A new hobby

A couple months ago I was wandering through Barnes & Noble- a dangerous place for me. I believe I started out looking for dog training books when I ran across this gem. I looked at several other 'dog cookbooks' that day, but this one really stood out. For one, ALL of the recipes are wheat-, corn- and soy-free. From my work with people, I know these are common allergens. For dogs, whose biochemistry never really adapted to having alot of grains in their diet, these three can be particularly problematic.

Wheat, corn and soy are common allergens today because they are some of the most altered crops around. Some 90% of the corn and soy grown in the U.S. today are genetically modified. Wheat varieties grown today have 4 times the amount gluten, a protein that causes digestive disorders in some people, as they did just a couple hundred years ago. With the combination of dog's mostly grain-free ancestral diet and the alterations we've made to these crops, no wonder they are the leading allergens among dogs. And yet they often form the basis of cheap pet foods. Even some so-called gourmet dog biscuits are made primarily of wheat.

I've noticed that Lakota is not a fan of the wheat-based biscuits. She normal INHALES any sort of treat put in her face, yet I've given her wheat-based treats and watched as they sat untouched for hours, in one case days.

So when I found this book, I was pretty excited. Plenty of interesting and novel recipes with no wheat, corn or soy in sight. And the ingredients aren't exotic, hard-to-find things either. Once you procur the basic flour mix, you can whip up a batch of healthy, homemade cookies with ingredients you probably already have on hand. And did I mention the variety of the recipes? If you happen to have a dog that doesn't like peanut butter (does such an animal exist????), no problem! Plenty of PB-free recipes! There's veggie recipes, 'sweet' recipes, and my personal favorite, recipes for each month of the year. Lakota is a big fan of the Bark O'Lanterns (made with canned pumpkin, I even did mine in a pumpkin-shaped silicone mold!) and the Oatmeal & Molasses cookies. Her absolute favorite thus far were the Carob Chip Cookies. Heck, they looked so good, I wanted to eat one! That's the other great thing about these recipes- you could, and just might- eat a few yourself. They don't have all the sugar that our cookies do, so they might not taste quite as good as they look, but your dog will LOVE them! And that is the best part about them. Dogs' sense of smell is much keener then ours and I'm convinced that Lakota can taste the love baked right in.

Some other really cool things about the book are that all the recipes can be made with organic ingredients, so you can give your beloved pooch a treat that is both uber-healthy and nutritious. Even the way the book itself is printed is 'green,' making it the perfect edition to any eco-friendly dog's library.

So, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book. Pick up a couple fun cookie cutters too, like a bone shape or a paw-print and have a ball. You just might end up with a new hobby. And just in case you think you don't have time to bake for your dog, most of the recipes can be put together in under 5 minutes. But if you REALLY don't have time, check out the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company's website where you can order a variety of delectable pre-made treats for your pooch.