Halloween Pumpkin Munchies

Are you wondering what to do with the flesh of the pumpkin when making Halloween Lanterns? There is only so much soup one can make. How about making dog biscuits? It's very simply and they can be shared amongst dog owning friends who come trick or treating on the 31st.

PUMPKIN MUNCHIES

Ingredients:

3 mugs plain flour

3 eggs

I small jar apple sauce

2 Tablespoons of black treacle

2 Mugs of chopped pumpkin flesh

1 tspn ground nutmeg

1 tspn ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground ginger

1 mug of water

To Make:

Heat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade

1. Place the flour nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger into a large mixing bowl and stir together.

2. Put the pumpkin flesh, eggs and apple sauce into a food provessor and blitz until smooth.

3. Add this mix to the flour along with the black treacle and stir well together.

4. Add enough water to make a firm dough.

5. Roll out on a floured board to about half inch in thickness (a quarter inch if you prefer smaller biscuits for  smaller dogs).

6. Using fancy cutters cut to shape and prick with a fork.

7. Place onto a non stick tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until quite firm.

8. Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container.

Dogs and Pop Stars!

Have you seen the latest offering from the fantastic Will Young? Not only a great song but dogs as well, what more can we ask for?

Well done Will for making a video that shows pedigree dogs in such a good light. Perhaps he could give some pointers to the producer of Pedigree Dogs Exposed?

If you are wondering who owns the performing dog it belongs to the well known Mary Rae.

Here is a link to the video:

http://vimeo.com/31028061



Wouldn't it be great if Take That made a record set in the show ring?

Saving a dog's life

Do you know how to administer CPR to your dog if he should collapse? To be honest I didn't until I spotted the following YouTube film circulated via a friend in Polish Lowland Sheepdogs.

Perhaps it is something that should be taught at dog training classes?

Curiosity led me back to YouTube to see if there were any other films that could help us learn how to save a dog's life. The following footage of a Boxer dog being resuscitated is amazing and yes I shed a tear or two as I watched it.

This is so wrong!

At a time when there is so much anti dog news in the media many of us are fighting to show that pedigree dogs are healthy and not the mutants they are perceived to be by ex RSPCA vets and BBC television producers.
We are trying to educate the public that dogs are not bred to be carried in handbags or used as toys and fashion accessories.

So what was happening only streets away from where I lived this past weekend? No other that a group of silly people trimming and spraying dogs a multitude of colours to compete for British Dog Creative Stylist of the Year. The dogs, mainly poodles stood for hours on grooming tables while they were teased into designs such a My Little Pony, Bertie Bassett and a Welsh Dragon.

What impression does this give the anti dog brigade? Surely it is bordering on cruelty? I don't think the poor dogs were taken outside for exercise all day as they were most certainly not noticed on nearby parkland or recreation areas by myself or other dog walking friends.

It seems this is an American past time - it had to be didn't it! No sensible Brit would be so cruel, would they?

The event organised by a Gravesend dog groomer was won by a a dog that was trimmed, tweaked, sprayed, styled and adorned to look like a Welsh Dragon. Lets hope he got the chance to breathe flames over the organiser of such a cruel and silly event. Dog groomers should stick to bathing and blow drying dogs and leave the food colouring for baking cakes.

Here is the link to the 'news story' in the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048225/Dog-Creative-Stylist-Year-hits-Britain-show.html

Find a Decent Breeder

Where would you buy a puppy? I ask this as there are some strange people and strange places that sell puppies. Sadly, dog breeding can be a money making venture for many people who do not care for the breed or dogs in general. We all know about the puppy farms and yes they do still exist. But visit any town and you will spot advertisements showing puppies for sales. Where? In newsagent's windows.

Since writing, A New Puppy in the Family (How To Books) I've started my own crusade to stop newsagents selling advertisements to puppy breeders. Granted some may well be pet owners who have bred and litter but still it shows little regard for dogs in general if they advertise in such places amongst second hand pushchairs, old cars and massage and escort services.

I'm sure I will visit this subject often in later blogs but for now will stick to one shop window in a typical English town. It happens to be the town where I live, not  large town but for some a den for back yard breeders.

Last week I spotted FIVE adverts showing puppies for sale. Not one was well written and some were laughable if it had not been for the fact there were dogs lives at stake. Something I have noticed is that these ignorant puppy sellers use terms such as, 'good with children' and 'good temperaments' as if this is a selling tool. I make a point of always ringing the advertisers and it is upsetting to know that such ignorant people are profiting from breeding pedigree dogs with no knowledge of health testing for the parents of the puppies or indeed registration documents, feeding guides, insurance or back up help in the years to follow.

One advertisement was for Chihuahua puppies selling at £1100 each. The silly woman who spoke to me openly admitted that she had one bitch that her dog had accidentally mated. Then, two other bitches were given to her, both in season and her rampant dog 'got at them' so she was left with lots of puppies. This virile dog had broken out of his cage to managed to service four bitches - four? She suddenly mentioned another bitch but I have no idea where that one come from.

The puppies where five weeks old and she was letting them go now as long as we paid cash as the were, 'driving her up the bloody wall.'

I did ask her a few questions trying hard not to give her a piece of my mind:

Insurance:
No, never heard of it!
Vaccinations:
Too young!
Feeding guide and food samples:  
No (she laughed) but when you come to buy the puppy she would 'tell' me what they were eating.
Kennel Club registration:             
She hasn't bothered as most of the parents are not registered.
Pedigrees:                                    
Yes, if I wanted one - sigh!
Health inspection:                         
Yes at two weeks when she almost lost them as she didn't know what she was doing - her words!
Back up help/guarantee:               
She'd never heard of such a thing and openly laughed. When they leave her home she didn't want to hear of them again as she'd never wanted the litters to begin with.
Why didn't she terminate then?      
You can't do that to a dog - she was shocked I'd even mentioned this!

I asked why the puppies were being sold for £1100 each? It was because she needed the money to have them all 'spaded' (sic) as she reckoned she never wanted any more?

I used the word 'breeder' when speaking to her and she was horrified that I'd called her such a thing. I asked why and it appeared shed's seen a TV documentary about how breeders were horrible people and she wasn't one of them and did want to be called such a name. After all hadn't she stated the mother could be seen and that the puppies had good temperaments?

So, thanks to that awful BBC documentary called, Pedigree Dogs Exposed where blatant lies were told about dog breeders (labelled as show breeders) ignorant people are moving away from advice from the likes of the Kennel Club and reputable breed clubs (this breeder didn't like them either).   

I expected to meet ignorance when speaking to people like this woman but I was horrified at her attitude and lack of understanding the needs of a small puppy. Time to stop all puppy sales apart from through the Kennel Club and registered breed clubs.

On, I reported this lady to her local council as she was breeding without a licence. I intend to find out what the RSPCA are doing about such adverts as well.   

For any reader who is lookoing for a pupy please visit the Kennel Club website:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/
  

Let's Get Baking!

Have you seen the price of dog biscuits lately? I know times are hard but we can't deprive our four legged friends of their treats can we? So why not bake your own dog biscuits? You'll get more biscuits for your money and your dogs will love you even more as they wait, noses twitching for their special treats to cool fresh from the oven.

I'm a great believer in baking without the need to weigh ingredients. Yes I know we have to do this sometimes but would your dog be any the wiser if you didn't weigh each egg or delicately grate a carrot? The enjoyment of baking for a dog comes with the sound of  licking lips and the wagging of a tail as they enjoy the results of a special  baking session.

I wrote Canine Cuisine in 2010 as a bit of light relief after my other book, Showing Your Dog, A Beginner's Guide. The idea was to cram as many recipes for dogs treats and dinners between the covers as possible. I managed just over 100. I wanted the book to appeal to young and old owners and not just to those who were master bakers. Many measurements are given in mugs rather than cups as I like the idea of making larger batches of treats so that our days are spent out with our dogs and not stuck in the kitchen. When I've worked out how to link to Amazon I'll leave the appropriate buttons to push in case you would like to purchase a copy of the book. It's available as a Kindle download as well, how modern is that? Until then here is one of my favourite recipes. This is a great recipe for children to follow, what could be more fun than cooking for their own dog?

GARLIC KISSES

Ingredients

500g plain flour

2 tablespoons garlic granules

250g lard

Cold water

To make

Set oven to 220 c Gas mark 7

Place the flour into a large bowl and stir in the garlic granules.

Cube the lard and add to the flour.

Using your fingers blend in the fat until the mix resembles very fine breadcrumbs.

Add enough water to make a stiff dough.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead well to remove any air pockets.

Roll out to a depth of a quarter inch.

Using a sharp knife cut into strips approximately half an inch by six inches.

Pierce each straw several times with a fork to prevent them rising too much.

Cross each end of the strip over and carefully tie in a half knot,

Place onto a greased baking tray.

Bake in the middle of the oven and check after 15 minutes. The straws should be golden brown and crispy, Check that the knotted part is cooked thoroughly.

Turn out onto a cooling tray and sprinkle on a little more of the garlic granules.

When cold store in an airtight container.

Tip: Adjust the size of biscuit to the size of the dog and don't feed too many to the dog at one time. These are not meant to be a meal replacement.

Another tip: Supervise children around sharp knives. If blood drops into the mix it won't bother the dog but parents are bound to complain if their beloved loses a digit or two and I can't afford to be sued!

Goodbye Dear Friend

So, full of good resolutions to cram my blog with interesting chat I set it up and vanish for two months! I'd like to say that I was off doing madly interesting things but dogs and life got in the way as usual.

What's happened in your life since last we met? Sadly we lost our Molly (Paddipaws Pavlova) on 24th September. Molly was almost eleven and the most loyal and devoted Old English Sheepdog you are likely to meet - unless you meet another OES that is. Her trip to Rainbow Bridge was more of a gentle flutter than a big leap and she took her journey with us holding her paw and stroking her beautiful head. There will never be another dog just like Molly and she leaves a big gap in our lives. We still have Buster (Paddipaws Pagliacci) and Squidgey, (Paddipaws Piaf) who are as happy as ever and looking forward to their 13th birthdays early in 2012.

Molly's ashes are by my desk along with eight beech caskets containing the ashes of other much missed Bobtails and one Polish Lowland Sheepdog named Oscar who have left us over the past twenty years.