New products for Doxie Lovers

Hey, happy April! I have to catch you up on all the current events around here: If you follow me on social media you probably already know my pup, Baci. She'll be 2 in June and we just finished her second round of obedience training classes. About 7 months ago I noticed she had an occasional limp in her back right leg. It slowly got worse and before long she was limping on both back legs. I had the vet take a look and it was worse than I thought - severe luxating patellas in both legs. Surgery was recommended sooner than later to prevent any additional damage. And they wanted to operate on both legs at once. OMG! Everything moved super quickly and before I knew it her surgery had been scheduled for 3 days away.

So you must be wondering - what does this have to do with new doxie products? In an effort to raise money to help pay the unanticipated large vet bills I set up a donation page and designed a few new doxie-centric products for the shop! Cause, seriously, who doesn't love a wiener dog?!

First up is the Life is Better With a Dog print. It comes in 3 colors: pink, light aqua, and light gray. It would look great in kids rooms or adult spaces alike. I usually don't hang my own work but I couldn't resist framing one of the gray prints for my studio. :)

Next up: the Doxie Love Stamp Set featuring a joyful dachshund and a little heart stamp. Add a little happiness to your paper products by stamping up your own custom patterns.

There are two ways to get your hands on this fun new stuff: you can purchase from the Art or Stamp sections in the shop, or you can check out the Help Baci page and get them as a gift with donation. 100% of the proceeds from these sales and donations will go directly to help pay for Baci's medical expenses. Anything you can give, even $1, will be much appreciated. <3 Thanks so much for reading!

DIY Easy Gluten Free Dog Biscuits & Happy Birthday to Baci!

It's a special day! Today my sweet little puppy turns into a big girl, she's 1 year old! I'm not sure exactly where she came from (shelter puppy), but I'm grateful every day that she found her way into my life. And I'm happy to celebrate her big day today! So let's make some treats, shall we?

She is always ravenous (I think it's a dachshund thing) so I decided to make her some special treats for her birthday. I researched a bunch of different recipes before making this one up on my own. I wanted the ingredients to be simple, healthy, and gluten free, since some of her doggy friends have food allergies. Baci loved them and so did all of the other dogs who tried them - a Queensland Heeler mix, Poddle mix, and a finicky Jack Russel Terrier. I'd say that's a success!

Here's the recipe for easy gluten-free dog treats:

• 1 3/4 - 2 cups old fashioned oats or oat flour
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 cup canned sweet potato or pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If you're using oats (like I did), chop them in a food processor, 1/2 cup at a time until it's chopped into a fine meal. If you have oat flour, skip this step!

In a bowl, blend the peanut butter and sweet potato until mixed. Add the oat flour to the mixture 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a ball of dough. The amount of flour required will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter. I used close to 2 cups with this batch. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour, or until chilled.

Roll out dough between two sheets of wax or parchment paper, to about 1/4" thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. To make the paw print design, press a finger tip into the bottom center of each cookie, and add smaller impressions over it for the toes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until slightly browned.

The biscuits will have a soft, cookie-like texture. Easy to chew and delicious to munch on, apparently! I tried one myself and wasn't that impressed, so make sure to have something tasty around for you to snack on. These smelled amazing while they were baking and really it made me hungry! 

Store in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. I split my batch in half and stored the rest in the freezer to defrost for later.

I hope you'll try this easy recipe! I love knowing exactly what's in these treats and it's just a bonus that they were so inexpensive to make.

P.S. Speaking of treats, these are great for humans, and also really easy to make. Mmmm.