Not Only For Knitters

OK, It's come to my attention that in my last post about making toys for pets and shelter animals, all but one of the examples and patterns I listed were knitted. What was I thinking? Well, you see I'm a knitter, so I get carried away sometimes when I come across cute knitting patterns. Ask my husband. We have boxes and notebooks full of knitting patterns. I figure I'll need to live to be at least 200 years old to knit up all the things I want to make and that doesn't include the cross stitch patterns and sewing patterns.

So to remedy my error, I'm doing this second post for you crocheters and sewers and those of you who don't do any of the above.


How about crocheting up a turtle for someone furry to love.


Want to crochet a dog bone?


Make a whole pond full of fish.


Every kitty would like a few catnip mice.


This fishy and the octopus, star and bird can all be found at the same place.






Try them. They can be made up in no time at all.


Aren't these furry mice cute. Any cat or kitten would be crazy about them.


While you have your crochet hooks out, how about a hamster hideout?

For those of you who prefer the sewing machine, here are a couple ideas for you.


A dog stuffie, with or without squeaker. The shelters might actually prefer to not have squeakers. Having ten dogs of my own, I know how noisy it can get with everyone squeaking at the same time.

There are several sewn toys such as a daisy and fish at this site. They didn't have pictures, but they have patterns and instructions. Check them out. Try making them from an old pair of jeans that are worn out or too tight.

Now for those of you who don't knit, crochet or sew, you don't get off the hook. How about a no sew blanket? They're quick and easy and awfully cute. I know several people who tell me they're also addictive.


You may wind up making these fleece blankets for everyone on your gift list.

So now I think I've included everyone. Let's all make something for a shelter animal.

Happy Holidays

How did it get to be November so fast?

Ready or not we're on the countdown to the winter holidays. A lot of us, maybe most of us are crafts people. Some of us knit, some crochet and some sew. Some do a combination. Most of us probably have several projects going on at the same time. Here are some ideas for gifts for the family pet.


Knit dog bones

No matter what craft we do, we all have leftover yarn or fabric. Those little bits left from a large project make great pet gifts. Pets don't care about color or prints.


dog toy


knit mice for kitty

You can make some of these up in an evening and give them to your pet, or your grand-pet or a friend's pet for the holiday.


cat bee


fetching ducks


dumbell

Dianne, the next one is for you. I thought about the little chick that went to work with you last spring. Here's the perfect gift.

chicken shawl

How about a bed for a cat to snuggle into on a cold day?


snuggle tubbie

Now here comes the catch. You knew there had to be one, right? While you're whipping out some of these for family and friends, let's remember the shelter animals that don't have a loving home for the holidays. Think how happy it makes your dog or cat to receive a new toy . Shelter animals have the same feelings. They have so little and give so much. Make an extra for one of them.

If you have a shelter near you, drop off a toy or two or many, for the animals who will be spending their holidays behind bars. If you don't have a shelter nearby you can find a list of them here for shelters all over the world.

If you still can't locate a shelter or you can't get to one, contact me. If you want to send your toy to me, I'll distribute them to shelters that need them. There are many shelters that survive on a shoestring. In good economic times they struggle to feed, shelter and care for the homeless animals. These are not good economic times. There are more animals losing their homes and families every day and the shelters are under tremendous pressure to provide the necessities. Let's help the animals with a gift of a special treat.

Our next post will give patterns for blankets to knit, crochet, sew or just tie. They can provide a warm snuggly nest for a lonely animal.

Trick or Treat

Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!



Halloween is here and some of us are dressing up to frighten away the ghosts and spirits, and of course to get some treats.


Honeydew and Sampson stand guard at their gate.



Mack is disguised as Robin Hood.


And would that be Maid Marion? Or is it Sally Ann?


This sweet little devil is Fuji.


Fuji couldn't decide whether to be a devil or a witch. She looks awfully cute either way.


Clementine is a banana.


Is that turtle actually Bluebonnet?


Sparkle's ladybug hat matches her collar.


Sometimes we ladies can't make up our minds which outfit to wear. Sparkle also liked the jester hat.


Charli looks lovely as a princess.


Where there's a beautiful princess, there must be a knight in shining armor. Doesn't Thunder look wonderful?


Little Gretchen makes an adorable bumble bee.


Sissy sports a purple bat hat. She didn't like the costume her Mom picked out without consulting her, so she chose to wear just her hat.


In the 'if looks could kill' department, Fudge models this bonehead hat.

Halloween

That big scary day is coming up at the end of this week. We know that some of you dress your dogs up in great costumes. How about sharing their pictures with us?

Either send me a picture at wilcoxhall@ymail.com or leave a comment with your blog address and I'll take the picture off your blog. We'd love to show them off.

Welcome Angus

There's another new addition to a lucky family.On October 3rd Sonya and her family welcomed this beautiful baby and named him Angus.


Angus was born on July 27 and he's going to be a big boy. He's part Great Pyrenees and part Saint Bernard. Isn't he cute?


Angus has some big brothers at home to play with and learn from. This is Starsky playing with him.


This is Hutch talking with him. Don't you wish you knew what they're saying?


Just remember Starsky and Hutch, this is going to be a big dog when he grows up. He may remember if you don't play nicely and someday he'll be big enough to get even. Congratulations to the whole family, Angus is beautiful.

Remember me?

It's been forever and a day since I posted here.

We're tepidly continuing our vehicle search. Edmunds is getting with the program, and their Top 10 Lists now include a Top 10 Pet-Safe Vehicles list. You can read the list yourself, but they collaborated with Bark BuckleUp, which is a new pet safety site to me. They do pet safety product reviews, and are promoting Bark 10-4, a program that donates pet oxygen masks to emergency service providers.

The Knight - my husband, who happens to be a fire chief - and I - a "retired" firefighter - each have rescued at least one pet in our fire service careers. My first was a nearly unconscious, massive black lab, almost as big as I was at that point, who came around as I was dragging him down the stairs in the fraternity house fire. Too bad the local TV station wasn't there to record it; Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is calm and serene in comparison. All he - my "patient" - needed was fresh air, but not all pet victims are so lucky. I'm also certified in pet first aid, but I can assure you, these masks are much more effective and easier to use than your own mouth and hands for delivering extra air to a pet patient...

Whew! I managed to get this up before the end of October and Fire Safety Month! (Also known as Fire Prevention Month. I won't link, because there are a host of different organizations that promote it and with my ties, I don't want to slight any of them.)

October Treats

Sorry that I missed posting a recipe last week. As most of you know Fudge and I are going for our Rally Obedience title next weekend and we've been practicing every chance we get. Something had to give and I'm afraid it was this blog. I promise to do better in the future.

This is the time of year when a lot of us are bringing home a pumpkin. Some families paint them and some carve them. Rob likes to carve ours and I toast the seeds for him to snack on. Rob also likes pumpkin pie so I usually make one for him, but I admit I use canned pumpkin. It's just easier.


Did you know that pumpkin is high in vitamins A and C and also Beta Carotene? It's used by many dog owners as an additive to dog food for dogs who have upset tummies or loose stool. It is also a good addition for dogs who are dieting. It helps them feel they're getting something special without adding a lot of calories. If you decide to feed your dog canned pumpkin, be sure it's the pure pumpkin and not the pie filling which has sugar added.

My dogs are in the minority that don't like canned pumpkin. Imagine my surprise last week when Rob carved our pumpkin and offered them some of the fresh pumpkin and they not only ate it but begged for more.

I found some recipes for pumpkin dog treats that I thought you might like to try.Pumpkin Dog Cookies

This recipe is from Dog In Sight Magazine

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of mashed pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
3/4 cup Cream of Rice cereal
1.2 cup powdered dry milk

Mix all ingredients. Drop cookie sized spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 300F degrees for 15-20 minutes.

For bite sized treats, make cookies about the size of a quarter. Let cool and call in the tasters.
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Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1.2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C)
Whisk together flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to make dough workable, but dough should be dry and stiff. Roll into 1/2 inch thick roll. Cut into small pieces or cut with cookie cutters.

Bake until hard, about 40 minutes. Cool and ask you dog's opinion.
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Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry milk
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon water

Mix all ingredients in your mixer This dough will be thick like cookie dough.

When mixed thoroughly, roll into rectangular sheets 1/4 inch thick.

Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/2 inch parallel strips. Don't move the strips - leave them on your cutting board.

At about a 45 degree angle go back and cut parallel strips about 1/2 inch apart. You will end up with diamonds that look like the biscuits in the photo. You can also cut little squares or use cookie cutters.


Transfer the biscuits to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees F for about an hour. Since the biscuits are small, they brown quickly. Check occasionally to be sure they're not getting too dark.

Turn off the oven and let the biscuits continue to dry overnight in the oven. When done they will be hard, dry and crisp. They can be stored for a month at room temperature.
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The recipes we post here are not for all dogs. If your pet has an allergy to one of the ingredients such as peanuts or wheat, of course you will want to skip that recipe. These are only for healthy dogs with no sensitivities to any of the ingredients. If your pet is on a special diet check with your vet before making treats.