Since we’ve added a new family member, I want to share the 10 Ways to Spoil your rescue dog with love, treats, playtime, and Rachael Ray Nutrish® dog food.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DogsLoveNutrishDISH #CollectiveBias

In 2008, the now hubs and I moved into our first apartment together.  We had discussed pets when he moved in, but where we were living at the time didn’t allow them.  This would never do.  I need pets in my life.  So, we moved to an apartment that allows pets.

I remember it distinctly.  We were driving back from a store and saw a pet adoption at our local pet store.  “Let’s just stop and see what they have for adoption!” the hubs said.  Not 30 minutes later, there I sat with our new rescue dog Missy on my lap.  She was on my lap because we just bought bookshelves for our new apartment.  There literally was NO room for her in the truck.  So, she sat on my lap the entire way home.

Since she’s an only child, we knew she was lonely.  And, well, she’s getting up there in age.  She’s going on at least 9 years with us and the vet says she’s probably a year older than we thought she was.  Yeah.  I know.  It’s sort of depressing.  I don’t even want to think about it.

Luna and Missy both trust us to feed them the best dog food to keep them healthy and happy.  Enter Rachael Ray Nutrish® dog food and treats.  Mine personally like the DISH Beef & Brown Rice Recipe.  And who can blame them!!  Since it’s easily located in my local Walmart, I don’t have to go to a pet store just to get their food.  I can get their food along with my human food.

Rachael Ray Nutrish® is packed full of whole ingredients that are safely cooked in the United States with the world’s best ingredients.  It has farm raised chicken or beef and whole ingredients like carrots, peas, and apples.  There are never any bi-products fillers like some of those other brands.

The Rachael Ray Nutrish® DISH Beef and Brown Rice recipe has US farm raised beef, but it also has brown rice which is rich in B vitamins and fiber.  Yes.  Dogs need fiber, too.  It also has flax and poultry fats that are full of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.  There’s cranberries for vitamin A and C for immune health, real carrots, peas, potatoes, apples, and chicken pieces for added nutrients and flavor.  My dogs think they’re being spoiled when I feel them Rachael Ray Nutrish® DISH.  I mean, they are and here’s how:

1 – Both of our girls have full access to the furniture.  Yes, that can mean a little extra vacuum time when we have guests, but to us, it’s worth it.  We simply cover the fabric furniture with either some pet covers or a sheet.  That protects the furniture from of the hair and the drooling that Missy does when she sleeps.

Our new rescue, Luna, just wants to be a member of the pack. She tries a little too hard sometimes.  She’s such a teenager!!  She wants to be the center of attention all the time.  And she’s so awkward like a teenager.  She falls off the couch at least once a week.  We try to save her, but sometimes we just can’t.  She just rolls right off.

2 – We have a TON of toys they can play with.  There’s balls, pull toys, chew toys, squeaky toys, and even one that barks like a dog and rolls around the floor.  I really wanted to spoil Missy so I had one of those subscription box services send us a box of toys and treats every month.

Some of the toys with squeakies in them would be slaughtered within hours.  It was the funniest thing.  I have tons of photos just like these.  Missy would stop as soon as the squeaky part was out of the toy.  Funny enough though, there’s ONE that she’s kept all this time.  We call him Moosey.  He stays in the bedroom and she sleeps with him sometimes.

Since Luna doesn’t how to dog she doesn’t play with the toys all that often.  However, just last night she pulled the barking toy out of the basket.  Maybe it was a fluke, but it’s something.  We’re hoping she’ll learn how to play so we keep taking her to the dog park.  Which leads me to my next item…

3 – Make sure you pups get lots of play time.  We play with our pups, but we also take them to the dog park to play with other dogs.  This not only helps them socialize, but gets them much needed exercise to keep them healthy.  And we all know a healthy puppy is a happy puppy.  Happy puppies make for happy parents.

We are hoping Luna will learn how to be a dog so we keep taking her to the dog park.  The first time she was more interested in smelling and marking everything.  Missy, on the other hand, she had a blast playing with the other dogs there.  So much so that her poor hip and knee were sore later in the day.  I guess we’re all in that boat; we have the mindset of someone younger than us, but our bodies remind us how old we actually are.

4 – Plenty of beds.  There are two beds on the two floors we’re on most of the time.  There’s actually three in the bedroom in case someone needs some alone time from the other doggy while we’re sleeping.

When I’m working from home, I take the beds downstairs because they insist on being downstairs with me.  There’s a couch down there, but I guess it’s not the comfiest so they lounge in their beds while I work.

5 – ROAD TRIP!  We try to take our babies with us everywhere we go.  We look for dog friendly hotels and places to stay so we can bring our puppies with us to experience our vacation with us.  We make sure to have their beds in the back so they’re comfortable on the ride there and back.  It also give them a chance to small the surroundings and know when they’re getting close to home on the way back.

6 – Keep them healthy!  Along with lots of play, healthy food like Rachael Ray Nutrish® DISH Beef and Brown Rice, and healthy treats it’s important for your dogs to see the vet on a regular basis.  Not just for vaccinations but overall health and wellbeing.  Just like we need a checkup every now and then so, does your dog.

Missy has been to the vet more than her fair share!  She had an auricular hematomas in her ear caused by constant hair shaking and scratching from a yeast infection in her year.  It took finding the right doctor to figure that out.  She had a skin tag removed that was causing her pain.  The vet says she has some arthritis in her back and, well, her back legs just don’t work as well.  Kind of like mine.

7 – Lots of petting, belly rubs, ear scratches, butt scratches, back rubs, massages; just lots of hands on cuddle time with your fur baby!  It builds trust and confidence in your pet that you will love and protect them.  And they will, in turn, love and protect you.

8 – Talk to your dog!  Not in just a typical baby voice that some parents do.  Yes, I do that, too.  But I talk to them like people.  Especially when I’m home alone with them.  We have entire conversations!  I talk to them constantly on our walks.  And I don’t care who thinks I’m crazy for doing it, either!

9 – Spa day at home with your dog!  Have some nice, thick towels and blankets for your dog to lounge on.  Get some herbal shampoo and condition and give your pup a nice, relaxing bath.  I know.  This doesn’t really work at my house either.  Then you give them a nice massage and maybe use some Telling TTouch with your pup for more relaxation and relationship building.

10 – LOVE.  Give your dog lots of love and show them you love them.  When your dog looks into your eyes, look back.  Raise an eyebrow or two.  Yes.  That’s one way to show your dog you love them in their language.  Lean on them.  Dogs lean on you because they trust you.  So, show some trust and lean back.  Finally, let them sleep with you!  Missy used to sleep in bed with us.  Now, we cuddle both of the dogs before we go to sleep.

Rescue dogs will give you more love, trust, and companionship then you can imagine.  Their life of hardship makes them more loving and appreciative of all the things you do to show them they have a home and loving family.  I feed my dogs Rachael Ray Nutrish® because a portion of the proceeds from sales to goes to Rachael’s Rescue®.  This is where I will have difficulty writing…

Rachael’s Rescue® was created for all of the forgotten pets – the ones who might not have someone who loves them as much as they deserve. Which breaks my heart.  No pet should be forgotten.  And no pet should go unloved.  Every dog and cat should have a fur-ever home and be loved and feel love.  A portion of the proceeds from each sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish® is donated to The Rachael Ray Foundation, which helps animals in need through Rachael’s Rescue®.

Through December 2016, Rachael’s Rescue® has donated over $17.5 million of much needed money to pet charities which is used for food, medical supplies, and treatments to animals in need.  Luna was a forgotten pet or the result of a forgotten pet.  I can’t imagine what her life would be like without organizations like The Rachel Ray Foundation.  Through Rachael’s Rescue® we can help make a difference in the lives of our four-legged friends.

Of all the animals to adopt that day, Luna would have gone overlooked.  She was scared.  She was away from all the noise and the people.  Luna had her tail between her legs and was trying to hide from everyone.  I knew if we didn’t adopt her that day, that it would take a while for her to find a loving family and a home to call hers.  Hence the difficulty writing this part.  I knew if we didn’t adopt her, she might never feel love.

I love that Rachel Ray created Rachael Ray Nutrish® out of her own kitchen the help of pet nutrition experts.  She loves her pets so much, that she decided to create a line of delicious and healthy dog food and now cat food!  When I saw the dried carrots, peas, apples, and potatoes in the food along with the beef and chicken bites I knew it was the food for our dogs.  I used to add dried vegetables to Missy’s food because I knew she needed more nutrition in her diet.

Yes.  Those are actually pieces of dried carrot, peas, apples, potatoes and delicious chunks of beef and chicken.  I almost wanted to dive in!!  the dogs were swarming me as I took these pictures.  It was eerily similar to Jaws…

To transition your dog to Rachael Ray Nutrish®, simply gradually introduce the DISH recipe of your choice with your current dog food a little at first, and then increase the amount of Rachael Ray Nutrish® over a period of 7 to 10 days until you have completely transitioned your dog to their new DISH food.  This helps them get accustomed to the delicious nutrients and flavor and gradually to avoid any upset tummies.

Here’s the best part!  Nutrish is offering up a $4 off coupon for my readers!  The coupon is good through this year.   AND it can be printed twice!  I KNOW!  It’s awesome!  You can try both flavors if you like!  Or if you’re like me and have two dogs, you can feed one the DISH Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe and the other the DISH Beef & Brown Rice Recipe.  The coupon must be printed and redeemed in store.

The post 10 Ways to Spoil Your Rescue Dog appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

I said I was going to bake myself into oblivion…

I pass by those “gourmet” dog cookies at PetSmart all the time and think, “I’m a baker.  How hard can it be?”  Well, if you’re a baker, it’s not.  Actually, if you’re NOT a baker it’s not.

I actually did my research this time.  I didn’t find any ONE recipe that I really wanted to make.  For some reason, I was stuck on spinach.  And, well, I had pumpkin left over from the chai cream cheese glazed pumpkin scones.  Actually, I still have enough to bake some pumpkin cupcakes.  Again, whenever Frankenstorm decides to make landfall and stop harassing this area….  I digress….

So, spinach, squash (pumpkin) flour, some kind of meal, egg, no oil so applesauce, and a tiny sweetener.  

Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir well.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients.  Stir until combined.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead any remaining flour into the dough.  Using enough bench flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking, roll to 1/4″ and cut into shapes.

I don’t have one of those kitchy dog bone shaped cutters and well I thought cats just might be a little weird.  I chose the stars over the hearts because I was thinking Spinach Stars at first.  Spinach Hearts just doesn’t have that ring to it.

*sigh*  If anyone reading this wants to get a Holiday gift this year, a new silicone rolling mat would be a good one to get.  Yes, this is the one I messed up when I made the chai cream cheese glazed pumpkin scones.  *note to self: do not use a sharp knife on the rolling mat*

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.  I don’t want to have to refrigerate and then freeze (or make Sandy Spinach and Squash Star Biscotti) for more soft style treats.

The spinach makes a fringe on the stars.  This makes me *giggle* for some reason.  They have turned out to be furry stars for my furry baby.  As I sit here typing this, I realize that I forgot to put in the freeze dried spinach I had on hand (don’t ask) and meant to put some parsley in there, too.  My brain is a sieve.

Well, as you can tell, she hates them…

They’re a bit chewier than I thought, but I think they will crisp up tomorrow.  If they are chewy, then they’d be really good teeth cleaners and I SHOULD bake a batch with parsley and good teeth ingredients.

Now I MUST find one of those kitchy dog bone cookie cutters.  *hint hint for those following who need Holiday gift ideas*  And now, it seems as it the wind has picked up and Frankenstorm is soon to arrive.  I should eat something before I lose power and will have to eat cold soup from a can.  Cause I wasn’t early enough to get propane for the camping stove…as if I would be cooking on the camp stove out in the balcony in this weather.

Yield: 20

Sandy Spinach and Squash Stars

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

A treat fit for a star! Sandy Spinach and Squash Stars are not only tasty, but also packed with essential nutrients for a happy and healthy pup.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir well. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead any remaining flour into the dough. Using enough bench flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking, roll to 1/4″ and cut into shapes.
4. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy. I don’t want to have to refrigerate and then freeze (or make Sandy Spinach and Squash Star Biscotti) for more soft style treats.

Nutrition Information

Yield

20

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 87Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 9mgSodium 12mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 3g

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The post Sandy Spinach and Squash Stars (or 4S Cookies for short) appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.