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August 31, 2010(Good) Treats for Dogs: The Barkery

Tradition would have us believe that dogs and mail carriers can never be friends – but my dogs will love our postman forever if he continues to deliver packages that smell as tasty as the one that recently arrived from Minneapolis’ The Barkery.

Thanks to April at The Barkery, Mingus and Dottie had the pleasure of taste-testing a selection of The Barkery’s flavorful treats, namely molasses & granola cookies, salmon & yogurt snacks, chicken & apple cookies, salad bar snacks, and peanut butter & cheerios.

I can tell you that Mingus and Dottie loved the treats, but they’re crazy about treats anyway (I mean, saying my dogs “like” treats is like saying Don Draper enjoys a drink and a smoke now and then) — so I should probably also explain why I like treats from The Barkery. First, they’re handmade with love rather than in some ol’ dirty factory somewhere. Plus, they’re baked from scratch to order from wholesome, human-grade, organic, fresh, local ingredients and packaged in earth-friendly materials, meaning they’re good for dogs and for the planet. Plus (again), The Barkery’s packaging and web site boasts really nifty graphic design. (Hey – these things are important to me.)

Fetch The Barkery treats (plus cute treat jars!) directly from their web site.

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August 10, 2010Fish without the Fishiness: The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal

Have you ever noticed that dogs seem to like kinda stinky stuff? I won’t go into detail, but I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about. I think this stink affinity is part of the reason Mingus and Dottie love fish-based foods so much. And it’s why I giggle a little at the name of The Honest Kitchen’s first fish-based recipe, Zeal, as I’m sure Ming and Dizz would gladly devour a bowl of it with just that very emotion.

Like all of The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated raw foods, Zeal is made from minimally processed, 100% human-grade ingredients, and is free of wheat and preservatives like ethoxyquin, which I’m not really sure how to pronounce but I know is really bad.

Says Lucy Postins, founder and CEO of The Honest Kitchen, “Zeal was truly inspired by our customers. For years, pet owners have told us that their dogs have allergies or intolerances to conventional meat sources, and we’re pleased that we can now offer this high-quality, human-grade recipe with minimal risk of allergies.”

And on top of that big ol’ pile of goodness, The Honest Kitchen will donate a portion of Zeal’s profits to marine conservation efforts, including The Nature Conservancy, The Blue Ocean Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.

Zeal will be available in late September from The Honest Kitchen.

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August 5, 2010Nutrition + Love = Nulo

I ran across nulo on twitter yesterday, and as with anything with bright colors and good design, it caught my eye. Nulo (nutrition + love) is food for dogs and cats developed by self-professed “pet foodies” aimed at providing holistic, wholesome nutrition to your pets. Their animal-protein-rich foods contain no hormones, byproducts, or fillers, and they deliver their kibble, canned foods, and treats right to your door – which is awesome, because in addition to being attracted to bright colors and pretty packaging, I’m also super lazy and scatterbrained.

Check out nulo’s goodness on their web site — and don’t get freaked when that cat and dog on the home page start moving (like maybe I did).

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July 27, 2010Cakes 4 Claws: PupCakes 2 Go

Anyone remember those microwave cakes from the ’80s where you’d stir some water into the bag of cake mix, pop it in the microwave bundt pan, and “bake” it in the microwave in just a couple minutes? I LOVED THOSE THINGS… not so much for the taste, but because they were the perfect entertainment for a kid who wanted to pretend like she was cooking but whose mother perhaps didn’t trust her with a power mixer and hot oven.

PupCakes 2 Go are little microwave cakes for dogs and were voted Best New Product for 2010 at the Global Pet Expo. It’s easy to see why — they’re super easy and fun to make, inexpensive, and made from organic, wholesome ingredients (wheat, soy, and preservative-free at that). Melinda from Lucky Paws, the makers of PupCakes, sent me a couple boxes to try, and I relived a little ’80s fun whipping up a batch for Mingus and Dottie yesterday afternoon.

With PupCakes, all it takes to become a canine pastry chef extraordinaire is a little water, a little peanut butter, and a microwave. The powdered mix smells really good, just like cinnamon, and the PupCakes really do look and smell like real cakes when they come out of the microwave after a magical two and a half minutes. I was even tempted to try a tiny piece, and, well, they kind of tasted like those microwave cakes from the ’80s. But hey, they’re not made for humans, they’re for dogs. And the dogs? LOVED them.

And that preshy little purple tray? It’s reusable with PupCakes’ refill mixes. LOVE IT.

To find out how to get your paws on some PupCakes 2 Go, check out Lucky Paws’ website.

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July 1, 2010Beachy Keen: Alopaw Treats

Y’all remember that movie Superbad? Well, that’s pretty much how badly I want to go to the beach right now: SUPER BAD. I figure if I’m going to be sweating and getting sunburned, I might as well be breathing the salty air and sitting in the sand with cold drink in my hand, right?

Checking out Alopaw treats isn’t helping either — these cute, handmade Hawaiian themed treats, with ingredients like pineapple, banana, and coconut, and names like Beach Bums, Hula Honeys, and Paradise Palms, make me want to hit the beach REALLY SUPER BAD.

Alopaw treats are more than just cute, though. The treats were originally created for Kona, a lab puppy born with a liver shunt, who has to adhere to a strict low-protein and low-phosphate diet. Alopaw treats thus contain no meat, no wheat, no corn, no gluten, and no dairy — but, instead, all human-grade, virtually allergy-free ingredients.

Plus I betcha they smell like the beach.

You can buy Alopaw treats on their website or in their Etsy shop.

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June 7, 2010Kookoo for Coconuts: CocoTherapy Treats

Picture this: young me (I was cute) at a church picnic, spying the dessert table from across the room, running with unbridled glee (while wiping drool) towards a what I think is a giant vanilla cake, then skidding to a stop in horror when I get close enough to realize it’s not vanilla, it’s… COCONUT. Bleaughh.

Coconut. Aside from an umbrella drink here and there, can’t stand the stuff. But apparently it’s, like, totally super healthy for both humans and dogs. Not coconut cake, of course… but 100% raw, virgin coconut oil. Apparently it’s a fatty acid, but the good kind, and in dogs, it’s been shown to help with weight loss, metabolism, energy, skin and coat, and digestion. It’s also a huge immune-system booster and is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-oxidant. Kind of makes me feel bad about being so anti-coconut as a kid.

Dehydrated coconut carries the same health benefits as the oil, making these 100% pure organic coconut chips from CocoTherapy something I’m definitely curious to try with my beasts. After reading about the health benefits of coconut for dogs, I’m totally on the coconut boat. And who knows? Maybe I’ll even try one myself.

You can fetch CocoTherapy Coconut Chips online at Fun Dog Fred (or check CocoTherapy’s site for stores).

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February 8, 2010Honest Kitchen Cookbook Giveaway!

Nutty pumpkin crunch. Creamy sole with summer garden vegetables. Mediterranean chicken.

Tasty recipes from this month’s Bon Appetit? Nope. They’re all recipes for healthy, wholesome homecooked meals for your dog found in Made out of Love, a new recipe book from The Honest Kitchen… and one lucky phetched reader will win a copy signed by the author, along with some yummy THK samples!

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You may already know The Honest Kitchen for their healthy, human-grade, grain- and gluten-free dehydrated dog foods and supplements. Now Lucy Postins, founder and president of THK (and companion animal nutritionist), has compiled this collection of 65 recipes for homecooked dishes for your dogs and cats, from quick and easy food toppers to delectable main courses and desserts. Postins includes helpful information about ingredients, portion sizes, and foods that can help pets with ailments such as fleas, itchy skin, and diabetes.

Each recipe is clearly coded as suitable for dogs, cats, and in many cases, humans too (although I do think I’d pass on “sardine salad” anyway). While some recipes require the use of specific THK dehydrated foods, many of the recipes can be made with ingredients right from your grocery store.

If you’d like the chance to win a signed copy of Made out of Love, including some THK dehydrated samples, check out entry info after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

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August 16, 2009Throw Me a Bone… or a Molasses Granola Ball

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Head over to Barnes & Noble and pick up a copy of The Ultimate Dog Treat Cookbook by Liz Palika (Wiley & Sons, 2005, 128 pp.)

The cookbook includes 50 drool-inducing recipes like Taco Treats and Molasses Granola Balls.

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Liz Palika is an award-winning professional dog trainer and writer and is the author of over 40 books on animal behavior and training.

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July 17, 2009Ma Snax Treats: Don’t Tell ‘Em It’s Not Junk Food

Ma Snax Superior Treats are handmade in Sonoma, California, with only good, wholesome stuff. They’re baked with the finest organic ingredients, with many varieties free of common allergens like wheat and corn. Ma Snax treats are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and nutritious botanicals, making them, at  least as far as your pup is concerned, both good and good for you. (My mom used to describe black-eyed peas that way to me as a child. Why are parents allowed to lie to their children? I’m pretty sure Ma Snax is telling the truth, though.)

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Ma Snax offers a cool Monthly Treat Club membership program, where you and your pup will receive a different healthy variety of Ma Snax every month, or you can try their bake-at-home biscuit and cake kits for some fun in the kitchen with Fido.

You can order directly from Ma Snax’s web site or find them at select retailers across the country.

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(Interested in Ma Snax’s Monthly Treat Club? Ma Snax is hosting a dog photo contest, and the winner receives a FREE four-month treat club membership! Awesome! Visit Ma Snax’s blog for more information on how to enter. Entry deadline is August 15th, with a winner announced the following week.)

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June 3, 2009Eat Your Greens

Have you ever, maybe when no one was looking, tasted just an itty bitty bit of your dog’s food or treats? (I’m not talking about when you were 6 and Jimmy Hooligan from down the street paid you $3 to lick a spoon of Alpo — I mean as a dog-owning adult.) Go ahead, raise your hand. It’s OK. You’re among friends here.

Pet Greens treats from Bell Rock Growers look like the sort of thing I might just take a little nibble of out of curiosity. The Roasted Chicken and Savory Beef treats contain no wheat gluten, no grains or fillers, no artificial colors or flavors, and are made with real meat and organic super food wheat grass. Seriously? That sounds better than what I ate for lunch yesterday.

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Satisfy your craving by finding a store here.

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