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Posted on March 30, 2010
I’m not sure if the smell in my kitchen last weekend would have given you the same back flashes it gave me, but it wasn’t pretty! I grew up in Germany (in case that matters) and every so often at school they would offer liver for lunch. It wasn’t the only choice of meal and most certainly I always chose whatever else they offered, no matter what it was. But still, we had to enjoy our lunch with this distinct smell in our noses and if you know the smell you probably know that it pretty much ruins even the best dish.
Yes, this post is not pretty, but it made the dogs happy. And isn’t that what we all strive for? So since I finally ran out of my vast treat and cookie supply this weekend it was time for some more baking. And although I have stayed clear of any recipe containing liver so far, I decided to give it a try this time. Liver treats are pretty expensive, liver however is not. I think I bought two pounds of chicken liver for $3.50. I tried to recipes. One was to make Liver Jerky by basically cooking it for a few minutes and then letting it dry in the oven for about 2 hours. And that smell! I’m sorry, but I am not going to make that one again! I was extremely grateful for the good weather so I could leave all doors and windows open. Otherwise I might have just passed out. I just don’t think that something that is considered food should smell this badly. So I don’t consider it food. It is an organ that collects toxins for gods sake! It has the weirdest texture, too. I couldn’t even tell what size the pieces were that I cut it into, since it just kinda sinks into a blob along with all the other blobs looking like a slimey blob of organic waste.
I do however, recommend the second recipe I tried. Mainly because it didn’t require touching the livers and it didn’t smell as badly. All you do is puree the liver (1 lb.) in a food processor and the mix it with 1 cup of tapioca flour or starch. Then you spread thinly onto non-stick foil on a baking sheet and bake it for 70 minutes at 250 degrees. Once its done you can cut it with a pizza cutter into as large or small pieces as you want and use it as training treats. Your dog will thank you!
And if anyone is concerned about my comment on toxicity, don’t worry. That is just my way of reasoning away disgusting food. But I did go ahead and ask Darcy of SitStay.com about liver treats, because they sell them and I trust that whatever they sell is tried with their dogs, hence good for my dogs. Here is what she said:
“Liver is rich in nutrition for both humans and dogs, that’s been know for years. Liver has brought dying puppies back from certain death, given new life to lethargic dogs, and injured dogs seem to recover faster when liver is added to their diet a few times a week. You certainly don’t want to give a diseased liver to your dog or eat one either. Think about it this way, if you think about what a rabbit is made of, what amounts of which parts should your dog be eating? The stomach contents vary, the liver is a bit smaller than than the heart and kidneys combined but not as big as the bones and the rest of the meat so if you feed your dog like Mother Nature would, you’d have all the parts in the whole rabbit in the right quantity for your dog. If you’re not feeding whole animals to your dog, give attention to how much of what foods you are feeding so your dog is getting a more natural balance of food. If you’re using liver as treats, don’t add more liver to your dog’s daily diet. Too much of anything isn’t good for us or our dogs, including liver which is high in vitamin A. If you stick to the old saying “All things in moderation”, including food, and shop only where you get safe and healthy food, you’ll be good. Remember that Mother Nature knows what your dog should eat and one of those things is liver. I suggest to people all the time to feed natural foods in natural quantities and do not over supplement, over supplementing is asking for trouble. A dog who eats a lot of liver and also gets a vitamin A supplement will be getting too much vitamin A.”
Posted on March 27, 2010
With all the online resources and tools out there, there is one thing I have not found, yet. A dog training planner. There are meal planners, day planners, task planners, financial planners, everything that makes you more effective (if you love planning as much as I do) and I just realized I might be more effective in my dog training with a plan!? So far I have been training my dogs whatever I felt like that particular day. Whenever we take classes, I start to get a little more structured and driven. For the time period of that class I have someone to hold me accountable and whom I can show my improvements to. Of course, I can always show our new tricks to my husband but he would be okay with no training, too.
I love blogs like the Go Click Challenge or The Dogs Are Really In Charge, where dog owners keep track of their progress and actually work towards goals they set. To be honest, though, I have enough trouble keeping this blog updated. So I set up a spread sheet with all the commands my dogs know (or should know) and made columns like “just started”, “at home”, “outside”, and “with distractions”, so I can track my own progress with each dog. But it really reminds me of the days when I tracked my budget and spending in an Excel sheet. And I don’t want to tell you how that worked out.
I really wish I knew someone with programming skills. I would develop a program that tracks your progress, lets you set timely goals, even gives you tips on training and once in a while suggests a new fun trick to teach. Until that happens or someone comes up with it I’m just gonna keep dreaming… and training with a spread sheet.
*Laura, from The Dogs Are Really In Charge suggested a site that tries to accomplish what I have been thinking of. Its Sue Ailsby’s Training Tracker. She gives you several levels of training which all consists of tasks and commands your dog needs to master. Her explanation of how the task needs to be fulfilled by the dog is very detailed, but the way of how to train your dog to do that isn’t. So you have the freedom to train any way you want. Love it! Her levels are explained here. Thanks Laura!*
Posted on March 23, 2010
The other day I went to Kansas City and visited the Three Dog Bakery, because secretly I am dreaming of one day having a photography studio attached to a dog bakery. You know, art and cookies 
Anyway, so I went to check out what kind of stuff they bake and realized that they sell a whole lot more. My husband pointed out some awesome collars to me and then didn’t buy them. How cruel is that? So now that is all I am dreaming of, the lime colored flower collar made from hemp! Hemp? Yes! Another eco-friendly find of mine. The company that makes them Pinc Paw.
So why hemp? Because it is bio degradable, super strong and non allergenic. And they are sooooo pretty!!!
Posted on March 19, 2010
For a while now I have been looking into dog food ingredients. Several blogs I read have encouraged me to look more critically at what I feed my dog every day. A while ago I have started a little discussion about it on facebook. I have changed my dogs food, but that is not where it ends. The whole matter is way too complex to understand and digest all at once. After researching recommended dog foods so I can make an immediate switch and make myself feel a little better I am continuing to try to understand what makes a dog food good and what makes it bad.
Food labels are scary. They are scary on one hand because of so many terms that the average dog owner, me included, does not understand. And as soon as you do understand the ingredients of many of them are scary to look at. I am long not at the end of researching this and trying to find the best diet for my dogs. But I feel the need to share some of what I have found so far, because many people just don’t know. I’d like to give some food for thought, encourage everyone to do their own research and educate about what is going on out there.
The tip of the iceberg, unfortunately, are veterinarians. Who hasn’t seen the food bags sitting in almost every waiting room. Who has not been recommended one and the same brand by multiple veterinarians. And they should be the ones to know, right? I bet they do know, but they don’t tell you! It breaks my heart to see that a part of the dog food company bought up a large number of veterinarians and makes them recommend an overpriced and crappy food. I don’t think I even have to mention the name, as we all know. And have we ever looked at the list of ingredients of this “veterinarian recommended” food? I haven’t for the longest time, because I didn’t understand anyway. Now that I am starting to do so I did look. I have to say I’m a little terrified. I think everyone know that the first few ingredients are the main ingredients with the largest amounts. This foods first is Corn. Corn is fed to cattle to make them fat, fast. Corn is the least nutritional of all grains. Plenty of animals have developed allergies to corn, bless those animals. It makes me want to throw up.
I am thinking about putting together an easy fact sheet for the adopters at our humane society. One that will give you at least a basic understanding of food without having to do much research. Rule of thumbs so to say. Once that is completed I will of course post it here. For now I want to thank some great sources that I have gained better understanding from. If you are interested I strongly encourage you to follow Darcy of SitStay.com in her blog and visit website like the Dog Food Project.
Posted on March 16, 2010
You know what I totally love right now? Rubber Boots. For my own muddy feet and for dogs.
After it snowed so heavily last year and Mac appeared somewhat sensitive to snow and definitely sensitive to salt, I was looking all over for dog booties. I tried some out that were hilarious to watch on him but also made me want to take them off right away. I never ended up trying the real expensive ones, because I settled for indoor games and shorter walks until the weather got better again. Last week though, Maize stepped in glass *how she did that is a whole different crazy story*and cut one of her pads. The vet cleaned it out and gave us a huge and weird plastic bag, which we were supposed to put on her foot whenever she went outside. That seemed very wrong to me on several levels. First of all it was one of the most expensive vets in town. You’d think that for the prices they charge they should be able to take the time and come up with something more nifty. And then do they seriously believe that my dog (crazy active) will actually run around with a stiff 5×5 plastic bag tied to her foot? I don’t think so!
So I remembered these rubber booties I saw at a local pet store the other day. And I love them. Maize isn’t bothered, they stay on and her foot stays clean. That’s all I have to say. Easy as that! I’m gonna keep these babies around for the next emergency or snow chaos (not anytime soon please!) I’m sure I can even come up with more uses for them… to keep the house a little cleaner maybe???
Posted on March 12, 2010
I am excited that we are going to be able to offer Pet First Aid Classes in Manhattan. Thanks to the Red Cross, who provided us with training, equipment and the location for our first two classes, we can help you be better prepared for emergencies. Classes cost between $25-30 and include a book and DVD for either dog or cat first aid. All proceeds go to the Red Cross (first two classes) and the Riley County Humane Society (future classes).
I am going to keep this post updated with the latest schedule. You can view it at anytime through the Links button above!
April 10th, 2010. 10am – 1pm at 2601 Anderson Avenue, Manhattan. (This class is already filled)
May 1st, 2010. 9am – 12pm at 2601 Anderson Avenue, Manhattan. (Sign up here)
More events will be scheduled soon. Check back for updates or contact me to be notified of the next class!
Posted on March 11, 2010
Yes, I do have a good reason for slacking. My husband is about to deploy. I will be back to the regular posts shortly after.
Posted on March 6, 2010
I am such a slacker, I totally missed today’s post. But I got something to make up for it. Me and a few other girls just met with the Red Cross and got the first Dog First Aid Class lined up for Manhattan, KS!
If you are interested in learning not just CPR but also how to help your dog immediately after shock, choking, and injuries sign up for our first class on April 10th, 2010. To sign up or for more info go to the event page on facebook or contact me directly. If you are interested in a class on another day, let me know, too. Depending on interest we will have plenty more, I hope.
I can’t wait to start and hope to meet you all there!
Posted on March 4, 2010
I thought yesterday was the most beautiful sunny day (before I knew what today is going to be like), so I decided to head out to Wamego to the Pottawatomie County Caring Hearts Humane Society. I had neglected them for a little while and really need to get back on schedule with them. So here are a few of the lovely dogs that need a forever home. Click on the picture for more info on each dog or pay the Humane Society a visit online for more information.
Posted on March 2, 2010
Cover by the awesome Erin Vey
I’m not even done with this book, yet, and I cannot help myself but sing praises!
This book has been on my list of books to read for a while. I did not order it, yet, in favor of reading different ones first for one reason: the reviews. And they are not bad, but they just left me with a feeling of “that’s not the book I MUST read”. I don’t recall them in detail, I know one said it mentions lots of things we already know. But it’s not one review in particular, it’s the feeling that many reviews left in me. And boy was that wrong!!!
A friend of mine had ordered it and said she thinks it’s something I would want to read (even before she opened the book). And I am so glad she brought it over. I am absolutely in love.
I probably have to explain something first. I love science. I studied equine science and I soaked up all of the scientifical articles I could find. I set out to become a journalist to spread the news of science, because I had the feeling that there is a lack of communication between the scientific community and the press and rest of the world, namely the people that need to actually APPLY the findings. In the end photography stole me away from journalism, but I love science nevertheless. And I am so happy, that Alexandra Horowitz, a scientist, wrote this book for everyone to understand.
Usually I rather read books about training and understanding dogs than heartfelt stories about dogs. This one is somewhere in between and totally different at the same time. Horowitz uses her own dog as example without boring me. She actually writes beautifully, almost poetic, about her dog as introduction to each chapter. And then each chapter is exactly what the title promises. A look from the inside out. How do dogs see, smell, hear and taste the world backed up by scientific evidence. How do they experience us, their toys, other dogs, and themselves.
Don’t we all sort of know how dogs see the world, how they smell much better than we do and how they descend from wolfs… or not? Horowitz clears up misconceptions and takes you a step further. Into the dogs mind. What information does the fire hydrant give him (it’s like the community board or local newspaper) and why do they not find the ball right in front of their nose. Day after day that I am reading, chapter after chapter, I am understanding my dogs a little better. In small, but significant ways.
I can only encourage everyone to read it. I might get back to you about when I’m actually done. Not with a reviewed review, but with more wisdom