Service Review: Ocean Sands K-9 Resort

Dexter awaiting puzzle-time
I have never boarded a dog in my life.  As mentioned previously, our new addition, Dexter, was just too much of a handful to leave behind with my 3 more aged dogs and my son who was busy with both work and school.  Because Dexter was a foundling (e.g.  he was dumped and we found him with bloodied paws from running on the road after whomever dumped him), and because I had been working so hard with him (to cure him of the behaviors that likely led to his being dumped--but behaviors that his owners allowed to develop), I did not want one week away to undo all the good work that we've accomplished in these past two months.  Therefore, I resolved to find a place down in Nags Head area to board him.  Dexter is 9 months old.

I let my fingers do the Googling, and I found Ocean Sands K-9 Resort.  Pam Warner, owner, made me immediately feel at ease about her facility and the care that Dexter would receive.  The pricing was reasonable, and from our one-on-one conversation I knew that Dexter would be in a place where he would be happy and comfortable, and we would feel assured of his wellbeing.

Upon arriving at the facility, Dexter was greeted by name by Pam and her husband, Paul.  Dexter responded to this personal welcome by giving kisses to both of them (ignoring Mark and I).    We were escorted back to Dexter's kennel by Allen.  He has 4 pitbulls.  Bless him.  One's enough for us. The facility was cleaner than my house.

As we walked down the center aisle, there were kennels on either side.  Shepherd, Irish Setter, Corgie, Boston Terrier, Otterhound, Sheltie....were among a few of the boarders.  They were all eager to be heard, though prior to seeing us it was very quiet inside. They were all in clean kennels, and they looked relaxed and happy.  That was a good sign.

Dexter's kennel was was beside the Otterhound.  We put his bedding down, one of Mark's worn shirts (that could be dispensed with if it were shredded by the end of the week), and said our goodbyes. At the desk I asked, "Have you ever had to call the owners of a dog and say that you were unable to keep a dog due to their behavior."  Pam proceeded to tell me a story which gave me comfort that there was nothing that Dexter could do that would cause them to call me and say, "Pick him up now!"  Phew!

At Ocean Sands, during office hours, your pup can be taken in and out for as long as you like, as often as you like. You can also pay an up-charge for outside of normal business hours needs. Parents of pups are welcome to see the entire operation.  Nothing to hide here.  All transparent.  This place was as quiet as a cave--until one walks down the center aisle!  [I truly expected a yappy, barky place because my vet's office always sounds that way, and I have no experience otherwise.] But once back through the door to the front...quiet.  I feared that Dexter was going to be a serial disturber of the peace.  As it turned out, he was not.

The next day (and each day thereafter) we went to go get Dexter. We were given a placard to take back to put on his kennel to let balance of the staff know that he was out on a field trip.  We spied Dexter before he spied us.  While the dogs who saw us first welcomed us, we found Dexter sitting quietly and contentedly on his bed.    Once he spied us, of course he was happy to see us.  However, on the way out the door, he stopped to give Pam kisses, and anyone else along the way.  He is a love-bug.

Each time we returned to the facility, Dexter was eager to go up the ramp to see Pam and company.  He was not eager the second day to go back in his kennel, as by that time he figured out that we would be leaving him.  Nevertheless, a few liver treats tossed in changed his mind quickly.  He did not make much of a racket when we left.  That speaks volumes to his level of comfort--physically and mentally.

Dexter destroying puzzle to get treats.
If you are thinking about going to the Nags Head area and typically board your pup at home, please consider this wonderful facility and the caring owners and staff as an option so long as your pet travels well. Plus, there are lots of great places to take your pup at Nags Head.  We visited the Wright Memorial, Jockey's Ridge State Park as well as the oceanside where we were staying.  I used my 50ft lead in tandem with my 6 ft lead.  Because we were at the end of September, the beach was sparsely used.  But there were many opportunities to go past other pups and people to solidify manners. Naturally we ratcheted Dexter in to a short radius when proximate to other 2 legged and 4 legged beach goers.  We used our visits to further Dexter's training; specifically to
  1. give him exposure to other dogs and people
  2. give him the opportunity to learn that our leaving him also meant returning to him--trust building.
I will definitely take Dexter back next year.  Since we have been back home (all of a day!), we can see an improvement in Dexter's overall development.  Also, feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions (see my profile).  I cannot recommend this facility highly enough.

Special note:  I did not receive any considerations for this post other than the excellent service that I was promised for my boarding dollars!

Vacation Post Mortem

We made it back to town on yesterday, traveling on perhaps the nicest weather day of the week!  The weather during our stay ranged from partly cloudy to rainy/windy to downright tempestuous with gale force winds and seas that were frightening to view.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed each and every day.

Our time together with friends was both relaxing and fun.  Part of the charm of the beach is watching the ocean's reaction to the the sky and wind conditions.  With all of the weather variations, we were able to see the multifaceted face of the sea.  I consciously did not bring my camera.  When I bring my camera, I don't take pictures.  When I don't bring my camera, I wished I had brought it.  No more leaving it behind.

Boarding Dexter, gave us a chance to visit Colington.  I'll write a review of the boarding facility there.  We found a lovely cafe, The Salt Box, and enjoyed simply prepared but incredibly delicious food.  Because we had daily visits with Dexter, we were able to take him to different places and give him different experiences--in addition to the experience of knowing that he would always be picked up.  During our daily excursions we
  • visited Jockey Ridge State Park.  We visited this area because the gale-force winds prevented our walking on the oceanside.  The sand was being blown so hard on the beach that we were afraid that Dexter's eyes would be sand blasted like our calves! Jockey Ridge had a nice protected area on the sound side.  It has the distinction of being the tallest sand dune on the Atlantic coast.  We found persimmon-laced scat.  I'm unsure from what animal, but I did find the smallest persimmon tree ever laden with fruit at varying degrees of ripeness.  I did eat one ripe fruit.  It was delicious and reminiscent of finding a golden jewel on the wild persimmon tree on the route we would ride our horses.
  • visited the Wright Brothers Memorial.  The park has wonderful paved pathways for bike riding and walking.  Our trip was very short as I was not feeling well from what turned out to be a 24-hour bug that at least 3 out of 26 of us got at the beach.  Thankfully it was short-lived.  
  • Took 3 long (3-4 miles)  ocean-side beach walk.  Dexter was on a 50 foot lead, ratcheted to a 6 food lead on the "Hermanator" 1 when we encountered other people/pets.  Dexter loves everyone and bounds towards people (which we correct).  
    • Several people who owned pitbulls asked to approach and pet Dexter.  He is a love bug and enjoyed it greatly.  We enjoyed hearing about the dogs these folks have.  They were able to get their pet fix in.  
    • He enjoyed chasing seaweed and seafoam blown by the wind.  
    • He chased some sea birds to no avail.  
    • He kept his feet dry by artfully dodging the waves washing up to shore.
    It cost $175 to board Dexter, but I considered it a 'training' fee--and a darn cheap one at that!-- as well as a convenience fee for Reade.  Reade's schedule is such that between work and school, he had limited time.  Four dogs would have just been one dog too many with Dexter in the mix.  Absent boarding him, we would not have been able to have these daily training sessions.  Money well spent.  We've been back home a day now, and his behavior is leagues better.

    Oh, but we were sorely missed by the girls who were left behind.  Dexter missed his sissies, too.  Ella and Daisey did not miss him so much, but Angel was overjoyed to see him.


    Our big dinner--the dinner that my team had to prepare for 23 people--was a success. I made a prosciutto, spinach and Parmesan stuffed pork loin roast.  It was absolutely delicious--perfectly cooked- and well-received.  It was my first time butterflying a loin roast, and I did a pretty decent job.  Though my technique can improve.  If you would like to see a video on how to do this, check out Chef John at Food Wishes for fantastic videos that are high quality and high content.  However, we did not win the dinner competition.  Sniff!  Yet, we were all winners in that we all were able to enjoy the fruits of the labor of others.



    1 The Hermanator is the Herman Sprenger training collar--power steering for your dog.


    Vacation

    We are down at the beach with Dexter in tow.  He is being boarded at  Ocean Sands K-9 resort.  This gives Reade a break.  He only has to has to take care of 3 low maintenance dogs.  Dexter was able to ride with us for 4+ hours.  I had an idea that he would likely sleep the entire ride down.  It was not an idea that became a truth.

    Dexter was very animated most of the way down in between munching on  the knuckle bone that we drove back to get after we were about 1 mile down the road and realized the error of not having some occupation for Dexter's mouth.

    Turtle Boy after 2 mile beach walk
    We arrived at 4:15 p.m.  Dexter needed to be checked in by 5 pm. As soon as we walked in the door, they called out Dexter's name.  He eagerly turned the corner to greet the caller.  Dexter was immediately made to feel welcome.  We were invited back to put his bedding in this kennel and his pig.  Mark changed his shirt, and put the t-shirt that he was wearing on Dexter's bed.  They slipped his collar off of him, shut the gate, and we signed the paperwork.  As we were out the door, Dexter
    had been fed, and let out into the yard to do business.  All of the animals were calm, and it was surprisingly quiet for kennel. 

    The kennel was closed on Sunday for visits unless we were to pay an upcharge.  I could use a Dexter-free day.  However, today, Monday, we 'sprang' Dexter.  He was resting quietly and comfortably when we went back to his kennel.  We put his "out for a trip" placard on his kennel and loaded him up.  We shepherded him back to the house we were staying and took him out to the beach for a long walk.

    I had the 50ft lead to his martingale collar, and a 6 ft lead attached to the Herm Sprenger collar.  Dexter is so animated around other dogs, I wanted to ensure that I had total control over him.  To be clear, the Herm Sprenger collar is a 'heads up' collar.  He acts better with it on whether or not it is engaged with the leash.  I'll take that.

    Dexter was nothing short of being a delight.  He did not bark at any of the dozen or so dogs that we met along the way.  No lunging.  No pulling. He was wary of the water, but not scared.  Several people came up to him, needing a dog fix.  He is always eager to make new friends.

    After our walk, we watered him, and he plopped down on the cool concrete.   We then spirited him away.  He went right into the building, and he went right back to his kennel.  He yipped a bit after we left him, but quickly settled in.

    He was The picture above is Dexter in "turtle boy" position after his 2+ mile walk on the beach.  While kenneling him is an expense, it also gives us a 'training opportunity'.  Riding in the car, meeting LOTS of different people, being exposed to other dogs both in the kennel and on the beach, and perhaps most importantly, building trust that we are going to keep him in a safe facility and come back for him are all lessons that we are can give him at a pretty fare price that also give us peace of mind and some freedom to enjoy our vacation.

    Yes, he is a happy boy.


    Pet Obesity

    I was in my vet's office the other day.  There was a fantastic poster on pet obesity.  I was looking for it on the web.  I did not find it, but I found Matt Beswick's....click below an be transported.


    Pet obesity graphic produced by Matt Beswick for Pet365. Click below to see the full size version.
    Pet Obesity Infographic

    RAW Hold Out
    I am ashamed to say that I had one dog, Macy, who was overweight.  I think that Ella is packing a few extra El Bees. She has long hair, and it masks her expanding middle. With Dexter in our mix, we are all moving around more.  I'm also confident that with Ella on the raw diet, she will drop weight.  Because Daisey is so active, I never worry about her.  In fact, getting her to eat enough is a problem.  Angel...very low activity level due to type of dog and age.  I'm confident that her raw diet will keep her weight manageable.

    RAW Food Update:  Three of out four dogs are doing well so far on  the RAW diet.  Since we are not doing a controlled study, I'm unclear as to the origins of Angel's new found spunkiness--fall weather?  Nupro supplement?  Raw diet?  Combo of all three?  We love that she has so much more vitality than when she first came to our home.

    Ella Food Thief?
    Angel Food Thief?
    We are not a lab here--and clearly I lack basic controls. I thought Daisey had enjoyed her RAW food when in fact, she's not touched it since that first day. I now surmise, that the disappearance was a nefarious act on the part of a greedy and quick food thief name either Angel or Ella.  My money is on Angel...but how I missed her lumbering over to Daisey's spot is a mystery.  In my defense, I was making dinner.  Or maybe it wasn't a lumberer at all, and it was Ella.  One of the above is guilty.
    Dexter:  I was tied inside...I'm innocent.

    Dexter was a detainee inside.  He is presumed innocent.  He can have no freedom, inside or out due to his highly destructive puppy tendencies.  His mouth is like a Sawzall.  Most recently he chewed on the window sill.  That is NOT a good thing.  He had plenty of chew toys.

    Regardless of attribution of guilt, they are all happy to be on their new food--though I am still giving kibble too. But rather than ignoring the kibble, they are eating it all with gusto. With our vacation coming up, my son isn't going to be feeding them raw.  So keeping a thread of consistency is good.

    Since coming to our home, Dexter has been plagued by gooey stools.  With his raw diet, his stool is quite firm now with much less volume.  That's a good thing. 








    Headlines

    The above picture is a great example of the stupid "eye catchers" to be converted to 'clicks' on CNN and other places. No, I did NOT click on the articles.  You can be assured that there isn't a thing about ramen noodles that I would be embarrassed about not knowing.  Additionally, you can be assured that I would be embarrassed in feeling that I was compelled to click on the link, and downright ashamed had I done so.



    Raw Day 1

    Actually, yesterday was Raw .5 day, as last evening's dinner was semi-raw.  I'll use this space to document my foray into moving my animals to a raw diet. I have 3 senior girls (8, 10, 11) and a teenager (10 mos old).  Angel, the Am Bulldog, needs a grain-free diet.  As our dogs are 'round-robin' in eating, what one needs to get, the others should get. Dexter, as a teenager, needs puppy food, and I've not been able to find that grain-free.  He eats alone.

    Ella, Dexter and Angel, all love raw chicken necks and backs which I give when I butterfly a chicken for the grill.  I did not fear that they would take to this diet.  Daisey, is a pickster, and does not eat anything raw.  Further, Angel, upon closer inspection of her wrangling with a turkey neck,  doesn't seem to be able to eat these so well (perhaps because her snout is so short and her back teeth logistics are different from "snoutier" dogs.  )Grinding the bones with the meat give me more peace of mind. I realize that purists think that the dog benefits from chewing these.  I'm sure they do, but I'm not a purist.

    So with 3 out of 4 dogs amenable, I'm ready to make the transition to a raw diet.  I still have plenty of kibble to go through, so I'll transition using half measures of kibble and raw.  Prior feeding was simply kibble and one can of dog food split among four dogs to give the kibble more interest.  The pattern was that they would eat all of the canned topper, and ignore a good bit of the kibble, and then go to their eating partner's dish to see if there was anything of interest left. 

    I'm not comfortable feeding raw without some supplementation.    By and large I'm not a supplementer of either my diet or that of my pets.  Truthfully, until we got Angel, our special dietary needs dog, I've never thought too much about dog food, other than ensuring that my English Setters were on a high-protein food due to their high activity level. After much research, I bought Nupro.  I bought a 20lb tub--somewhat nervous that maybe my dogs would not like it.  Thankfully, this ended up being misplaced anxiety.

    Yesterday, I processed 2 cut up chickens  and a package of  gizzards and hearts.   (The Weston #22 chewed up the bone as if it were cardboard!)
    • Cat reaction:  My idea was that my cats would also eat raw.  They love organ meat, and I cut it up for them when I get a whole chicken for our dinner.   They did not care for the ground up meat, organ meat, even when served slightly warm.  Sigh.   So much for that big idea.  In my research, I learned that cats develop obsessive compulsions about their food.  I've never really had a picky eater until Wyatt.  And he just drives me nuts in what he decides is good and not good.  And those decisions are made on rotation so that good and bad become a jumble.  He's the poster child for OCD food issues.  I'm not giving up yet......
    • Dog Reaction:  Daisey would not eat raw food from my hand.  No surprise.  I made a slurry of the Nupro, put raw (at room temp via microwave) on kibble, and drizzled the slurry on the food.  WOOF!  Gone.  Not one kibble left in any's plate.  Even Daisey, the picky eater, ate her raw food and kibble with the Nupro.  I was surprised that she ate the raw at all. Because Nupro has a liver flavor, and the only treat that Daisey really likes are the homemade treats that I make and the Liver Bits, this was a good thing.  (Update:  I'm now thinking that Daisey had some help on her food.  She didn't touch it on Day 2.  Sigh.)
    I feel like this can work.  





    The Grind

    I decided that I would give myself a late birthday present.  I have been thinking about getting a meat grinder, one capable of grinding poultry bones because (1) I want to grind my own meat for hamburger and sausages and (2) I want to be able to transition my pets to a raw/semi-raw diet.  I have
    a Kitchen Aide Grinder attachment, but I liken its efficacy to trying to mix a swimming pool with a hand mixer.  It just is not very powerful nor engineered to handle the task of grinding regular meat (sans bone).

    After much research I bought the Weston #22.  The Canning Pantry had it for the best price which included free shipping.  It is an investment--as would be any piece of good kitchen equipment.  It is commercial grade.  I gave it a test spin this a.m., and I'm HIGHLY IMPRESSED.  No regrets.  I was at Food Lion yesterday, and they had whole cut up chickens marked down (date expiration close).  I thought that would be a good place to start.  I cut it up a bit further so it would feed through the feeder tube, and put it in the freezer to firm up.  I used coarse grind plate.  2 chickens were processed in less than 5 minutes.  Cleanup was a breeze.  The machine is heavy (62lbs), so it is best to have dedicated counter space, of which I have.

    My next culinary adventure will be to make some Italian Sausage or just regular breakfast sausage.  But, I'm getting ready to go on vacation, so I'm a couple of weeks away from doing that.  My husband goes down to the Nahunta  Pork Center in NC.  While we love the sausage, it is a very long trip.  Plus, all of the sausage has to be processed and frozen.  It took me almost a day to vacuum seal all of the sausage. And, I did not care much for the Italian Sausage.  Love the link sausage. 

    However, I think that we can find a recipe for Italian and breakfast sausage that we like, and leverage our investment to make sausage that we enjoy. There are a number of great recipes at The Spicy Sausage which you can find here.



    Moon Shadow Walking and Beech Tree Blight

    One of life's great joys for me is to walk on the road under the light of the moon.  A white dog's coat becomes luminescent, and who can resist the appeal of a moon shadow? (Cat Stevens comes to mind now).  Watching them bound down the road (I live on a private road with limited traffic) and into the woods is marvelous to see. 

    Ella is a tri-color setter, so she does not have so much white.  But Daisey is mostly white, and now our newest moon shadow walker, Dexter, has enough white to glimmer.  He gets not freedom, so he is attached with a long lead.

    The other evening we were walking and the moon, about 3/4 full, was occulted by some dark clouds.  The clouds were fast moving, and the brilliant moon was soon revealed.  It was a reminder of how the clouds of our life sometimes cause us to lose sight of the backdrop of brilliant sunshine or moonlight that always lifts our spirits.

    I try go be observant when I'm in the woods with my dogs.  Dexter is nose down kind of guy.  The English Setter girls are bounding (they are unfettered).  While walking to a favorite spot there is blackened debris at the base of a beech tree.  At first, it looked as if there had been a fire that had been stomped out.  I then thought that it might be bird/bat debris, but the coating was too uniform.

    Upon closer inspection, I realized that the branches above were infested.  Here's a smallish video on that.  Apparently this is called 'beech blight aphid'.  They were on the lower limbs of the beech trees in the woods.  I do not see them on the beech trees in my front yard.







    Dog Toys

    This is Polly the Pig from mydogtoy.com   It is extremely well made.  Dexter loves it. I saw higher retail prices on it, but I see that Chewy.com has them priced about 50% higher than I paid for them.  So, I save a 1/3.

    I also have the lamb, they call him Sherman.  I call him Too Cute as with the pig.  Our goal for Dexter is to keep his mouth engage while we are petting him.  These toys do an excellent job. (As well as his duck from Big Lots!).

    Shopping at the salvage store (or Big Lots or thrift stores)  is like going on a treasure hunt.  You never know what you might find.  One Christmas, I was cruising through the aisles, and my magpie eye (which catches the glint of shiny things) spied a shiny handle on an above eye level shelf.  Hmmm....this is a nice pan.  It was a Scanpan.  I made my purchase for $19.99 and then went home and Googled it.  The cheapest I could find it was $135.99.  I promptly went back to the store and purchased the other 5 (total of 6 in stock).

    I have found expensive olive oils, sherry wine vinegar (from the source!), painting supplies, German Barrel Pickles, dog food (the really good stuff) at amazing prices.  There are some things to watch. Not all deals are good deals.  They also have some great cleaning products at very favorable prices.  And bread is .99, and it is NOT out of date but will be soon.  I'll take 1/2 price and 1/3 of price or even 1/15th the price in the case of the ScanPan.  (Which by the way I gave as Christmas gifts and it is the favorite pan of all that I gave it to--and ours too!).

    But....there are things to avoid too....some things are just too far out of date to bother with.  Vigilance is always a welcome quality when shopping for bargains.








    Carnivore? Omnivore?

    I take fact over opinion any day. I'm seeing lots of  opinions trumpeted (stridently no less) as 'facts' that dogs are carnivores and there is no place for vegetables in a dog's diet. Clearly these people with such strong opinions about such things do not have the happy combination of a dog and a garden.  So for all of you stridently yammering folks on the internet who say with such authoity that dogs do not eat vegetables and vegetables do not belong in a dog' diet, zip it up!

    Now I freely admit that my sample size is not statistically significant, but I cite the following as true facts:
    • My sister in law's dogs would pull up radishes out of her garden.
    • 2 of my dogs eat blackberries off the bush
    • All of my dogs love tomatoes (as does my sister in law's dogs)
    • I found 2 poodles in the wild (yes, this is true).  They ate everything including digging for grub worms and anything out of the garden.
    • 2 of my current dogs eat (with gusto) cucumbers and squash
     According to this article in National Geographic News, 
    Dogs and bears, which diverged some 50 million years ago, are 92 percent similar on the sequence level. 
    Well, with wolves at 99% dog DNA sharing and cave bears (and bears are great omnivores) at 92%, I'm willing to bet that my observations are lining up with the cave bear omnivore.

    I'm not a rocket scientist, nor do I need to be.  But any observant human being (of which I ascribe to myself!) who has dogs and opportunities (e.g. a garden, bread on the counter, hamburger on the plate) will know that a dog is an opportunistic eater.  Now having said that...just because they can eat it does not mean that they should....and the same goes for us.  We eat a great many things that our ancestors did not eat.

    I think it a reasonable assumption to say that that it is unlikely that a dog ate grains such as rice, soybean and wheat.  However,  our family dog, Duchess (a German Shepherd mix always on the look out for some man-butt to sneak up on and bite) would routinely wrestle fresh corn from the field across the street, though I never saw her tackle soybeans.  I have had dogs eat raw potatoes-sparingly.  It was likely more the chew experience than the taste--but I surely do not know.   Goodness knows that eggs are a wonderful thing...raw or cooked.  And I have to believe that dogs in the wild were frequent consumers of any egg thing (and the layer) on the ground.

    Truthfully, dogs likely existed on the very thing that we are not to feed them....scraps from our table.  I imagine that early man's garbage heap was a cornucopia of great things that nurtured the symbiotic relationship that benefits canine and human.  And it has only been about 150 years since commercial pet food was invented.  Here's a great article from Feline Nutrition.

    So in the grand scheme of things, pet food has only been available for ... tee up for LET's Do Math...

    • Dogs domesticated somewhere between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago according to Scientist Magazine
      • That makes an average of  25,450 years ago.
        • Pet food in existence since about 1890 after being introduced in 1860
          •  that's 124 years
        • Ratio of pet food existence since domestication average
          • 124/24450 =  .005
    Looks like pet food industry does not quite measure up to years of historical significance in terms of historical record.  Accordingly, we should be careful about conclusions drawn on the basis of this 'slice'.

    Fundamentalism of any ilk is to be avoided at all costs.


      Hot Pepper Juice Brine

      I have been making hot pepper relish with the bounty of my garden.  My neighbor also has been bringing me peppers.  After grinding and draining the peppers, I was left with lot of pure hot pepper juice.  I consider myself a pretty good researcher, but the internet did not turn up much in the way of what to do with the pure, 100% hot pepper juice.

      In the vacuum of information, I elected to be intrepid and brine a chicken in nothing but this unadulterated hot pepper juice as a stand in for water and a salt/sugar additive to constitute a brine.  My expectation is that I would have an inedible mess on my hands.  But as the whole chicken was about $5, a culinary disaster would not equate to a financial disaster.

      Method:  Combine 4ish cups of pure hot pepper juice with 3/4 cup salt (Kosher) and 3/4 cup brown sugar.  (I used about 1.5ish cups to dissolve the sugar salt for the brine).  I added 2 bay leaves, olive oil (.25ish cups) and garlic powder (indeteriminate-ish measure).

      Verdict:  Succulent, delicious and spicy on the outside.  But not an untoward spiciness which I was fully expecting.  In fact, there was nothing "spicy" about the dish as a hole, which fully surprised me.  The juice made a great brine without any surprising side effects that would detract from the dish.  If anything, the chicken had a deepened, though indeterminately jalepeno, flavoring.

      Who knew?

      Repurposed Marrow Bones | Let's Do Math!

      Marrow bones are an expensive treat.  My dogs love them, but it does not take long for the marrow to go away.  After observing (and stepping on a few, OUCH!) of the marrow bone carcases (stripped clean of any morsel of tissue), I had the idea of repurposing them.  Surely this would fit any's notion of a biohazard in the commercial world.  But let's face it, there is a reason why there is a 5 second rule when things hit the floor!  Well, I'm merely applying my 5 second rule for gnawed-clean bones. (Though in hindsight, microwaving orI'm pretty confident that they are more sterile than most of what my dog's put their mouths on in a given day.

      Let's do math!
      • A marrow bone skeleton (sample size of 1) weighs 6.55 oz. (16 oz to a lb)
      •  6.55/16 = .41 lbs. 
      •  .41 x $2.99 = $1.22
      • 41% of the cost of the marrow bone (in this sample of 1) was the bone.
      Put another way, taking out the inert ingredient (bone)  the marrow is costing $5.05 per lb.  That  comparative gives one some high quality options at the market, particularly if soon-to-expire quality cuts are purchased.

      Given my success with my dog treats and the cost of marrow bones is high, I decided that I would use a cooked mixture (chef's choice, but it included Denver steak purchased on a going out of date sale, grits and wheat flour--inappropriate for dogs with grain allergies), that was then ground into a pate in the food processor.  I then gathered up all of the marrow bone skeletons, stuffed the cavity with the mixture, and put them in a plate into the freezer.  Because the cavities are so large, it is easy to fill them with a 'pate' concoction of my choice.

      I'm not worried that my dogs are going to grind their collective teeth down, because the bones are so hard and the interior (marrow or fake marrow) is so tender  that once the interior is gone, the bone has no interest. I would not offer these to any other dogs other than mine (for the aforementioned reasons). 

      Even though Angel Marie has grain allergies, I have given her my homemade treats (in moderation) and one of these which have both wheat and corn in them.  I have not noticed that she has had any reaction to them whatsoever.  Also, I have been mixing canned dog food (which has many no-no's in it) with grain free kibble.  Her enjoyment of her food has increased immensely, and so far, no side effects.  The minute her toe webbing begins to swell, we'll go back to the food austerity program.

      Having said that, I'm seriously considering transitioning my pets to a raw diet.  I'm most particularly considering it for my cats.  Both of whom are extremely picky eaters--the worst of which is Wyatt. He loves it when I prepare a chicken--I give him the giblets, of which he and Minnah eat all of it.  He also loves lunch meat--but that is only a 'treat', not an acceptable food.

      I am now focused on the real cost of food that was enjoyed one month is no longer palatable--that is wasted or consumed by my dogs.  I mix canned food with dry food (mostly canned), and I'm out of the 'regular' options--easily purchased, reasonably affordable. 

      I'll post more later on what I end up with.




      Tipping Point?

      Malcolm Gladwells', The Tipping Point, brought a great many examples of how little things, when added up, can make a big difference. Over the long holiday weekend, Mark and I believed that Dexter has reached the tipping point--or rather the accumulation of our invested time in acclimating him to his home and other household members of all persuasions, is finally paying a dividend.

      The tonality of "Is this our dog?" was one of wonder, not consternation. It is now said in exclamation, "This is our dog!"   The long line work has really paid off.  And he is an eager learner--as are the balance of the girls when there are treats involved.  He is finally understanding that running and battering ramming the English Setters is not such a good idea. Say what you will about aversive v. non-aversive training, a good yank in the other direction when his body is running full bore toward another dog is a lesson in physics that is MUCH KINDER than the physics lesson that the object toward which he is running experiences.  The result is that after a few such lessons (on his webbing collar, not the training collar), he has dispelled (at least currently) his notions of engaging in such pursuit.

      The end result of that lesson is that we have pure walking enjoyment on the long line.  I now take it to the road (private). This walking is not a 'heeling' experience or a 'lead' experience, but simply a walk/jog on the road to
      • get some puppy energy burnt off
      • sniff here and there
      • be part of his 'pack' with Ella and Daisey running here and there, and the group of them stopping to sniff in a compelling smell without his entering battering ram mode.
      During our outdoor down time (sitting, chatting, visiting with neighbors who wander by), he is able to rest quietly with the other dogs.  I consider this time important time for him to feel part of the team.  I'm working with him to run alongside my bike without biting my foot or the front tire.  I have been feeding him treats at my right side to keep him in the middle of the bike v. in front of the bike.  I'm unclear as of yet whether I'm successfully training him to do anything.    I'm going to subscribe to the notion that there will be a tipping point, either or both in his training or my tumbling off the bike. I hope it is just the former!

      I bought this Treat Pouch from Entirely Pets.  It is very high quality, and it has made training life so much more easier. I was at Big Lots and I found a very high quality dog toy.  Yes, it is made in China, but I inspected it carefully.  I've never had dogs that played with toys much.  I have had good luck finding reasonable priced dog toys (for other people's dogs!) at Big Lots.  Well, Ella is the youngest (now 10).  She had some toys which she promptly shred--even when I thought she couldn't.  Dexter is no less determined.  The duck toy that I bought, made by Happy Tails, is made of super-durable materials and is very well constructed.  It has lots of textures to include a rope tail.  At $5 it is a good value.  I'm going to get a few more.

       No one enjoys Dexter more than Angel.  She always seeks him out to do her Spice Girl dancing with him. This tossed away boy has really brought so much enjoyment to our family.  He has made us all young again.