Blizzard Dog Ice Cream

There was an article in the NY Times about sixteen year old New Yorker, Christian Liendo. Christian invented an ice cream for dogs.  He came up with the idea for an entrepreneurial competition. Inspired by his afternoons at his grandmother's eating ice cream but not being able to share his delicious treat with her dog, Max, Christian experimented with dog friendly ingredients such as carbo powder, soy milk, lactose free milk. With Max as his taster, Christian soon developed flavors doggies craved! He hopes to sell his doggie ice cream  alongside regular ice cream at ice cream stores. Hopefully sooner than later, Christian.  I know Hank and George would like to try some!

You can read more about Blizzard Dog at the NY Times.

Photo: Robert Stolarick/NY Times 

Homemade Dog Biscuits

I have been so bored! This lack of weather in my new home is really driving me bonkers. To pass the time in between dog walks on the golf course and Farmville sessions, I have been experimenting with baking in the high altitude (The town of Mammoth Lakes is at an elevation of 7800). For my first experiment I thought I would make dog biscuits because dogs don't care about texture or whether or not the dough has risen properly.

After some Internet research, I found this great website www.bullwrinkle.com. It has a ton of great dog biscuit recipes as well as information and tips about bulldogs and owning dogs. I made the Everyday Dog biscuit and my dogs LOVE them. These dog biscuits are super easy to make and are made with ingredients that are found in any typical pantry. The high altitude didn't affect the recipe too much (I added a little extra of water) and I omitted the garlic because I read somewhere that garlic may not be so great for dogs digestion. Also since I just moved and didn't have any honey I substituted black strap molasses. I've heard of molasses dog treats so I don't think the molasses substitution affected the outcome too much. Hank and George still gobbled up the treats.


Everyday Dog Biscuit
Originally published at www.bullwrinkle.com

2 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 TBSP dry parsley
2 TBSP minced garlic (I omitted the garlic)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 TBSP honey ( I used black strap molasses)
1 egg
5-6 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a bowl, dissolve yeast into water. After it foams (about 5 minutes), stir in parsley, garlic (if using), honey, egg and chicken broth. Gradually add flour, stirring to combine until a stiff dough forms. If using a stand mixer, using the dough hook, mix until dough pulls away from the side of the ball, forming a ball on the hook. It should be smooth. If mixing by hand, knead on a floured surface, until smooth. Shape dough into a disk and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.

Using dog bone cutters, make biscuits. Gather scraps, re-roll and cut out more biscuits. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and turn over. Bake for another 15 minutes. After the biscuits are done baking, transfer all the biscuits to a baking sheet and leave in oven overnight to crisp.

Dogs and their Owners; a Family Resemblance?

The NY Times has a funny slide show about dogs and their owners and whether they look alike. I don't think I resemble Hank as far as physical looks but I definitely think our character traits are similar. We are both loyal, stubborn, relentless, take what we want, crave attention, are hyperactive with a huge lazy streak and we both don't like strangers, children, cats or squirrels. Sounds like a typical Leo, actually. Anyways here are some of my favorite images from the slide show but you should check out the whole thing for yourself at the online edition of the NY Times.

Also don't forget to vote for Hank in the Cutest Dog Competition.

And while you're at it, vote for George too! He could use some love.

Please vote for Hank

I entered Hank's picture in a Cutest Dog Competition. The grand prize is a million dollars and there is a $500 weekly prize for the most votes. You can vote everyday! Please vote for Hank, he needs your support! You can vote for Hank here.

Margo's Bark is Tastier than her Bite

Meet Oscar, a 7-year old entrepreneur and philanthropist and his dog Margo. For his 1st grade Science project, Oscar made root beer. It was so popular amongst his schoolmates and teachers that he started to research and test different recipes. The result is Margo's Bark. The root beer is named after Oscar's dog, a black lab-pit bull mix. All the proceeds go to help shelter dogs. You can try Margo's Bark at Tender Green's, Joan's on Third, Larchmont Larder, and the Urban Pet.









Source

Bad Food, Bad Dog

Advertising Agency: Prolam Y&R Santiago, Santiago, Chile
Executive Creative Director: Tony Sarroca
Regional Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Vega
Creative Directors: Francisco Cavada, Alvaro Becker
Art Directors: Fabrizio Capraro, Andres Echeverria
Digital Retoucher: Cristian Muñoz
Illustrator: Raul Pardo
Account Supervisor: Juan Carlos Meza
Published: April 2009

Waterboarding for dogs?

Did you ever wish you could just put your dirty dog in the washing machine after he rolled around in the dead bird carcass you discovered in the backyard? Well apparently now you can. It's not exactly a washing machine but starting at $21 the Dog-o-matic will have your pooch from foul to fresh in less than 30 minutes. The Dog-o-matic vending machines are quite successful in France and inventor Romain Jarry hopes to bring them to Britain.

Using the Dog-o-matic is simple. Even mutants and small children can operate it. First select your wash-cycle and size. It is about $20 for small dogs, $35 for medium and $49 for the largest customers. Inventor Romain Jarry also notes that cats can be catered to, for the small dog price. Good luck doing that without getting your eyeballs scratched out.
Place the pooch inside. Close the chamber and push the start button. Mr Jarry said: 'It doesn't take long to wash the dog - usually a few minutes. The longest part is the drying. The dogs don't seem to get bored. They just sit there and they come out clean." Yeah right.

A soggy pooch gets the wash cycle. Does he look like he's having a good time?

Source: Wired

If it's good enough for the dog....

Do you think you can tell the difference between pate and dog food? Apparently most Americans can't tell the difference. In a study done by the American Association of Wine Economists, blind taste testers were given five samples. Only 3 of the 18 tasters were able to correctly identify the dog food. The five samples were selected from a wide price range but were processed to be similar in texture. Duck liver mousse, pork liver pate, Spam, liverwurst and Newman's Own Dog Food were the samples given to the tasters. Two of the tasters identified the duck liver mousse as dog food. Four people thought it was the Spam. At least 72% of the tasters agreed the dog food tasted the worst.

Source: LA Times

Hola Mi Amigas Te Llamas

Research for my Mexico report