Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I've been making this recipe for homemade dog treats for years. The recipe is so simple (there are only 4 ingredients!), and my dogs really love them.

So, you're probably thinking, "Who in the world has time to make their own dog cookies?" Well, to tell you the truth, I was skeptical at first too. 

But, I was convinced years ago after trying to think of something different to bring to work at Christmastime. Christmas cookies, fudge, candy, etc., were lining the treat tables at my office, but I thought that these treats might make a lasting impression. (They don't add any calories since YOU'RE not the one eating them. LOL)

I set them out on a big (clearly labeled) tray with some Ziploc bags for people to take however many they needed for their pets. They were a hit!

I think you'll like this recipe too!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups oatmeal

1/2 - 3/4 cups chunky peanut butter

2 1/2 cups hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients, adding hot water in a few small batches to ensure dough does not become too sticky.
3. If dough is too sticky, add more flour until dough-like consistency is achieved.
4. Roll out dough onto a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. (Any shape will work, but I use a dog bone shaped cookie cutter.)
5. Bake cookies on a greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes.

Notes:

Dough will look like this when you're done mixing all ingredients together.

These dog treats do not "spread" when baking like regular cookies. This means that you can place them closer to each other on the cookie sheets when baking.

These DIY dog biscuits are really quick to make, and making homemade treats for your dogs is a fun activity to do with your kids any time of year. If your pup likes other flavors, you can mix in things like bacon or substitute chicken broth for the water. 

And in case you were wondering, these homemade dog cookies are Smitty and Chance approved. Hope your pups like these peanut butter dog treats as much as mine do!

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Fall Family Photos Through the Years

Five years ago, on a whim, John and I decided to take a photo together on the front steps of our house at Halloween time.  Since then, it has become somewhat of a tradition.  It's fun to look back on these photos and see how things have changed: our family, my hair (!), the color of our fall mums, and the volume of our fall-time decorations. 

 

Here's the run down for you....

 

2015: John and I have been married for four years now.  Babydoll is almost 18 months old, and sweet Izzie is nearly five years old.  We will always carve out time to get this photo every year from now on. 

 

 

 

2014: Married three years.  Babydoll was born in the spring of the year and joined us for this photo for the first time.  Izzie, however, is now a pro at these photos.

 

 

2013: Married for two years, and just found out we were expecting Babydoll (though we had not yet announced it to anyone)!

2012: Married for one year. But this was the third year of us doing this picture.  By this time, we knew it had already become an annual tradition.

 

2011:  Just married!  We married in September of 2011, and got Izzie the Wonder Pup that year too!  We decided to recreate this photo with the new addition to our family.

2010:  John and I met around this time of year in 2008.  Two years later, we were engaged to be married.  This is where these photos all began. 

 

I can't say enough how much I love getting these annual photos.  It is such fun to recreate them every year and look back at them all as the years pass.  Is there a certain photo that you take every year?  I would LOVE to hear all about them!  Comment below or on our Facebook page! 

Meet Chance, the Rescue Pup

Today is one of our boys' birthdays. He's a whole year old today. This is our boy Chance.

He was actually our "big" Christmas gift to the boys last year. Instead of purchasing a dog before Christmas for the boys to "unwrap" (which I would generally recommend against for many reasons - the least of which being that puppies plus other assorted Christmas festivities equals enormous amounts of stress), we instead sent the boys on a scavenger hunt around the house for letters that they then assembled to spell out the word "puppy." 

After the Christmas festivities died down, we set out to a local rescue group to meet some pups. I had researched online beforehand, so I already had my eye on him (because hello? was he not THE most adorable thing you've ever seen?) and of course, we all fell in love with him when we met him.

Here he was visiting Santa last year right before we met him. Of course, I think he asked Santa for a new family (and Santa ALWAYS delivers).

The rescue group had actually rescued his mom (a German Shepherd) from the mall, and they named her Victoria after the mall store Victoria's Secret. If you're wondering what THIS Victoria's secret was, it was that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a litter of adorable puppies shortly after they rescued her, and the rescue named all of the puppies after other mall stores. Our Chance was actually named Pacsun when we adopted him. And if you look closely at the photos below, you can see that he wasn't much bigger than his "big" brother Smitty when we adopted him:

We would have probably kept his original name if it hadn't rhymed with Jaxon. But to keep my own sanity, we felt it best to think up something a little more distinctive. After kicking around a couple of options, we decided to name him after the Abba song "Take a Chance on Me." (His middle name is actually Trouper, from Abba's song "Super Trouper.")

If you're wondering why we chose to name our new puppy after Abba songs, well both Ryan and I happen to love the Abba Gold album. And these two particular songs have verses that could easily describe what a rescue dog must think at any given time during his life:

Take a Chance On Me (excerpt)

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line

Honey I'm still free

Take a chance on me

If you need me, let me know, gonna be around

If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown

Honey I'm still free

Take a chance on me

Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie

If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Take a chance on me

(That's all I ask of you honey)

Take a chance on me

Super Trouper (excerpt)

So I'll be there when you arrive

The sight of you will prove to me I'm still alive

And when you take me in your arms

And hold me tight

I know it's gonna mean so much tonight

Tonight the

Super Trouper lights are gonna find me

Shining like the sun

Smiling, having fun

Feeling like a number one

And if you're wondering about our boy Chance. Well, he's adjusting perfectly. He follows me all around the house, plays with his brothers, has learned all of his commands, and is particularly fond of sticks. Just a big baby with a super big heart - and really that's all you can ever ask for in a pet.

Here he is today in some familiar poses (although he's a tad bit bigger). Note his bed, Ryan, and the boys are roughly the same size as they were when we adopted him (for size comparison). What a difference a year makes!

And if you haven't ever considered rescuing a pet, give it some thought. If you're looking for a particular breed, age, gender, etc., start with Petfinder.com. You can enter your location and any of these criteria to narrow your search. This website will find a local rescue group that has a pet that meets these criteria. Could not be easier!

The rescue group that we worked with to adopt Chance was Stepping Stones Canine Rescue. They are a charitable and educational non-profit corporation located in Winston-Salem, NC. If you are looking to adopt in this area, I cannot recommend this group enough. They are very thorough and really care about the animals that they rescue.

Read about the origins of brother Smitty's distinctive middle name here.

Independence Day: What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference one year makes.  Just this time last year, Lexi was only a couple months old, and enjoying her very first Fourth of July.   Of course, we captured it in photos.  Fast forward one year, and we recreated the same pics to mark the milestone. 

Here she is last year, just an infant.

And here she is now, as a toddler on the move.

Last year, she wasn't old enough to sit in the wagon, so I held her up in the corner for a couple pictures. 

This year, I joined her for a few pics in an attempt to keep her in the wagon!

And then there's Lexi's best pal and "sister", Izzie.  It's always a walk on the wild side when she joins the pics, but we captured it two years in a row now.  Here they are last year.

And here they are now.  These girls do love each other.  It's such a sweet sweet thing.  Lexi was hugging Izzie in this picture. 

Of course, it's the moments between the moments that always make for the best candid (and often funniest) photos.  And if you have a photographer like my husband, then they just keep snapping photos constantly, leaving you with lots of "in between" moments to sort through.  :) Here are the outtakes from this year (notice how they all include Izzie, the Wonder Pup)...

So that's it for this year's pics.  Stay tuned for more, I'm sure, next summer!

The French Dog

When I saw this coffee table book the other day in a little shop in Leiper's Fork, TN, I was all over it. I immediately picked it up and started leafing through it.  And what I saw was nothing short of beauty.

The French Dog features the most gorgeous photographs you've ever seen of the many dogs of France: city dogs, country dogs, lazy dogs, playful dogs, and everything in between.  The dog lover in me knew this was meant to be.  

Here is a look at some of the other images and quotes, but this is just a taste.  Trust me, this is such a magically wonderful book.  

We have traveled to Europe several times over the past few years, and it hasn't escaped my notice that Europeans definitely regard their dogs in a way we Americans do not.  Yes, we love our four legged friends, and they are indeed family to us.  

But it's different in Europe.  Dogs are a part of the culture. They go wherever their people go.  It's completely commonplace to see dogs in the shops, the market, the cafes, bakeries, coffeehouses and pubs.  Businesses place dog bowls filled with water outside their doors.  It is completely accepted that dogs will be frequenting these places just as their owners do.  

And as I flipped through this book, I remembered some of the wonderful pups we have met in our travels to Europe.  Here are some of the photographs taken by yours truly of the sweet dogs that have made our travels all the brighter. 

If you are more of a cat lover, you are in luck, the same author/ photographer has also created The French Cat, and a trip to Europe will indeed confirm that cats are all around, just as much if not more so, than the dogs you see here.  Either way, these books are something special.  I think those of you who are also animal lovers will agree.  Enjoy!

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