Something To Crow About

One of our walkers Melanie, noticed a crow that was obviously in need of help during one of her regular dog walks. One of his wings was dangling in a weird position and he couldn't fly.   She came back later with a shoebox and a sheet so she could take him to a lady that cared for wild birds. Once he was in the box, she was hoping that he wouldn't get out of the box while she was driving!  He never moved and she feared she had killed him by taking him in.  When they got to the bird lady's house, he hopped out of the sheet, over the box and straight to the window.  Melanie looked out of the window and there were a million crows all over--on the fence, in the yard, on the telephone wires--everywhere.  And they were caw-ing their little birdy hearts out.  His buddies were keeping an eye on him!  

Dogs Are Better Than Wolves

I have a wonderful friend who writes a lovely blog, A Faded Ginger.  One of her recent posts concerned dogs, which of course, caught my interest.  Click the link below to read it and let us know what you think.

Dogs Are Better Than Wolves

Homemade Chicken Jerky Part Two (Or, Two Thumbs Up ….If Dogs Had Thumbs)

 As promised, I tried out the Homemade Chicken Jerky recipe this weekend.  The ingredients and instructions are in this blog post:  Aren't We All Tired of These Recalls? 

 I started with these:

  

Once the pieces were defrosted and patted dry, the next step was to cut the pieces into strips and lay them in the pan.

After baking in a low oven, there was considerable shrinkage, but the result was just as described in the recipe.  

Now here's the most important part of this experiment:  Jazz performing the taste test.  She sat, she sniffed, she scarffed it up!

Look at that smile!  Success!  Now, check out the recipe and let me know if your dog smiles.

How Many Dogs Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?

Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a light bulb?

Border Collie: Just One. And then I'll replace ALL the wiring that's not up to code.

Dachshund: You know I can't reach that lamp.

Rottweiler: Make me.

Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

Lab:  Oh Me, Me Me!   PLEEEEEEEEZE let me change the light bulb. Can I? Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I, PLEEEEEEEEZE, PLEASE PLEASE?

German Shepard: I'll change it as soon as I've led everyone out of the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed anyone, make one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

Jack Russell: I'll just pop it in while I am bouncing off the walls and chasing my tail.

Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

Chihuahua: Yo Quiero Taco Bulb.

Pointer: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there--RIGHT THERE

Greyhound: It isn't running, who cares?

Sheltie:  First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle.

Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear, and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

Terrier: Let me bark at it for a while to see if it really needs changing.

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'How to be a Highly Irritating Dog Walker'

This blog post made me giggle from beginning to end, so I wanted to share!

 By the way, Barks and Blooms Dog Walkers do NONE of these things.  Promise.

Happy Monday, people!

How to be a Highly Irritating Dog Walker

Homemade Chicken Jerky (or, Aren't We All Tired of These Recalls?)

In the light of yet ANOTHER recall notice concerning treats made from chicken imported from China, we thought it would be a good idea to research how hard it would  be to make our own.  This looks easy!  My dog Jazz (below) has agreed to be the taste tester.  

Ingredient:

Chicken Breast Fillet

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200° F
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Rinse off chicken breast and remove any fat.
4. Slice the chicken with the grain. This will help make the jerky even chewier for your dog. The slices should be very thin, about 1/8" to 1/4" thickness.
5. Place the strips on the baking sheet.
6. Bake for approximately 2 hours (see note below).
7. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack until completely cool.
8. Cut strips into bite sized pieces.

 Note:  The baking times will vary due to difference in ovens, temperatures and meat size. Your jerky treats should be firm and dry, not at all soft or spongy. It is safer to go a little extra dry and firm than for the meat to be underdone.

Jazz will let you know if they're any good.