DOGS Archives

MAKE TIME TO MAKE THESE HOMEMADE PUMPKIN DOG BONES

August 30, 2022

Pumpkin season is right around the corner. Can you feel it? Starbucks makes season official with the pumpkin spice latte. For me, the kickoff to the fall season is when I get my hands on canned pumpkin and make a batch of homemade pumpkin dog bones.

With two Bernese Mountain dogs, who love baking days, I decided to make time to make a batch of homemade dog bones. Made with peanut butter, oats and canned pumpkin these are a yummy mid-day treat.

If your dogs are like our Bernese Mountain dogs, Chloe and Elliott, they will pretty much eat anything except fruit and most vegetables.

But I think if they had to pick their favorite homemade dog treats it would be these homemade pumpkin dogbones!

These homemade pumpkin dog bones allow our furry friends to enjoy pumpkin this time of year too!

Homemade pumpkin dog treats were on my to-list to bake but with the hot summer temperatures, I pushed it back.

Until this happened.

While opening a bag of prepurchased training dog treats the smell emitting from the bag was enough to bring on a reaction similar to Vince Vaughn in the scene from Four Christmases.

How could I give my two precious Bernese Mountain dogs anything but something with pumpkin, peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, brown rice flour and an egg?

This was the motivation I needed to turn the oven on to 350 degrees for the lazy dog days of summer.

I had all of the ingredients for the homemade dog bones except for the brown rice flour.

I found it at Sprouts.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE DOG BONES

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup no sugar peanut butter
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 cups brown rice flour
1 egg

In previous dog treat recipes, I have substituted whole wheat flour for brown rice flour. Don’t forget the egg! It is not in the photo below.

I have also used creamy peanut butter because it is such a small amount and my dogs love it in their Made in the USA Kongs (.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sidenote: Did you know you can buy parchment paper at Sprouts
Mix the ingredients together making sure to scrape the brown rice flour from the bottom.
Roll the out like cookie dough on a smooth surface. I purchased this dog bone cookie cutter

Divide the dough into halves. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness.

Use a dog bone, heart-shaped) or biscuit cutter for your cookie cutter shapes.
I prefer a thicker cookie
(Chloe and Elliott share one dog cookie) when I bake.

This batch of homemade dog treats made sixteen-ish dog bone-shaped biscuits.

With the leftover dough, I rolled it into marble size dough balls and placed a baking sheet.

Let them cool. Store in an airtight cookie jar.

HOW TO PROTECT HARDWOOD FLOORS

January 6, 2022

With cooler temps, we are spending more time indoors and that includes our dogs, Chloe and Elliott. Recently, I saw nails on a chalkboard type of scratches our recently refinished hardwood floors. Bernese Mountain dogs are not known for their grace. But look at this face. If my husband had scuffed the stained wood floors it would have been grounds for an extended separation.

I ordered this rug to slow down his momentum, but Elliott’s rugby-like base takes anything in his path with him.

Elliott requires a wide turning radius and he literally has a blind spot in one eye.

HOW TO PROTECT WOOD FLOORS

1. The first line of defense for protecting hardwood floors is the entry and exit doors. Think about it this is where dogs are the most excited either to get outside for tinkle time or a w-a-l-k.

Every entry in my house has a dog-friendly rug. Not too fancy but gets the job done. And, if I can shove them into my washing machine even better.

2. Until we rescued Elliott I never thought much about a rug pad for the entry rugs.

But with his solid base, our wood floors need the added cushion to absorb his impact.

I found this Made in the USA brand rug pad.

If you are a follower of Everyday Edits you know I love to support Made in USA brands and companies.

When we installed our Dutch door we opted for a more industrial rug since the dogs are in and out this kitchen door dozens of times during the day.

I found this one with rubber backing at Target for under $20.00

3. Next up is the puppy gate. I find that a gate is a great way to control access and contain some of the enthusiasm.

I found this one at Homegoods when Elliott was a puppy. Because of our home’s layout (#brownstoneinthesuburbs), I ran down a bought a second one for the basement.

Finally, I got this idea from my contractor when we remodeled the family room fireplace. I was impressed at how well the cling wrap-like plastic adhered to the stairs.

No, I did not roll it down the stairs, but I strategically added it to the corner of my new sisal rug in the dining room. I ordered it here and love it so much!

We all have one of those rugs that gets all the foot traffic. It’s not the most attractive, but it works great with the paw prints paddling through the dining room on their way to the kitchen.

It’s kinda subtle.

And finally, I keep a stash of dog-friendly cleaning products in the entry closet to keep floors clean and paw print-free. This was one of my favorite organizing ideas.

HARDWOOD FLOOR CLEANING RESOURCES

Here are my favorite Made in USA Cleaning Products.

This wood floor cleaning system.

This is one of my favorite wood floor cleaners (and you dilute it)

Please pin for others to find! Thank you!

WEEKLY IDEAS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

DOG WATER BOWL HACK

July 6, 2021

Sharing a dog water bowl hack you can find at the grocery store.

Do you know when you are rushing out the door and you scan the dog’s water bowl and it is nearly empty?

And for a split second you think oh there’s plenty. But what do you do? You always put down your bag(s) and grab the water bowl.

And then after filling the water bowl you walk back across the kitchen floor or patio, like walking a tightrope, not wanting to wobble over like a Weeble. (80’s reference).

Here is a dog water bowl hack for your furry friends on those busy days.

Oh, and the dog days of summer when dogs are outside more enjoying the sunsets.

If you are a follower of Everyday Edits you know I love a good hack. Like this one.

And if your dogs need a new dog bowl here is a cute elevated dog dish.

DOG WATER BOWL HACK

I stumbled into this hack when I bought a plastic beverage dispenser at Kroger for under $8.000. I planned on using it for brewed tea.

Until I got it home and the dispenser was too big for the refrigerator.

And I thought this oversized, too big for the fridge beverage dispenser is perfect for Chloe and Elliott and the dog days of summer.

I added ice and water.

Now it’s just a little water bar for the dogs.

And the best part was the beverage dispenser with spigot fit on top of their dog dish tray.

Looking for a yummy dog treat to pair with the beverage bar? Try these homemade dog treats.

This Made in USA dog bone cookie cutter will set you back a few dollars and will make your dog treats too cute!

Shop for the dog days of summer. It’s never too early to shop for Halloween costumes for your dogs. ;0)

SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR PETS

February 28, 2020

Saying goodbye to our pets is the hardest part of loving them

Saying Goodbye to Our Pets

If you are familiar with Australian Shepherds you know they are smarter than most if not all family members.

It is with heavy hearts we share our news that Tanner RAN to the Rainbow Bridge this morning. It is impossible to measure our twelve years with Tanner.

Saying goodbye to our pets and the sadness that follows is the hardest part of loving them so much.

As a puppy, Tanner unpacked three bags of Goodwill items and scattered the items across our front yard. We found a toaster the following spring in a shrub; buried under the winter snow. He dragged a garden hose to the middle of the yard from the garage because he could.

He grabbed the dry cleaning bag on the front porch and pulled every pressed shirt onto the yard so the neighbors could view my husband’s expansive button-down shirts. Our dry cleaner quickly learned to leave our dry cleaning on the front porch light above the doorbell.

One year, Tanner ate every child craft constructed with Froot Loops, marshmallows or elbow pasta. What he ate in childhood artwork was nothing compared to the memories of that night when we arrived home from dinner to discover years of school crafts regurgitated on the carpet stairs.

These were his favorite dog-approved treats.

Tanner was the third parent in our family; he helped raise our kids, taught them lessons about loyalty and trust and endurance (he was an Aussie). Below is a photo of Tanner with our kids the day we adopted him. The photo below was taken from our family photographer and friend and neighbor who has known Tanner since he was a puppy.

Saying Goodbye to our Pets

Tanner, you were born to run!
Now go find Owen-he’s likely in a closet.

** Owen was our Bernese Mountain dog rescue who lived in our closet the first 12 weeks after we adopted him. Tanner helped coax Owen out of the closet, literally.

Thank you, Tanner! You raised our kids (and our Bernese Mountain dogs). We love you and know you watch over us every day.

Saying Goodbye Update:

Over the course of a few days after saying our goodbyes to Tanner, my husband and I both caught movement from the corners of our eyes on two separate occasions.

When it happened to me I was a little spooked thinking something was in the backyard. And, then I wondered … could it be Tanner? Was Tanner letting us know he made it to the Rainbow Bridge and decided to get a few extra laps in by stopping back at our house?

I could not shake the feeling but kept the moment to myself.

Until…

A few days later my husband was in the same spot, in front of the kitchen sink that overlooks the backyard.

And he suddenly jumps and says, “Whoa….” and he ran to the back door.

I knew in that instant my husband saw Tanner. Without leading him, I said, “What? Like, what’s wrong?” And, my husband explained that something ran across the back yard.

At that moment, I shared with him the exact same feeling and sighting a few days earlier.

And, we both knew… knew in our hearts and from the shivers down our spines.. it was Tanner. He let us know he was still here to check on us and watch our kids move forward in their lives.

We later joked he was keeping tabs on his Berner sister, Chloe. And, making sure the boys (one of them) doesn’t sneak in too late thru the front door).

We love you Tanner; forever and always.

Tanner, you left paw prints around our hearts …

This post was written in the fall of 2018. Please read the update in the days that followed Tanner’s trek to the Rainbow Bridge.

Reposted fall of 2022.

10 Ideas To Freshen a House with Dogs + Video

January 30, 2020

There is nothing worse than when you suspect your house smells like dogs. If you ask your friends if your house smells like dogs-chances are you already know the answer. As the mom of two Bernese Mountain dogs who is also a Realtor, I can smell a house with pets when I walk through the front door for a showing. Here are 10 easy ideas to freshen a house with dogs.

how to freshen a home with pets — Photo by John Becker, WBIR

These same ideas could be applied to stinky children & spouses. I have those too!

10 Easy Ideas to Freshen a House with Dogs

Let me start with this; I am not a fan of plugin room fresheners. They work but when I smell a plugin room freshener, that over the top cinnamon or floral smell, my first thought is what is the homeowner trying to mask. So here are ten ideas to freshen up your house before showings or guests.

1. FRESH AIR

Never underestimate the power of fresh air. An open window allows fresh air to circulate.

2. CEILING FANS

Have you looked up at your ceiling fan when it is not running? I was stretching the other morning and I look up in the middle of a hamstring stretch and there was a 1/2″ of dust on the ceiling fan blades.

And, I run that ceiling fan every night. Guess who sleeps directly under the ceiling fan? This one:

10-easy-ideas-to-freshen-house-with-dogs

And, during the day she sleeps under one of my boy’s ceiling fans.

3. VINEGAR

I love this multi-purpose cleaner. It is on my list of favorite cleaning products. Yes, it smells like vinegar, but it is effective at getting to the source of the smell; not masking the odor.

4. BAKING SODA

A close second to vinegar is baking soda. I regularly dust (dump) baking soda into my carpets/rugs. And, depending on how much dog DNA is embedded in the carpet fibers- I repeat this step 2-3 times over a few days. It works. I found this article with more details.

5. WASH ENTRY RUGS

Think about this; our dogs run in and out the doors dozens of times a day. Think about what those cute little paws tracked in when they chased a squirrel or do their business?

And, those entry rugs are the first line of defense to stop those muddy paw prints. Eww.

6. LINT ROLLER

A lint roller is a great way to snag random dog and human hairs on the tops of chairs and sofas. And, guess where sellers stand when they take in the main floor? Usually behind the couch or an armchair.

And, if they like the space they move in closer to check out what is on the homeowner’s shelves.

7. CLEAN UP THE BACKYARD

This one piggybacks on the entry rugs. If you can minimize the mess in the backyard you minimize the odors into the house. When I skipped a day (or two) to clean up the backyard and watch my dogs wrestling in the backyard I shudder at the thought of what they rolled thru during recess. Ewww.

8. BRUSH DOGS REGULARLY

Elliott loves to be brushed. His older sister, Chloe, not so much. She runs when she sees the hairbrush. But it makes a huge difference to brush our pets regularly to minimize what travels into the house via tails and tummies.

9. WASH THE WALLS

This is a big issue at my house. Chloe and Elliott have their favorite spots to chill during the day. And, when we repainted our walls to a lighter color I noticed the film of dirt on the walls. I keep the vinegar in a spray bottle to stay on top of these spots.

10. FRESH GREENS OR FLOWERS

Freshly flowers, greenery or herbs are an organic way to freshen your home. I think that is why we don’t notice the stale air during the holidays. From October through December, we have an abundance of fresh garland, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, Christmas trees, cider, and baked goods to fill our homes.

And, then by January, we have cold temps, over-active thermostats and furnaces and stale air. Rosemary is a great option to freshen up a space. I tuck mine into my candles in January.

I thought about tucking a sprig of Rosemary into Chloe and Elliott’s collars! #wink

Video Recap

Thank you for stopping by! Please share your tips in the comments!