Canine Cookies…
3 (2 1/2 oz each) jars of baby food; either beef or chicken
1/4 cup wheat germ or cream of wheat

Combine all the ingredients in bowl and mix well.  Roll into small balls and place on well-greased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with a fork or flatten completely and cut with a small cookie cutter (in the shape of a dog bone, perhaps?). Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes until brown.  Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate to keep fresh or freeze.

Doggie Yum-Yums…
3-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups oats
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 egg

Preheat oven to 300 F.  In a food processor or blender, grind the oats.  In a large bowl, mix together the oats and flour.  In another bowl, stir together peanut butter, oil, milk, and water.  Add egg and stir.  Begin adding dry ingredients (1 cup at a time) to liquid mixture.  Stir until blended.  Roll out dough on well-floured surface.  Cut into strips.  Using your fingers, push the ends of the strips down slightly, forming the strips into bone shapes.  Bake for 1-hour on a greased baking sheet.  Cool before storing in an airtight container.  Makes about 20 dog treats.

Delicious Dog Food…
6 cups water
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups brown rice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the ground turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before refrigerating. 

Something Fishy is Goin’ on Here…
7 ounces mashed sardines
1/4 cup dry non-fat milk
1/2 cup wheat germ

Combine all ingredients and roll into small balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes until brown.  Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate to keep fresh or freeze.
 
Ingredients to avoid in Pet Food Recipes include:

•    Chocolate
•    Any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol
•    Grapes and raisins
•    Macadamia nuts and walnuts
•    Moldy foods
•    Mushrooms
•    Mustard seeds
•    Onions and onion powder
•    Garlic (raw, cooked and powdered)
•    Yeast dough
•    Coffee grounds
•    Tea

You can also check out Pet Diets, Balance It, and The Poop Pantry for other homemade diets for your pampered pet.

What’s your favorite thing to make for your pet? Share your delicious recipes in the comments section below and we’ll feature the tastiest treats on our homepage!

This video traces the “doggies in the window” found at local pet stores back to the commercial breeder where they came from— what the investigative team at Indiana’s Channel 13 found wasn’t pretty.

One of the easiest ways you can help put an end to “puppy-pipelines” like the one featured in this video is by always, always, always adopting!

According to the Humane Society of the United States, puppy mills continue to thrive because they prey on unknowing consumers who are charmed by too-cute-for-words puppies in pet store windows and on legitimate-seeming websites.

So, if you're thinking about getting a new dog, learn how to shop smart by clicking HERE, and visit your local pet stores and encourage them to implement “puppy friendly” policies by refusing to sell puppies in their store and support homeless pet adoptions instead.

You can also contact your federal and state legislators and let them know that you're concerned about the inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills and want the puppy mill issue to be a priority for Congress. In your letter, ask them to expand the reach of the Animal Welfare Act to include kennels that sell large numbers of puppies directly to the public.

You can also help the HSUS spread the word about the cruelty behind the cuteness by becoming an advocate, signing the pledge to stop puppy mills HERE, and by sIgning up on Facebook.

I recently stumbled upon this gem of a YouTube video, which features a cat who’s daily routine involves hanging out on top of its gaurdian's head while she brushes her teeth!

This goofy kitty got me thinking… what sort of strange things do your pets do on a daily basis?

My cat Roscoe, for instance, thinks he’s a dog— so much so in fact, he waits for me by the door while I’m gone and then greets me when I come home by wiggling his tail and making spastic circles all around me. If he could, I imagine he’d pant, drool, and leave his little tongue hanging out while doing this as well.

But whenever I tell people about Roscoe’s dog-like ways, I often get the same reaction the woman in this video refers to when she says, “Nobody believed me, so I had to record it.”

So, if you happen to have a quirky pet of your own, post your hidden-camera footage or photos to your profile, then click “submit,” and we’ll feature the most bizarre entries on our homepage!

As many pet-owners know, proper pet-care can be an expensive pursuit. For example, I recently took my cat to the vet to treat a urinary tract infection and managed to rack-up a bill to the tune of almost $200.

Currently, pet care costs are non-tax deductible— but under the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act, individuals could deduct up to $3500 a year for "qualified pet care expenses.”

“HAPPY,” or more specifically, “H.R. 3501,” was introduced by Michigan Representative Thaddeus McCotter, and would cover expenses related to pet care as well as veterinary care, but not the cost of adopting or buying an animal, given that your pet is a “legally owned, domesticated, live animal,” according to The Examiner.

Utilizing the tax code properly not only encourages responsible pet ownership by making it more affordable for pet owners to provide adequate veterinary and other necessary pet care, but also reduces the abandonment and unessesary euthanization of pets by people struggling financially as a result of the economic recession.

You can let your representatives know that you appreciate their efforts to support responsible pet ownership by asking them to consider H.R. 3501 favorably.

This bill is currently being considered by the House Ways and Means Committee.