Axolotls are not fish but amphibians from the family Ambystomatidae (order Caudata). Their scientific name is Ambystoma mexicanum. The name ‘axolotl’ comes from the Nahuatl language, meaning ‘water dog’. They are part of a group of salamanders known as mole salamanders due to their burrowing behaviour. They are lentic, meaning they inhabits still-water lakes. They ..read more

by Bryony Van Niekerk There have been quite a few changes to our household over the last few years which has resulted in two new dog additions. We went from spending the better part of 12 years with two travel savvy and ready dogs to Oliver and Spencer who both don’t know how to sit ..read more

I think it was Sarah Ban Breathnach who famously said, “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all the world needs dreamers that do.” This is what I think of when I think of Brent Lindeque, the man behind Good Things Guy. Brent has carved out a unique space in the ..read more

BY BRIAN BERKMAN Luxury travel writer, brian berkman, searches out the fabulous and often affordable options available to you and your pets. Julie, his rescued mixed-breed doggie-daughter, insists on joining them. The Karoo Art Hotel provides the perfect pet holiday. This is one time when being in the Dog Box is a good thing. Just ask Julie after we spent a blissful weekend in Barrydale in the Klein Karoo. Barrydale is a fertile stone-fruit growing area and lambs, beef and canola are farmed nearby. In 1956 its then owner, Mr Abramowitz called it the Bon Accord Hotel and lauded its flush sani ..read more

by Bryony Van Niekerk In this digital age all our memories, moments and achievements are all tied up on our phone, social media pages or in a cloud somewhere. We no longer have anything tangible or physical to show anyone. Say what you want, but there is something so nostalgic about paging through a photo album and reminiscing about the times captured in a particular photograph. If you are anything like me, your phones camera roll is probably full of images of your pets- sleeping, eating, playing, looking cute. But do you actually have any pictures of them (or you for that matter) beautifull ..read more

Legacy in Leadership Interviewing and writing about the Mayor of Cape Town is no small task, especially when the individual is as influential as Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. He’s not only renowned and smart, but he’s also a really nice guy! After a lot of schedule-checking and back and forth with his team, we were stoked when we got the green light to go ahead with the interview and photoshoot. I must admit, my imagination ran wild with expectations: vans with blacked-out windows, burly bodyguards in sunglasses, and an entourage of formally dressed, folder-holding, cell phone-wielding assistants ..read more

The aardwolves belong to the sub-family Hyaeninae and its scientific name is Proteles cristatus. Despite its name, the aardwolf is a member of the hyena family, but it is not a true wolf or a dog. The name “aardwolf” is derived from the Afrikaans and Dutch words meaning “earth wolf,” emphasizing their digging behaviour. Aardwolves are found primarily in Eastern and Southern Africa, in grassland and savanna habitats. The aardwolves in South Africa tend to be smaller and lighter than those in Eastern Africa. Aardwolves weigh between 9 and 17 kilograms and measure 60 to 90 centimeters in length ..read more

by Bryony Van Niekerk It’s no secret that I love dogs, cats, rats, pandas, giraffes. Basically, any animal that I encounter I just want to reach out and cuddle (even if it is a big murder kitty a.k.a a lion). So, when it comes to service dogs, I seriously have to reign myself in and fight every instinct to not let out a high-pitched squeal of, ‘you are soooooo cute!’ while simultaneously coming in hot with hugs and kisses. I find myself doing this a lot at airports. Service dogs are working dogs and are doing an important job. You wouldn’t go up to a co-worker in a meeting and start fawning al ..read more

As I sit down to write this tribute, memories flood back of the day I had the privilege of meeting Joanne Lefson and her beloved pig, Pigcasso. It was a day filled with unexpected twists and turns, but amidst it all, one thing remained constant – the remarkable bond between a woman and her animals. To everyone on the team’s delight, the barn was everything we dreamed of. There were animals everywhere. The chickens were happy to be man-handled and Emma was so ecstatic to share the day with goats, that we were all just grinning from ear to ear. Requests were being shouted from one end of the bar ..read more

by Bryony Van Niekerk Hello, my name is Bryony and I suffer from dog mom guilt. I feel guilty if we don’t go on a walk everyday (even if there is a literal flood). I feel guilty for leaving my dogs alone when I need to go out. I feel guilty for feeding them ‘junk food’ on occasion. I feel guilty for not being able to provide equal attention to everyone in my multi-pet household. I feel guilty for sitting here in my office writing this article while my dogs lie at my feet. Honestly the list could go on and on. Mom guilt is the term used to describe the feelings one gets for not living up to, or ..read more