Keeping Pets Safe during the 4th of July Festivities. Wow, Summer is here!!  Warm weather, picnics, gatherings and of course the 4th of July fireworks.  Fireworks can be troublesome to pets and may cause all sorts of issues.  More pets run away on the July 4th weekend than any other weekend throughout the year. I will outline some ideas to keep your pet safe during the July 4th holiday.  But

Be Mindful Every day is a reminder to be mindful and present.  What does that mean?  It means being present, paying attention to what I’m doing and focusing on the task before me.  If I am doing dishes, I am enjoying the process.  If I am making my bed, I am present and aware of the soft sheets and the wonderfully fresh smell of clean linens.  When I am walking

I can’t believe it’s been a year already!  It feels like I saw the email yesterday and drove 3 hours to go and get you.  I remember that first look, that tug on my heart.  I knew I wasn’t leaving the shelter without you. It has been such an adventure.  This sweet and uber goober moved right in.  Benji snuggled his way into my bed and right into my heart. 

As time winds down on Christmas Eve, I am enjoying my first Christmas with Benji. He has no idea Santa will come tonight, bringing him lots of toys and a new bed. I can’t wait until the morning. I have no idea what his past holidays were like, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is now. That is the lesson he has been teaching me all year. Now is all

Green Lipped Mussels sounds like something you would order in a restaurant.  I know I would! What on earth does that have to do with dogs? Well, did you know that the number one cause of chronic pain in dogs is arthritis, also called degenerative joint disease? Joan, what the heck do Green Lipped Mussels have to do with dogs and arthritis? You know I am a lover of preventative

My Favorite Time of the Year! The ‘BER’ months have always been my favorite time of the year.  The new school year, football, cooler weather, bonfires, apples, pumpkins, flannel, that crisp smell of fall and the holidays always make me smile.  This time of year always reminds me of how beautiful it is to let things go and to hunker down for a long winter of reflection before the Spring

What a long trip it’s been and I am back, ready to go!  I took an unexpected “longer than I wanted to” break from Black Dog Bakehouse.  I moved back to Michigan in June of 2019 and put the bakery on hold intending to start back up within 6 months.  Well crazy things happened and COVID was the first hindrance, kitchen remodel was the second, finding a home was the

Brusha, brusha, brusha.  Let’s talk about your pet’s tooth and gum care. How many of you regularly brush your pet’s teeth?  Once a week, once a month, never?  Keeping your pet’s teeth and gums in tip-top shape is all about maintaining their health and well-being.  Inflamed gums and diseased teeth are much more than painful, they are dangerous.  When your pup has periodontal disease the bacteria in their mouth can

Why does your pet need a healthy source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids?  Your pet needs Omega-3 essential fatty acids because dry, over processed pet food just doesn’t cut it in the vitamins and minerals arena leaving your pet with inferior pet food. Since dry dog food is processed using high heat, the Omega-3 essential fatty acids get denatured.  In other words Omega-3 essential fatty acids along with other nutrients,

More pets go missing on the 4th of July than any other day of the year.  Let’s keep our pets safe this holiday with these few simple tips. Make sure your pet’s tags are up to date and that a collar is visible at all times. Have your pet micro-chipped and chip information up to date. Have a current photo of your dog just in case they get out. Walk

I was skeptical about Bach Flower Remedies.  I mean honestly do they work; they do seem a bit woowoo?  Well, yes they do, I tried them and I am completely convinced, woowoo and all. I had visited my Naturopathic doctor to review my test results and after our hour long session we talked about my stress and anxiety.  She handed me a form and asked me to check off anything

If you would have asked me 3 years ago if I thought pet insurance was a good idea, I would have told you probably not. This morning I opened my Care Credit bill and there is a balance of $2300 for vet bills for Guinness.  Yes I am still paying on them and it’s been almost a year.  It breaks my heart and reminds me of the struggles to keep

What a long gap in between postings.  Forgive me for that but I have been quite productive during that time.  I completed the Feline Nutrition portion of my Clinical Pet Nutrition Program studies.  I was finally able to purchase Dr. Karen Becker’s book Real Food for Health Dogs & Cats for the course and I love how simple it is to prepare foods for our pets.  In her book she

This is not a post about nutrition or a post about healthy foods and treats, this post is a tribute to the Black Dog in Black Dog Bakehouse. I met Guinness on June 18, 2009.  I was looking to adopt another dog after more than four years without one and that’s when I found Tally (that was his name when we met and he asked me to change it.  He

I was blessed to have grandparents who spent countless hours in the kitchen creating lovely and delicious food.  There was always some sort of meat bones simmering on the stove on cold winter days as a base for wonderful soups.  The tantalizing aromas wafting through the house always made me feel like home. But did you know how good the simmered bone broth is for your dog?  Bone broth is

Happy New Year everyone!  I don’t know about you but I’m not sorry to see 2017 go.  It was a rollercoaster of a year and even the last day of the year wouldn’t leave me alone, the alternator on my 4Runner died.  But I’m bringing in the New Year with a bang or at least a pop and a 4Runner that runs! “Less is more”.  This is my newly adopted

I love the holidays. I remember my first Christmas with Guinness.  It was a magical time since I had not spent a holiday with a dog in 5 years and I had no idea how much I missed spending the holidays with a dog. My heart was happy and so was Guinness.  I had decorated the house with my Dickens’s Department 56 houses, put up the small trees, stockings and

“I never feed my dog people food.”  I have heard this numerous times and I have even said it as well.  Personally I don’t feed my dog people food but I do feed my dog real food.  What is the difference?  To me people food is table scraps, leftovers from your dinner that consist of fat or skin from your steak or chicken, salt, pepper and butter laden potatoes, garlic

December 2016 was quite the month.  Guinness had dental surgery on December 8th and I learned so much about my dog and myself in the weeks to follow.  The most important thing I learned is that he is a fighter, just like his mom. After his dental surgery, Guinness had a neurological reaction to one of the medications he was taking.  He would stand in the living room and sway. 

Healing Touch for Animals (HTA) is a holistic approach to maintaining health and well-being for animals by providing energy medicine therapy, applications of essential oils, and vibrational sound therapy to help bring your pet’s body energy into balance. Energy medicine therapies – recognized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – are used to integrate, balance and clear the energy body. Energy medicine therapy works by releasing endorphins to establish

I read my cookbooks like they are collections of short stories.  These stories take me to a place where I can dream of eating in a small cafe in Italy or the pizza place down the street from where I grew up. My favorite smells in the kitchen, onions being sautéed in butter, butter and sugar mingling together in the oven becoming decadent cookies, and pasta sauce loaded with garlic

Well, let’s see. Black Dog Bakehouse was conceived in 2007 but wasn’t born until 2017. Yes, that is 10 years in the making. But like good wine and cheese, it needs to be aged and cared for so that when the time comes, it will be amazing. Black Dog Bakehouse actually started off as just a bakery with treats. I baked some treats, sold some treats, made cakes, more treats