Am I the only one who turns into a total soccer mom when driving with the hounds in the vehicle?  Alone, I typically ride with the radio blasting, the windows open (depending on weather) and I enjoy the “get up and go” my car offers.  But when the hounds are in the car, I am a completely different driver, taking turns carefully to avoid spilling everyone on one side of the car, the radio is tuned to a more soothing calm music (can’t have stressed out hounds!) and I pay much more attention to the cars around me. 

Our Favorite Houndmobile

Those of us who are “addicts” are always on the lookout for the next great Houndmobile.  There are so many options to consider - how safe is the ride? how durable are the seats? how easy is it to clean?  how high off the ground (in other words, will I have to lift Bandy’s 80 lb butt into the car?)? 

Honda is often cited as having the ultimate dog friendly car (the Honda Element) and in fact won top honors for 2007 from the website dogcars.com, which has dog friendly reviews of almost 40 dog-friendly cars (some more friendly than others).  I own a Honda Element myself and I have to say, if it had a larger motor (in other words, if it could haul our business trailer) we would own two of them!

With all of the Honda love I am spreading around, I have to mention the Honda WOW concept car they just introduced in Tokyo.  The WOW stands for “Wonderful Open-Hearted Wagon” and the cool thing about this car is it features a built in kennel, wooden floors, and a raised ceiling down the middle to make it easier to load/unload your hounds.  I am thrilled to see car makers listening to the niche markets and making cars that fit their buyers lifestyles.

So what do you look for in a dog-friendly car?  If you could whisper in the ear of the car manufacturers, what features would you add or remove to create the perfect dog friendly car?

 For me?  A fart filter.  Seriously.

Valentine’s, a day to celebrate St. Valentine who went against Emporer Claudius II and married young lovers in secret. Today it is a day to celebrate those you love - both human and hound alike.

Add the look of love to your walls with a print of this “Soulful” painting from artist Xan Blackburn. Or give the gift that keeps on giving by contributing to the Quilt for a Cure. 100% of the proceeds go to Hope for Hounds, a charity that raises money for the research by Dr. Couto of Ohio State University. Dr. Couto is a leading researcher in canine osteosarcoma. Now that’s a gift that will make your heart beat proud!

Add some spice to your hound’s life with a heart shaped Apple Cinnamon or Cherry Honey Vanilla Burpdog Cake. Or you can spice up your own life at the same time with dog shaped chocolate (for humans!) from Simply Treats.

For playtime, your savvy hound would love these heartshaped stuffies inspired by Sweetheart treats (Shown above) from West Paw Design.

Have a heart….charm, that is! With these fun engrave-able collar tags from 2 Hounds Design. These charms serve dual purposes, fun decoration for your hounds’ collars while still providing contact info in case your hound is ever lost.

Share with us, how do YOU celebrate V-day with the hounds in your life?

With so many cookies and treats on the market, choosing a good one can be confusing. How do you find the perfect yummy treat for your hound? What makes a healthy treat? Are there alternatives?

Healthy Treats

Not all treats are created equal or are healthy for your dog. Avoid treats with artificial flavors, fillers, sugar, coloring or unnecessary additives. Treats should list meat as the first ingredient and should contain little or no wheat or grains, which are fillers and a common cause of allergies in dogs.

Treats as Supplements

You can also use treats as a supplement for the vitamins and essential minerals that may be missing from your dog food. Glucosamine, Flax Seed, and Omega-3s are common ingredients in healthy dog treats. Some treats also include fruits and/or vegetables as flavoring ingredients or as coloring agents and this is a much healthier choice than artificial flavors or colors.

DIY Treats

Want to make your own treats? Enjoy the recipe listed at the end of this article or you can buy one of the many Recipe books available. Don’t have time or don’t enjoy baking? If you have a Dehydrator, you can create your own chicken, fish, or beef jerky treats for your dogs without the extra salt and additives often found in jerky products.

Veggie Hounds

Vegetables are also a great choice as treats if your dogs will eat them. Some owners feed carrots, apples, bananas, etc as treats. You should avoid cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc) as it is harder to digest and cause the dreaded gas!

Treats can make up about 10% of your dog’s diet. If your hound is overweight, stick with 5% or choose healthy veggies as treats.

Share your recipes!

Do you have recipes that you love making for your hounds? Or how about a favorite item that you give as treats? Share them in the comments below!

Salmon Treat Recipe

• 1 8 oz. can salmon with juice
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3 eggs, shells included
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds ground up in coffee grinder
• 1/2 cup flax seeds ground up in coffee grinder

Put these ingredients into a food processer, mix VERY WELL. Pour potato flour through the opening while the motor is running. I can’t tell you exactly how much, but I would guess about 2-3 cups. When the dough forms, like a pie curst, and rolls into a ball it is ready to take out.

Dump this mess onto potato floured counter or board. Knead more flour into this and when it is a rolled out cookie consistancy, it is ready to roll out into about 14 inch thick. I use a pizza cutter to roll our long strips and then cut crosswise to make samll squares . If you want FANCY you may use a cookie cutter. Bake on cookie sheets, sprayed Pam or line the sheet with parchemnt paper. I put in as many as will fit. Usually two whole cookie sheets suffices. I bake this in a 375º oven for 20 min. Turn and rotate the cookie sheets and bake about 10 more minutes. You can make them as soft or as hard as you want.