Big Dogs Can Be Babies Too

I just wanted to stop in today to make sure you knew that big dogs can be babies too!

Super Simple Summer Dog Treats

The pups spend a lot of time outside playing during the summer and I am always trying to give them things to cool them off and keep them occupied.  I don’t remember where I heard this simple little tip, but I will say that the girls give it two paws up.

All you need to do is take your pups favorite treats, break them up, and put a small piece in each section of an ice cube tray (yes, my dogs have their own ice cube tray just for making dog treats).

Fill the rest of the space in with water and put in the freezer overnight to freeze thoroughly.

The girls have a hard time waiting for the treats to freeze. :)

Once frozen, I usually just pop them out and put them in a large freezer bag for easy grabbing on a hot day. Another tip that makes these little treats extra special is if you have any sort of sauce or gravy left over from your meals, add a dollop to each space before filling with water.  Or even better is to use chicken or beef broth (low sodium please) instead of water!  Your dogs will thank you!

Daddy’s Girls

I love my dogs more than anything and they are very special to me, but I think I have some tough competition when it comes to Joe and his girls.

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Homemade Puppy Ice Cream

This post goes right along with my post from last Sunday about dog nutrition. This recipe is one of the easiest ways to add a little extra nutrition to your dog’s diet…and take the word of Willow and Harley….they LOVE it!!

It is so easy to make and is a great summer treat for your pups. 


Ingredients:

• 1 really ripe banana
• 1 large container of plain or vanilla yogurt
• 2 T honey
• 2 T peanut butter
• Containers

Blend all your ingredients until smooth.  Pour into individual containers.  Freeze overnight.  Serve. :0)

You can use a lot of different fruits that your dogs may like such as apples, strawberries, and blueberries.  Some dogs are picky, but mine will eat anything :0). 

I use empty applesauce, yogurt, and pudding cups from our lunches.  If you have small dogs, the plastic bathroom cups work nicely.  One batch uses 10 pudding cups.  I line them up on a cookie sheet to put in the freezer.

Once they are frozen, I put them all in a ziploc bag and keep in the freezer.  The pups usually get one a night, after their walk. 

Try it out - - your dogs will thank you! :0) (I know mine do :0) 

Dogs Need Nutrition Too

I have mentioned a few times on here that Joe and I are working towards a healthier, cleaner way of eating.  I didn’t want you to think that I would leave my precious pups out of that plan too. 

When my sweet precious dog Senna started having seizures I began to do research on why this may be happening to her.  My research kept leading me back to pet food – how it is processed, what ingredients are in the food, and what is being left out of their food.  What I found was extremely disturbing!  I won’t get into all the details of what I found out, but I will tell you that Senna only ate homemade human-grade food for the final few months of her life! 

I will also say that the idea that one pet food provides all the nutrition an animal will ever need for its entire life is a dangerous myth.  Think about it, today, the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the variable meat-based diets that their ancestors ate.   If I had the money and time, I would still feed holistic, human-grade, mommy-prepared food to both of my puppies.  Instead I feed high-quality, research based dry dog food to my babies, and supplement with natural treats that will help them get the variety and nutrients that they need to be healthy.

** Please note that I do NOT recommend feeling human foods to your pets until you have done a considerable amount of research!  There are many human foods that are dangerous for dogs to eat in certain quantities (ie. chocolate, onions, grapes, raisons, etc.). Please check before you feed anything to your pets to make sure it is safe for them. **

So now that you heard my soap box about pet food, go out and do some research for yourself.  You may be very surprised at what you find!  On that note, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my sweet girls getting a healthy afternoon snack. :0)



All I have to do is toss an apple out on the porch or in the living room and my girls are in heaven!

Willow won’t look at me for fear I may take her precious apple :0).



Harley is so precious how she holds her apple with her front paws and takes her time to enjoy every bite. (She is still eyeballing me to make sure I don’t steal a bite :0)

My Sweet Girls

So even though I want to try my best to stick to DIY, home improvement, and recipes, I do love my puppies and I do write this blog for my family and friends so I have to pop in with a doggy post every now and then.

 

Here is a short history on my past with dog ownership.  I rescued my last two dogs (a German shepherd, and a lab mix) and they both had issues of their own.  They fought (bad!) and one was aggressive while the other was overly nervous.  One ended up having seizures (which caused me TONS of stress) and one ended up having to be put down because of her aggressiveness (one of the darkest days and hardest decisions of our lives!)

My husband and I both LOVE dogs.  Yes, they can cause a little stress now and then, especially for someone who is so OCD about the house being clean and orderly, but the joy and unconditional love they bring me is what makes it so I wouldn’t trade them for a million bucks!

Joe and I at Horizon Labrador Farms with a 1 week old Willow.

Joe and I with a 7 week old Harley.

So when some very unfortunate events left us dog-less the summer before last, we began researching and looking for the perfect pup.  I had always wanted a chocolate lab and after tons of research it turned out that a lab would fit our family perfectly.  Then this past fall we took in a lab-Australian shepherd mix that we are madly in love with.

The pups with my sweet 4 year old nephew.

 

Harley and her new friend, boxer-mastiff mix puppy, Tux.

 

Willow and her new friend, Doberman Pincher,  Destiny.

I just had to add this one of Destiny and Willow because I think it looks like they are singing and I love it! :0)

  

The best part about these two pups is that I can take them anywhere! (which I couldn’t do with my other two)  They are wonderful with people, love everyone (especially children), and even get along with other dogs. 

It is so nice to have good, sweet dogs!!

Pawsitivley Mommy's Girls

I have been having fun with the pups the past couple of days.  First, since the weather is getting hotter, it is definatley time to break out the Frosty Paws. Willow knows all about some Frosty Paws, but this was Harley's first experience.  She took to eating frosty paws like a fish to water :)

Willow says, "Let me show you how to do it."

Harley says, "Mmm, this stuff is good!"

"Keep your paws off my Frosty Paws!"

"Ahhh, bliss!"

"Uh Oh - now what do I do??"

Then last night while I was crafting (stay tuned for another post about that this weekend :) the pups had to hang out in the basement.  I looked over the craft table and saw two of my favorite things so I just had to snap a picture....Harley and Books!

And today, just to make their Daddy cringe a little, I bought the pinkest bandanas I could find for my girls.  Don't they look so beautiful!? (sorry the lighting is so bad - it was starting to get dark, but I couldn't wait to get those pink bandanas on them :)

Puppy Love!

Harley has been obsessed with Enzo since the day we brought her home.  About three days into her living here, Enzo came out from under the bed and attacked Harley.  She has been scared of him ever since, but is still enamoured by him.  When he took over the dog bed the other day he was so proud of himself he even let Harley sneak in a little kiss.  I love my fur-babies so much!

Your dog...

It's always my dog when they do something bad....but really...there are so many evenings I come around the corner and find this....

So who's dog is she really?!  And who does all the spoiling?  I don't think all the blame is on me. :0)

Just a Dog?

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog,"
or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog."
They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."
Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog,"
but I did not once feel slighted.
Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog,"
and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.
If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand
phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."
"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust,
and pure unbridled joy.
"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.
So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future,
the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.
"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away
from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog",
but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being
"just a man or woman."
So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog"
just smile...
because they "just don't understand."

 

My Muddy Harley Lou!  Someone had some serious digging fun this morning!  AND someone will be getting a major B-A-T-H before she comes back in the house! :)

And in the video clip below you will see Willow, the Turkey Vulture Hunting Machine!  She absolutley HATES the turkey vultures that hang out in the trees behind our yard.  They don't care too much for her either.

Simple Sunday

What an amazing day!  We slept in and then got to enjoy the pretty weather and some yummy cooking today!

We started by having an E-mealz breakfast.  First, you have your hubby cook up some turkey sausage and fried eggs while you toast come plain bagels.

Then you put a fried egg on each bagel (I like the yolk broken in my egg so it isn't runny) and then cover the egg with cheddar cheese and put in the oven under broil until cheese melts.

While we were cooking, the girls got to sit outside and enjoy the amazing weather.  I mean really, 70 degrees on February 5th...whats that all about?!?

After a yummy breakfast we went to Meme's house to help Eric with a science project.  Joe helped with the 3 laws of something another, and Vickie, Cody, and I went shopping.  We went to Sams for dog bones (since they are MUCH cheaper there) and I couldn't resist buying these dog toys.  Roadkill skunk and roadkill possum!!

Of course my rotten girls loved them, but really the possum was their favorite.  They tried to share, but Willow is still bigger  (not by much) and she is still the boss.

While the babies played and Joe worked on the 50, I baked...because you know I LOVE to bake!  First I started with the Honey Bun Cake.

Just a few ingredients and really simple to make.  Basically you just put yellow cake mix with cinnamon and brown sugar layers.  It was the homemade glaze that really tops it off.  I was excited about the homemade glaze because I am finally perfecting it!

After you bake this bad boy, it it like heaven on earth (at least I thought that until I tasted the cupcakes - see below).  When you take a bite it just melts in your mouth.  Joe even said, "Don't share that with anyone!". :)

To finish off my day I made some cupcakes that I have been dying to try!  Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcakes!!  YUM!!  Now this is really Heaven!  It took a lot more supplies than usual, but it was totally worth it!

I had to occupy my sweet girls while I cooked, so they chilled out in the living room and shared some bones.  Aren't they the sweetest!?!

OK - back to the cupcakes.  This was the first time I tried a cupcake with a filling.  I am surprised how easy it was since I had scared myself a little about it.  These particular cupcakes are filled with a chocolate mint filling.

I even got to try out my new frosting tip, and I think they turned out beautiful.  The taste test got two thumbs up.  This recipe will definitely go on my "Make Again" list!

Here are the recipies for the Andes Mint Cupcakes on the Your Cup of Cake Blog (I followed it exactly) and the Honey Bun Cake at the Eat Cake For Dinner Blog (I put 4 Tablespoons of milk in the frosting instead of two).