Homemade Dog Food

My Labrador Retriever, Bailey, is eleven years old.  For over a year now, I have been feeding her "real" people food and the results have been remarkable.  She has the energy of a new puppy!

Labs have a voracious appetite and will eat most anything.  I've owned five Labs since 1985 and none of them have been picky eaters.

I researched extensively what foods the dog needs and which foods are not good for them.  I eat a variety of foods.  Why shouldn't my dog?  A typical breakfast for Bailey includes chopped apples, chopped kiwi, blueberries topped with greek yogurt and ground flaxseed.  For her evening meal, it is usually cooked ground beef that I add fresh spinach to just before the meat is done.  It also could be chopped cooked chicken or a stew of root vegetables - carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, and rutabaga.  Other times I may just chop up whatever fresh vegetables I have - carrots, bell pepper, fresh spinach, and top with canned pumpkin or cottage cheese. 

There are foods you need to be careful not to include in your dog's food.  Among these are avocado, grapes, garlic, onions, and citrus fruits.  Also leave out the seeds of apples.

There are other foods recommended for dogs if you go the homemade route - sardines and calves liver.  I just couldn't deal with those!  Cooking liver in a pot leaves a messy "scum" that is hard to clean.  And sardines?  Yuck!

I'm still here!

Been a long time since I last posted here.  Not that I lost interest in my blog - no way!  I work full time and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for what I want to do and what I have to do!

My passions are smoking meat, cooking, spending time with my Lab, Bailey, reading, spending time with family and friends.  And, regrettably, I'm getting on in age so my stamina has slowed down more than I care to admit.

I work full time at Home Depot as a cashier.  I was in appliances, but that became too boring.  It was fun making a sale (no I do not get a commission!) or working with customers helping them decide which appliance to buy.  But there was too much down time and that was more than I could deal with.

So I switched to being a cashier.  That has its ups and downs too.  But, hey, it's a paycheck and they treat me decently.  You really, REALLY, need to be able to deal with all types of people to be a cashier, the nice ones, the whack jobs, and the people who tell you that you are trash.  I'd give myself a C- in that department.

I still follow certain other blogs and enjoy checking in on what they are doing from time to time.

A lot of history in this photo!

 

It's been awhile since I posted on my blog.  But here I am!

The photo above is the monorail that was up and running every Christmas at Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester, NY.  Midtown Plaza was demolished some years back so today's young children will never know the thrill of a ride in the monorail and through the Magic Mountain as my twins did when they were not much more than toddlers.  Looking at the monorail here, I still can't believe both John and Michael fit into one of the cars!

Another piece of history here is the Clock of Nations - that round white and red item in the background.  Fortunately, that one still exists in storage, since being removed from its original location.  It was once a delight to adults and children alike when, on the hour, it would come alive with music and animation with dolls from many nations showcased.

I have lived long enough to see the transformation in shopping habits from large busy downtown stores to suburban malls, many of them now empty, ghost-like stores, to online shopping.  Yes, online shopping has a lot of advantages.  But a part of me will always remember the fun of being a small child looking around in wonder at the huge elegantly decorated stores alive with excitement!