Durable toys

One of the best things you can do to be an eco-friendly dog owner, is buying long-lasting, durable dog toys.  My dogs will go through regular toys within the first five minutes that I give it to them.  I have found that this is a total waste of money, as well as a HUGELY irresponsible thing to do as someone who is concerned about the amount of trash going into land-fills.  I have found that the only toys that can withstand my dogs' aggressive chewing are those made by KONG.  They have some toys that my dogs can get through rather quickly (i.e. the wubba),  but the hard rubber classic Kong toy has lasted a whole year, which is unheard of in this household.  We have even purchased a dog bed made by Kong, because my dogs have a tendency to completely destroy most beds.  They have chewed one corner of this one, but we have had it months, which is a lot longer than any other bed they have had in the past.  I highly recommend all of their products for dogs that are moderate chewers, but especially the rubber Kong for aggressive chewers, like my babies.

Here is Bunny modeling 2 of her favorite Kong items.  Isn't she cute? :)

Playing catch-up

Finally I am finished with school, and now I will be able to dedicate more time to blogging :)
We spent the New Year's weekend in the mountains of Luray, VA, and were able to bring the pups, and we all had a BLAST! The dogs experienced the warmth of a fireplace for the first time, and fell in love completely.  I had mentioned the place we stayed in the previous post, and now that we are back, I definitely recommend staying at  this cabin to EVERYONE, especially if you have dogs, because it was more than accommodating.

My babies spent the majority of their 3-day weekend in this spot in front of the fire :)




I came across this extremely helpful website that has eco-friendly pet supplies, as well as a ton of useful information: http://www.raiseagreendog.com/

ENJOY! and I will be updating more frequently, so check back soon!

Pet-friendly vacationing

If you happen to be on the east coast, I have 2 great suggestions for vacationing with your dog kids!

First, if you want to enjoy the natural beauty of 3 states all at once, then the Maple Tree Campground is perfect for you! It is located in Maryland, but only minutes from the state lines of Virginia and West Virginia.  When we stayed there, we brought one of our dogs, and she LOVED it.  We ventured to Harper's Ferry, WV during the day, and the little town is extremely dog-friendly and beautiful.

Here is a picture of one of their tree cottages.  They are ADORABLE!

This second suggestion is not from personal experience, because my reservation is booked for the weekend of December 31-Jan 3.  I am very much looking forward to it though, because we are able to bring both of our dogs! This cottage is nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains of VA, minutes from the caverns in Luray.  They have everything you and your four-legged friends could possibly want or need! 

Here are a couple of pictures:

HAPPY FALL!

With the weather turning chilly, Halloween over with, and Thanksgiving right around the corner....it's time to get into the Fall spirit! Here is a recipe for homemade dog treats made with pumpkin.  Pumpkin is great for dogs and can help with upset stomachs and aid in weight loss.


Pup-kin Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry milk
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

-Mix everything in your mixer. This dough will be thick like cookie dough, so make sure that you use the appropriate beater.

-When the dough is mixed thoroughly, roll it into rectangular sheets that are 1/4" thick.

-Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1/2” parallel strips. Don't move the strips—leave them in place on your cutting board.

-Now, cut the dough into little squares. The squares don't have to be perfectly even. Your dog will love them just the same!

-Transfer the pumpkin biscuits to a lightly greased baking sheet.

-Bake the dog biscuits at 250 degrees F for about an hour. Since the biscuits are fairly small, they can brown quickly. Check them occasionally toward the end of the baking time, to make sure that they are not getting too dark.

-Turn off the oven, and let the dog biscuits continue to dry overnight in the oven.

-ENJOY!!!

Book Recommendations

I bought this book from a local store by my apt, and gave it to a friend as a gift, and she has LOVED it.  There are a lot of cool d.i.y. things inside.

I saw this one in a little shop in Charlottesville, VA, and thumbed through it a bit.  I still regret not purchasing it!

The rest, I have not read, but all are on my wishlist!

All are available on Amazon.com....ENJOY!

The way to a dog's heart is through his belly

I haven't been a very good blogger so far.  I am definitely going to try to post more often.  I guess starting a blog at the beginning of the school semester wasn't the smartest idea.  Anyway, here is a recipe for vegan dog treats that your pup is sure to love!

Peanutty Oatmeal cookies

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups soy milk at room temp
1 tbs molasses
1 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 350 and  lightly grease or use parchment paper to line 2 cookie sheets.

2 . In large bowl, combine the flour, oats  and baking powder

3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the milk, molasses and peanut butter until smooth, then stir in broth.

4. Combine the two mixes (I prefer using my hands, but you can use a large spoon), blending until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a soft dough. If the mixture seems dry add more broth 1 tablespoonful at a time.

5. Turn dough onto lightly floured flat surface and using a rolling pin roll out to 1/4 in thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out as many cookies as you can, reworking scraps as you go.

6. Place cookies side by side on cookie sheets and bake for 20-25 mins or until the cookies appear very dry and the edges are a light golden brown. Remove trays from oven and cool to room temp.

7. When cookies have cooled completely, pile them on a single cookie sheet and return to the cooling oven. Leave them undisturbed without opening oven for 8 to 16 hours.

My kids eagerly waiting for their delicious treats.

Vick's dogs on NPR

I don't have much time to update, but I just wanted to share this with everyone.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129989424



*Hopefully I will have time this week to make a real post!*