I have been trying to mix it up a bit for my pups! I don’t want them to get bored with their delicious dog food. After rummaging around in the cupboards, I discovered a box of spaghetti noodles and decided to give them a try.

I’m happy to report the dogs have been slurping the noodles right up!!! Did anyone else know that dogs can slurp?!

1 small box of spaghetti noodles

1.5 pounds of ground beef

2 medium zucchini with seeds taken out and chopped

2 cups fresh or frozen carrots

2 cups fresh or frozen string beans

3 teaspoons egg shell calcium

In a pressure cooker or slow cooker with at least 3 cups of water, cook everything but the noodles. Set the pressure cooker at 10 minutes or the slow cooker for 4 to 6 hours.

Once done, mash with a potato masher and add the noodles and cover until soft.

Cool and serve to happy, hungry pups!

Store in the fridge! Serve cold or room temperature.

The dogs and I hit the road early this morning to get to one of our favorite walking paths. It was a beautiful and peaceful walk out to the river.

There is no better way to start a Saturday than to walk with your best pal, or, in my case, these two pups!

Ever since Max was a baby, he has always loved to relax after a long walk or busy day and watch people! He is content to just observe for hours at a time. This is especially strange because Max cannot sit still in any other parts of daily life!

Max is an antsy and energetic dog! He loves to be with his mama and his aunties or his uncle and, of course, his best friend Riven! He wants to be moving, socializing, exploring, or, one of Max’s favorite pastimes, eating his homemade dog food! So how in the world this dog loves to lay down and watch humans do their thing is beyond my comprehension!

Today it was a bit too hot to walk, but Max was feeling like getting out of the house. We headed to our favorite nature park. The dogs took a dip in some delicious smelling water (delicious to them, eye-wateringly awful to me!) Then we found a shady spot, and, you guessed it, Max relaxed and took in the surroundings. Penny had no idea what we were doing, so she took the opportunity to eat some free dirt!

It does feel like a treat to enjoy some time relaxing next to Max after a long day or long walk. He watches our surroundings, and I get to enjoy being with my two pups.

Max, Penny, and I were feeling the good old country today. We headed out to the farm early this morning to try and beat the heat!

The dogs enjoyed two long walks along with several dips into a few ponds and sloughs along the way. The result: happy and tired pups that smelled like standing water. The dogs love the smell; whereas, we humans rarely do!

Needless to say, it was bathtime when we returned to the farmhouse! I didn’t get any pics as I was giving baths! Summary: Max joyfully ran over to the hose for his bath and gave Penny moral support through hers! Pen is not a fan of baths, but she is getting more used to them each time.

I took these now smelling-like-babies pups home for a long and well-deserved nap. (I use baby shampoo, so they actually smell like babies!)

A dog food recipe filled with fresh zucchini and green beans straight from the garden!

Thanks to a super kind cousin of mine, I had an abundance of fresh zucchini last night and put them to work! This recipe also includes apples, and my dogs were huge fans. I love the extra water content in the veggies to help keep them hydrated in the hot weather.

1.5 pounds of ground beef.

3 cups of chopped zucchini (Make sure to remove the seedy section. I just cut the zucc in long quarter slices and use a spoon to scoop that seedy part out).

2 cups of fresh or frozen string beans

2 cups carrots fresh or frozen

1 cup of apple pieces, cored and peeled. Cut the pieces into little baby pieces.

3 teaspoons of egg shell calcium

1 cup of oatmeal

In your pressure cooker or slow cooker, add 1 cup of water and all the ingredients except the oatmeal.

Cook for 12 minutes using the pressure cooker or 4 to 6 hours on low with the slow cooker. The beef needs to be cooked and the veggies super soft before it’s done but not burned.

Mash everything with a potato masher once done. Add in the oatmeal and let it all cool down. The oats will thicken up, absorbing lots of excess liquid.

Store in the fridge. Serve cold or at room temperature.

It is equal to the measurement you give your pup of dry dog food.

Today the dogs and I headed to walk a shady path in the woods! It was early morning, so we didn’t have to worry too much about the heat. We had only the sounds of our footsteps (pawsteps??), the birds chirping, and other sounds if nature to accompany us. It was pure bliss. That is until Penny nearly ripped my arm off to follow a squirrel!

Not to worry! The squirrel is completely fine or at least was not injured by anyone in my party.

The path has a trail down to the river, which feels like quite a treat to myself and the dogs! Max and Penny splashed around, loving the feel of the cool, crisp water.

Every walk is better with a dog, or in my case, these two pups!

Max has always loved snuggling, especially bedtime cuddles, and he slept next to me for years. This probably is leading you to picture a happy dog drifting off to sleep next to his owner who also has a peaceful smile on her face, a hand gently resting on her dog’s side, and tons of room in the bed to spread out if need be.

That is definitely not how Max sleeps! He spreads OUT. He takes up as much space as possible and will even pretend he has to go potty in the middle of the night so that he can steal my warm, cozy spot!

Some nights I would be falling off the bed or have a little sliver of a spot left over to sleep. Did Max care? No way. He just stretched his legs out even more, taking up any possible open space. If I tried to move him, he would squeeze his eyes shut super tight and pretend he was sleeping!

Over the last year, Max has developed arthritis in his knees and hips and has trouble jumping up onto the bed. He has an orthopedic foam bed right next to my bed now, and he seems to enjoy sleeping on it. I think he misses stealing my spot, though!

Max recently discovered there is an entire bed that is not being used at all! (Guest room!) It isn’t very high off the ground, so he doesn’t have much trouble climbing into it. This pup has been sneaking over there and pulling down the sheets to make himself a cozy bed!

I think he is trying to tell me that he needs a bit fancier of a bed than his current foam one! What thread count does he prefer? How firm should the mattress be? I’m sure he has a list of everything he needs for a perfect bed. For now, he fell asleep on his puppy bed. We will see if he sneaks out in the night for the guest room!

Heat safety is super important for yourself and your family, but don’t forget your dog(s)!

Maximus is super sensitive to heat and sun. After years of having farm dogs that didn’t really have issues with heat as they could usually jump in a pond or slough to cool off, I learned early on in Max’s life that this is not always the case for certain dogs or walking dogs in the city. I quickly learned just how sensitive when I had a few scares with him getting a but overheated while out walking in 80 degree weather!

Since then I always pay pretty close attention to the heat index, according to how my dogs individually can handle it (Penny is not as sensitive to heat as Max is!). I always carry water in the warm spring, all summer, and early fall, so basically anytime it’s around 65 degrees or higher. I also never walk the dogs on pavement, especially the really black stuff when the sun has been up for awhile as it can burn their paws! Check the pavement with the back of your hand to see if it burns you. If it burns you, it will burn your dog! We usually walk in the early to mid-morning and then wait until evening or late evening to walk again. We also usually walk outside the city near water, mostly because it is safer for dogs. The view is also much more pleasant!

Max will also get a really curled up tongue tip if he is too hot.

I had to learn that just because I wanted to walk, it didn’t mean that it was good for my dog to walk at that time. My best heat advice would be to always carry water, be mindful of the heat index and the type of area you are walking your dog, and try to walk in early morning or later in the evening when it is warm out.

Max had a great birthday! He spent time sun bathing and resting and, of course, eating his homemade food! He enjoyed a pup cake, opened his presents (All “food” items as Max loves to eat: a cupcake with a squeaker, a birthday cake with a squeaker, a hot dog with a squeaker) and posed for a family photoshoot.

We then headed to our favorite nature park for a walk with his best friend, Riven! He opened another present from his auntie which turned out to be a hamburger squeaky toy!

Riven!

I use a pressure cooker, but you can also use a slow cooker

The amount to give your dog is equal to the amount you give in cups of regular dog food.

I make one batch a day for my two dogs and it mostly lasts just one day!

1.5 pounds of ground beef. I use 80 20 to keep costs down.

2 medium zucchini sliced into small pieces

2 cups Frozen or fresh sliced carrots

2 cups fresh or frozen string beans

3 teaspoons of eggshell calcium. See my eggshell calcium calcium recipe on the dog recipes page of this site!

Make sure to have at least two cups of water in the pressure cooker or slow cooker and start it up! I set it to 12 minutes for my pressure cooker. It takes about 6 hours on low for a slow cooker.

When the food is cooked, I add in 1 cup old fashioned oats. I mix it all in with a potato masher and leave to cool!

Store in the fridge. My dogs eat it cool or room temperature.