RDOC ..... This 'n' That Page

Link to our Canine Cookie Recipe page

There are some pretty happy dogs at Bruce Pit these days and it's not because of the nice weather. It is because Kay Rawlings, a.k.a. "The Cookie Lady", is a regular visitor to Bruce Pit.

For years, Kay tantalized the dogs in her Western Parkway neighbourhood with samplings of her homemade cookies. Now she has a whole new set of admirers.

Kay has to be very careful though, getting to know just who can and who can't have treats. Some dogs are on diets and some, especially the larger breeds, start to think everybody will feed them, so their owners wisely take the course of not allowing food from anybody. And then there are those that have come to expect two cookies and wistfully hesitate to see if there's any more before dashing back to their owners.

Kay started making the cookies when she was an Assistant Instructor with the Bytown Dog Obedience Club. Over the years, she has changed her recipe, adding garlic, cheese - favourite flavours for the dogs - and bacon bits if she has some in the house.

Kay has three dogs of her own: Barnie, a 10 year old Lab/Rottweiler; Lennie, a 14 year old Husky/Collie; and Dinah, a 13 year old Retriever/Collie. Of course, they are the happiest of all. However, as Kay has kindly provided us with the recipe for her scrumptious treats, you too can have happy dogs.

Kay's Dog Treat Recipe

In a food processor, mix 1 lb. (or a little more) beef liver, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. garlic powder (or more if they like it), a handful of ground bacon bits (optional), and 1/2 cup instant powdered milk (optional). Mix for a full 5 minutes, until mixture resembles thick malted milk.

In another large bowl, mix 3 cups whole wheat flour - a little more if the mixture is too juicy - 1/2 cup pure powdered cheese, available from a health food store.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two cookie sheets.

Mix the two mixtures together, using a spatula or wooden spoon. It will be fairly gooey, so don't use your hands yet. Please note that you will want to clean the food processor very thoroughly NOW as the liver dries very fast.

From now on, when working with the mixture, keep your hands slightly wet so the dough won't stick. Divide dough into two parts and spread it evenly on two cookie sheets. Run a knife across the dough to score the dough in half-inch widths. Then run the knife around the edge of the pan so the dough doesn't stick to the sides.

Put pans in oven and cook for exactly 20 minutes. Take out and use a spatula to lift the dough from each pan in one piece. Then, with a knife score the cookies lengthways. Cool for at least 10 minutes before breaking the cookies into 1/2 inch squares and place in a large bowl to air dry.

When completely cool, place in freezer bags and store in the freezer. Take one bag out at a time from the freezer as needed and refrigerate. Note that the dogs do not like the cookies cold or frozen. For a crunchier cookie, set cookies out in a bowl for a day or so.

A Case Against Breed Banning
(Author is unknown.)

I am a Rottweiler.

I was brought into this world by a loving breeder who has spent the last 30 years in loving dedication to my breed. I was trained by a man or woman who has been equally dedicated to my breed.

Over the last few years, you have gotten e-mails from people who said I was vicious, because criminal humans made less than .0001 % of my breed into criminal dogs. And because human parents never taught their children how to respect and stay away from large animals of any kind.

You wanted my breeder to abandon her love and care of my breed. You wanted her to never make another dog like me. You wanted to keep me in a small pen and make me wear a muzzle. Some of you, wanted us all killed for no reason. I never growled at a human. I never attacked a human. But you said I was a potential danger and I needed to be destroyed.

You wanted the same done to my brothers and sisters in the working dog world. You came for the Pit Bulls, you came for the German Shepherds, you came for the Dobermans, and you came for us, the Rottweilers.

Today I sat at my master's feet in NY. The master you said was crazy to want a Rottweiler. We cried, but kept on working. You saw the sadness in my eyes. I was bred to work. I was trained to find. I search and I find. My reward is a scratch on the head and maybe a hug from the person I find, but those I find can't scratch my head. I cry. My fellow searchers have lost their lives falling in this rubble.

My feet are cut by glass and metal. But my trainer and I keep searching. We are looking for your spouses, your children, your parents, your friends, your coworkers and your neighbors. I am risking the life you wished to deny me. I am doing what NO ONE else can. If I were not here, you would have no where else to turn for help or hope.

When you see my trainer and I sleeping on the sidewalk, or climbing over the mountain of rubble because just one of your human lives is important to me, look into my eyes and remember the sacrifice and work that "dangerous" dogs like me have done for thousands of years and think about a world without me.

All I ask is let me live. Let my breeder continue to make it possible for dogs like me to give our lives for yours. In disasters, in wars, and just protecting your homes and families, for thousands of years to come.

Please continue to pray for the victims, the rescuers and their families

Famous Dog Quotes

"Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!" (Anne Tyler)

"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." (John Steinbeck)

"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." (Rita Rudner)

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." (Gene Hill)

Top Dog gif "If you pick up a starving dog
And make him prosperous,
He will not bite you.
That is the principal difference
Between a dog and man." (Mark Twain)

(thanks Candice)

The Story of the Rainbow Bridge
We found this version of the story on http://www.petloss.com/rainbowb.htm

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that
pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run
and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm
and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;
those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as
we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each
miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly
stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager
body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the
green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet,
you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy
kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and
you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from
your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together ....

(Author unknown)

Link to our Rainbow Bridge page

THINGS I MUST REMEMBER WHEN I COME BACK AS A DOG ...

1. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

2. I do not need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm lying under the coffee table.

3. I will not roll my toys behind the fridge, behind the sofa or under the bed.

4. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house.

5. I will not eat the cats' food, before they eat it or after they throw it up.

6. I will stop trying to find the few remaining pieces of clean carpet in the house when I am about to get sick.

7. I will not throw up in the car.

8. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc. just because I like the way they smell.

9. "Kitty box crunchies", although they are tasty, are not food.

10. I will not eat any more Kleenex or napkins and then redeposit them in the backyard after processing.

11. The diaper pail is not a cookie jar.

12. I will not chew my human's toothbrush and not tell them.

13. I will not chew crayons or pens, especially not the red ones, or my people will think I am hemorrhaging.

4. When in the car, I will not insist on having the window rolled down when it's raining outside.

15. We do not have a doorbell. I will not bark each time I hear one on TV.

16. I will not steal my mom's underwear and dance all over the backyard with it.

17. The sofa is not a face towel. Neither are mom and dad's laps.

18. My head does not belong in the refrigerator.

19. I will not bite the officer's hand when he reaches in for dad's driver's license and car registration.

20. I will not play tug-of-war with dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.

21. I will not eat mint flavored dental floss out of the bathroom garbage, because I don't want to have a string hanging out of my butt.

22. I will not play "roll around in the dirt" after just getting a bath.

23. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is not an acceptable way of saying hello.

24. I will not hump on any person's leg just because I thought it was the right thing to do.

25. I will not fart in my owners face while sleeping on the pillow next to their head.

26. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt across the carpet.

27. The toilet bowl is not a never ending water supply and, just because the water is blue, it doesn't mean it is cleaner.

28. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch when company is over.

29. Suddenly turning around and smelling my butt makes people put me outside.

30. The cat is not a squeaky toy so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND!!
Things we can learn from a dog

(found on the internet & submitted by Candice O'Connell)

1.   Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2.   Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3.   When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4.   When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
5.   Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
6.   Take naps and stretch before rising.
7.   Run, romp, and play daily.
8.   Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you're not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
13. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
14. Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.
15. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
16. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
17. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout ....
     run right back and make friends.
18. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

A fellow is driving along and he accidentally hits a dog. The dog is
injured quite badly and so the fellow puts him in the car and rushes to
the vet.

The vet examines the poor dog and says to the fellow, "I don't think
there is anything I can do". Well the fellow is so distraught and begs
the vet to try. The vets agrees and brings a cat into the examining
room. The cat circles around the dog but the dog does not move.

The vet next brings in a black lab. The lab also circles around the dog
but no response.

The vet says, "I am really sorry but I cannot save this poor dog".

The fellow sighs. The vet then hands him a bill for $650. The fellow
is astonished. How can you charge $650 when you did not do anything.
The vet said well, "there is $50 for my consultation fee, $300 for the
catscan and $300 for the lab work".

(thanks Candice!)

"));