Adventures about pet therapy, dog rescue and urban life in the 'Burbs
Brrrr…it’s a cold one this morning after yesterday’s latest storm so today’s smile seems most appropo. I guess Mother Nature looked at the calendar and decided to place catch up now. Whatever.
Enjoy that first cup of whatever you prefer. In our case, just make it hot. Happy Monday and enjoy a great day.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
It’s Monday again and we hope you had a fantastic weekend. The weather here was beyond gorgeous and most of last week’s snow has begun melting in earnest. Our temps will be bouncing up and down all week. In the low 70’sF (22C) followed by a day of high 50’sF (58C) all week long as we rush toward the official arrival of Spring in 10 days. Loads of birds that we hadn’t heard before seem to be extra happy if their chirping up a storm is any indication.
As I was looking for a smile to share today, I came across one that rather tickled me. In a world of helicopter parents, those of us of a particular age will no doubt be nodding their heads identifying with today’s smile.
Some days I wonder how I manage to make it through childhood so today’s smile especially cracked me up and I hope it sets the stage for you to enjoy a wonderful week for you and yours to enjoy a wonderful week full of good vibes and smiles. Let’s hear it for thriving and surviving this week. Happy Monday!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
While MLB spring training actually began February 20, Wilson is getting in shape for it. Here’s hoping you’re ready to compete for the week. Happy Monday.
Live, Love, Bark! 🐾
Happy Monday. Today is Wilson’s favorite day. Not because it’s Monday but because it’s International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day (also known as National Dog Biscuit Day). Woof, woof! What’s the story behind this special day? We did some digging and hope you enjoy the back story. Plus, in honor of the House Pony’s favorite day, we’re sharing a few recipes from our dog treat cookbook that you can make for your own dog’s favorite day.
So here’s what I discovered about how dog treats came to be a billion dollar business. I learned that the term “dog’s bread” had been around since Roman times. It was frequently labeled “bad bran bread,” with the term being associated with treating people poorly.
Back in early 1800’s England, dog biscuits began to show up that resembled what we are more familiar with now. Made with vegetables, grains, and bran, the mixture was baked together and sold as a treat, with claims made that they would improve a dog’s coat and skin.
The first mass-produced dog biscuit was created by American, James Spratt in London when he began manufacturing his “Meat Fibrine Dog Cake” around 1860. Ingredients were wheat meal, vegetables, beetroot, and meat.
These “dog cakes” were originally marketed to the English gentry for their sporting dogs. Spratt’s Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes began to show up in the U.S. in 1881, and were considered a luxury item and were marketed at dog shows. They appeared on the cover of the first journal of the American Kennel Club in 1889. Spratt’s Patent, Ltd. also supplied army dogs with hundreds of millions of the biscuits during WWI.
Not to be outdone, American F. H. Bennett began to compete against Spratt by making the first bone-shaped dog biscuit, known as “Milk Bone.”
A fascinating side fact that I learned was that a box of Milk-Bone treats made an appearance in the 1924 silent film The Tomboy, and later was the basis for a line from the TV sitcom Cheers, spoken by the character Norm, who was played by George Wendt. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world and I’m wearing Milk-Bone underwear.”
So in honor of the Floof’s favorite day, here are two recipes from our treat making cookbook that you can make for your dog’s favorite day. Enjoy!
Prep time: 25 min. Cook time: 40 min.
*We blogged this recipe way back when in October 2016. Original post can be seen here.
Mix all ingredients until well combined. Press into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Lightly flour surface and roll dough out to about 1/2″ thick. Use cookie cutters or a small glass to cut out the treats. Bake at 250º for 25-30 minutes and allow to cool before serving. This recipe received the 4-paw seal of approval. 🐾🐾 Nom, nom!
And even though it’s National Dog Biscuit Day, it’s still a Monday, which means we start the week out with a smile or two. The first is in honor of the historic win by Team USA in yesterday’s gold medal men’s hockey, overtime win on the exact day 46 years ago when the upstart US team beat the Soviet Union back in 1980.
Because we know the East Coast from Maryland to Maine is being hit with more severe winter weather, we hope they will appreciate today’s smile. Stay safe, warm and be comforted with the fact that Spring officially arrives in 25 days. Hang in there.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Good morning peeps. We hope you had a good weekend and are enjoying improved temperatures. With 32 days until the official arrival of Spring, things are starting to show signs that temps is moving in the right direction after a seemingly endless winter for many. We saw our first daffodil blooming on Saturday right before attending the rescue fundraiser at Kendra Scott’s. Wilson was quite the guest and seemed to enjoy all the attention and treats. He even tried his hand with herding after his appearance but was somewhat disappointed with the results. He said, “those doggone difficult creatures showed him no respect.” You can judge for yourself if the sheep disrespected him.
Have a marvelous Monday.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Welcome to another Monday. We hope you enjoyed your weekend and met your quota of sports viewing. Between the Super Bowl, the Olympics and the all important Puppy Bowl XXII, there was something for everyone. Your football team may not have won but everyone won in the Puppy Bowl with all 150 contestants finding their forever homes. As usual, kittens provided the adorable half time entertainment. Team Fluff again won the “Lombarky” Trophy in the 2026 Puppy Bowl, beating Team Ruff by a score of 73-69 (there was a whole lot more offense in the Puppy Bowl than the Super Bowl) for the second year in a row. Wilson and I offer our best congratulations to Team Fluff. For a look at the highlights. please click here.
We’ve heard folks on the East Coast suffered another brutally cold weekend but hope today marks a turn-around in their temps. With Spring just 39 days away, we’re hoping Nature gives them a much needed break.
So let’s move on to a couple of smiles for today.
I realize when you’re freezing, there’s not a lot of funny aboiut it but thought this might bring things into perspective. 
We hope you’re staying toasty warm and have a great Monday and even better week.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Monday, peeps. Welcome to the first Monday in February. Today is known as Groundhog Day where millions of people turn to a rodent to predict whether or not winter will be extended for another six weeks or not. Falling midway between the shortest day of the year. This tradition comes from a medieval Catholic holiday, Candlemas held on February 2, but the science behind it is questionable at best. In Germany, it was believed that when a badger emerged from its den, if it saw its shadow, it would return to said den, signaling six more weeks of winter. In the 1700s German immigrants brought this custom with them when they settled in Pennsylvania but changed the animal with the native and abundant, groundhog (or woodchuck) as the forecaster of spring’s arrival rather than a badger.
The first “official” Groundhog Day took place in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and was organized by a local newspaper editor, Clymer Freas. A group of hunters known as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was formed and well…here we are…relying on a rodent to let us know if winter will continue. Whether you believe in this long-standing custom, I’m sure many believe they couldn’t do any worse than the local weather forecast.
In keeping with our custom to enjoy a smile or two on Mondays, we have a few offerings today. We hope they make you smile even if it’s nearly certain Phil will see his shadow and the prediction of six more weeks of winter will follow. Hmmm, how convenient…it coincides with the calendar’s announcement that spring arrives on March 20th (in 45 days for those keeping track). Hang on peeps, spring is coming.
Have a Happy Monday and for those of you on the east coast who received more snow over weekend, we hope things warm up soon.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Welcome to Snowmageddon…as if Monday wasn’t bad enough to deal with. We are hoping everyone is staying safe and cozy. Wilson thought everyone deserved a couple of smiles today with a minor edit to the first one.
On the plus side, once you finally defrost, there’s good news:
As expected, not a huge amount of snow arrived; my neighbor and I have managed to stay ahead of any accumulation on the sidewalks but today with clear skies, we are experiencing near blizzard-like winds blowing the snow over shoveled walks. Today’s high is expected to hit 41F (5C) which will seem like a heatwave. Please stay safe and warm. We hope all those affected with power outages will have their power restored soon. Happy Monday.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Welcome to the 2026 Snow Armageddon, otherwise known as Friday where we join our friends, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. We first want to express our concern for folks in the direct line of this massive storm crossing the country from Albuquerque to New England and hope the power stays on to keep everyone safe and warm. While it’s chilly in the metro area, I don’t think it’ll be nearly as bad as some areas but flurries have started this morning. Because this storm is coming from the North, we likely won’t get much in the way of accumulated snow, but it will be cold, of that there is no doubt. Anyway, Wilson has a few pics and thoughts he wanted to share with you.
Wilson: What the bloody dog, Mum? I hope you plan on keeping me plenty warm this weekend. I just heard the forecast and you know how much of a fair weather. I so hope you’re well prepared.
The Mum: Umm, good morning to you too. Just so you know, we’re as prepared as possible but you need to remember that I don’t have any control about how cold it gets. We should be fine presuming the power stays on, buddy. I might even let you snuggle with me on the bed.
Wilson: Oops, sorry about not saying good morning. On the bed? Oooh, YESS…count me in. As you probably know, I’m not particularly a fan of this new rule about being on the furniture. Come to think of it, I still don’t know why it was instituted in the first place. May I remind you that you are not a king?
The Mum: You’re watching too much news, buddy. You were beginning to take over the furniture and after I broke my sternum last year, I couldn’t risk you flopping on me, thus the new rule. For the record, I’ve never minded you on the furniture but it must be by invitation. And you can’t crowd me out which is what you’ve been doing. So what do you have for us today?
Wilson: {grumble, grumble…fine} The landscape is still brown and drab but I think I’ve curated a few pics that you might like. Warning, if you are not a fan of seeing wild animal scat, you might want to skip this first pic. Mum was pretty excited to find a couple areas where evidence of wild critters (mostly like coyotes) have been traversing the Ralston Creek Trail. I wasn’t nearly as impressed, and wasn’t all that interested in reading any messages. I don’t think they eat very well. Looks like a lot of birdseed and wood chips to me.
The Mum: You may not have been interested in sniffing, but you were pretty insistent on photobombing-I should have completely cropped out the presence of your foot paddle…otherwise known as a paw.
Wilson: Harumph…uh…I was merely scanning the surroundings to make sure I didn’t have to go into protection mode.
The Mum: Oh please…the chances of encountering a coyote are pretty slim. They will retreat to avoid any threats…
Wilson: I see my reputation precedes me…
The Mum: {eyes rolling} If it makes you feel better. What else have you got?
Wilson: I should haver realized there was going to be a change in the temps after yesterday morning’s walk. There was frost on the bridge planks. It was sparkly though it doesn’t really come through on the photo-more like fading in the wood, but trust me, it looked cool as it followed the shadows. Literally.
The Mum: I notice the water hazards around the golf course had a small bit of frost in the shallow areas. Makes you wonder how ducks and geese can stand paddling around the cold water.
Wilson: What I want to know is why they avoid me. I just wanted to get close enough to say good morning. But the mallards are very timid and avoid me like I’m some sort of plague carrier. How come they don’t like me, Mum?
The Mum: Aww, buddy, it’s not that they don’t like you, they’re just afraid you might harm them. We’ll have to watch them peacefully paddle around from a distance.
Wilson: Well their Canadian cousins aren’t nearly as afraid. Those geese practically taunt me to come close even though I could care less about them. Maybe they are more closely related to the doggone squirrels who always taunt me but the little monsters always manage to stay out of reach. I think they’re afraid of me…as they should be. The jaws of death are just waiting for them.
The Mum: Easy does it, House Pony. The jaws of death are going to have to put the kibosh and halt all encounters with tree rats as I don’t want you to get some horrid disease from them.
Wilson: While I’m looking out the window at the snow flurries, I’m fondly recalling the beauty of past days this week. It was fun finding this mural on the nearby underpass but it’ll be more fun when the temps go back to 40’sF (4C+) next week.
The Mum: Yes that mural makes me smile and I’m looking forward to when gardens begin to wake up from winter. I’m going to miss seeing the hyacinths and other spring bulbs that we had in our old garden, but am hopeful folks’ gardens around the neighborhood will satisfy our spring desires.
Wilson: Yup, me too Mum. I like to check out new flowers to see if they smell as good as you say they do. I’m looking forward to seeing what the wildlife habitat offers. Can’t wait!
The Mum: With ‘only’ 55 days until the official arrival of spring, it should be interesting seeing how it looks in the suburbs. We hope everyone has a good weekend, staying safe and warm.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Given today’s political climate, I think this quote is an appropriate one for the times and hope you are doing your part to spread the Reverend’s message. We need it more than ever. In the U.S. in particular, looking away can no longer be the norm.
It’s cold, snowy day in the 303 (and a bit quite unexpected-I know I sure wasn’t prepared for temps in the teens AND snow, even if the snow is pretty minor). The sky is clear now and we hope we reach the forecasted 41F degrees (5C). I know a lot of you have been buried in cold and snow filled and don’t expect too much sympathy but we’ve been acclimated far too long to 50’s and 60’s over the past couple of months.
As we typically do on Monday’s, we’re also sharing a smile since we still need to smile in these crazy and uncertain times. Wishing you a reflective Monday that’s filled with good intentions, positive actions with lots of smiles this week.
And if kids have been bugging you, here’s a strategy that might help. Stay warm and have a great Monday reflecting on the legacy of MLK.
Live, love, bark! 🐾