Sweet 15

Happy 15th Birthday

to our beloved, faithful, loveable Westie,

Oliver! 

I adopted Ollie as a puppy back in 1996, and he has been my treasured, loyal companion ever since.  For those of you that are furbaby moms and dads, you know how a pet truly does become part of your family.  And I can't tell you how delighted I am that Ollie has made it to the ripe old age of 15 today to become BFF (best friend forever) to my son, too. 

Happy Birthday, Ollie!

xoxoxo

there will be an extra special celebration this weekend with cake and treats!

Not a Creature was Stirring {pets and the holidays}

Holidays aren't just for the kids!

Our furbabies enjoy the excitement and fun of the Christmas season, too!

Just like their human counterparts,
our pets wake up to find goodies from Santa, too!

So they each have their own stockings...

 (and we always hang the stockings of the ones that are gone 

but remain in our hearts)

I've always loved this photo of Oliver and his sister Angel waiting to open their gifts!

They enjoy the hustle and bustle...

the lights and sounds of the season.

For the cats, it's the joy of sleeping under a freshly cut tree,

the crinkling of wrapping paper...

ribbons and bows to playfully bat at.

Randy waits every year to sleep under the tree throughout December.

Odie waits for his turn to nap under the Christmas tree!

 For our dog, Oliver, it's the smells of good food roasting in the oven,

waiting for a sugar cookie {or two!} to make its way under the table,

the fun of having something to open Christmas morning, 

and pulling dog biscuits off of his homemade 

 doggie advent wreath! 

I love to bake,

and baking for my pets is no exception!

I make kitty treats and  
homemade doggie biscuits, too!

wrapped in cellophane bags with cute little bows :)

Personalized with their names, of course!

 Just like us, the animals can sense the excitement in the air!

having family and friends over to visit with,

lots of delicious cooking smells emanating from the kitchen...

But the holidays can be a potentially dangerous time for pets.

It's important to adhere to basic safety rules to protect our furry family members,

so they, too, can get the most of this joyous time of year!

Pet Holiday Safety

1. Decorate with care:  while the tree can be an attraction for pets, make sure it can't topple over on them.  Use garland instead of dangerous tinsel that pets can digest.  Don't hang breakable ornaments on lower branches where curious pets might reach them.  Be careful of fallen ornament hooks on the ground, and keep electrical cords and lights out of reach. Stagnant tree water can harbor harmful bacteria.  Be careful about adding tree preservatives to it, too.  If your pet likes to drink from it, consider purchasing a cover to limit their access.

2. Dangers of holiday food: ingesting highly fatty foods is extremely harmful to pets.  Rich, fatty foods can cause stomach upset, or even predispose pets to life-threatening pancreatitis or bloating. Poultry bones can splinter and get stuck in a pet's mouth, obstruct his throat, or perforate his intestines.

 

Most pet owners don't know that such foods as chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins and grapes, coffee, alcoholic beverages and even bread dough can be fatal if ingested in quantity by a dog. Be careful not to leave these foods on coffee tables in reach of pets and be sure that the lid on the trash can is well-secured.

Warn family members and guests not to feed holiday foods to your pets. Instead, have a supply of your pets' favorite treats on hand and offer them when others are enjoying all those delicious smelling holiday goodies. 

3.  Choose plants carefully: The poinsettia, though typically thought of as poisonous to pets, is fairly low in toxicity, but can cause digestive upset and irritation to a pet's mouth and stomach.

Holly berries, on the other hand, are extremely toxic when ingested. Just a few berries will cause vomiting and diarrhea. Mistletoe also causes digestive system upset as well as irregular heartbeats and possibly cardiac shock. Plants like the hibiscus and those in the lily family, which are not toxic to people, may also be harmful to pets, causing digestive system problems and even renal failure.  If you must have these plants in your holiday décor, choose artificial ones to protect your pets. 

 

4. Other holiday hazards: Children's toys can present a poisoning or choking hazard. Be sure small toy pieces, plastic model cement, crayons and paints are put away or out of reach when not in use. Wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape also represent potential dangers. Remove them as soon as possible.

Never leave lighted candles unattended and be sure they are securely anchored so they won't be dislodged by the swat of a paw or tail. Better yet, only use candles with domes or cylinders that enclose the flame (flameless candles are an excellent pet and child-proof choice!)

5. Preventing the great escape: With holiday guests coming and going, the front door will be opening and closing more than usual. An open door may be too tempting for some pets to resist. Be sure your pets have collars with identification tags - and wear them at all times - in case of an escape.

IF your pet DOES slip out, resist the urge to chase - which will turn it into a game. Instead, encourage him to come back to you by enticing him with a favorite treat.

With a little thought and care, 

you and your pets can enjoy a fun {and safe!} holiday season. 

For more information on keeping your pet safe during the holiday season, visit the ASPCA's website at www.aspca.org or the American Animal Hospital Association's website at www.healthypet.com.

Every dog has his day...

And today is 

Oliver's 14th Birthday!   

...because every birthday is special,
but celebrating #14 for any dog 
is quite the milestone!

So to celebrate this monumental occasion,
I baked an extra special doggie cake!

Happy Birthday, Ollie!  

Psst, I'll let you in on a little secret...

the best part about this cake was how simple and inexpensive it was!

I bought a $1.00 yellow cake mix at the grocery store and then asked the bakery if they'd sell me some ready-made buttercream. They sold me 1lb. of it for $4 (cheaper than buying the ingredients to mix it myself - plus a nice timesaver!)

I baked one 8x8 sheet cake and one, mini, round springform cake for the dog bowl (forgot I even had the pan. I bought it at Walmart a few years back for a couple of dollars).  I trimmed the top of the mini round cake off and hollowed it out about 1/3 of the way in the center so it would resemble a dog food bowl.

Then I trimmed the sheet cake a bit smaller (about 6x6) so it'd be nice and square.

I frosted it all with buttercream and then rolled out the fondant (I already had some on hand so I didn't have to buy any)

The pawprints I cut free-hand with a knife.  The letters for the bowl were cut out with mini alphabet cookie cutters.

The "dog food" in the bowl is simply Coco Puffs Cereal adhered with buttercream.

The Westie on top was made from two leftover pieces of cake stacked on top of each other. The nose, eyes, and tongue are pieces of fondant.

The little flag was made from a piece of craft foam and a broken skewer stick, and I cut the numbers out of another piece of foam and glued them on.

Easy peasy!

  
 Happy 14th Oliver!
We love you!

Doggie Bank

Many years ago, when my husband and I were only dating, I spotted a darling, wooden Scottie dog bank in an antique store that caught my eye.  It was cute and unique, all at the same time.  At the time, I had three West Highland White Terriers (I'm a lover of the breed).  I showed it to my husband, and his response was..."I can make you one of those."  

I'd forgotten all about it when several months later, he gave it to me as a surprise!  It looked exactly like the Scotty one (only crafted like a Westie instead!)  It was the very first project that he ever did for me.


Super cute!

And a view of the back:

A Doggie Birthday

In our house, pets are parts of our family ~ and as family members, special occasions are marked for them just as they would for any of their human counterparts! They get Christmas presents, have their own stockings, and we give them presents for their birthdays!

I always try to do something special for each of them just to celebrate the joy that they bring to our home and family.

For my dog Oliver's 12th Birthday in 2008, I made a memorable doggie-shaped cake!  Using frozen pound cakes that I simply cut and stacked into the shape of a West Highland White terrier and matching doggie bone. 

The doggie cake was frosted with white buttercream frosting (black frosting accents on the nose and the eyes), and the bone was coated in melted chocolate (Please note: chocolate is not safe for dogs!  We ate the bone cake - not the dogs!!!)  Although it's not doggie-recommended, our dogs were each given small, doggie bite-size pieces of the Westie cake.  I wouldn't recommend any pet devouring a sugary confection made for people, but we made an exception for this special occasion with no dire consequences (thankfully!) 

I tied a simple plaid ribbon around the neck for added cuteness!

Ollie and his sister, Angel loved it - and so did we!

It took only about an hour and a half to put together from start to finish,
and that was with my toddler son underfoot, trying to "help." :)

People get such a kick out of this, 
and I think it would be adorable even for a child's birthday party!

Pet Playrooms

We're big pet lovers, with our pets being as much a part of our family as any other member.

As far back as I can remember, my family always had pets. I had three West Highland White Terriers when my husband and I married - and shortly thereafter, we adopted our cat, Randy.

Having three dogs and a cat can make keeping a house tidy a little difficult.  So we decided they it would be fun if they had designated playrooms of their own.

So we set out to create a dog room for our Westies - converting an unused portion of our basement.  I handpainted their door just to make it cuter!

And then we got busy painting the ugly cinder block and installing the drywall and flooring to finish the room...

Once the walls were done, it was time to paint!  I choose a fun apple green color...and did paw print and bone Wallies across the walls!  Then I hung my favorite photos of the dogs:

I took an ordinary, inexpensive plaid tab valance and made some Westie and a black cat embellishments to attach on it to finish off their window.

And we mounted a bin on their wall to hold their toys that I painted with another Westie.

 I bought a fire hydrant that my husband mounted to the wall for decoration...

And we installed a little cat door at the bottom of their door so Randy could get in and out...

I handpainted the "Cats use back door" above it.

 And we made a bone-shaped paper towel holder to clean up accidents!

 

And then we designed and decorated a cat playroom for Randy!

We found a cute cat border for the walls. My husband built the carpeted, cat house (with multi-levels!) and then I decorated it with black cat rugs, decor, and lots and lots of kitty toys!

(can you see Randy on his rug??)

If you have the space, pet playrooms are the purrfect solution to keep pet toys and clutter in a confined space while giving your beloved furry friends a place all their own to explore and play!