Puppy Love

When was the last time that your husband bowled you over at the door because he was soooo very excited to see you?  When have you shared a big mistake you made to your spouse and it was met with an non-judging lick across the face?  And, if your pet did something bad, like eat through your favorite pair of shoes, you don’t typically hold a grudge forever and go without speaking for weeks at a time, do you?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have your mate simply curl up next to you when you’ve had a bad day or just need quiet companionship? Well, pets already know how to do that.  Why don’t you?

How To Spread The Love

The fact is that pets know how to treat their “parents” and typically we get better treatment than some spouses, all for only a few dog treats.  Maybe if spouses began to act more like pets, things would be a bit different.  Dr. Phillips agrees.  In a recent article, clinical psychologist Suzanne B. Phillips of Long Island University discusses this very thing.  Here are her suggestions on improving interpersonal relationships:

Greetings: Sometimes when spouses return home from work, they barely receive a hello.  Not that there’s animosity, there’s just a nonchalant atmosphere.  But, even on bad days, we greet our pets with a happy, animated hello, and usually a pat on the head or a hug.

Holding grudges: When our pets annoy us by wrecking the furniture or soiling the floor, we don’t stay mad at them.  Granted, conversations/interactions between adults are much more complex than those with pets.  But, still there has to be a way to find forgiveness.

Assuming the best: When our pets make mistakes, we don’t take it personally. We give them the benefit of the doubt. Yet when our spouse does something wrong, we often react with anger and blame instead of assuming they had the best intentions even though they fell short.

While I in no way do I want to assert that pets have this whole relationship thing locked up, but making these few simple changes would be a good way to start building a happier, healthier relationship.

The good folks over at Canine Assistants in Milton, Georgia train and provide service animals to those with disabilities and health concerns, like seizures and diabetes among other things.  With over 2,200 people on the waiting list, they’ve got their work cut out for them.  Only able to provide roughly 100 service animals per year to waiting patrons, they do an excellent job with puppies (typically golden retrievers and labrador retrievers), preparing them for their new lives as human helpers.

How it all begins

When theses animals are but wee pups (they begin working with puppies at three days old), they are exposed to all sorts of surfaces and stimuli.  From sliding down slides to unlocking doors, their training obstacle course really takes them through the paces.  But by the end of eight weeks, they’re able to respond to about 30 different commands on cue.   These puppies are remarkably quick!  At 18 months when they graduate from the program, that number multiplies to 90 tasks in all.   Some of the tasks their dogs perform include turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects, summoning help, and providing secure companionship.

What’s their motivation?

Peanut butter and praise!  Both are probably the best dog treats ever,  for these dogs.  Matched with their human partners, they then undergo two weeks of training together.  Changing lives and making such a huge difference, these dogs–and the good folks over at Canine Assistants–are to be commended.  One Canine Assistants recipient made the value of this gift quite clear when asked by a reporter what she liked most about her service dog. Immediately, she responded, “My dog makes my wheelchair disappear.”

To find out more about their program, visit http://www.canineassistants.org/

Well, if there was ever a “Good Samaritan” in the animal world, this dog would be it.  Amazed at the video, I just had to share.  We often see trained animals step in to help someone and even pets do great things to save their families.  Yet, rarely do you see a dog leap into action, based purely on instinct, to help another dog.  But, that’s exactly what happened.  Seeing another dog who had been struck and fatally injured on a busy highway, this pooch protector crosses THREE lanes of rushing traffic to pull the pup to safety and out of harms way.  Take a look at this heartwarming video.

Doesn’t that make you just want to put a paw to your chest?!  Here’s to the nameless hero who makes us all proud.  If there was a dog who deserved a lifetime of dog treats it is this one.  The care and concern this dog demonstrated for a complete stranger is amazing.  I tell you, people could learn a lot from this dog!

Since National Dog Week* is coming up next week (the third week in September,) I thought you might want to do something special for your dog to celebrate. How about some homemade dog treats? You and your kids will have fun making them, and your beloved dogs will love them so much, they’d eat them at one sitting if you let them.

I found this recipe at the GourmetSleuth.com Web site, and it sounds absolutely yummy. Most dogs love peanut butter almost as much as they love their people, so I picked a peanut-butter treat! You’ll find the recipe below:

Alexander’s Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit Treats

Yield: About 30 three-inch treats

I N G R E D I E N T S
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cups safflower oil
2 medium eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter (sugar free if possible)**
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cups rolled oats

Additional flour for rolling

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla with a wire whisk. Add flours, cornmeal, and oats. Combine with a mixer.

Take one-third of the dough and place on a floured surface. Flour top of dough. Gently knead, adding more flour as necessary to form a pliable dough (This will require a substantial amount of flour). Roll out to 1/2 – 3/4 inch thickness and cut shapes using cookie cutters. Repeat until all dough is used.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 400 F, 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness of biscuits . Leave in oven 20 minutes after turning oven off to crisp. Store in an airtight container.

**Nutrients based on peanut butter with sugar

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 Treat
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100.61
Calories From Fat (45%) 45.58
% Daily Value
Total Fat 5.15g 8%
Saturated Fat 0.56g 3%
Cholesterol 16.36mg 5%
Sodium 13.57mg 1%
Potassium 56.70mg 2%
Carbohydrates 11.16g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1.24g 5%
Sugar 0.30g
Sugar Alcohols 0.00g
Net Carbohydrates 9.92g
Protein 2.64g 5%

*A Message from Max: Even though next week is National Dog Week,  it’s been my experience that true dog lovers celebrate dogs every day of the year! And we love you like crazy for it!