Everyone knows that Labradors LOVE food and Baloo, my rescue Labrador, is no exception.
In fact when I first adopted him aged 2.5 he was a whopping 48kg and needed a year long health, fitness and nutrition program to shed more than 20kg!
Over the years it's been quite a task to keep Baloo trim as he has a knack of finding food at 5km - as a failed sniffer dog it's about the only thing he can find!
I've found that if I don't watch his food intake like a hawk and maintain his exercise regime, Baloo can gain 3kg overnight and I have to slap him back on a diet.
Labradors are well known to have hip and knee issues as they grow older and Baloo is no exception.
It has been important to maintain his fitness level as he has aged to minimise any mobility problems and keep him pain free.
With advancing years his frame has become more fragile - sometimes I wonder how he manages to walk but walk he does, every day twice a day, often sprinting off when he has a whiff of some tasty morsel.
Occasionally he even manages a hop, skip and a jump which makes me chuckle every time. You see Baloo always loved to dance with me and still comes alive when I start to sing or he hears music - you may have seen me boogieing down the road with him 😂
But I digress. This week Baloo reached the grand old age of 15 - which in human terms is somewhere between 90 and 100 years depending on which scale and method you use to calculate it; a milestone we couldn't overlook.
Thankfully help was at hand and one of Baloo's dearest Buddies Julie - who affectionately calls him Boo - made the most delicious dog-friendly cake ever.
It proved to be irresistible, so much so that he and his "siblings" Duba and Misha have been eyeing the fridge all day for another slice!
Unfortunately for Baloo, mum is as strict today as she was 13 years ago on adoption day and Baloo's diet doesn't allow for second helpings today ... tomorrow, well that's another day, right Baloo?!
If you would like a dog friendly birthday cake contact @donnelly5934 to place your order. Your dog will love you even more if you do! 😍
