Who does'nt LOVE a little Italian Food?

If you want some extra love from your four legged pal try this recipe. Make sure to check with your vet to make sure your pal can handle this before you test it out.

Mini Muttballs and Ditalini

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken broth
• Salt
• 3/4 pound ground beef, pork and veal
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup chopped shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste with a little salt (optional)
• Pepper
• 1/2 pound ditalini pasta

Directions:

1. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, then salt it and lower to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the ground meat, eggs, carrots, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and garlic paste, if using; season with pepper. Form into 1-inch balls.
3. Drop the meatballs into the broth and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Let cool before serving to your pooch! Season the people's portions with salt and pepper and sprinkle with more parmigiano-reggiano.

Angel or Satan's Spawn?

Some days my pugs are bad, bad boys.  It is like they get together as soon as I leave and decide to have a pug party. They pull out every toy out of their toy bin and pull their beds out of their pens.  The stuffing out of the couch is pulled out and there are paw prints all over my suede furniture.

Cooper likes to eat my plants.  I used to have a jade plant that seemed to be missing leaves every day.  One day it had only one little jade leaf on it.  Out of the corner of my eye I see Coop nibble up the last leaf.  He is like a vacuum that is on all the time, he eats everything and anything.

Even though my pugs are bad, bad boys it is so hard to be mad.   I come home and there are signs of pug-a-palooza all over but there they are, big eyes, curly tail and funny face so happy to see me. How can I be mad at such angelic little faces, even if they snort like dragons.

Tube Top, Skirt or off the Shoulder Top?

Kramer, Cooper and Griffon

 So all of us who have ever gotten the itch to buy clothes for our pugs know one thing.  Pugs have no neck and no shoulders so clothes don't stay up.
The first day of wear it slowly slides down, by the second day it is an off the shoulder or shoulders top.  By the third day you are looking at at pug tube top, and by day four it is a full on pug skirt.  I am thinking adding an extra elastic around the next so Cooper does not become a cross dresser.  :)

Cooper stuck in his tube top and the gate

Mr. Pillows Sunshine Day

Mr. Pillows after his sunshine walk

When this time of year rolls around and you get that early spring warm weather.  The sun is warm on your skin and there are little specks of green life underneath the brown.  Mr. Pillows loves this weather.  He takes long walks with plenty of stops to spell all the smells.
These are the days you remember how beautiful the mountains are and how nice 60 degrees and sunny can be.

A Birds Eye View

Sometimes Coop likes to have a better view.  Especially when he is tired.  It gives him the chance to take in the world and the smells.

Doritos Pug

http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=3b21037b-24c0-4748-b056-a8d6c24e0d7d&from=foxsports_en-us_videocentral

The newly engaged couple are the creators of “Pug Attack,” the 2011 Super Bowl commercial that won the Doritos commercial contest.  
USA Today

Banana Peanut Butter Biscuits

Mr. Pillows and Kramer taking a rest

The perfect treat for your special puppy
Preheat oven to 350

3 C Whole wheat flour
1/2 C Cornmeal
1/4 C Dry powder milk
1/4 C Rolled oats
1 Egg (beaten)
1/2 C Mashed banana
1/2 C Organic crunchy peanut butter
11/2 C Water

Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add egg, banana, peanut butter and blend well.   Gradually add water and knead with hands.  Dough will be stiff, add more flour as needed.
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on lightly floured surface.  Cut out biscuits with your pups favorite cookie cutters and place on lightly greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 40 minutes.  Let treats cool and store in air tight container.  Makes 36 biscuits

Worst Day Ever- Cure?? Indy the Pug

Indiana the pug

So have you ever had one of those days when you just want to crawl back into bed and shut out the whole world?  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  When I got home from work I headed for my closet. It is light, quiet and where I go to destress. 

Sometimes when my yoga breath doesn't help I find a good cry and some tootsie rolls make it a little bit better.  As I sat in my closed and let my tear ducts do their thing my pug Indy rolled in.  His eyes were inquisitive and he came closer and plopped on my lap.  He looked up at me and gave me a little sigh and pulled in closer. 

I immediately felt a little better, as my four legged #1 fawn senior pug comforted me.  I have to say that Indy always knows how to brighten my spirits, even if he does it for an extra treat!

All you need is love

Cooper has got to be the craziest, sweetest most playful pug around.  He is game for anything and is so social.  Sometimes I fear his tail may wag right off.  He smells the air with such force he goes on overload.  It explains why he sleeps so soundly.  Adding Cooper to the clan was the best thing, he is pug through and through.  A lover for sure.

Love to be loved

Everyone longs to be needed.   I am lucky because all my guys always need me.  They are so happy to see me and greet me with such enthusiasm I always want to give them something in return.  Well it so happens my guys love peanut butter.  So I frequently make these Peanut Buddy Dog Treats for them.  Try them out with all your four legged friends for Valentines Day, they will be a big hit! Pugs and Kisses!

 Peanut Buddy Dog Treats  

1 to 1-½ cups flour
¾ cup oatmeal
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).

Combine all ingredients and mix on low until blended. Form into tablespoon-sized balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls to ¼"" using tines of fork:

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes about 20 cookies.

Pug Puppies

Moab AKA "Tiny"

What is it about a pug puppy that makes you all warm and fuzzy?  The fumbling, unstable sideways run as they slide into the fridge?  The puppy smell? That little face that screams love me, feed me, I am sorry I just went potty on your shoe?

Whatever it is I am addicted. This is little Moab, AKA "Tiny".  Pretty hard to resist right?

Let It Snow



Kramer the Yorkshire Terrier in his snow glory

 

It cracks me up that our dogs go crazy over one or two snow storms.  They get all peppered up and gallop through the snow to their hearts content.  Kramer (the 4lb Yorkie) also takes part in this ritual.  So if you know anything about pugs you know they are in no way, shape or form outside dogs.  But for some reason the youngest fawn pug Cooper smells like a hunting dog.  He has this strange odor that resembles a pre-teen male who realizes he needs to add deodorant to his regiment of primping for his day.  Cooper is frequently blasted with coconut puppy body spray to help with his strange odors. 

The other day after a big day of snow pug wrestles took place (approx. 8.5 minutes worth), the pugs scratched at the door to come in and rest.  Covered in snow and tracking in paw prints from the furniture to the kitchen there was puddles everywhere.  Kramer ran in with little ice balls on his fur as Cooper tried to eat them.  Pugs will never be sled dogs but their one big day in the snow a year is always a fun time.


Indiana and Cooper having full on snow sprints



Barking Solutions

So one of my very favorite things in the world is watching a pug have puppy dreams.  They make that cute little sound and baby snorts as they mimic running through the yard after the neighbors cat.  Our oldest fawn pug, Indiana was having one of these puppy dreams this weekend.  As he slumbered on the couch his puppy dreams grew more and more intense.  As he lept through tall wildflowers and approached the kitty in his dreams he rolled his round little self off the couch making a loud thump.  This loud thump inspired the others (Griffon, Moab, Cooper and Kramer) to start a full on pug barkfest. 

Cooper, Moab, Griffon and Indy

In order to thwart the barking we have reduced ourselves to one of two solutions; 1. Waterboarding.  This consists of squirt bottle full of water to the barking suspect, or 2. Nerf Gun Semi-Automatic Assult -multiple rounds of nerf darts.  Neither really works when you have a house full of pugs, but it is a good time when Cooper eats the darts.

Although our boys are generally good and only bark at the door (and the garage, and the neighbors, and the garbage truck....) I feel it is self expresion.  Indy loves the sound of his senior voice, and deaf Griffon has no idea he sounds like a cat in heat.  Moab sounds strangely similar to a beagle, and Cooper can not participate in barking for two long because his memory span is that of a goldfish and he is easily distracted. I like them to let all the other dogs in the neighborhood know the 411.  Pugs are so social they need thier voice.  :)