You know that smell?  That certain doggy smell?  Well, oddly enough, Ray doesn’t smell like a dog.  In fact, he really doesn’t smell like much of anything at all.  I read a post last year about how it is more important to keep a dog’s bedding clean and as a result, it will keep your dog clean and fresh smelling.

Despite the recent pictures and posts about Ray’s new obsession with the bathtub and despite the fact that he’s been jumping in the shower with me, I really haven’t bathed him since…I’m not sure when.  I’m thinking it might have been before the baby was born and she’s nearly seven months old now. 

I’m telling you, Ray has several blankets and other mats scattered around that get washed every 1-2 weeks and even my hubby who has a super sniffer says that Ray doesn’t smell like anything at all, especially not “dog.”

So  tell me, how often do you wash your pooch and their bedding?

The best thing about the interwebinets is the availablity of information and with all the different types of social media, the ability to make friends from all over.  Many of the people I interact with, I may never actually meet in person, however, that doesn’t make them any less “friends.”  They’re You’re all wonderful friends and I do hope to meet in real life someday.  In the meantime, we keep forging bonds from our keyboards and finding new sources of information and inspiration.

Recently we “made friends” with Francesca and Joker, who are in Italy and blog at The Online Canine  and they graciously awarded us with the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.  Everyday we try to do what we can to make a small corner of the world a better place and we are humbled to be recognized for our meager efforts. 

The Rules
1.  Link back to the blog who nominated you.
2.  Post the image to your page.
3.  Share 7 facts about yourself.
4.  Nominate another blogger and inform them.

So, let’s see about the seven things….hmmmm….seven new things….

1.  I’ve shared before that I wear heels.  A Lot.  I’m probably going to need foot surgery this year and am dreading it.
2. Ray snores.  Loudly.
3.  I can’t stand cold weather but can’t sleep in a warm room,
4.  I think I recently cracked the bone in my finger and now I fear I might have to get my wedding rings cut off.
5.  I’m eagerly awaiting summer because all of the maintenance that goes into an inground pool in the wintertime  is making us hate the pool.
6.  Ray prefers blankets on the floor as opposed to pillows.
7.  Ray loves squeaky toys and works on getting the squeaker out so he can proudly trot around with it in his mouth.

Now, who inspires me?  There are so many people who inspire me on a daily basis.  My friend, Liz, whose passion and love for animals has made me a better person for her inspiration, my new friend Jessica, the Director of SPCA for her tireless work in making the world better for all of the animals in her care, my family who put up with so much from me, my friend H whose no BS style keeps me grounded, but this is for the online community, so today I share that I am inspired by Mr. & Mrs. & Nola Kisses.  They volunteer, they foster and they have a pretty darned good pooch who just earned her CGC.  I am also inspired by Emily at Our Waldo Bungie.  She always knows where the good dog products are and she knows EVERYONE.  Her easy demeanor and welcoming spirit have been a super inspiration to me in my blogging efforts. 

 I’d say check them out, but I imagine you already have. 

Yep, we finally broke down and signed up for Bark Box for Ray because, you know, he doesn’t get much since he is so unspoiled and all.

The waiting is the hardest part.

By now, depending  on who you read, you can pretty well figure out what came in Ray’s Bark Box.

Yep, all the good stuff you see here, including a coupon for wag.com which we fully intend to use soon.

Ray loved all of the treats that came in his box, especially the Get Naked bars which he found to be worthy of a happy dance.

As for the toys?  Ray has a true passion for squeaky toys.  If it squeaks, he loves it so the penguin from Sprocket Pet Goods was very exciting to him.

He takes it as a personal challenge to find the squeaking mechanism and free it from the bonds of stuffing.  It took just mere minutes for him to find the squeaker, free it and prance proudly around with the little piece of plastic in his mouth.

And have I ever mentioned that Ray is a vigorous chewer?  I think I might have a time or two.

The Fetch n Floss lasted nearly 20 minutes.  Oddly enough, I am completely thrilled with our Bark Box.  For all of the contents of the box, I would have spent way more than the nominal monthly subscription fee and Ray loved everything in there.  Nothing that happened with the toys was unexpected and like I said, the treats and coupon were great.  I highly recommend Bark Box!!

Ray was getting pretty worried that his bully stick supply was getting low, but today a nice big box came for him.

However, he is learning to share and knows the value of having a tasty body part to chew on.

…or is it just Ray?  We were eagerly awaiting our package, because although there is no longer a waiting list for a Birkin bag, there is a slight waiting list for custom dog sweaters.



Fuzzy picture-operator error.

 That’s right, just in time for award season and the red carpet, Ray-Ray is in Haute Couture.  Who is he wearing, you ask?  Oh, just a custom made sweater by Tiennot Knits.  It’s what all the best dressed pooches are wearing this season, especially ones celebrating their team winning the Super Bowl. 

To tell you the truth, I debate on ordering this since the first moment I read about Tiennot Knits Sweaters.  Of course I wanted one for Ray because I want him to have everything but he’s always been a little iffy about clothing.  He’s had a couple of knit sweaters but always did better with fleece and t-shirts.  I certainly didn’t want to order a custom sweater just to keep it in the hall closet.  I needn’t have worried, though.  That’s what is great about custom. I wanted to make sure it was not too long and just tight enough to be snuggly. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, Friends.  We hope you are having a wonderful day with the love(s) of your life.

We love being able to help out a good animal cause whenever possible and if you get a little schwag in return it’s a double bonus.  If you haven’t already, check out the fundraser at Pawsitively Pets, donate a buck or two and get your own cool Valentine’s day graphic.

Like nearly everybody else, I’m fairly picky about what treats to give to Ray.  I mean, he has an extensive treat bar on the counter and so far I’ve not found him to be allergic to anything but with the huge number of incidents from bad treats, I try to be careful about what he eats.  Most recently I tried this recipe that I found  at Doggie Dessert Chefs.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Peanut butter
1 teaspoon Honey
1 cup Tapioca Flour  Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup Water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients until well mixed.
Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with the a small sized cutter of your choice, as the dough tears easily. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate.

When I realized they probably wouldn’t rise, I went ahead and squished a bunch more on the cookie sheet so I baked the entire recipe at one time.  Of course, I tasted one and found that they are kind of dry but very peanut buttery.  I think the rice flour, which is kind of the consistency of very fine sand makes for a sandy textured cookie treat.  The next time I might try to incorporate apple sauce instead of the water and see what happens.  I will also use a much smaller cookie cutter.  This one was about 4″ long and I feel that with the crumbly-ness (?) of the treat it would be better as a rounder, smaller shape.

The bottom line is that Ray loves them,they’re healthy and easy to make.