Maple & Bramble
Hey there! My name is April and our pups are Maple and Bramble. Both of our dogs are smooth-haired dachshunds.
Maple was the first to join our family. She was a complete surprise my future husband had got for me. We were celebrating my fiancés birthday in which I booked us an overnight stay in Oxford. The following day my fiancé made a plan of what he wanted to do for the day which involved heading to Cardiff. Completely oblivious, I went along with his plan as it was his birthday. We got to this one random road and my fiancé pulled over. Initially I thought we were lost - that was until he pulled out a dog bed from under my chair along with toys. Once he explained why we were there I burst out into tears! We went and met our little girl and it was love at first sight. She was one of four siblings, two of which had already left for their homes. She was so tiny but full of love. Maple is a very strong and confident young dog who is ever so sweet and gentle.
Bramble sort of fell into our family next. He previously had a home but due to unforeseen circumstances they could no longer take care of him. We had a few meet and greets and sleepovers to see whether Maple would accept him into our family. Without a doubt she fully accepted him and now the two dogs are inseparable. Bramble is a shy little lad and can be quite nervous around new dogs and people. But, he is such a gentle and darling little boy who just wants to snuggle up on your lap.
A day in our life
Our dogs are so very adventurous. Every weekend we go about on our travels. We absolutely love walking in the Wyre forest. It’s just an extremely peaceful place and there is so much to explore and sniff! We also enjoy going on days out to the Forest of Dean. There are so many wonderful walks there!
Me and my fiancé are getting married October 2024 and plan to have a mini-moon right after the wedding. We plan to head over to France on the Euro tunnel and ,of course, the dogs are travelling with us!! This will be an incredible journey and memorable moment for us all as a little family. Our long distance plan would be to one day move to Canada with our pups and start a new fresh life. Oh, the walks and hikes we would have!
Why we chose dachshunds to join our family
Growing up, I have always loved German Shepherds and Dachshunds. There is a big difference between the two but both are breeds so full of love!
Dachshunds, however, have such a big character in a little dog! My advice to anyone wanting a dachshund is to do it! No two are the same. Besides that, some will possess certain traits whilst others may not. A lot of people say about how yappy they can be - this is true! Dachshunds have no idea about personal space. If it’s raining, think again if you’re getting that dog outside. They steal your socks and they will protect you from butterflies. They are extremely dramatic. But, all of this aside, you will have the most loyal and best friend you could ever ask for with a Dachshund.
Our favourite woof and snout attire
The Aurora Harness.
This harness suits our sausage dog bodies very well. It is comfortable and adjustable and the best part… it is easy to wash and clean!! The Aurora harness also symbolises my love for the northern lights.
The Arrow Biothane Collar
These collars are just so gorgeous and unique. If you can’t choose between two colours, you can have both of them instead! Maple has the Lilac and Snow White colours and Bramble has Sage and Forest.
Quail and Berry Softies
These little munchies makes the dogs go mad! It’s their favourite walkies treat for when they have been good. They are only small and there isn't too much to them so there is little to no risk of over feeding! They are the perfect training reward and a tasty one at that.
Sprats
These little... well, big, dried up fish make the perfect topper to finish our pups breakfast and dinner. Fish is so good for healthy dog coats so we try to give as much fish as possible. And these sprats are huge! The pups devour them first every-time.
Squid strips
Before we found Woof and Snout, we had never tried the dogs on squid before… and now never again will they go without it. I have never seen dogs go crazy over food as much as these two did when they first smelled the squid strips. The cronch was so satisfying! Plus, no mess was left behind either.
Our best adventure
Our best adventure we have all been on together was the Four Falls Trail in Wales. It is a long, circular route of about 4.5 miles with breathtaking waterfalls all along the way. It is a trial of four waterfalls, all of different sizes. There was plenty of water for us and the dogs to splash around and cool off in. It is a hard intense route if you’re not keen on hiking but it is extremely rewarding once you get back to the car. Just ensure you don’t have work the next day… you may need to recover! The dogs were completely out of it all evening after that hike. But they had such an incredible time and did absolutely amazing. The Four Falls Trail was one heck of an adventure!
Our top 5 dog friendly walks in the Midlands:
- Wyre Forest
- Four Falls Trail
- Forest of Dean
- Hartlebury Common
- Queens Wood Arboretum
Follow along with April, Maple and Bramble's adventures
You can follow April, Maple and Bramble on Instagram (@wandering_with_maple_bramble) and their growing TikTok account (@maple_bramble).