DIY (Dog) Bathtastic

After paying for Clifford the Big Black Dog to get bathed at the local big box pet store, and at the vet's office, and being only marginally happy with both, I decided I'd take the bull by the horns or, in this case, the dog by the collar. With the vet's grooming center, I had to drop him off early in the morning and not pick him up until the evening. For an older dog who's slightly quite neurotic, being in a kennel-type situation isn't great for him. Add in the fact that I have to sign off on a 'senior citizen' waiver each time and you can see why I'd rather just bathe my pooch in the back yard for a little peace of mind.

Later this month will mark our one-year anniversary with dear Mr. D, and I'm still learning a lot about being a pet owner. When I last purchased his food from my favorite local pet supply store, Wags to Whiskers, I asked about at-home bathing. I love the owner because her guidance has helped me have joyful walks with Dailey after being fitted with a proper pinch collar, and trouble shooting horrible gas issues and other fun things that come with having what amounts to a gigantic hairy old man living in your house.

She steered me toward a gentle shampoo that wouldn't irritate his skin and didn't have any funky ingredients or fragrances. In addition to the earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe shampoo, I got ear and eye wipes from the same line and I was off.

...That was a month ago, and I was a little nervous to do it because I could just imagine a marley-esque sopping wet dog. No, I didn't try to bathe him in my tub; I'm not that unaware of my own limitations (or those of the our indoor plumbing to handle the amount of hair that would surely shed during the bath).

With just over 15 minutes of work, I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the results. A thorough brushing, followed by wetting him down and applying a small amount of the soap, a good scrub, and then rinse, rinse and rinse some more and we were done. I had our oldest towels on stand-by, but as you can see, he gave me a good head-start on drying and after wiping his ears and eyes, he was more than ready to burst back into the gentle clutches of the air-conditioned house. The extra added bonus was that I didn't have to lift him in and out of the car, or worry that he'd leap out of the car into the parking lot before I was able to get his leash on at the pet store. Best yet, it was another chance to bond with Mr. D.

Sittin' pretty in the sun. 

Sweet for a Sweet

This week, I made enchiladas for dinner. One of my shortcuts, which always yields excellent results, is to buy a rotisserie chicken or turkey breast and then cube the meat that I pick off of it. Tender, juicy and ready to layer into the enchilada 'casserole'. This was my first time with a bird at home, while I had a dog at my feet. I remembered that he gets sick from people food, but also that dogs are supposed to get lean protein in addition to their dry kibble, so I figured a little bit couldn't hurt. The big black dog loved it. I emailed my friend later that night to ask if she'd ever done the chicken or chicken and rice thing, and she assured me it was fine. She also mentioned that she would occasionally make peanut butter 'cookies' for him, and that if I googled it, I'd find lots of recipes for homemade dog treats.

What?! A new baking project! I was on it!

First of all, I had to go to the store to buy natural peanut butter because I use Jif in my kids' sandwiches. What?! I'm going to buy natural peanut butter for my dog while I feed my kids a sugar and salt laden preserved glop? Yes. But, then, if I felt that there was a threat that my kids would vomit or poop on my floor for me to clean up if they got too much salt or it would otherwise mess with their sensitive system, I'd probably be building up my tri-ceps stirring up the jar of Adams for them too.

That said, I did get the big jar with the intent that I'd phase out the Jif, since I was feeling a touch guilty about this conundrum. Then, I licked the spoon after stirring... blech! I'm sorry, I'm like the Beastie Boys when it comes to sugar. I suppose I could aquire a taste for it, and I will use natural peanut butter in baking and in oatmeal so that you're not adding sugar where you don't want to, but a good ole PBJ calls for Jif and homemade jam. But I digress...

With the kiddos romping in the yard, I busted out a pyrex bowl, whisk and spatula...that was all I needed for these Peanut Butter Goodness treats.


Whisk 1c. water, 2T oil and 1/2 c. peanut butter. Add in 1.5 c. Whole Wheat flour, followed by 1.5 c. flour (which I thought was too much, and would cut down to 1 c. regular flour next time as there was a lot of flour that failed to incorporate in). Knead the dough to form a ball. A very stiff, tough ball I might add. Basically think of the texture that would make you cry were you attempting a pie crust, and you've got the perfect consistency for dog treats. Roll the dough out on the counter to 1/4 inch thickness. The directions say to cut into 3-4 inch pieces, but I actually used a cookie cutter, because that's just how I roll.

I didn't have to flour the counters or wash my hands aggressively to get off cemented blobs of four and dough. I'm assuming it's because of the oil in the peanut butter, married with the 2 T of oil that you add, but this is the easiest dough to work with, and work with it you must; a lot of kneading in what I think is slightly too much flour and cutting, rolling then cutting again (and again).

All ready to go in a 350 oven on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Again with the olfactory disappointment, I was expecting a yummy whif when I opened the oven door as the timer dinged, and that's just not what you get, it's not that pungent smell of regular dog biscuits, but it's also so not warm peanut butter cookies. Ease and speed of preparation paired with the fact that the cost is significantly less than a gourmet or 'green' commercially packaged treat, and I think we've found a winner. There are a ton of resources online for homemade dog treats which incorporate vegetables and fruits, so bon apetit to your friendly pooch.

I sure wish I had me a treat...

She read my mind! (When I get my beloved SLR you'll be able to see his face as I rapidly click-click-click the frames...)

T minus 10 days

As I look around at the growing nakedness of my apartment, with boxes shoved anywhere they can be, it's starting to hit me...we're leaving in ten days. No longer are we counting months or weeks, but days. The movers come a week from tomorrow, and I feel like I still have a lot of packing to do, but I've also already done a ton. The good thing about starting this early has been that I've been able to get rid of a lot of stuff! I've hauled about 8 garbage bags of clothes and shoes to the Planet Aid collection box in the last two weeks alone. Add to that the 8-10 bags of papers that have been taken to the recycling and I'm feeling pretty good about the way I'm going about this move.

Last time, we were stuck at the last minute having to just dump whatever I thought we couldn't live without for the time it would take the movers to get to us, but ended up that it wouldn't fit in our car...that's even after we'd purchased a gynormous sky box, which will soon make it's way from loft to the lofty heights of the freestyle again.

While I'm on the verge of tears when I think about what we'll actually be leaving, the prospect of a new home, new places to explore and some permanency are really exciting. To get even more excited, I decided to start nailing down the details of the room in our new home that will be priority Numero Uno; H and Charlie's room. With each box we pack and picture we take off the wall, I can feel H's anxiety rise. When I loaded his dresser into the car which I planned to deliver to someone via craigslist sale after dropping him at pre-school on Friday (his last day of school, no less) I thought he was going to lose it.

I explained that this dresser had just been temporary, but that we were going to use Daddy's dresser in his room because it was bigger, would be painted a cool color, etc. Then we got to start talking about the coveted robot sheets, which he drools over each time the Land of Nod catalogue is delivered to our house. Today, I bit the bullet and ordered them. I also called a Walla Walla furniture store, Walker's Furniture, after finding a great bunk-bed set that can be separated to two twins until H and C are old enough to make the climb. They were nice enough to hold the sale price for us, since we won't order them until next week.

Next up, paint colors. With a light grey (Gentle Rain) base, there will be a center section around the room with fun, bold stripes in Dragon Fire, Southern Blue and Utah Sky. Of course, H can't live without the Ugly Dolls that are pictured in the bed as throw pillows.

I hope that having a fun bedroom will help to make the transition less sad, although I know full well that material things won't take the place of friends it will, at the very least, make him understand that this is his home, and not some temporary resting place.

Last up, but very big news for our family, is that we're going to be making a new addition in August. No, silly, I'm not pregnant! That would give me the gestation period of a dog...which, coincidentally is exactly what we're getting! Since this is my first dog, I'm so excited that we have what I feel like will be the perfect opportunity. We'll be inheriting my girlfriend's seven year old lab, who is an awesome dog. H has been asking for 'a black labrador' for a long time, so I'm really, really looking forward to it.

I've been obsessively reading websites about incorporating an older dog into your family, introducing your children to a pet, and balancing all that will come with having a canine member of the family. I fully admit that I will be learning as I go but, as with having my kids, I'm as ready as I'll ever be! Will there be frustrations and imperfections? Yes. Will I take a little bit to get over myself and my gross-out factor with animal hair? Absolutely! But the most important thing to me is that I'm genuinely excited, and looking forward to having that something added to our family that fills the house with affection, a standing date with a leash as I'll have someone counting on my to move my booty every single day and, yes, a responsibility that keeps you grounded to your home-base.

At the very least, I'm sure my adventures in doggy-rearing will provide some very entertaining blog-fodder.