Thursday, December 10, 2009

Thursday's Tip: Homemade Dog Biscuits

If you are one who loves to give Gifts from the heart, you may want to consider this for a homemade Christmas or Holiday gift for your favorite dog friends..

Homemade Dog Biscuits

This recipe is straight from Martha Stewart (the original can be found on her website at http://www.marthastewart.com/article/homemade-dog-biscuits.  But if you don't want to click the link, here goes...

Ingredients (Makes about 5 dozen)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium canned chicken stock, plus more for brushing

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt; set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine oil and garlic. Add stock and flour mixture in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with stock. Mix well.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about 3/8-inch thick. Shape biscuits using a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter or by cutting around a store-bought dog bone with a butter knife.(Make biscuits that are appropriate for your dog's size.)


4. If desired, you can spell out your dog's name or a holiday message in the dough with a toothpick (wet the toothpick first so it won't stick).

5. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake biscuits 10 minutes. Brush with stock; rotate baking sheets, and bake 10 minutes more. Turn off oven, leaving door closed. Let dog biscuits stand in oven to dry completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Wrap as a gift, or store in an airtight container at room temperature.
(From The Martha Stewart Show)

They're GRRRRRRRReat!  ~Zoe

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Tuesday's Telling: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!


And all over the world, there are children making Christmas lists.  Many of those lists will include "a puppy" or "a kitten".  Puppies and kittens are big responsibilities, but if you are ready to take the plunge, I would like you to consider opening your home to a rescue dog or cat. 

A number of rescue organizations exist, but the one I would like to share with you today is the Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue, Inc.  They have grown from "7 members to over a hundred people who work  throughout southern California to assist Labrador Retrievers in need. They are nonprofit, and recognized under the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)3 as a charitable, tax exempt organization. All the money that they earn goes toward our mission of rehabilitating and rehoming Labrador Retrievers, and educating the public about these wonderful dogs."

The SCLRR works to place rescue and foster dogs with families.  A number of dogs are currently available and if you have the time and resources to rescue or foster a Labrador in need, please contact the SCLRR (if you are in Southern California), or the Labrador Retriever Club's National Coordinator, Luanne Lindsay .

Thank you!  ~Zoe

Monday, December 7, 2009

Woof!

Hello.  Thanks for checking in today.  Due to the fact that I don't have opposable thumbs, I need my hu-mom to help me post to my blog.  She was gone this weekend so she wasn't able to help me with today's post. 

We'll be back tomorrow, though, with our Tuesday's Telling.

Have a PAWSitively wonderful day!  ~Zoe

Friday, December 4, 2009

Friday's Favorite Foto

I see a camera -- that must mean S-M-I-L-E...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thursday's Tip


Rubber gloves seem to be a staple at the veterinarians office...and according to my hu-mom, they are also used regularly at her doctor's office, dentist, hospital, place of business, etc.

So today's tip is to take something that is readily available and use them to help solve a common problem...dog hair.  I don't know about you, but I'm a shedder.  I leave my hair EVERYWHERE and my hu-mom is always sweeping, vacuuming, and lint-removing, trying to get rid of it all.  Well, did you know that a rubber glove is HIGHLY effective as a dog hair picker upper?  Yes, all you have to do is put on the glove and run it over your sofa, pant leg, etc. and it gathers up all of those stray hairs!

Have a shed free day!  ~Zoe

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wednesday's Weave: Kip & Zoe

I love Kip.  He made the way for me to come live with my human family, and he takes such good care of me.  He has a gentle heart and takes his job of taking care of me seriously.  As you know, I was recently sick, and Kip kept me reassured that all would be better soon, by giving me kisses -- lots of them!

Well, I'm feeling better now and we're back to playing together.  I say the ball is mine...and Kip says it's his...



Hey, I've got to go...he's strong and I want my ball!  ~Zoe

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tuesday's Telling: An Update on Cooper's Allergen Alert Dog

We have been following Cooper, a 4-year old boy with severe allergies, who is in need of an allergen alert dog.  The family posted the following update, and I thought you might like to read it straight from Cooper's Mom...
About a month ago we raised a total of $5,000. Everyone who’s following Coopers Journey knows what a big deal this was for us. This was the big day, which we have all been waiting for… Cooper’s dog can now begin training! Many of you expressed your happiness and excitement for Cooper with our family and it was so special. I am thankful for all of you! As for me I cried, I shouted with joy, I thanked God for all the wonderful people who helped us get here, and I hugged my son with all my might.

We know many of you are anxiously waiting for an update on Cooper’s dog, and so are we! The process is not simple. Dogs are like humans, some are able to do things that others are not. There is very little that we know about Cooper’s dog, except that he will be an Australian Labradoddle. Angel Service Dogs has to follow certain regulation when training a dog to become a service dog. First is obedience. The dog has to act on command: Sit, down, stay, walk easily, no signs of aggression, recall, sit in public places and so on. Once he passes that and earns his certificate, he must be able to detect a peanut from a building, vehicle, or luggage in five minutes or less to become "peanut" certified. From there he needs to be able to “stack” which means, he needs to pick up the scent of cashews, get certified, pecans, get certified, walnuts get certified, and so on until he meets Coopers needs, and with the same regulations as a peanut. Some dogs will be able to do this, and some will not. This is why we won’t know which dog will be Coopers until we get “the phone call”. Trust me, it is hard. I want to post pictures, I want to tell you his name, and how he is progressing but I can’t. All I know, is we are hoping to get Cooper’s dog in about six months. This will allow Cooper and the dog to become familiar with each other before Cooper starts kindergarten. (Which by the way, these dogs have been detecting peanuts from “peanut free tables”. Just as an FYI to parents of peanut/nut allergic children.)
Our family is rooting for Ranger. He is a beautiful, brown Australian Labradoodle that is simply adorable. He’s about a year old, and is in training to become peanut certified. He aired on the today show and is working hard, to meet the needs of a child, we are just hoping that child is Cooper! I promise to keep you updated as often as I can, and again thank all of you for your support! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33825344#33825344
Thank you again, to everyone who has contributed to help Cooper get his dog.  Additional funds are still needed to pay for the dog, so if you would like to help out, you can do so by purchasing my PawPrintArt cards, or by donating at Cooper's blog (http://coopersdog.blogspot.com/).  ~Zoe