OSCAR ATE MY MUFFIN

Gingerbread... with a Twist

Sooo, even with a holiday to-do list already busting at the seams, inspiration struck last week when I stumbled on this kinda amazing, albeit ambiguously simple, novelty gingerbread cookie-cutting set. I've made my share of spice-cookie architecture and smiling ginger-boys and girls, but this was something new, something special - and I loved it... but I could so totally do something better...

So I did.

Starting with a silhouette of Oscar's handsome pop, Ruger, and utilizing some very gracious design/engineer friend-consult, I fashioned, step-by-step, my very own custom Ridgeback cookie cutters...


Now, molding tin dog silhouettes to a perfectionist's specs isn't exactly a walk in the park, but lest you think it's all smooth sailing once you've got a bonafide "dough-stamp" - working with raw gingerbread (I'll posit any cookie dough) is, let's just say, rather tricky. *Consider that your molds - dependent on THREE cookies to amicably interlock - have a lean margin for variance in cookie thicknesses; consider that gingerbread rises ever so slightly (and completely uncontrollably) while baking; consider that your icing, depending on how you make it and how thickly you spread it, adds it's own hair to two-hair's thickness; then consider that gingerbread, as a sculptural material, could honestly care less about what you're up to... Add that all up and you've got a recipe for trial and error. Lucky for me, I'm one patient amateur baker...


Many delicious prototypes and test runs later, I had a small pack of "perfect" gingerbread dogs, which I guarded FIERCELY until all photography and special gifting was complete. And now - project documentation buttoned up and posted - I just have a half dozen or so extra reasons to go out for a run or find a treadmill every day for the next month...

*For those curious, the gingerbread recipe I followed was from trusty MarthaStewart.com, as was that for the Royal Icing. And if you're wondering about the icing color, which is actually a bit brighter in person, behold - Neon Food Coloring (yeah, they make that now!).

Happiest Holiday

Thanksgiving-time brought some heavy sentiment from me this year... so in the essence of keeping today's jingly, ribbon-tied magnificence short, sweet, and full of activities other than sitting at the laptop:

To all our friends, family, and followers: May you enjoy an exceptionally merry, and thoroughly happy, healthy, and hopeful holiday - our love to you all.

~ N-zed & O-Town

Testing, Testing...

Sometimes you just need to muck around with materials and try things out... and when your studio muse is Oscar, your tests often end up as portraiture: This is a colored pencil drawing with a watercolor overlay.

Rescued Bestie Feature No.5: Brady

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Brady, 9 y/o Shar-pei 
Rescue Facilitator: North American Shar-pei Rescue

When most people think of a Shar-pei, a blocky, hippo-faced, pig-eared critter with a bristly coat comes to mind... At least that's what present-day breed standards would have us imagine; a neat/lean build, athleticism, and affectionate attitude would not be appropriate associations... until you meet Brady.

A purebred Shar-pei, this jaunty little sweetheart has some of those popularly "correct" SP characteristics, but an AKC specimen he is not* (I've always thought he could easily pass for a creature from Harry Potter's Magical Managerie... he's just that curious in appearance). It was speculated that he found himself on the doorstep of a shelter precisely because of his unconventional looks (the victim of a breeder who would rather abandon a puppy than admit that he/she had bred something so far from the standard), but his exact history wasn't of concern to the couple in Massachusetts who saw his striking mug on the North American Shar-pei Rescue (NASR) website, and immediately fell in love... 

*Coincidentally, Brady looks very similar to old-world, "traditional" Chinese Shar-peis - also known as 'bone-mouth' Shar-peis (a not-so-odd nick-name when considering the moniker of today's exaggerated-type, modern predecessor: the 'meat-mouth'...).

As purebred rescues often do, NASR originally scooped Brady up from a high-kill shelter in Anderson County, South Carolina, and placed him in foster care. I'm told that the shelter he was originally abandoned at euthanizes more dogs in one month than the entire state of Massachusetts does in a year... a staggering, but sadly not uncommon statistic when comparing the state of homeless pets in MA to that in more southerly states. Thankfully, unconventional as he may be, he was still distinctive enough to catch the eye of his breed rescue, and at 6 m/o, Brady was posted to the rescue's Petfinder listing, where he quickly found his forever home with Steve and Andra.


Steve and Andra's previous dog had been a beloved Shar-pei, so they were already familiar with, and quite fond of, the unique quirks of this ancient, Asian breed. When it came time to seek out a new pup, they had a Shar-pei type in mind (thus making them perfect candidates for breed rescue). Lucky for them, there appeared sweet Brady - a perfect match...

Perfect Pumpkin Pup-Treats

When the season of giving thanks rolled into town this year, I couldn't resist the call of fresh pumpkins, suddenly plentiful at the grocery store: I love roasted pumpkin myself, but Oscar might be a bigger fan than even I. Since I had been interested for some time in making a batch of homemade, baked dog treats for the Beast, I thought now a fitting time to research recipes that utilized this most excellent flavor...

Anyone with a dog likely knows that canned pumpkin should be a staple in any properly outfitted canine pantry, due to it's "magical" digestive-regulating properties - I don't know how much of that benefit is transferred after baking into a cookie, but it certainly can't hurt. The original version of the treat recipe I based the following on was actually born of the resourcefullness by one skilled chef, in response to her black lab's upset tummy, and fickle taste buds. That original recipe can be found on the blog simmer till done - but because I can never leave well enough alone, I made a few minor adjustments:

Since I only had wheat flours in my pantry - and I know my dog tolerates wheat just fine - I swapped out the rice flour for whole wheat... and I added turmeric. Turmeric (colored by the yellow pigment, curcumin), it turns out, is a powerful supplement, with anti-inflammatory benefits, and the power to inhibit tumor growth, and naturally dissolve lipomas (fatty tumors) - this recipe would provide only fractions of a pinch within in each cookie, but I'm inclined to never underestimate the power of trace amounts... 

So, without further adieu - read on to learn how to make your own Perfect Pumpkin Pup-Treats... 

1. Mix together wet ingredients: 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (since they're in season, we actually roasted a little sugar pumpkin and made our own puree!) and 2 eggs.

2. Seperately stir together dry ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour (we used whole wheat, but any flour can be substituted - just be aware that different flours may require a touch more pumpkin puree to form a good dough), 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp dry milk and 1 tsp turmeric.

3. Blend dry mixture into wet mixture until ingredients are mostly incorporated, then turn out the dough and knead until smooth.

4. Roll out the dough: I rolled mine down to about 1/8 of an inch, and used a small, bone-shaped cutter, but the exact thickness and size of cookie shape is up to you. Less is more in this house... a larger, thicker cookie will simply need more baking time.

5. Use a cookie cutter to make your treat shapes! I love the wee bone shape... *poking the treats with a fork will minimize puffing up during baking*

6. Place cut-outs on a baking sheet - we put our cookies directly on an un-greased sheet and had no problem with sticking - and bake at 350˚ for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just starting to brown. If you make larger cookies than I did, they'll likely need more time... just watch them for browning.

7. Turn out cookies to cool on a rack or plate and make sure they're completely cool before sealing them up in an airtight container. At the size we worked with, this recipe made over 6 dozen little bone-shaped treats! Oscar, as you might imagine, was thrilled with this output but demanded quality control inspections at regular intervals...


We hope your 4-pawed friends and family enjoy this handmade treat as much as Oscar does - and if the mixing and kneading and stamping and baking leaves you inspired to make more goodies for the pups, we have just the direction to point you in: Our good friends Pretty Fluffy and Chic Sprinkles (fellow lady dog-bloggers extraordinaire!) have just released a terrific new ebook titled "52 Weeks of Treats"! Dozens of inventive recipes (Sweet Potato Pretsels, Hearty Beef Bites... Puppylato!) and tips are combined with lovely photographs - all available for download! We're excited to give some of these tasty treats a spin in our kitchen... just in time for holiday gifting...

Rescued Bestie Feature No.4: Callie

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Callie, 7 y/o herding mix 
Rescue Facilitator: Northeast Animal Shelter, Salem, MA, & Save a Sato

If there is one dog in our neighborhood that can get Oscar's grumpy old bones running, it's Callie. A pistol of a little black & tan girl, Callie pretty much has 2 speeds: frozen (eye's locked on a target), and flat-out running. Though her exact breeding is unknown, she exhibits the classic belly-crawling creep and ankle-nipping dart and dive so characteristic to herders - her body-type backs that up, with a compact, agile frame, and the most lovely, medium-length "sport coat". I've always gotten a chuckle from her perky pigtail ears, which look as though they must surely be tied on by ribbons of some sort - Pippi Dog-stocking style.

Unlike Oscar and his completely ill-suited-to-snowstorms short hair, Callie looks perfectly at home in the moody climate of Massachusetts - you'd never guess that she was born in Puerto Rico... 


Callie is a "sato" - that's slang for "street dog". Roughly 3 years old when she was rescued from scavenging in alleys and sleeping under vehicles, she had already had at least one litter (determined by vet exam). She was taken in by a compassionate non-profit called Save a Sato when she hung around the same back door long enough to be lured inside.

Headquartered in Puerto Rico, but partnered with a handful of select shelters in the Northestern United States, SAS is "dedicated to easing the suffering of Puerto Rico's homeless and abused animals... rescuing satos from the streets and beaches, giving them medical care, food and shelter, and plenty of love". The dogs are cared for in shelters around Puerto Rico, until they can safely be transported north: Thanks to a clever "escort" system through American Airlines, SAS is able to pair their furry cargo with random travelers to the island - the dogs simply become additional checked baggage on return flights home! SAS covers the airfare for the dogs, and their staff takes care of all dog-prep and documentation at either end of a flight - volunteer travelers need only stand as liasons for the animals from port to port - it's a marvelously efficient arrangement...


As for Callie - she may still dream of breezy sunsets on the beach, and rummaging through dumpsters without the confines of a collar and leash... but at the end of each day in this life of hers, I'll bet she also thanks her dog-stars for a warm bed, effortless meals, a terrific family, and bestie beasts like O-Town, who live for a good game of chase, just for the fun of it. 

O-Town Reviews: Sojos 'Good Dog' Treats

At long last - and just in time for the gifting season - Oscar's first product review is ready for prime time!

As a proud new member of the inubar5, Oscar's treat-tasting, canine coat-wearing, plush toy-thrashing talents will now be put to professional use - as bona fide product testing for the snazzy, design-centric, online dog boutique, inubar. Good boy that he is, the Beast waited most patiently for the postman to finally deliver our first surprise box of sample goodies... there was still growling at the front door when said package arrived (the postman IS still the postman - bearing gifts or not), but what joy of joys when we cracked open the corrugated cube to reveal... one of O-Town's FAVORITE nibbles of all time...

Oscar may be an X-LG when it comes to dog-sizing, but (despite some people's misguided impression that treat size should correlate directly with girth) the smaller the treat for him, the BETTER. If you're familiar with marker training (same camp as clicker training) you know the value of lots and lots and lots... AND LOTS... of consistent "YESES", aka "marks", paired directly with rewards (in most cases, rewards = food). If I were handing out jumbo Milkbones for every "YES", I'd have a WHALE for a companion (and much as Oscar might enjoy being a whale, that body type just ain't healthy for a dog). Since Oscar was raised on boatloads of rewards-based marker training, the Holy Grail of treats, in my book, is a nibble-sized, uber-flavorful, wholesome-ingredient-rich, virtual crumb of a cookie - prefereably dry and non-greasy (so when they inevitably escape into a coat pocket, things don't get gross). Suffice to say, the day I discovered Sojo's "Good Dog" treats was a very, very good day.


These teensy little bones are positively the perfect size for training-treats; they come in a range of what I consider "delicious" flavors (blueberry cobler, pb & jelly, and - featured here - apple dumpling); and they are neat as can be in the handling department. Oscar most definitely agrees with me on this. And since these treats are ever so dainty, even after a full session of honing quality party tricks like "say you're sorry" and "stick em up", he runs nary the risk of becomming another embarrassing tubby puppy statistic...

Giving Thanks

The photo above was taken 2 years ago, for a Thanksgiving post to my other blog. It directly followed a downright AWFUL event that involved Oscar being in the equivalent of the dog-hospital ICU for a full week (if you look close you can see where both of his forelegs had been shaved down for IVs). Thankfully, he recovered rather miraculously, and without lasting effects - just in time to count my blessings for the traditional day of Great Thanks... Little did I know that his illness would mark the start of an entire series of quite painful experiences that would stretch out over the following months, and years, dramatically altering my path, and my perspective.

It's been a very, very long road from the photo above, to today, and while I'd never willingly ask for any of the challenges that presented themsleves to me, I could never have guessed how much they would change me, allow me to grow, and even give back, in the most profound ways - nor could I ever appreciate the same things that I do now without their heart-trying lessons.

I like giving thanks, not just on holidays, but every day - I'm just that kind of human. Call me sappy, call me sentimental - a hopeless romantic with an unrealistic, rosy-pink filter on the world... but you know, I'll take it. It beats not realizing how very many beautiful, bright, shiny, warm, adoring, unique things surround every one of us, every single day - even the crappy days, amidst seas of stress and discomfort. Every. Single. Day. There is something to be thankful for, trust me.

TODAY, 730 days since the beginning of that world of hurt for me (and some for Oscar as well), I can safely say - we're out of the deepest, dark woods, and not only can I still find things to be thankful for, I can find crazy tons of them right now - the biggies: family (swoon, hug, LOVE); friends (new & old - I ADORE you); work (epic surprise and delight); dog (where do I possibly begin, my brown-eyed boy...); and yeah, me (always, always learning, but "perfectly imperfect" is fitting me to a T these days...).

On behalf of the big red dog and I, here's wishing all of YOU, dear readers, a most exquisite day of Giving Thanks - may it be the first of many that you appreciate throughout the coming year...

Saluting: Dogs Of War

On this day of remembrance, honor, and deep, deep gratitude, we salute not only the sacrifices of brave humans, but the massive hearts and incredible loyalty of the canines who have stood by them: charging the front lines with infantry; bomb-seeking with security patrols; assisting search and rescue teams; providing therapeutic support in myriad ways... from tiny toy dogs, to great German Shepherds, to mutts, strays and rescues... dogs have fought, saved, healed, and helped troops of all kinds, for centuries... and today - if not every day - we pay homage to their heroism.

The photo above is of the War Dog memorial at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY (ACME News Pictures, Inc. 1936).

Among the countless 4-leggeds who made their mark among the US military's finest, here are four who's stories have been thoroughly celebrated: clockwise starting with top left - Smokey the "Yorkie Doodle Dandy", "Sentry Dog Nemo" the German Shepherd, "War Hero" Rags the terrier mix, and the highly decorated all-American pit bull "Sargeant Stubby".


In researching this post I came across a great blog series called Rebecca's War Dog of the Week - terrific images and lovely little features on working dogs from around the world (definitely worth a bookmark). Rebecca Frankel is a writer living in Washington D.C., and her series appears to be a snapshop of her research for an upcoming book all about dogs in combat, to be released in 2013 - we'll be keeping an eye out for that!

Bark the Vote 2012

Those who stay away from the election
think that one vote will do no good: 
'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's the day, friends, you know what to do.