Pet-Pet * pet product blog

What can I not live without, wherever I may be stranded? It’s whom, and it’s my pets I’d need with me on any move.

But there are obviously things PETS can’t leave home without, including some of their fashion accessories. Of course, they need collars and a leash! wherever they go, and sometimes a winter coat or rain jacket is required. But there’s a pair of somethings so important that most pet parents don’t even realize to consider. (These are so great, that both J*B* and DarlaKitt have already *barked* about them.)

Crucial to paw health in and after snowy or wet weather, are boots—dog boots. Chemical de-icers and winter-weather rock salt applied to the sidewalks can leave a painful irritation on paws and paw pads. Natural elements, such as gravel, dirt and snow & ice, can get stuck between those pads, too, and even splinters can get stuck in paws — ouch! Also, paws are vulnerable to hot and cold temperatures, just like any other body part on dogs or humans.

But dog boots, like Dickens’ Closet Fleece Boots, eliminate all those worries, with waterproof and skid-reduction soles. They even keep your pet’s paws clean, so your floors can stay clean! These boots are highly rated by customers of Petco.com, and are in soft and comfy fleece for pet satisfaction, too.

YOU wouldn’t want to walk barefoot out there, so why should your baby?

There may be some struggle from him, at first, but it will be worth it to keep your baby healthy.

Plus, they’re SHOES! For dogs. Yay.

Even though the weather here on the East Coast has been rather mild lately, wintertime is when I love to get my bake on. Cookies, muffins, breads, pies and brownies, I love to whip up a warm batch of baked goods on a Sunday afternoon. When it’s too chilly to open the windows, there’s nothing like the sweet scent of fresh baked yummies wafting through the house to create a cozy sense of “home.”

Murphy also loves those “baking Sundays,” and is usually a fairly good sport about understanding that the goodies in the oven are not for him. Just indulging his little nostrils in the aroma is enough to make him loopy, swoony, happy. Well, that, and the occasional treat that falls on the floor.

However, as a bona fide member of the family, my baby doggie, he definitely deserves to partake in the Sunday bake-a-thon, so I’ve found a wonderful resource for new and exciting dog treat recipes that I can whip up just for him.

Gourmet Sleuth .Com is a terrific site for the cooking-crazed, with recipes, articles, tools, books, and anything food-related you can possibly think of. And they have an entire section devoted to cooking for your dog, with oodles of great recipes right on the page, plus links to even more. There’s a Chicken Flavored Treat recipe you make using a bread machine, Flea Haters Dog Biscuits made with brewer’s yeast, a natural anti-flea remedy, and even a terrific recipe for Vegan Dog Treats, just to name a few.

If the recipes on the pages aren’t enough, and you’re itching for more, check out some of the Doggie Baking Books they have featured. Better Food For Dogs goes beyond treats and includes vitamin charts, food safety tips, and of course a great selection of recipes. Bone Appetit is a gourmet dog cuisine book, with 100 recipes for stews, omelets, and vegetables, plus biscuits, kibble and treats.

They also offer a handy dog-themed cookie cutter kit, packed in an adorable bone-shaped tin. This kit includes 10 cutters in the shapes of fire hydrants, paws, bones, dog houses, and even actual “dog” shapes. Although I think it’d be kinda weird to feed your dog treats that are shaped like other dogs … but that’s just me.

This winter, bake up some love, and treat your puppy to some homemade goodies. Honestly, doesn’t he deserve better than what falls on the floor?