How Does Your Garden Grow?

It sure is spring!  We know because Mom is sneezing....and sneezing....and snorting....and wheezing.  Anyway, we're bringing you a public service announcement regarding your spring plantings.  

Did you know that many popular spring garden selections can be harmful to us?  Mom has mentioned that some dogs don't bother with her flowers.  You can see Echo here.......

....who never ate the flowers.  There was one incident where he was suspected of transplanting the flowers but we think he was just trying to show her there was a better place for them.  He didn't eat them which was a very good thing.  However, some dogs..........

...who shall remain nameless....struggle to stay out of trouble and will eat just about anything.  In an effort to keep these dogs safe we share this site which categorizes many common spring garden selections.  You can even print the list and take it to your garden store to help you choose.

Happy planting!  

Sweet Dreams!

Sleep well Shyla!  We've got some exciting things coming up that you're not going to want to miss!

Siberian Gourmets

Since Mom had a lot of paperwork to do today, she decided to bake us a treat.  Ummm - not quite sure how paperwork and baking are related but it works for us!  Naturally, we needed to help since we're working dogs and all that.  Baking wasn't on our agenda for this morning but we had a clue when we saw this:

 

Oh yeah!  We know what THAT means!  We immediately stepped up to help her out.

"With age comes wisdom!"

"I'm here for ya Mom!"


Before long we could smell those amazing cookies.  It was hard to ignore.

One of us wasn't as patient as the rest:

"Excuse me but are you ready for quality control yet?"



FINALLY - they were done!  We have to admit, Mom did pretty well.  The moment was
finally here.  Taste testing is the best part.  They passed with flying colors!  

You may have noticed that one of us was missing.  It's not typical for Shanuk to pass on a kitchen project. The timing was a little off apparently.  He decided his morning nap was a priority and opted to supervise from afar.  The aroma interrupted that morning siesta, however.

"I'm awake now.  Could you just bring one here please?"

 It really was a simple, quick recipe so we encourage you to share this with your resident chef:

Siberian Power Boosting

Shanuk heard naps are very beneficial.

They decrease stress

They lead to clearer thinking

They improve memory

They increase alertness

They enhance creativity

'Cause he needs all of that!

Under The Big Top

  

Someone once said Siberian Huskies are the clowns of the canine world.  

That would mean I live in a circus.

Perhaps they are correct!  

What's on our menu?

I am frequently asked, "What do you feed your dogs?".  I'm always impressed that anyone would be interested.  I suspect it's because they know that due to my past history, I've invested a significant amount of time and effort into choosing the foods our dogs eat.  Those of you who knew Echo were aware that he developed an inability to digest most proteins.  We battled his condition for over two years but in the end, we lost the war.  His condition developed almost overnight and although I have my theories (another blog post for another day), we were never really able to find out exactly what went wrong despite numerous tests.  His condition and the chance that we could extend his quality of life for as long as possible forced me to learn what was in every morsel of food that landed in his dish.  I immediately discovered that all dog foods are NOT created equal despite price or manufacturer.  Brands that were historically thought to be healthy had quietly changed their formulations over time.  It was alarmingly complicated and so important to learn how to decode an ingredient label.  Armed with information obtained from numerous visits to our local pet food specialty store, various published articles, conversations with premium specialty dog food reps, and accounts from other dog owners who were dealing with similar sudden issues, I was eventually able to understand how it all worked.  Many pet owners who know me will tell you I'm constantly reminding them to learn how to decipher their pet food ingredient labels.  It makes a huge difference in your pet's life.  I also watch recalls carefully and it's often a deal breaker for me.  There are many however, my policy is to keep it all in perspective.  I consider how many recalls a company has had and for what reasons.  Some recalls are far more serious than others.  A salmonella outbreak is in a different category than a manufacturer being caught importing substandard ingredients from other countries in an effort to save money.  So with that said we are currently feeding Solid Gold Sunday Sunrise  kibble for all three of our dogs.

This might be supplemented with fresh fruit (bananas and blueberries are favorites), hard boiled egg, scrambled eggs, green beans, carrots, or pureed pumpkin.  We also add a probiotic at dinner time.  Solid Gold products are excellent however there are other less expensive dog food products that are just as good and might also be found in our pantry.  The 4Health line (available at Tractor Supply Stores) is an excellent choice at a price point that's hard to beat.  Along with kibble, it has become necessary to supplement Shyla's meals with canned food.  Due to the numerous medications she is on it's critical that she eat every meal.  Her appetite isn't always there and we've found that she's less likely to refuse a meal if it's mixed with canned food.  We're not quite as fussy about the canned foods since we're only adding a couple spoonfuls per feeding.  To keep it interesting we vary the options.  Our go-to choices are Merrick, Canidae Pure, Wellness, and 4Health.

Our choices may not be suitable for everyone but it's working for us.  I hope this post has inspired everyone to READ YOUR LABEL!  Learn what you should see and what you shouldn't.  Research possible better options.  With a higher quality food you often feed less which would add to the value.  Look for frequent buyer programs and register on the manufacturer's websites.  They'll often send you money saving coupons.  I'm also a fan of raw diets however they're not for everyone.  Done properly they require significant research, prep time, and planning.  It's a great way to keep your pet healthy while avoiding many of the additives found in manufactured foods.

Check out the sites below to  help make your quest for information a bit easier.
Bon Appetit!

Helpful sites:

Dog Food Advisor - A great resource that compares numerous pet foods

The Dog Food Project - learn how to read the label

FDA - The FDA's protocol regarding pet foods

A Friend

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow.  If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder.
If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow.  If you need to be happy,
I'll be your smile.  But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me."
                                            unknown

Happy Monday?

Because no one ever said TGIM

Community Service

We first need to say that we aren't often compelled to dress the dogs up.  But seriously.....we just couldn't resist this time!  We like to think of it as the pack's version of community service.  Happy Easter!   

TGI......?

"Is it Friday yet??"

Our Supervisor

It's a win for all of us when Shyla has a good day!  Yesterday she felt well enough to supervise color choices in the spare room/Mom's office re-do.  We're glad to have her opinion.

The Little Things

Anyone who's successfully cohabitated with a Siberian Husky will tell you, it's the little things that happen oh so quietly and spontaneously that confirm what you suspected all along....they really do love you.

Happy Birthday to........

MELEE!  

Tomorrow is Melee's 4th birthday and we're showering him with extra hugs and treats (all week actually).  We can hardly believe it's been 4 years already.  This guy has brought pure joy to our family.  He needed a little extra work in the beginning but it was definitely a worthwhile investment of time and energy.  He has repaid us with his love and endless humorous antics ever since.  Happy Birthday Melee!  We couldn't be happier to be your family!

Sharing is Caring

One of  Melee's most effective weapons is his monumental cuteness.  Will it work this time?

Treat Me Right bunnies!

Hi Friends -

Occasionally we'll be sharing some of our favorite things.  This is something Echo used to do and we'd like to continue that feature.  It would mean we'll have to dig our paws in and work hard to test for quality control and all that.  But for our friends, we'll make that sacrifice.  Look at what we worked on today:


 

I know what you're thinking!  That doesn't look like work to you does it?  You're looking at some of our most favorite treats. They're from our friends at Treat Me Right.  They have a fun website as well as a Facebook page.  This organization makes organic, all natural, human grade dog treats for the purpose of donating a portion of the proceeds to animal welfare and rescue groups.  A new featured group is chosen every two weeks.  How cool is that?!  These delicious bunny bites are made from peanut butter and honey.  The "bites" contain carrots, honey, cinnamon, and ginger.  YUM!  (**it should be noted that no real fuzzy bunnies were harmed for these treats).  Here I am working hard for this blog post this morning:

I am here to tell you - they get two paws up from me!  Once again the folks at Treat Me Right.....got it right.  Their fun treats change frequently and many are seasonal.  Mom says they're almost too cute to eat but we set her straight on that pretty quickly.

So - if you'd like to help out a deserving animal welfare group or rescue, hop on over to Treat Me Right and order a box of treats.  They'll arrive promptly and are well packaged.  See:

They even come with your name on the box so there's no mistaking who they're for.  You can also order some of the treats designating them to be shipped to the featured animal group.  We love that!

I hope you enjoyed today's review.  We don't receive any compensation for our Siberian opinions so you'll always get the honest-to-dog truth. Be sure to try them out and see for yourself!

                                                                                         Love - SHANUK