We are dogs of leisure, Buddy and I.  We are also dogs of habit.  Habits change, from time-to-time, but behaviors are a constant.  I know this because I have been told that I have selective hearing.  I like to assess the rules before deciding to follow them…or not.  I am my Mother’s daughter that way.

Buddy is (mostly) a rule follower.  He likes to play by the book.  I would rather lick the book, or chew on the corner (just look at Mom’s first food journal) and then do it my way instead.  But he and I get along okay anyways, and sometimes we break the rules together.  He can be easy to persuade.

Hmmmmm….

We must have been on really good behavior lately though, because Mom and Dad took us with them to a hotel for a mini-break.  We usually have to travel far to get to one of those places where we sleep somewhere else; like our grandparents’ or aunt/uncles’ but this one wasn’t very far away at all, and it was fancy.

When we pulled up, Buddy and I were thinking we would be sitting in the car for awhile, but instead, we were led inside to a grand lobby with soaring ceilings and stone floors, cool on the paws but not too slippery for clumsy Buddy.  And of course, not before getting to tinkle on a manicured lawn (don’t tell no one that Buddy tinkled on the sidewalk instead).

Up we went in an elevator (which I hate, but that is another long story itself).  Buddy and I were giddy with excitement for whatever the other side of the door would reveal.  It was spectacular!  Plush carpet (again I’m sure so Buddy wouldn’t slip), soft lights and nobody else in sight!  We ran down the hall past our room and Mom had to chase us while Dad used a magic card to open the door.  We ran inside, still tethered together on a single leash, but then Mom did her usual annoying critique.  Was it high enough, cute enough, with the right view, and blah…blah…blah!  She is always questioning things; but I guess, so am I.   Buddy didn’t mind that we were only on the 2nd floor and that the room was much smaller than the one we sleep in at home.

I immediately went into explorer mode and while off-leash, was still tethered to my brother and I drug him around with me.  Yes, this in fact, was an adventure!   A time to get away…if only for a day.   Plus, the best part – two doors opened up revealing a sweeping view to a sea of blue (which at first I thought was the Cote d’Azure, but was actually just a sea of tennis courts).

Oooooooh la la!

There was a waft of fresh air that required me to plant myself on my fluffy bed in the wake of it all so I could comfortably sleep the afternoon away, breathing in the air and my brother’s scent, long into the evening.

Comfy

Yes, our parents left us for something other than us, but we had gotten sleepy by then anyways.  They did come back to wake us and were happy too, plus the evening was late yet still warm.  Mom took us outside by way of the plush hall, scary elevator and spacious room.  My brother and I took longer than we needed to because the night was so perfect and warm.  We love exploring new places, smelling smells that are unfamiliar yet, all at once, exciting!

I even provided the turn-down service!

That night, we behaved.  Our behavior did change!  We slept longer and deeper than normal even tho we had a late nap.  And we didn’t wake up our parents until the light came into our room.  When we made Mom get dressed to walk us, the sun had already risen and the world was gloriously awake!  Mom didn’t agree that this was the perfect time to be awake; it was 5 am.

Spy girl That is me up there.

When our parents got dressed and left us alone, they wore the same kind of clothes they wear when they leave us on the weekends.  This time though, they appeared again below us.  They began hitting a bright ball back and forth with a netted paddle.  We have seen them do this in the park sometimes but they were always getting mad at us for loudly cheering them on so they stopped taking us.  We decided that this time we might try being silent; sneakily peering from above and chewing our feet instead.  This must have been a good idea because they rewarded us for being good by taking us on another walk and then fed us our favorite home-cooked meal out of our special travel bowls.

Buddy & Ginger’s Favorite Home Cooked Meal for Pups – by Ginger
Makes 4 pounds (enough to last Buddy 5 days; he is little but sometimes 12 pounds)

This is actually Buddy’s food but I like to eat it too.  I like to eat.  He is on a low protein diet because he is shaky and wobbly and something isn’t right with him but I don’t know what is wrong.  I just know that ever since he started getting poked with a needle every night to let liquid fill up his skin, we both started eating something different than we used to eat and we each have our own flavor.  Mine has more meeat which Buddy would rather eat and his has more vegetables which is more my kind of thing.  I always get to taste his though, especially if he leaves some stuck at the far end where he can’t reach and it is usually really good except when Mom uses zucchinis (the only vegetable I really hate, except celery…well, and cucumbers).  Buddy is weird and like those things.  Then again, he’ll eat fuzz off the floor.

I have always had a healthy diet but believe you me, ever since we switched to this whole, non-process food, I feel like a young pup again and Buddy has gone from crazy not eating at all to inhaling his food and getting it all over and then tries to eat mine.  Sometimes a lady named Shelly makes the food for us and sends it to the house and sometimes Mom makes it herself.  When Mom makes it, she uses 25% protein, then splits the rest with equal parts vegetable/fruit and carbs.  She then adds nutrition and supplements provided by Shelly at Paws Custom Pet Food nearby and when mommy forgets, late at night she can order it on her computer.  Below is our favorite mix from Mommy and I had her type the numbers (although Buddy would prefer there was more meeeet)!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb chicken hearts
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb carrots (peeled and chopped)
1/2 lb sugar snap peas in the shell (stem end removed)
6-8 oz cooked sweet potato
6-8 oz cooked brown rice
6-8 oz cooked garbanzo beans (drained of liquid)
4 oz fresh figs
4 oz fresh blueberries
2 oz cabbage leaves, sliced
2 tsp nutritional supplements from Paws Custom Pet Food (Buddy’s has the added kidney/liver supplements with holistic herbs such as turmeric and milk thistle)

COOK

Mom adds some olive oil to a sauté pan (just a tiny bit) and then cooks the chicken hearts until they are no longer pink inside.  This takes about 10 minutes.  She always eats a few herself so I make sure I stare so she feels the need to share with me too.  When those are done cooking she sets them aside to cool.

Next she cooks the lamb, right in the same pan.  She buys the grass fed lamb that doesn’t get all oily on the bottom of the pan.  When I eat grass I barf, so I’m glad I’m not a lamb.  She doesn’t add any salt or pepper and “tests” so much of it herself that I worry about if any makes it into Buddy’s food.

While that is cooking, she cooks the sweet potato in the oven after stabbing it with a knife (scary).  She says all of the ingredients need to be cool when she mixes them so that it stays fresh longer.

Next, she puts everything into a big bowl on her electric chopper thing and turns it on.  It is so loud and I can’t even hear very well; this is my least favorite part (daddy’s too).

That’s it!  Easy huh?  Make it for your pups!  Now lets eat!

love ginger