Welcome To Our Blog: An Introduction

hi, welcome to our blog!
i am liv and i run our account

our original mr branston pickle - he is a show type chocolate labrador & is the sweetest pup in the world! he has a heart of gold and i’m holding onto it forever and ever! he loved to do tricks and was super eager to learn

our sweet & spicy huxley fox - he is a working red fox labrador. he has a huge personality and is so sweet! he is an assistance dog, agility dog and a gundog for fun. he has incredible speed and has the ability to pick things up super quick. he is my mini me

our firecracker ottylie rose - she is a working line fox red labrador. the niece of huxley and she has a very big personality just like her uncle but is a pure spicy girl - she is so bold and confident and it’s something i love in her. she is going to be an agility dog and a gundog at the moment and she sure is shining. her drive is crazy and she is so easy to train, she is my second mini me

branston unfortunately passed away june 2020 and huxley joined the house in september 2020 - i had never dreamed of losing my first boy so soon but as people say ‘everything happens for a reason’

↠ All About Liv ↞

i am liv!

i’m not your typical girl, i’m not a fan of shopping (except for dog shopping😉) or getting all glammed up. instead i love photography, adventuring, agility and all things dogs really. i am a huge fan of working breeds (labs, working cockers, you name ‘em)
i aim to become a veterinary nurse or dog trainer in the future.

i love to travel too and have been to spain ever since i was 6 months old (or maybe before, i can’t remember) and i travel the country with my family whenever i can.

as well as dog training and agility, i also do BSL
stands for British Sign Language. i mainly use SSE (Sign Supported English) as it helps me communicate with the deaf or HOH people better. i started learning for my grandad who had very low hearing and could barely understand a word anyone said.

Our Photography Journey

2020 & onward

we sometimes get asked what camera and gear we use for our photos! and i am here to tell you what we use and our journey over the last year...

i first started my journey within photography in may 2020 with my canon eos 10d, it was given to me by Grandad who has now sadly passed away and i will forever treasure it and keep it safe for him! i started to use this camera when branston was still with us and within that few months from may-june i had the best time taking photos of branston and he was a pro poser from day one and he was so patient while i figured out my new camera!

in july 2020 i brought myself a canon 4000d and started using it, i had to get used to using a new piece of kit and practiced with my nans dog although he wasn’t as patient, then when huxley came home my main man appeared and he was a poser from day dot😍 this camera has amazing quality and picks up the smallest detail. i then got my 50mm and it’s was what i used to use nearly every time now, it’s amazing and it’s focus is so sharp - it was my go to. i later on got the 85mm and although i have to stand miles away from my subject, it is INCREDIBLE - it is my new go to and i haven’t taken it off of my camera in a long time

roll on september 2022 and i now have the incredible sony a7iii, this was a present given to me and i’m forever grateful. the quality is phenomenal and the performance is second to none - i absolutely love it. i use the 85mm lens too and together it’s a powerhouse

Our Instagram Journey

we first started our account in july 2019 with the name "littlemrbranstonbear" and using an iphone 6S plus as the camera. we then moved onto the name "thechocodrops" and used a samsung camera and an iphone 11. in may 2020 we decided to refresh our page and started from scratch, we were "bonbons.in.nature" and we were using a canon 10d with a variety of lenses. our photography improved so much and our feed looked very uniformed.

in july 2020, i got a canon 4000d which is gorgeous! we officially became OURTRAILOFTAILS - our new name and our only name now, we absolutely love it and it definitely suits us for our new opening adventures and us leaving waggy tails on our trails

before joining instagram i never knew there was a dog community. when i found it i was surprised and happy that i wasn’t the only one dog mad!

i knew when i joined i would probably receive hate as most people do. but i never imagined to hit over 5k - i started my account from scratch and grew from 1 follower to 5,000+ followers.

my journey in the dc has been tough and i’ve only just found my place to where i belong. but what i didn’t know was that my journey would lead me to the edge, and i didn’t know my journey was going to have a few people who like to lie.

i’ve always had trust issues and it takes a long time for me to open up, but what makes my life harder is liars.

the positives is that i’ve grown a instagram family who i can trust and i’ve found friends in that instagram family. i have developed my photography to something i can be semi proud of. and i’ve found people i can laugh with about the stupidest things like people taking your work as their own

Our Trail Of Tails

DogFest

11.09.2021 (Knebworth House) - our first ever dogfest and huxley loved it! we met lots of doggies like busby & barrie. huxley done a bit of dock diving with his favourite guy Rob and he loved the water ❤️

18.09.2021 (Cirencester Park) - we were kindly invited by Naturo SuperDog Awards to attend and share our story, so many people asked us questions and got to know us more. Huxley also had cuddles with Karen Hauer!

25.09.2021 (Tatton Park) - the last dogfest of 2021 and damn was it a blast!! it was the biggest one and definitely the best - we got to meet Ruby & Ryder, Whiskey, Roshe, Parsnip and lots of others. meeting those guys was like a dream come true honestly, they were all so so sweet😍

18.06.2022 (Tatton Park) - the first dogfest we attended in 2022. we finally met Pickle (@theservicepickle) after speaking on instagram for quite a while. it was manic there, a lot busier than 2021 but we still had the best time. of course we brought lots too haha

10.09.2022 (Knebworth House) - the second dogfest we attended in 2022. we met quite a few people like Lola & Freddie from BucksPups, Aria & Tarn from TheScramblingSpaniels (both were super lovely people and we hope to see them again soon), Sasha from SashasBucketList, Luna from BlueLunaLou and a few others. hux had a lovely time haybale racing too and doing his annual dock dive! we had an absolute blast again and cannot wait to go again in 2023 making it our 3 year!

Our Trail Of Tails

Cornwall

07.09.2020

we went to cornwall and it was lovely. the beaches were so nice and there was some nice warm weather! huxley was brought up in cornwall so he was used to the beaches and the surroundings, to see him run around was amazing and he was so cute beside his siblings and parents😍 this day made me so excited and ever since coming back from cornwall, we have planned to go back in the summer to do some sibling reunions and to have a fun holiday - i really want to get some more photos there when we next go back :)

26.05.2023 -> 02.06.2023

we went down to cornwall & devon and had a blast. chester came with us and it was such a lovely time! we had a very fun filled week with going to the beach (ottie’s first ever time & she loved it), riding on an old steam train, seeing ottylie & huxley’s family & breeder again which was incredible, going into town, visiting the cornish seal sanctuary (hux & ottie were incredible and were very loved by staff) and finally eating doggy ice cream (ottie’s first ever one, and all the dogs enjoyed them)

i was happy there and it definitely was a nice break away from reality and the stress

Our Trail Of Tails

Hunstanton Beach

26.10.2020

we went to huxley’s first ever beach with us and he absolutely loved it. i got some of the best action shots and some of the best photos of huxley on his first proper time at the beach. huxley really enjoyed the water and running around on the sand! we definitely want to visit more beaches with him and get even more photos❤️

Life With Epilepsy

26.03.2021

as it is national purple day to spread awareness about epilepsy and after me popping a poll on my story about making a blog, a number of you wanted me to do an epilepsy page all about epilepsy. i’ll share my story and add some more information on branston’s epilepsy too!

when i was first diagnosed with epilepsy i was roughly 11 years old, i had my first seizure at the age of 4 though. it’s like a death hole, all your senses go, your memory blanked. little to no warning is given either and you can be down within seconds, one second standing, the next on the floor shaking vigorously for who knows how long for (pretty scary if i say so myself).

on my journey to getting diagnosed i was actually misdiagnosed at the very beginning with something not even google knew, nor did my gp. i ended up having to travel back and forth to an epileptic specialist, underwent 4 hours of testing and was finally diagnosed with epilepsy causing my grand mal seizures and absent seizures! many people can stereotype epilepsy into thinking it is triggered by flashing lights and it’s constantly people shaking on the floor whereas really it isn’t and there are multiple triggers and multiple types💜 epilepsy is going to restrict my every move and every life decision i now make, it will limit my ability’s and could take my life at any minute so i have to live each day to the full, my seizures are semi-controlled for the moment so don’t worry, this isn’t the last of me - i am a fighter💪

24.04.2021 : i experienced one of my worst seizures, i woke up with a really bad locked jaw (a signal that i’ve had a seizure). luckily i was ok but it was pretty scary to know that it happened when i was asleep and anything could have happened!

let’s talk about canine epilepsy now, again this is very overlooked and more common than you would think. branston was diagnosed with epilepsy after 3 seizures, his first ever seizure happened in the very early morning around 2am, we awoke to the sound we thought was a bird where really it was branston on the floor having a seizure, jolting and ‘spazzing’ vigorously much like a human grand mal seizure! the second time his eyes went like a ghost and he lost a lot of colour very quickly and then after his 3rd one the vet decided to put him on medication. the medication stabilised him very quickly and he was able to be back to his normal self again - a year and a half later his epilepsy took his life after one of the most ‘rare’ side effects ruined his liver and it took him out like lightning, he went down hill within a week and sadly crossed the rainbow bridge🥺

if you have any questions please feel free to dm me and i am always happy to educate and talk about anything x

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