For several of you Thanksgiving was your first full day with your pups under foot. Thinking about it, it may have been a bit of a challenge for those of you who also had the responsibility of preparing the largest meal of the year! At the same time, I'm sure it was a great day for some of you to get a good start toward socializing your pups. With the holiday nearly behind us now, I hope all went well and if allowed, your pups got their first taste of people food, maybe a chunk of turkey or ham used as a lure to a sit. For those of you who don't allow your dogs "people food", and I know there's at least one... I came across a recipe I'll share that looks to be a tasty and healthy dog treat. I personally did lots of baking for my dogs last winter and I will likely do some more this. Somehow they know there's something special about the treats that come fresh from the oven! And I like them because I know exactly what goes into them.
Tomorrow Amos, my last pup from the litter with the exception of Remedy, will be claimed leaving me to again rearrange the habitat I share with my dogs. Remedy will begin her crate training and I'm hoping it goes as well as it went for many of you.
Regarding the other pups, but specifically one, I know Purple tugged at some heart strings and every one was rooting for her! While she was the last pup to leave me, I truly believe she, like my pup Remedy, is exactly where she was destined to be. Her story is special. She is special! Way back when, as they say... Jenny and I had several conversations before she eventually decided to join the waiting list for the litter. In the meantime, while she was still in the "considering" phase a few other people were added to the wait list for females. In the end, I was overjoyed on Lexi's whelp day not to have to call and disappoint her as Lex had just enough females to satisfy all requests. When Purple began to loose ground though, I spoke with Jenny specifically about her. There was a time I didn't know which direction things would go with the pup. Although she was generally active and never seemed sick, I didn't understand or know the reason why she was falling behind in weight. Also, I came to the realization that while everyone was rooting for her, she would likely be the last pup to be chosen. Jenny decided to hang in there to see how she did. When the pups were four weeks old and shortly after Purple returned from foster care, Jenny, her husband and son came to visit and her son fell in love with her. Jenny shared with me that while I left them with the pups to retrieve something in the house, her son told her he wanted Purple. And he remembered her. He continued, I was told, to make his choice known through the additional four weeks of waiting. Naturally Jenny at the time couldn't guarantee his wish would come to fruition. But it did. When they came to claim their pup, I brought Purple out to go potty before returning inside to finish up the paperwork etc and J.R., Jenny's son, walked up, knelt down beside the pup to pet her and softly called her name. It was heartwarming!
When I asked what they were going to name their pup, I was nearly blown away! Jenny rattled off a couple names they had tossed around but then informed me, that while she's wasn't sure where he came up with it, her four year old son informed her he wanted to name his pup "Noble". I was shocked actually that a four year old would come up with such a name but I think I was even more shocked when I heard it because I know her and simply can't think of another name that suits her so well! As I said before the pup has a certain presence...
She might be little (now) but she is one proud pup! Noble she is!
Below are a few photos I've received of some happy pups settling in to their new surroundings sent by some equally happy people. And of course a couple of Remedy too.
To begin, you’ll need…
1 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 350°. Now, pop all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mix it up. The dough is going to be really stiff, but work those ingredients together! Then, add water to moisten to a soft doughy consistency – not runny, but not stiff, rather like bread dough before it rises.
Next you’re going to sprinkle your work area with a healthy dose of flour. Turn the dough onto the floured surface, and give it a massage! LOL That’s right, you’re going to knead the dough for about 10 minutes to get the gluten in the flour to really hold it together. It should be soft and stretchy when you’re done, like elastic – so don’t add too much flour, just enough to ensure that it doesn’t stick.
Pat or roll your dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Then use a cup or cookie cutter to make pretty shapes, put them on a cookie sheet, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool them off before you let Fido have a taste!
Thank you to Sprouts Farmers Market for a great recipe!