Homemade Dog Treats Recipes

One day I decided I was going to follow some homemade dog treats recipes and make treats for my dogs. It has to be cheaper and better for them, right? Probably, but…………………………………………………


I found a bunch of homemade dog treats recipes online, picked one, drug out the flour, yeast, eggs, molasses, peanut butter, cream cheese, oatmeal and whatever else was included in that disgusting mess. It was way too much for my kitchen-aid so I mixed by hand. And mixed, and mixed. Finally the instructions said, knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Say what? I wondered how the dogs would feel about raw treat dough. Those homemade dog treats recipes were turning out to be quite labor-intensive!


15 minutes later the dough was sufficiently kneaded. After an hour break I came back to a rapidly growing mound of dough on the cutting board. After taming the mess I formed it into small loaves and baked it. The homemade dog treat recipes said to roll the stuff out flat and use a dog bone shaped cookie cutter to make twenty thousand small cookie treats. Yeah right, nice small loaves worked out much better, besides I was fresh out of the dog bone shaped cookie cutters.


When the final product finally came out of the oven, all the dogs had long disappeared. I looked at the loaves, looked fine to me. After the loaves cooled I cut some slices off to give the dogs. Three of them turned their noses up, one refused to wake up. Now I understand why my mother became martyr. I said fine, wrapped the loaves in aluminum foil and froze them, for one day they would certainly emerge from the freezer to hungry, appreciative dogs.

I spent a short time contemplating dogs and their rude behavior. Wondered if they had any shame, if they ever felt guilt or humility.They were in the kitchen watching me slave over their dog treats, following homemade dog treats recipes found online, only to snub my efforts as useless and possibly an insult to them personally. I have to keep reminding myself those are human feelings, dogs have no such feelings. Ok, maybe Lassie did, either that or she (he) was a very well trained dog, something else we are lacking here.

Dogs, the gimme critters of the world, appreciate homemade dog treats?

Fat chance. I had just defrosted two loaves of my pride and joy, my male Great Dane, Gunner, was standing in the kitchen wondering where all the food was, I cut off a piece and gave it to him. At first he spit it out on the floor, then sniffed it, picked it up, then spit it out again.

Enter our Maine Coon Cat, who immediately scooped up the rejected treat and ate it.

What? Then the dog was very interested in what the cat had just eaten. Feeling braver now having at least one fan of my cooking, I gave Gunner another piece, he looked at the cat, looked at me, then ate it.

Soon after all four dogs were in the kitchen wanting to know what Gunner had just eaten. Finally, my pride was returning. Eventually all of the loaves of treats were gone. Next trip to the store I happily purchased some store dog treats.

If you decide to cook for your dogs, bless your heart. Now knowing what the dog treat manufacturers have to go through they have my undying respect and those treats are worth every penny for those coveted morsels.

Search and Rescue Dogs of 9/11

As we mark the 10^th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in US history, let’s take a moment to remember and commemorate the search and rescue dogs of 9/11 too. Nearly a thousand Search and Rescue dogs and their handlers spent days searching the site of the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon for any sign of life, and months going through rubble at the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, looking for human remains. 

Search and Rescue dogs are trained to detect sweat and other musky odors trapped people emit, and these canines can tell the difference between live and dead bodies. Their sense of smell is estimated to be about one million times more sensitive than a human’s and they can detect vibrations at 250 yards that we can barely register at 25 yards. 

The dogs came from FEMA’s Search and Rescue team, and from all across the US, Puerto Rico, Canada and even from France. After a week, there were no more survivors to be found, and the dogs turned to looking for body parts to help identify those who died in the tragedy. This is heartbreaking work for both handler and dog. To keep these brave dog’s spirits up, handlers would stage ‘mock rescues’, during which someone would deliberately hide, and the search and rescue dogs were able to make a successful ‘rescue’. Some dogs worked the debris for more than three months. 

Here is a letter from a Search and Rescue handler Paul Morgan, who, with his dog Cody, was able to search out several bodies in the rubble September 12^th.

This site has several pages and a year book of dogs and their handlers who worked the disaster sites.

And here is the story of a dog who rescued his blind owner from the North Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed.

The search and rescue dogs were given thorough veterinary care during the days and weeks after the attack. A group of rescue dogs studied against a control group showed the dogs who had spent time in the rubble did not suffer serious health problems, as their human counterparts would. One vet theorizes that the dogs longer noses helped filter out the toxic chemicals everyone at the sites of the disaster inhaled.

USA Today gives the details of a ceremony on September 11, 2011 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ to honor the Search and Rescue teams who devoted so much time, effort and compassion to the recovery effort. The elderly heros of 911 will walk in a procession with current Search and Rescue teams, but, sadly, the event is by invitation only.

Search and Rescue handlers spent as much as $10,000 a year of their own money, not to mention missed work, in order to volunteer their efforts. Their recognition has been a long time coming.

Top 10 Peeves Dogs have with Humans

Gunner on his
Dogcheapsleeps.com
bed.

Top 10 Peeves Dogs Have With Humans

1. Blaming your farts on me….. not funny… not funny at all !!!
2. Yelling at me for barking. I’M A FRIGGIN’ DOG

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!
5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you’re not home.
6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo oooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven’t quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

9. Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven’t you noticed the fur?
10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You’re just jealous.

Make it up to your pet by ordering him or her a comfy bed like Gunner’s above. Any size, any color, custom made if necessary, with four inches of solid foam inside, waterproof, vinyl covering. It will be the last pet bed you ever have to buy. We also have replacement covers, crate and X-pen pads and whelping pads.

Pet Urine Odor Removal

No one likes to have to deal with dog or cat urine odors, and the problem of pet urine odor removal is a common one among pet owners.
When your dog urinates where he or she is not supposed to, there can be many reasons. Puppies may not have completed their training, older dogs may have health problems. Cats are very complex creatures and make take offense to a new member of the household, especially if it is another cat, or you may not be keeping the litter box clean enough to suit their finicky little nostrils.
There are quite a few sites on the Internet, both recommending products, and giving you home remedies for pet urine odor removal. One of the most common is vinegar and baking soda. Mop up as much urine as you can, then soak the area with a mixture of 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2/3rds cup of water and a little soap. Soak up that combination as well as you can, and then apply fresh water and absorb as much of that as you can with a clean cloth. Sprinkle baking soda over the area and vacuum up 24 hours later.
Whew, that’s a lot of work!
And the smell may come back, because the urine salts are still in the fabric and humidity can bring them back to life. You can try peroxide, but test it first on an inconspicuous area of your rug, to make sure the peroxide doesn’t discolor it. You can also try adding a couple of drops of Listerine to the vinegar and water solution above. In the meantime, you can relocate their preferred ‘bathroom’ spot to a more acceptable space like the yard, cat box or newspapers by putting the urine soaked paper towels there. This will let your pet know that eliminating waste isn’t bad, but there is a better place to do it.
To help with the problem, you can give your pet a clean, comfortable place to lay: a Dogcheapsleeps.com bed. Our beds are waterproof (urine-proof!) and wipe clean with water or a water and bleach solution, or you can hose them off. Odors don’t soak into the padding as they do with non vinyl materials, which naturally helps with pet urine odor removal. Four inches of solid foam inside will keep your pets off the cold floor and cushion the joints of older animals. This is an especially good idea if your pet is older and suffers from a leaking bladder. The dog leaks urine while sleeping, and is just as unhappy as you are when he or she wakes up to find their bed wet.
If you do have a cloth bed, chances are the manufacturer will tell you to throw it in the washer to clean it as a pet urine odor removal method. If it is urine soaked, you can try putting a box of baking soda, or a splash of vinegar in your washer. Be careful how hard you wash it, though, because the cheaper the bed, the more likely you will end up with sawdust or chopped up foam clogging your washer.

Woman punches bear to save her dog

A Juneau, Alaska woman recently saved her dog from a bear attack by punching the bear in the nose.

Caveat: Black Bears are common in Juneau, which is nestled into a mountainside and surrounded by dense forest. They are frequently seen in town because they forage there for food when supplies of their usual diet, like berries, are scarce.

Last week, Brooke Collins discovered her dachshund, Fudge, in the jaws of a bear, which had been known to call to see what Brooke left in the garbage cans. Dogs and bears can get into confrontations, but they usually end harmlessly. Indeed, Fudge has chased bears away from the house before without injury.
After Brooke, a hairdresser, hit the bear in the snout her boyfriend scared the bear away. She’ll keep Fudge inside while tending to her wounds and will continue to check the area before letting her other dog outside.
Collins has lived in Juneau most of her life, and knows how to take precautions around bears. Note: Don’t assume all bears are wimps! People can be fatally injured by bears. Don’t mess with them!
Editor’s note: This must have been very satisfying. I long to drop kick the coyotes who made off with my two cats…..