl I purchased is sadly now in heaven as it had a pot dropped on it from height and it cracked. I got a replacement one the next day. I had also bought bowls for the guinea pigs and rabbit, and for christmas I received the smallest size for guinea pig treats. They have all lasted really well so far, they clean up nicely and also are great to look at. You can get them from Animates so makes them very accessible for New Zealanders.

Animal Book: Ivory, Apes & Peacocks
This year I hadn't read and reviewed as many pet related books as the previous year. I was rather busy with work, and activities outside of work that meant I had less time to read. I definitely will be changing that for 2016! Anyway, my favourite book out of the ones I read was Ivory, Apes & Peacocks by Alan Root. This book is all about Alan's travels around Africa, where he was a wildlife photographer and videographer. I loved this book as it involved many of the things that I love in life, wildlife (Hippos especially), video/photography, and the continent of Africa. To see my full thoughts on this, I did write up a review here.

Longest Lasting Product: Nylabone Dinosaur
We got this product, along with a few other toys, from Amazon when we were on the hunt for products that stood up to Diego in terms of toughness. Although, there are a couple of them products still around, some of them fell into different categories in this wrap up, while others are now destroyed. This one has lasted a good seven months of chewing and is still kind of around. Diego chews this toy at least once every other day, and has done for the whole time he has had it. Now it is hardly recognisable, but Diego still enjoys to chew it when he finds it in his toy basket. People do have differing opinions on Nylabones, but I take this away before Diego bleeds on it, and he is always supervised when chewing. We will be purchasing another one of these sometime in 2016.