The Barking Bakery Test Kitchen

Gah, I'm having so much fun with all this treat-making! If I thought I could make a living at this, I would quit my day job in a second. Below are some pictures of the dog-treat-making process and results and my two/too big helpers.

Bake... Let cool... Bag... And repeat...
Rider "Underfoot" Taylor

They have been trained to salivate at the sound of the oven timer, haha!This face tells me I'm doing a good job :-)Yummy oatmeal treats that didn't make the cut even though they turned out beautifully! They have to be refridgerated and sitting out in the heat all morning probably wouldn't be great for them.

All Barking Bakery treats have the Rider and Posey "Drool of Approval"

Baking = A Fantastic Workout!

I have been baking dog treats all weekend and my muscles are SO sore!! I am making three flavors -- cheese, peanut butter, and sunflower/mint (breath fresheners) -- and each $5 bag includes all three flavors. I had, at first, aimed at producing 100 bags... but, after my first couple of batches, I realized what a huge undertaking that was. So now I have cut it down to 25 and I'm hoping to sell all of them on Saturday.

I never knew how strenuous baking is though! Maybe it's because I've never been one to exercise, but all that kneading and rolling, etc. just exhausts me! I have found it very therapeutic, however, and would love to eventually turn this into a real business. I would be in perfect shape then!

I have really thrown everything I have into this. I think about it all the time and it's fun to have something to work on. Plus, it's a way to get the word out about the Humane Society. I have printed up information flyers to go in each bag and I have a "Did You Know?" sign with information for people who are just browsing and not buying. I also have pictures of some of the animals at the shelter and I am going to paste one to the front of each bag. Now, I'm just crossing my fingers for good weather and a big crowd at the Market!

More updates later this week...

My Long Lost Blog

I am sorry I have been neglecting you, poor blog! I haven't written in over a week, but I have some good reasons.

1) I wanted to give Charlie's post enough time for people in Indiana to see it and pass it along. Although, according to my nifty map to the left no one from Indiana reads my blog. (Sigh) However, someone who knows someone in Indiana could have helped spread the word, so I left it up for a while just in case.

2) My boss has been in town. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to do when she's not here but I've always been a fast worker and without interruptions, let's just say I end up with time leftover that I use in other productive ways, i.e. blogging, cross-posting for dogs, etc.

3) My sister-in-law has been in town. Paul's 17-year-old sister, Lizanne, came and stayed with us for a week and, with Paul at the Architecture studio so much, I was left to entertain her. Although, I'm certainly not complaining -- she is a fun girl and I was really sad when she left. The dogs loved her and we had great time just hanging out.

4) I have been planning a fundraiser for the Humane Society; well, sort of just a personal fundraiser -- I don't have any volunteers or anything. Starkville has started having a farmer's/artisan's market on Saturdays called the Starkville Community Market and, since booths are only $10, I decided to set one up selling homemade dog treats with proceeds going to the shelter. This has turned out to involve way more than I initially thought, or maybe I'm just a perfectionist; either way, I was supposed to open this weekend but had to push it back a week because, with everything else going on, I couldn't get it all together in time.

I also really need a name for the "business" but cannot decide on one! I've gotten some good suggestions and here are the ones I like right now: "Bone Appetit" "Doggie Delectables" "Bellyrub's Doggie Diner" "The Barking Bakery"/"Happy Dog's Barking Bakery" Anyone, please feel free to send me more suggestions!

5) Oh yeah! AND it was Paul's and my first wedding anniversary! We went to eat at Anthony's Good Food Market in West Point where you can bring your own wine/liquor. We took the bottle of wine we had brought back from our honeymoon in Spain, ate some good food and then came home and hesitantly ate a bite of the top of our wedding cake. It was NOT good! But it was a good night overall -- very lowkey -- just our style.

Sooo... as you can see, dear blog, I have been a very busy bee, but I promise to not neglect you this long again!

Charlie in Indiana

If you live in Indiana, please pass this on for Charlie. He is looking for a forever home!
Isn't he a handsome boy?! Read below for his story...

This is Charlie, he is a 4 year old mix. Of course, we have no idea with what. He has spent his life chained to a tree with the ground having dumped cement on it. He came to me in June of '07, very thin and no toe nails.

His owner took him to the vet because he was poisoned. The vet got him better but then heartworm tested. He was positive, of course. His owner wanted him euthanized. Said he didn't want that disease around his other dogs. Even after all the explanation of what heartworm's are, he was still to be euthanized.

That's when I stepped in and took him. We had him treated for his heartworm's, vaccinated, neutered all that good stuff. He stayed with us for 7-8 months until he went to another rep. There he tormented that cats and got into one fight with their small Chihuahua. He then, after 3 months living there, came back to us and was immediately adopted out.

His new home had no cats, which he hates, and 2 boys (8 & 9) to play with. He was taken to ball games and ran around in the backyard to play with the boys and their friends. He does show possessiveness of a toy or bone when he has it. You just have to leave him alone. He does jump really high and there is a small portion of fencing that was only 4 feet and he cleared it with no problem. He loved every visitor that came to visit. He's an absolute sweet boy who knows simple commands.

Then last week he was on the trampoline playing with a few other kids (why he was on the trampoline we'll never know) and the boy that lived there started to fall off the trampoline and grabbed Charlie by his back legs and took him with him. During the fall, Charlie, who was startled, turn around and bit the boy below the chin. Instantly, after they hit the ground, Charlie licked the boy with tons of kisses knowing he didn't mean to bite him. The boy was taken to the hospital with a small gash from the bite. I've seen pictures and it's ugly, but not severe.

The boy supposably got grounded for having Charlie on the trampoline, but now Charlie has to find another home. His owner doesn't think it's fair for Charlie to be in a home with boys that don't understand the reponsiblity of taking care of the dog. Of course, I feel the same way about the owner. His owner, however, did praise his behavior and everything about him. He was sad to let go of him, but didn't think his kids were ready for a dog.

He spent 3 months at this home and now needs a new one. Preferably without cats and small children that don't know how to behave around a dog.

PLEASE HELP ME FIND CHARLIE A HOME OR A FOSTER HOME!!!!

Jamie Shively PH: 765.506.0607 Dogs Deserve Better, IN Rep

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
---Anatole France

Good News!

The German Shepherd I posted about last Friday has been taken in by Animal Action Rescue in Decatur, GA and named Logan. They sent out a new picture and he already looks so much better. He is being treated for heartworms and will be neutered there, but he still needs to find a loving home. AAR set up a webpage for him (http://animalactionrescue.chipin.com/logans-medical-care) where you can view more pictures, read his story, and donate to his medical care.

Come on! Do something good for Logan! He is a sweet guy who needs a quiet foster home to recover in. If you or someone you know would like to take in Logan you can contact Animal Action Rescue at GTigger719@aol.com.

A Very Long Car Ride

As you can see, the dogs LOVE riding in the truck... in the back of the truck, where the wind blows through their ears and they can bark at things without getting in trouble.

The backseat of the truck though is a different story. They just can't get comfortable! The following series of pictures is Posey trying her best to find a comfy position... This worked for a few minutes.

And, to our great surprise, this position seemed to be the winner, as she stayed like this for quite a long time!
C'mon! Seriously, this cannot be comfortable in any sense of the word!

Discovery

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"-- Mary Oliver

I found this quote on another blog (http://thommalyn.blogspot.com/) whose owner appears to like quotes as much as I do. I have never run across this one though and I just LOVE it!

In digging a little further I realize that it is not actually a quote, complete in itself, but the ending of a poem by Mary Oliver. I begin to read more of her poems and wonder how, as an English major, I was never introduced to this great poet?? As a girl who doesn't care for rhyming, I find a lot of similarities between our styles, though I'm certainly not pretending to be as talented or perceptive as she is. Her poems are so simple and free-flowing, but after reading them over a couple of times they reveal many complexities and wonderful insights into nature and life. Below is the complete poem the quote is pulled from... see what I mean?!

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean---
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down---
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

So Do Something!

"This world is a dangerous place, not only because of the evil doers, but also because of the ones who choose to do nothing about it." -- Albert Einstein