Doggy Dates To Celebrate!

When we think about holidays that evoke feelings of love and remind us to focus on our family relationships, we generally think of the major holidays like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and even Grandparents Day.  But what about the unique bond between humans and their pets?  Yep, there's a special day of recognition  for that too, and it's just around the corner.

 

Love Your Pet Day is observed worldwide on February 20th each year.  There is no record as to the origin or history of this fun day, but its purpose is to remind us to show our appreciation through a day dedicated to our cuddly companions.  This special day gives us the purfect excuse to take a break from our hectic daily routine and focus our time and attention on our pets' needs.  In return for their loyalty and unconditional love, we might choose this day to give our furry friends gifts such as a special yummy cookie or a new toy.  Another idea is to take them for a professional grooming.  Taking a long walk or spending the day at a dog park would be fun too.  Taking our pets for their vaccinations or a check-up at the local vet clinic is another way to honor the day...although our pets might not get too excited about that one!   

 

For those who have no pets, don't feel left out...there are still many ways you can celebrate Love Your Pet Day.  This might be the purfect time to adopt a pet of your own from a local animal shelter or rescue group.  If you're not quite ready for that commitment, making donations to animal shelters and/or rescues would also be appropriate.  Another idea is to help spread the awareness for this special day by sharing it on social media or sending friends E-cards. 

 

Now here's a little food for thought.  Did you know that there's also a day that recognizes our dogs' favorite treats?  Yep, it's true...National Dog Biscuit Day is on February 23rd.  So here's a simple recipe for a peanut butter cookie you can make for your pampered pooch.  And with only four ingredients, one of which is water, you're likely to have everything you need already on hand.

 

Ingredients

*  2 cups whole wheat flour (you can use another type of flour if your dog is sensitive to wheat)

*  1 cup rolled oats

*  1/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

*  1 1/4 cups hot water

 

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.  Mix dry ingredients together.

3.  Mix in the peanut butter and hot water (you may need to add more flour if the dough is too sticky).

4.  Knead the dough well.

5.  Roll out the dough into 1/4" thickness and cut into fun shapes with doggy cookie cutters.

6.  Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them cool overnight.  If your dog can't wait that long, cool them completely on a wire rack before serving.  The cookies get very hard, just the way dogs like them! 

 
TIPS: 

*  Instead of cutting out more shapes with the left over peanut butter and oatmeal dough, you can roll it into balls.  Then make a cross hatch fork mark on the dog cookies.  This is the same way you would do for human peanut butter cookies. 

*  This peanut butter dog biscuit recipe makes biscuits that will last in a sealed air tight container at room temperature for 1 week. You can store them in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

*  The dough for these dog treats can be sticky to work with.  If your dough is very sticky you will need to do one, or both, of the following steps.  First, continue kneading the dough as this will help it to become less sticky.  Second, add more flour to the dough and continue to knead.

 
I hope this post has inspired you to do something extraordinary to celebrate the extraordinary relationship between you and your pet.  Show how much you love your pet because they are your true, one of a kind valentine every day of the year! 

 
Happy Tails to you until we meet again!