Bad Dog

The routine goes like this: boo and I are woken up by Harry around 6am (usually boo awakes because I sleep like a rock) and Harry is taken out for a potty break, then given freedom to roam.  Harry usually chews a bone and settles into the couch for another snooze.  Around 7am or so, Harry goes for a walk or a run with his Mom, gets lots of treats and then settles back into the couch for a snooze.  At 8:30, Harry is coaxed to his crate with toys and treats and he takes yet another snooze. 

Around lunchtime boo or I will go home and pay Harry a visit, give him a pee break, feed him lunch, and take him for a walk.  It's at this time that we've started to attempt the trust game with Harry.  He'll be in the crate half the day and the second half he can roam free.  We make sure we hide most valuable items just in case.

Harry proved he's not 100% trustworthy last night when I came home to his bed ripped to shreds all over the first floor.  He proudly trotted over the stuffing and shredded fabric as if they were surprise gifts to me.

When I didn't joyfully greet Harry or say much he started to get concerned.  "What?  Can't you appreciate my art?" he said with his eyes.  Then I saw that he had nibbled on a corner of the carpet as well.  "Harry," I said seriously, "you are a BAD dog".  He had ripped off the bottom lining of his bed and the inside stuffing that made it a cushion and spread the contents everywhere.  "Look Mom; look the bed still works, it's still a bed!" Harry pleaded as he crawled into his flattened donut.  But it was too late.  I had already decided he needed to be shamed.

After a tortuous and crazy lady lecture from me about how disappointed I was that Harry disobeyed my trust (yes, this really happened...I know he listens) Harry cowered into his deflated bed.  I changed into running clothes and started dinner, giving Harry ample time for a nice sulk.

Hopefully Harry has learned his lesson.  Before you pass judgement, his punishment was over when he let out a big disturbing fart after our run while sitting quietly waiting for me to take his leash off.  I'm a sucker for potty humor, and we spent the rest of the night posing like couch potatoes, watching Breaking Bad.

It just goes to show, Harry is still not an adult.  Although coming home to a big mess takes my breath away (not Top Gun style) it's really fun to look back at the pictures of it and laugh.  Bonus points for an "I'm sorry" toot afterwards.

DIY Tutorial: Easy Treat Platter

Even though I am a pinterest fiend, I had yet to attempt the creation of a cake platter, serving tray, or in this case "treat platter" that floods pin boards.  This project was beyond easy.  After a pit stop at Jinxed in The Piazza at Schmidt's on food truck night, I picked up this sweet plate for only $2.  Jinxed is a flea market condensed into a small store, that's open every day.  It's tricky to navigate, but when you've got a craving to ravage through old stuff, Jinxed is your fix.  I had no idea what I was going to do with my new plate treasure, but I liked that it was my favorite color (green) and had a bunch of Philadelphia landmarks on it. 

Then, on a whim while picking up a last minute X-mas gift at Ikea I picked up this candlestick holder shown bottom right.  What's the purpose of candlestick holders if you're not using them in arts and crafts?  Does anybody honestly set out long stem candles in fancy candlesticks at dinner?  Obviously I don't, so I used my two assets to make one fancy platter.  

For this project, I used my two purchases described above and leftover caulk from my backsplash project last summer.  Since the caulk was good for adhering to ceramic, I thought it would work nicely on my plate.  However, you could probably substitute any strong adhesive for your platter. 

Carefully trace the top of your candlestick holder with your adhesive.  Be generous, but not overly so, as it will squeeze out the sides once it's stuck onto the plate.

Flip your plate upside down and find its center.  Then adhere the candlestick holder to the plate and press.  Wipe any excess adhesive with your fingers or a cloth.

After 24 hours of drying time, your platter is complete! 

Harry was very patient with me in taking pictures of his savory delicious wonderful treats on the platter while he sat in the background.  But he couldn't contain himself for long...



A Day at the Dog Park: Schuylkill Banks

Schuylkill Banks dog park was the very first park we took Harry to - you may remember him being run over by bassett hound mix, Dudley.  Though it was the most convenient of dog parks in Philadelphia as far as distance goes, we'd often end up having to bathe Harry afterwards and soak his harness overnight to get rid of the caked on dirt and dust that accumulated during his romps.  Then suddenly, the dog park disappeared and a new one popped up in what seemed like a month later! 

There's Mom & Dad!

 The newly re-habbed dog park is uber-chic with turf aka K9 Grass instead of dirt, meaning Harry doesn't have to be banned from the couch after a day of play.  A wall of concrete borders the turf where mommies and daddies can sit and watch their kids play.  Beware, because dogs with super jumping powers do and will jump up on the wall and get into the garden area behind.  Please accept my apologies if Harry was the said super powered dog.  


Getting to knowww you, getting to know all about you

Our particular visit occurred the day of the unveiling of the Schuykill Banks/University City bridge.  Crowds gathered to watch the Philadelphia Parks Commission open the bridge, beginning a 5k, and a festival.  The park housed a plethora of pups both big and small, quick and slow.  Harry got the park all riled up when he showed off his speed, unnerving parents and dogs alike.  We're still working on dog park manners, but how can you resist this handsome guy? 

Who Am I?

Harry looked at me the other day and said "Mom, who am I?"  I said back "I don't know".  "I guess I have a lot to ponder" Harry digressed.  Being an adoptee must be hard, not knowing your parents and having zero family history.  And in Harry's case being separated from your brother and sister.  I actually can't talk about it out loud without getting verklempt.  But after bumping into a stranger while running with Harry I discovered a peek into Harry's true identity, the possibility of him being part of a Southern species not prevalent in the Northeast.

Harry is maxing out at around 40 pounds, but he's maintained his fuzzy beard and his chestnut brindle stripes.  He's too small to be a pit bull and he doesn't have the muzzle of a boxer, which are two breeds that are commonly brindle.  Our stranger enlightened us to a breed we've never heard of, the Plott Hound.

Per Wikipedia, Johannes Plott emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1750.  He brought a few wild boar hounds with him, now known as Plott Hounds.  They had been bred for generations for their stamina and gameness.  Johannes Plott and his family settled in the mountains of western North Carolina, which is where Harry was adopted from!

Harry shares some of the traits of the breed in personality: being fast, having endless endurance, and he does the same kind of "talking" that Plotts do.  However, he very much seeks the attention of every single thing around him, while Plotts generally ignore other dogs.  There also isn't any mention of Plott Hounds being snuggle monsters, but this might be a case of nurture over nature for Harry.

It was exciting to get a glimpse into a breed that Harry very much resembles.  As far as family history goes, maybe Harry doesn't know anything about where he came from or who his brothers and sisters are.  What he does know is that I'm his Mom and the boo is his Dad and life is much better compared to being an abandoned pup in a shelter.  With that I left Harry with the words of Zoolander's Hansel, "The results are in amigo...what's left to ponder?"

Happy New Year Harry!

2012 was quite a year for me.  Harry joined my family, we climbed Machu Picchu, started a blog, and I finished my second marathon.  I've also learned a great deal about myself and what's important to me, and I hope to bring this knowledge into 2013.  Of course, 2013 will also be an opportunity to try lots of new things, of which I'm very excited to share.  New Year's Eve was spent at a small neighborhood get together with the theme of glitter and bow-ties.  Although we didn't bring Harry, he still dressed up in theme.

Since I wouldn't be able to kiss Harry at midnight, we practiced our best New Year's Eve kiss pre-party.  As we left I told Harry that I'd "see him next year".  He got very concerned and I had to explain to him that it was just a phrase and we'd actually see him in three hours. 

The best part of our NYE party was that our friends painted an entire wall with chalkboard paint and designated it to New Year's resolutions.  Although it ended up becoming vulgar and inappropriate thanks to alcohol, it was a great conversation starter.

I feel that resolutions are a peak into one's vulnerability.  Basically, you're announcing something that you can't do, or a goal you haven't yet achieved, or a weakness you see in yourself that you need to work on.  This is probably why everyone resolution-izes three beers deep.

This year I'm hoping to put more effort into my Etsy store, and possibly set myself up at a craft fair, arts festival, or neighborhood flea market with some of my "wares".  Actually this past week I've posted a few items for sale - check them out on the "Store" tab.  Of course I want to make sure I blog better too, on a consistent and regular basis. 

Unfortunately, Harry didn't make it to midnight but he woke up when we came home and in spirit of the holiday spent the night in our bed.  Harry's resolution is to get better at ball mouth coordination...we've gotten to about a 5 foot distance where he can catch in the air.  We're so excited to see what the new year will bring us!

Harry's First Christmas

Harry's first Christmas was early, eventful, and exhausting.  Now a Christmas tradition, Harry slept with his Mommy & Daddy in our Christmas pajamas and awoke promptly at 7:30am to discover what Santa brought him.  Coffee was put on and Harry's stocking unloaded.  The first gift from Santa was a furry Christmas collar donned with jingle bells that sounded the entire day, and actually flew off when Harry needed to shake something off his back.  

Through thorough sniffing and pawing, Harry discovered that Santa also brought him a new Nylabone (highly recommended for aggressive chewers), dental chews (Santa wants Harry to have fresh breath), treats, a doggy towel for bath-time, and of course plenty of treats.  

Before heading to our family Christmas, Harry was presented with a frosted special treat from his Daddy from Doggie Style.

Even though it was hard to part with all of the new smells and excitement in our home, we packed Harry into the car and drove to our family Christmas.  Harry stayed with my parents and played with his fur-uncles (three red Australian Shepherds) while the boo and I started Christmas with brunch at his family's home.  While we were gone, Harry bragged about his new presents to his cousins and proceeded to engage them in suicide sprints from the patio door to the back of the fence over and over again.  

Following our Christmas brunch, we joined my family for the long drawn out family tradition of an 8 hour Christmas.  My family spends that much time opening gifts one by one, eating, and getting distracted until around 10:30.  Harry opened gifts from his human-aunts and human-cousins and a few gifts from his fur-cousins and fur-uncles.

And he watched his fur-family and human family open their gifts.  Fur-cousins and fur-uncles were given Harry's home-made treats seen here.  He even helped open a few gifts, and attempted to play sparkle princess houses with his human-cousin.  Below he's sitting with my niece as she opens the Snow White Sparkling Princess Harry picked out for her.

It felt like Harry was excited the entire day.  His attempts to play with his fur-cousin jug Karma were put off after he pawed her a little too many times.   But keeping them apart was a challenge while opening gifts one-handed.  Maybe after four hours or so of constant playing, Harry started to doze by the tree, creating a perfect Christmas moment for his Mommy.  

Now that Harry knows how fun Christmas is, he has vowed to be good until Christmas 2013.  However, since that vow he has chewed the face off of his new piggy toy given to him by his human-cousin.  I guess that doesn't matter, because Santa can't resist this face!

Harry Hors D'oeuvres: K9 Carrot Cookies

Tis the season to go crazy for cookies.  Dog cookies that is.  Making your own dog treats, especially this time of year, is seasonally fulfilling and guilt free.  I found a recipe for K9 Carrot Cookies at Bullwrinkle.com - which is an awesome name for a bulldog.  Carrots are a super-food for dogs and they're a long lasting root vegetable that can stay in the fridge until you remember they're there.  According to petMD carrots can encourage a healthy coat and skin, bone development, eye health, and cancer prevention.  I was eager to relay the health benefits of carrots to Harry in the way a loving mother does...by hiding it in the form of a treat.

To make K9 Carrot Cookies, you'll need 1 cup quick cooking oats, 2 cups unbleached flour or whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ (you can find this in the cereal aisle, or in the organic aisle by Bob's Red Mill), 2 eggs, 2 cloves of garlic, and 4-6 carrots (enough for 2 cups pureed).  Garlic is an ingredient that can be fed to dogs but sparingly.  Unlike onions, which contain sulfides and disulphides that can cause damage to a dog's bloodstream, garlic is ok when used in small batches.

To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a saucepan with about 6 cups of water and set it on high heat.  As you chop your carrots, toss them into the pot.  Once all the carrots are chopped and in the pot, bring the water to a boil and leave it boiling for 10 minutes, or until carrots are softened.

While the carrots are cooking, mince two cloves of garlic.  This shouldn't take too long, so maybe take some time to have a carrot-dog photo shoot.  

Ehhh what's up Doc?

After the carrots have softened, drain them and put them in a food process or blender.  Pulse until pureed.

In a large bowl, combine carrot puree, eggs, and garlic and mix together with a fork. 

Gradually add dry ingredients (oats, flour, wheat germ) and mix until combined. 

Spread dough over a well-floured surface and press until 1/4 inch thick.  Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut into desired shapes.  Or just roll into balls - they're your cookies.  I got my bone cookie cutter from AC Moore on a whim, and it came in handy.

Spread cookies apart evenly on a greased baking sheet.  Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes depending on desired crunchiness.  I did mine for 30 minutes and got a chewier treat. 

While your cookies are baking, maybe your fur-baby can lick the bowl, just like my boo likes to do when I make human brownies - that's brownies made for humans, not from humans.  Harry usually helps me do the dishes, aka he licks the dirty ones that are in the dishwasher while I rinse.  When I put the bowl in front of him, he was more confused than excited.  You really shouldn't give your dog raw eggs, but I found the concept of bowl licking incredibly cute and possibly helpful.

Once my cookies were baked, I let them cool for an impatient 10 minutes before I gave Harry a taste.  He loves them.  I've never seen him take such care in eating a treat before.  He laid down with his cookie, licked and nibbled at it until it was all gone.  We'll have to test out another recipe soon, because I can't imagine these treats will last very long.

Nom Nom Nom