Halloween at The Dog House

The Dog House is all geared up for Halloween with a spooky selection of hand screenprinted goodies, ensuring you & your dog can celebrate the holiday in style!

Tricks for Treats

My friend Lois’s dog, Max, was photographed jumping through a hoop at an agility day held at Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian.

Max is a beautiful 10 year old deerhound-greyhound cross. He may be an old man now but he’s still graceful & agile as ever, & willing to do anything for a wee piece of sausage!

Lois is the founder of Gracehounds, a small local charity dedicated to finding permanent homes & a better life for sighthounds, like Max, who would otherwise be abandoned or destroyed after their short racing careers.

I converted the photograph of Max to a monochrome image (using the technique described in this tutorial), & created a printing screen of the image, along with the caption ‘tricks for treats‘. I  hand screen printed my new design onto cotton bags & doggy bandanas using non-toxic fabric ink. (The ink has been fixed using heat, making it resistant to machine washing at 40°C, dry cleaning & ironing on a cotton setting.)

TRICKS FOR TREATS hand printed white on black cotton small drawstring bag

This cute little bag measures 10cm (width) x 13cm (height) & has a drawstring at the top. It is made of 100% cotton in black, with the caption printed in contrasting white: ‘tricks for‘ on one side & ‘treats‘ on the other.

This handy little sack is perfect for storing your dog’s own favourite treats in: it slips nicely over your wrist or into your pocket. It would also make a cute children’s candy store at Halloween!

The pouch costs $6 (approximately £4)* & is available to purchase from my Etsy shop.

TRICKS FOR TREATS hand printed black on moss green organic cotton tote bag

This tote measures 36 x 40 cm with a depth of 8 cm & long handles for carrying over the shoulder. It is made of 100% certified organic cotton twill in moss green with the image & text printed in black. The bag has been ethically made using a climate neutral process & carries the EarthPositive® label.

A super practical bag, it is strong yet lightweight: An eco-friendly & stylish alternative to plastic bags for carrying anything from books to beachwear!

The bandana costs $17 (approximately £11)* & is available to purchase from my Etsy shop.

TRICKS FOR TREATS hand printed blue on white cotton doggy bandana

This jaunty bandana is triangular & measures approximately 50 x 50 x 75 cm. It is made of 100% cotton in white with the image & caption printed in contrasting blue. Perfect for fastening round your dog’s neck, especially if they’re a sucker for agility!

The bandana costs $13 (approximately £8)* & is available to purchase from my Etsy shop.

It is also available in red printed on white, & in black printed on bright orange.

TRICKS FOR TREATS hand printed indigo on natural unbleached cotton small bag

This dinky little bag measures 20 x 25 cm & has short handles. It is made of 100% natural unbleached cotton with the greyhound image printed in contrasting indigo. Perfect for storing & carrying your dog’s favourite treats in, this bag would also make a cute children’s bag at Halloween.

The bag costs $11 (approximately £7)* & is available to purchase from my Etsy shop.

*Special Promotion

Blog readers are elligible for FREE SHIPPING (including international) on all Halloween items at The Dog House. Simply copy & paste the url of this post into the ‘note to seller’ upon check out & I will refund the shipping costs via PayPal. (This offer is valid until 31st October 2009.)

5% of the profits from the sale of all these items will be donated to Gracehounds (Scottish Registered Charity No. SC038872).

Turning 28

Tomorrow I turn 28 (scary, I know!) However, I’ve been celebrating a little prematurely over the past week!

Things kicked off last Monday night, when my sister bought my partner & I tickets to The Axis of Awesome’s Edinburgh Festival gig, Infinity Rock Explosion. The Australian trio were hilarious, with their ‘4 chords song’ being particularly memorable! Definitely the best show I’ve seen at the Fringe this year.

Later in the week, my best friend, Jo, came through from Dundee to visit. Together with my sister, Hellen, we had a ‘girls night’ on Friday, involving Chinese take-out, back to back chick flicks & copious amounts of Ben & Jerrys!

Copious amounts of cheese were consumed in the form of a fondue

the amazing cake that Lea made for me

Saturday was spent mostly preparing food, not only for the semi-70s-themed(!) party my partner had organised for me that evening but also for Gracehounds‘ end of month get-together at Vogrie Country Park the next morning…

The dogs loved the liver & yoghurt cake (with special peanut butter icing!) I made for them in honour of my birthday!

Then of course there were the presents, of which I received many! My wonderful partner had a beautiful button pendant custom made for me by Etsy seller, brookberrys, to match my all time favourite ring by the same designer.

My lovely button pendant

I also received a beginners linocut set, which I can’t wait to get started experimenting with! I hope to create prints of some of my existing screen printing designs, as well as wedding invitations for my friends who are getting married next year. I will, of course, be sharing the resulting prints with you on my blog!

Lastly, in celebration of my birthday, I am offering free shipping on all orders from my Etsy shop, The Dog House, placed during the week 31st August – 6th September! Why not have a look at what I have in store right now & take advantage of this offer while it lasts

Happy Birthday to me!

You can see more pictures from my birthday weekend here.

Most Beautiful Bitch!

Yesterday I spent the day at the foot of Edinburgh’s magnificent Arthur’s Seat helping to man the Gracehounds charity stall at  the annual Holyrood Park Fun Dog Show. A fun, if rather wet, day was had by all!

the volunteers take shelter under the Gracehounds gazebo!

There was an agility course, lure coursing for whippets & deer hounds &, of course, the dog show itself. All events were free to enter & ‘just for fun’, with many entrants choosing to donate to one or both of the two charities supporting the event: PDSA, for pets in need of vets, & Gracehounds, finding better lives & permanent homes for greyhounds & lurchers.

Torres with Lois (Gracehounds’ founder)

Although not participating in the lure coursing, all the Gracehounds dogs were dutifully entered into the various dog show classes. Our foster dog, Torres, picked up 3rd place in the ‘Most Dashing Dog’ category, & I was chuffed to bits when my own dog Molly won the ‘Most Beautiful Bitch’ category & then went on to win ‘Reserve Champion’ of the whole show!

Martin & I will Max, Molly & Torres

A huge thank you to the Holyrood Park Rangers, who organised the whole event in this beautiful setting, & in the middle of Edinburgh Fringe season as well! Hopefully both PDSA & Gracehounds have raised not only money but awareness through their participation.

You can see more pictures of the event here.

Hot Dogs!

Last weekend, Gracehounds hosted their second annual Hot Dog Show & Spring Fair at Vogrie Country Park, Midlothian.  The greyhound gods must have been smiling on us because not only was it dry, but the sun shone all day long & there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!

After an early start, to give time for all the tents to be erected, stalls set up & dogs walked, the event opened at 11am on Sunday & drew in crowds of people & dogs for the rest of the day until close at 4pm. The main event  was the Hot Dog Show, with categories taking place throughout the day. There were both sighthound & non-sighthound categories, including Prettiest Pooch, Dapperest Dog, Littlest Hobo, Golden Oldie & Best Rescue Dog.

Best Dog in Show – both sighthound & non-sighthound categories

Max, Molly & Torres were duly entered into all the relevant categories, but none of them any luck picking up any rosettes. However, when it came to the Happiest Family Group category, the 3 of them won the judges over & took home first prize!

Besides the dog show itself, there were many stalls run by Gracehounds volunteers, as well as some from outside companies, selling home baking, plants, jewellery & refreshments to name just a few.  There was also an Art Show, displaying work for sale by several local artists, including some of my fellow Etsyians & my partner Martin’s phography. & of course I was there with some of my hand printed goods from The Dog House.

Setting up The Dog House stall

The event was very much child-orientated, with numerous games, quizzes & activities  for the little ones, including a ‘pin the tail on the greyhound’ competition! The dogs were kept well entertained too, with a fun agility circuit to keep them active, a chill-out tent where they could relax & cool down, & professional dog trainer, Maxwell Muir, on hand to answer any doggy questions their owners had.

2 of Gracehounds most recently rehomed dogs, Daisy & Rosie, with their new Mum in the Art Tent

It was wonderful to see many of dogs which Gracehounds has successfully rehomed there with their families. The charity has found loving homes for 19 dogs since starting up in 2007.  The charity’s current foster dogs (including our Torres) were also present & able to enjoy the event. All in all, a great day was had by all & the total sum raised was over £2400, which will go directly to caring for the charity’s foster dogs whilst they await rehoming.

Martin, Max, Molly, Torres & I win Happiest Family Group!

You can see a full set of the photographs that were taken at the event here.

10 Days of Torres

Our foster dog, Torres, has been with us for 10 days now so it’s time for a wee update! He is settling in well & I notice such a difference in him already in the short time we have had him. He’s a very affectionate boy & loves nothing better than having his big neck rubbed! Initially very clingy, he now feels secure enough not to follow me every time I leave the room! He seems to have bonded well with my own 2 dogs, Max & Molly, who will both now happily share a sofa with him, (Only trouble is when all 3 are up at once & we’re left with nowhere to sit!) & my partner, Martin.

He enjoys his walks (which are all strictly on-lead during the fostering period) & walks very well on a lead, preferring to nose his way in between Max & Molly & walk with one on either side of him! He loves riding in the car, which is obviously new & exciting for him: He’ll sit & watch attentively everything going on outside the window! He’s just starting to show some interest in toys,  & seemed to really enjoy devouring a big dental chew I gave him the other day as well as gnawing on a Kong toy.

There was an unfortunate incident last Tuesday when he got in a bit of a scrap with one of the other Gracehounds foster dogs. We think it was because Torres had yet to be neutered at that point so hormones were high! Anyway, poor Torres ended up worst off & sustained a bite to his right foreleg & some nasty bruises & swelling. He was promptly whisked off to the vet, who put him on antibiotics & painkillers but reassured us that there were no bone breakages or internal injuries & no stitches were needed.

I think he got a real fright, & was very clingy that evening. I don’t know if it was anxiety or pain, or a combination of the 2, but he wouldn’t settle down for the night & kept crying whenever I left the room. I ended up staying up with him through the night to reassure him whenever he woke.  The next morning he was up & outside with my other 2 without hesitation & seemed back to his usual bouncy self. I, on the other hand, felt far from bouncy…!

He has since been back to the vets, but this time for a planned visit: Torres was neutered on Friday. He seems to have coped very well with the procedure, had a check up today & is to have his stitches out at the end of the week. Gracehounds pays the vet bills for all their foster dogs.

His tummy was a bit upset when he first arrived, but after a few days of bland food (boiled rice & turkey mince with probiotic natural yoghurt), it’s now settled & everything is now hunkydory in that department! His coat is already so much more glossy than it was 10 days ago: He didn’t seem to enjoy his bath much but he loves having his coat brushed. He has encountered our cat, Angie, for the first time, & it’s fair to say that, like my own 2 dogs, he is not a cat-safe greyhound. Thank goodness for baby-gates…!

He initially became quite anxious & worked up in the presence of other dogs (especially after the above incident), but after a few walks with the Gracehounds ‘pack’ & our Agility Day on Sunday, he’s now started to make friends & is getting on well with the other dogs. He does still show signs of separation anxiety – he whines & howls when left for more than 15 minutes or so – & that is clearly something we have to work on as part of the rehoming process. But everyday, he grows more & more secure & I think he’s going to make someone a fastastic pet!

An Aid to Recall

We’ve not been getting anywhere fast with our Molly’s recall training. Sausages seem to do it for our Max, who is progressing quite nicely & will now come to a whistle (for a sausage reward!). However, Molly just didn’t seem interested in whatever treats were on offer, the joy of running around off-lead obviously being more rewarding for her in itself!

She’s not a highly food-motivated dog, unlike Max who will practically do circus tricks in order to obtain anything that could possibly be construed as edible! However, I did notice the other day when my partner & I were tucking into some nice pate a friend had bought back from France for lunch that she suddenly seemed super interested! I let her try a smidgen & she could not get enough!

After a bit of internet research I figured it must be the liver in it that was so appealing to her, as apparently a lot of dogs like this. Not wanting to be importing vast quantities of fancy French pate specially for Molly (& not sure how healthy pate made for human consumption would be for her if eaten on a regular basis), I set to work coming up with a recipe for homemade liver-based dog treats.

I found various recipes online but, ever conscious of my dogs’ delicate digestion, felt many used ingredients such as milk & vegetables which might not suit my dogs so well. So I picked up a couple of pounds of liver from the local butcher & started experimenting in the kitchen. (A word of warning: food processing liver is not pretty & definitely not for the squeamish!) The following is the recipe I came up with:

Liver & Yoghurt Brownies

Ingredients:

500g lambs liver
500g wholemeal flour
3 cloves garlic
1 egg
natural yoghurt to mix (I used probiotic as I often give this to my dogs to settle an upset tummy)

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C
2. Grease & line a square or rectangular baking tin (I used a loaf tin)
3. Blend the liver & garlic in a food processor (be VERY careful to put the lid on tightly!)
4. Stir in the flour & egg till well combined
5. Mix in enough yoghurt to give a spreading consistency
6. Pour into your tin & bake for about 30 minutes, until firm like a cake
7. Cool on a rack then turn out & cut into cubes

The ‘brownies’ can be stored in the fridge for a few days but I usually freeze them then defrost small quantities as needed.

The good news is Molly adores the brownies & her recall is improving drastically! I took a batch to our local greyhound get-together at the weekend & they seemed to go down well with all the dogs there too.

Anyway, I thought I’d post the recipe in case anyone else is struggling to find a successful reward for recall training, or just fancies treating their hound!