Shento had a Birthday

Shento had a birthday last month and we celebrated. It has become a little family tradition celebrating the pups b-day. Shento loves it because he gets all the treats, rubs, and attention a dog could ask for. 

A couple years ago, Bear and I started having a dog birthday cake cook-off. We would allow ourselves a certain amount of time, a pantry full of ingredients (dog friendly of course), and Shento determined the winner by eating the 'winning' cake first. 

^Shento got extra spoiled this year because my co-worker brought him some adorable puppy cupcakes. If we're being honest I think he liked those best. ^  

^ The winning pup cakes. It's amazing what you can do with pumpkin, flour and oats. ^

Happy Birthday to our little puppy. I can't believe it's been 8 years since we first met you at the dog park. When I first saw you and your long droopy ears, I ran to Bear telling him I was going to steal you. Little did I know your foster mom was standing a mere inch away from me and heard my plan of attack to grab you, run through the dog park and take you home. She politely told me that I didn't have to steal you, I could adopt you. And i'm so glad we made that decision eight years ago.

shento made a friend

A couple weeks ago we got new neighbors. those new neighbors 

have the cutest puppy, june. shento and june have become inseparable, 

and it makes me so happy that shento has a best friend. 

the moment shento wakes up he goes strait to the front door in hopes we will let him outside

so that he can romp around the yard with his new best friend. 

and if june isn't outside, he will go sit on their porch until either 

we call him home or better yet, june comes out to play.  and when our front door is open just a crack, 

june will come running in looking for shento. 

the two of them go bounding through the house until they eventually head outside. 

 they truly are inseparable, and if we would let them decide 

they would be hang out each other everyday... 

all day long.

shento and fireworks

july is shento's least favorite month.

any loud un-familiar sound make him go into a frenzy. 

so you can only imagine what fireworks do to him. 

the poor pup shakes and frantically tries to find a hiding spot. 

one that is away from windows, and preferably the outside world. 

currently, he has taken up residency in the bathtub.

he jumps in, curls up into a little ball and hangs out until the noises stop. 

its become so frequently that I put a pillow in tub in the evenings. 

he at least needs to be comfortable. 

anyways, last week (who am i kidding, every single night since july 1st) 

people do fireworks in our neighborhood. 

this particular night, bear and i really wanted to comfort shento. 

so we started singing the star spangle banner...  loudly. 

as you can see, it did not help.

he ran directly to the bathtub to spend his evening. 

bear and i however, really enjoyed dancing around our house 

singing the lyrics to any patriotic song we could think of. 

waiting

Bear left for work this morning and shento has not left this part of the couch. he stares out the window so intensely as if he is watching something. But no, he is waiting, hoping that Bear makes a quick return.  Poor dog must find me to be unbearable. I might just try to bribe him with lots of cookies. Anything to amuse him for the next five hours, or at least until mr. favorite gets home.


Honestly, I can't blame shento for thinking that Bear is wonderful. he is.

some baking on a rainy day

we have been stuck inside all day because of the non-stop rain we have been having. i decided to bake some dog treats and have been using them for a bribe to get shento to go outside...it is only kinda working.  They were super easy to make, they are dog healthy, and they seem to be delicious because shento can't get enough of them. so i thought i would share the recipe.. enjoy

Peanut Butter Dog Treats (bribes)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 

1 1/2 cups white flour 

1/2 cup peanut butter (all-natural or organic) 

1 cup water 

2 tablespoons oil 

1 tablespoon of honey

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine oil, peanut butter, honey and water. 

Add flour, one cup at a time, forming a dough. 

Knead dough into firm ball and roll the dough 1/4 inch thickness. 

Get your favorite cookie cutters out and go to town 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. 

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

shento and his new friend

shento and his new friend 'hearty the bear'. 

shento is in love with this stuffed bear and takes him everywhere he goes.... i think it is adorable. 

Happy Halloween

We had to continue the tradition of dressing up (poor) Shento for Halloween. This years costume started out going to be a clown but turned into multiple things (use your imagination) such as a leprechaun, a munchkin, a present, or a head of lettuce. We are grateful for a patient puppy that lets us dress him up for our entertainment. The trick or treaters loved him, but who wouldn't love a dressed up doggy who greets them when they come looking for candy.

Late

It's late.. like really late.. and I can't sleep. I am sitting on the couch drinking warm milk and eating graham crackers. I keep watching the clock thinking that I must make myself fall asleep but it isn't working. So now I am blogging and shopping on etsy (while still sitting on the couch drinking milk and eating graham crackers). I have to wake up early tomorrow. It is my first photography booth exhibit. I got asked to set up a booth at the local animal october adoption festival. Yeah, for doggies and puppies. Speaking of doggies, Shento and I have really been bonding over the past couple of weeks while I have been at home. Last Thursday I had to run to Costco and I decided on bringing Shento along, I thought that we could go for a walk on our way home. Anyways, I got to Costco before they even opened. Amazing, I know. Petsmart happen to be right next door and they were open so Shento and I went and wondered around for a while. Shento picked out a bone (yes, he actually picked it up from the shelf himself) that he liked and he met some new friends. It was a lovely time.  Thank you petsmart for keeping both me and my doggie entertained for a while.

No this is not my puppy. However, I think that I might be purchasing this little hat for my puppy. Is it not the cutest thing you have ever seen. I wonder if Shento would be okay with this? It would keep him warm in the bitter east coast winters. 

4

Our wonderful, amazing, cute, obedient, sweet, loving puppy turned 4 years old yesterday. 

We celebrated puppy style.