Humane Choice. Not really that humane....

It was exciting to hear that the HSUS came out with a dog food named Humane Choice, but my excitement was soon doused when I read their FAQ's section-

Is Humane Choice a vegetarian or vegan product?

Humane Choice contains no animal-based proteins or fats. In other
words, it does not contain any meat, dairy or eggs. However, it does
contain three essential micronutrients (Vitamins A, B12 and D3) that may come
from animal-based sources.

I really don't understand why they wouldn't have made sure that those three ingredients are from plant-based sources. Several other companies have done it, so it can certainly be done. The thing that really gets me, though, is the hypocrisy. Why give something a name with "Humane" in it if it's not completely vegan? In my ever so humble opinion, something isn't actually humane if it "may" contain animal products, no exceptions. What gets me even more is that this is a product from the Humane Society. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was from some company that made meat-based dog food (like Nature's Recipe brand, which also isn't vegan) and I guess I really shouldn't be surprised in the first place. After all, it is the HSUS and they do things that I don't agree with at all, but I won't go off on that tangent.

So, I'm asking you, my dear readers, to contact them and ask them to make this food live up to it's name by using all plant-based ingredients. I think it would be wonderful if they could do this. It would be the first commercial vegan dog food that's organic! Plus, the ingredients seem pretty high quality.

Reader Review!

Thanks so much to Kathy for sending in this great picture and review of my oats & molasses treats!

All three of my pooches loved these treats! It took about 5 treats to get them to actually chew. Prior to chewing they were each just vacuuming up the delicious morsels. They were snarfing them down so fast it was very challenging to hand them the treat while simultaneously snapping a picture!

Rainbow Pups

Whether you want to show your pride or just simply adore rainbows, Etsy has several cute things to adorn your dog with.

This bright bandana from Rogue River Studio is very eye catching!
For those dogs (like Emma) that get a bit chilly on cold days, there's this uber cute neck warmer from Jessica Lynne. Don't you want to just kiss and snuggle that pug? Cuteness!
Etsy has several rainbow collars, too. My favorite is this one from Snickle Fritz.
Cozy Horse has this cheery one. It'll stand out nicely on any dog!
There are a lot more really cute, unique rainbow items for dogs, including visors, leashes, shirts, bows and coats. If you find something that catches your eye, I'd love to hear about it!

Childhood Toys

I'd like everyone to meet Hezzie. She's been with me since the early 1980's and was my hands down absolute favorite toy in the world. Ever. I loved her so much and as you can tell from the picture, my love wore her out quite a bit. During the initial craze of Cabbage Patch Kids, they came out with Koosas for about a year. I went absolutely bonkers when I saw the commerical for Koosas and *had* to have one. Thus Hezzie came into my life. She came with registration papers and a collar which you could put her name on. Oh, and speaking of her name, I didn't have to think much about it. My childhood best friend was named Heather, but my nickname for her was Hezzie. Naming my Kooza after her just seemed the perfect thing to do.
I always wanted a dog Koosa, too, but didn't get one. I'm sure my parents would have gotten me one if they would have been around longer, but they must not have gone over as well as they wanted because they stopped making them soon after they came out. Thanks to the modern magic of ebay, I was able to get my very own Koosa dogs that were still in their boxes!
I didn't keep many of my childhood toys, but I've noticed that out of the few I did keep, a lot of them are animals. My Cabbage Patch Kid horse, Raindrop, is one of them.
Then there was my Monchichi. If any of you are familiar with their commercial, it's now running through your head, isn't it?
Last but certainly not least is my Woodseys family. They're a family of finger puppet chipmunks that squeak. I always thought their portable home was cool beyond words!

Reader Review!

Today's review is from Roni of Daisy Wares (a really great shop!). Her dogs, Molly and Sadey, have been vegan dogs of the week here and here. Aren't they adorable? Thanks so much for the great review and pictures, Roni!

I have been using Molly's recipes for quite sometime now. I haven't bought dog treats this whole time I've been making these recipes because these are way better than any mass produced treats and I know what is in them! I know they are very healthy for my dogs. For the contest I made Maple Cinnamon Muffins. The ingredients literally only takes 2 minutes to put together, perfect when you are in a time crunch. I roll my dough into small balls because we spoil the dogs and give them many treats a day so this way they last longer. First of all Sadey knows when treats are being made for her when she sees the familiar mixing bowl and cookie sheet. She lays down in the kitchen watching me make the treats then lays next to the oven while they bake. Anytime I step in the kitchen while they are baking she thinks they are ready. She and Molly also don't understand the concept of the cool down time. My other dog Molly is 16 years old, blind and deaf so she does not know I'm making treats until the awesome scent wafts through the house. Once she smells them baking she comes into the kitchen wondering when she gets one, sometimes a bit to impatiently. My dogs love all these recipes that Molly has developed and they are so easy to make.

Brown Grrravy

Brown Grrravy

This is great for serving over food or dipping treats in.

2 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
3 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 ½ cups water
¼ tsp. liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. tahini

In a medium saucepan, whisk the cornstarch/arrowroot and soy sauce together until smooth. Add the water and liquid smoke. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in the tahini until smooth. Let cool before serving and store in the fridge.

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Two years ago today, a local rescue brought Sophie to our home. It took us a long time to decide to adopt another cat, but I'm so glad that we did. As soon as I saw her picture, I knew that she was to be part of our family and when she first came out of her carrier to walk around her new home, everything went so well. She's fit into our family like she's been with us since she was born. I couldn't have asked for a better kitty.

We don't know when her exact birthday is, so going off of what the rescue and vet told us, she's about 8 years old now. She's my little heat seeking missile that loves to snuggle. She'll often greet me at the door when I come home and follow me around the house. Her dainty little meow is as cute as can be and she's so gentle with everyone. I love you so much, Sophie Loafie!

Vegan Dog Of The Week- Starfish

Name-

Starfish

Dogster Page-

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/452169

Location-

Seattle, Washington, United States

Family-

Humans: Doh, Dennis and Griffin
Cats: Rupert and Misha M'koo
Rats: Polka and Dot

Age & Birthday-

9 yrs old, born Nov 19, 1999

Sex & Breed(s)-

Female greyhound

Personality-

Starfish is mellow, gentle, and very, very sweet. Her status as a former brood dog shows in her calm, matronly demeanor. But she still has her moments: she loves it when Dennis and I stand at opposite ends of the yard and she races back and forth between us until she wears out (all of about 4 times). Otherwise, she prefers just hanging out with her humans, especially mom. Her absolute favorite thing is to be petted by mom. After that, getting attention from any other human will do. If she decides she likes you and wants you to pet her, she'll come up and chatter her teeth as a means of endearing herself to you.

She has a pretty funny quirk: she just can't bring herself to take a treat from someone's hands, no matter how badly she wants it. If you hold out a treat for her, she'll whine and prance and then race back to her bed and dance around until you put her treats on the floor by her bed. Even then, with the treats in front of her, sometimes she'll whine as if she doesn't know what to do with them. Finally she'll settle down and munch on them happily.

She doesn't play with toys, but when she's left alone for the day sometimes we'll come home to find my shoe, or even a pair, lying neatly next to her on the bed. My shoes are her security blanket.

She doesn't have any strong dislikes, though she doesn't much care for crowds (especially if that brings attention from strangers, since she's a little shy).
History-

I met my first ex-racing greyhound when I was 18 yrs old. I immediately fell under the gentle breed's spell, and determined to adopt a greyhound one day when I was ready. It only took me 18 more years to be ready..... I contacted Royal Hounds (www.royalhounds.org) in Tacoma, WA, who picked Starfish for me. They're terrific matchmakers!

How long vegan-

I just converted Starfish to an all-vegan diet.

Meals & Treats-

She really likes the AmiDog, which we top off with soy yogurt, flax oil, and a sprinkle of VegeDog. She was on an organic mainstream brand, and I was scared to switch her to vegan food for a couple of reasons: first, the greyhound adoption agent told me very strongly to not feed her vegan food, and second, when we first got her it took us months to find a food she liked. so I had an image that she was a picky eater. Given how quickly she's taken to AmiDog, and with the benefit of hindsight, I think that first trial-and-error period was less of an issue of picky eating, and more of a reflection of the adjustment period coming off the tracks and into a home.

How the switch to a vegan diet went-

Even though she's nearly 10 years old, it was easy to switch Starfish to vegan food, perhaps because we mixed it with her previous food for a few weeks, but she enjoys it so much I doubt we really needed to take so long to wean her onto it. It's too soon for me to be able to report any noticeable changes. Former racing Greyhounds are prone to bone cancer, so I admit I'm hoping that a vegan diet will help reduce her risk of cancer.

Resting- It's Serious Stuff!

Down time is taken very seriously in our house and my girls are professionals at it. When it's cold out, they not only take advantage of the heat from the fireplace but have learned that snuggling up with each other intensifies the warmth and cuddliness. See how Sophie has squeezed up against Emma's belly, which just happens to be the area with the least amount of fur (thus making it the warmest area on her body, benefiting both of them).
Sophie didn't get her nickname "Sophie Loafie" for no good reason. She knows how to get all melty and tends to keep our laps warm on most nights. Loafing around is her specialty!

Crystal Kitty will sometimes come out by the fireplace with the rest of us, but she can usually be found in the bedroom, all curled up in her bed. It's a perfect fit for her, enveloping her entire little body perfectly!

Sometimes the positions they assume make me wonder. Emma will often lay like this with one or both of her legs straight up in the air for quite some time. Not exactly the most ladylike position she's in.......

Rowan often sleeps on the top of the couch cushion in very uncomfortable looking positions. This one makes her look like she has a paw growing out of her neck!

Who Needs Some Laughs?

It's good to have love & laughter in your everday life! Here are some of my latest favorites from I Has A Hot Dog.

For some reason, this one made Mike and I laugh a lot. The facial expression on this sweet dog fits the caption so well!
Mike and I have an inside joke about "jazz hands", so this one instantly became a favorite. I'm not exactly fond of referring to humans as owners of animals, so I had to fix this one a bit. ;)
I think we've all had those days (especially us vegans!) when we order something only to find that our order was royally messed up when we get it. While it's best to stay calm and politely ask for a correction of your order, I can certainly understand wanting to react this way. I've certainly had this reaction playing in my head while I calmly try to explain what I ordered.
I'm hoping that this kitty laid by this dog voluntarily and wasn't put there that way (although I would think that the kitty could have certainly crawled out of the dog's embrace quite easily). The caption is what really got me. Too cute!

Goji Berry Muffins (with variations for biscuits, bagels & cookies)

Goji Berry Muffins

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup oats
¼ cup wheat germ
2 Tbsp. ground flax
2 Tbsp. hulled hemp seeds (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup natural applesauce
2 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup dried goji berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, wheat germ, flax, hemp seeds and baking soda. Add applesauce, molasses, oil and water, mixing well. Add goji berries, again mixing well. The batter will be thick. Scoop batter into the muffin pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before serving. Store in the fridge.

Makes approximately thirty mini muffins.

Variations:

Biscuits- Reduce water by ½ cup and eliminate baking soda. Knead into a stiff dough, adding ¼ cup of flour at a time until it can be rolled out without sticking to the rolling pin. Roll out onto floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or knife and bake on a greased cookie sheet until crispy.

Cookies- Add ¼ cup of flour at a time until dough is firm enough to form into balls. Place dough balls on a greased cookie sheet and press flat with your hand or a fork. Bake until crispy.

Bagels- Make the same as the cookies except do not press them flat. Dip your finger in water and poke a hole in the middle of the dough ball. Flatten slightly to form a bagel shape. Bake until crispy.

Vegan Dog Of The Week- Brit

Name-

Brit

Location-

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Family-

Humans: Alicia and Tyler
Goats: Queso and Curry
Rabbit: Cunningham

Age & Birthday-

5 years young! Born March 1, 2004

Sex & Breed(s)-

male yorkie

Personality-

Brit is my very first dog and he was an only child for 3 years until his nephew joined us so Brit is just like me. We're lazy in the same ways and energetic in the same ways. Everywhere I go Brit goes. I have a tendency to stick my tongue out at people and so does Brit. I love to smile and he smiles big and wide whenever he see's someone (especially if he's just had his teeth brushed). He is very picky about his likes and dislikes, likes his bed in a certain place, likes his toys to be situated in a certain why, and likes to keep all the other companion animals in line - he is truly the man of the house! He is also full of love and compassion and knows just when to cuddle up when I'm sad and just when to start dancing when I'm happy.

Likes & Dislikes-

Brit has a "favorite" bear that he's had since I brought him home at 8 weeks. The poor bear is now missing an eye (and the other one is one the verge of falling out!), missing a nose, his eyes and faded and his ears are tattered from Brit dragging the bear around the house wherever he goes. Mind you the bear is probably double the size of Brit but he doesn't care. He has the strength of a mule when it comes to toting that bear around all through the house. The only things Brit doesn't like are pinto beans and having his sleep disturbed.

History-

Brit came into my life 5 years ago when I was living alone in South Carolina. I knew nobody, didn't know the town well and Brit was my first friend in town. We have been inseparable from the day I got him.

How long vegan-

Brit has been vegan for 3 years now. He went vegan about 3-4 months after I went vegan.

Meals & Treats-

He eats Natural Balance Vegetarian Dry Food but loves loves loves edamame, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, kale, collard greens, tofu, the list goes on and on! He's begun to learn where I keep certain food items in the fridge and when he sees me go for that shelf he gets excited. I can't even enjoy a bowl of edamame anymore as Brit is right there staring me down for a little green bean and how can I say no to that face!

How the switch to a vegan diet went-

It was super easy to switch my dogs to a vegan diet. I had a couple days worth of meat based dry food left, started mixing in the Natural Balance and within 1 week my dogs were vegan. They have really thrived on a vegan diet and my vet has been very happy with the changes in his skin and coat.

My Sweet Furry Valentines

I celebrate love every day, but it's still nice to recognize just how very much I love my sweeties. Love makes life worth living because without it, there would be a deep emptiness.

All of my sweeties have given me unconditional love and made me appreciate the small things so much more than I ever did. I love them so much that sometimes it truly feels like my heart will burst from the sheer power of it. Along with Mike's love, they make me complete.

More Etsy Love

I never seem to fail at finding more really unique, wonderful things on etsy! Here are a few more of my favorites.

Jakey BB has these beautiful toy boxes as well as beds and leash hooks. I especially love this pink girly one.

Vegan Etsy member Crafty Moon Crab has this adorable framed art (along with soaps for humans that sound quite luxurious!).

The art of Jolinne is really unique and adorable. I especially love this one.

LOL Friday

In the last week there were two pictures posted on I Has A Hot Dog that reminded me of Emma & Rowan. This one made me think of Emma right away along with making me laugh a lot. My Emma is quite the althetic girl and jumping is something she can do quite well. I swear that girl has springs in those muscular little legs!
Along with being quite adorable and impressive (what control & balance with that bubble!), this dog really looks like Rowan. Unlike this dog, I very much believe that Rowan would not balance anything on her nose but would rather bite at it instead. :)

Snow Fun

We got a snowstorm a few days ago and the wind drifted all of the snow into a small hill in our yard. Yesterday Emma and Rowan were having a lot of fun playing in it. I was surprised at how long Emma stayed out, about 15 minutes! She usually asks to come in within 5 minutes when it's cold out. They were so cute bouncing through that deep snow!

Celebrating Love

When it comes to finding something to celebrate Valentine's Day, Etsy has a lot of cute options as far as collars, harnesses, leashes and collar flowers go. K9 Closet also has some really adorable heart prints with great color combinations. The best part about Valentine's prints is that they're something your dog can wear year round. After all, we celebrate our love for them every day!

Tofu Jerky

Tofu Jerky

2 lbs. firm or extra firm tofu
1 cup liquid smoke
3 cups reduced sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. agave nectar

Press the water out of the tofu as much as you can and cut it into ¼ inch slabs. Mix the liquid smoke, soy sauce and agave nectar together and pour it over the tofu (a 9 x 13 inch pan works great for this). Let it sit overnight.

Take the strips out of the marinade and lightly pat dry. Put them in a dehydrator at 160 degrees for about 8 hours, until they are dark brown and chewy.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can put them in the oven on the lowest setting (200 degrees or less). Spread them on cookie sheets and bake them for 6 to 8 hours.

Store in a cool, dry area.

It's Rowan's "Gotcha" Day!

One year ago, we drove to a shelter in Milwaukee and adopted our sweet little thick necked wiggle butt. I can't believe how quickly she grew up! Adopting another dog was something that we went back and forth with a lot. Well, I don't think I need to tell you how very happy I am that we decided to do it. Rowan, I love you so much that my heart feels like it's going to burst sometimes!

Vegan Dog Of The Week- Ezio

Name-

Ezio

Location-

Austin, Texas, United States

Family-

Humans: Chris and Bridget
Dog: Serpico

Age & Birthday-

3 years old

Sex & Breed(s)-

male, Your guess is as good as ours! We're pretty sure he has some pit in him, other than that we don't know!

Nicknames-

Easy

Personality-

Oh, this one is a riot! He started skipping a few weeks after we brought home from shelter (have no idea where he picked that up but was hilarious!; he used to do it when prodded but no longer, only when he's in the mood!), he liked to chew the sides of his dog brother's mouth (sort of a grooming thing we think) and Serpico sort of goes into this trance, likes to beg for anything fruit or veggie related, tilts his head from side to side when you baby talk him, jumps over puddles so as not to get his little feet wet!
Likes & Dislikes-

hates to walk in the rain or even when it's sprinkling, sticks his tongue out when resting or sleeping, and has a very pronounced and funny looking under bite, and his front paws stick out like a duck, thinks he's a cat and is normally really lazy except when at the park off leash he rips around like a little bunny being chased by a wolf (it's quite a site to see! :) Dislikes baths! Or getting wet (hence the cat delusion).

History-

Adopted at Carson shelter in CA.

How long vegan-

Since we brought him home from the shelter.

Meals & Treats-

Nature's Recipe dry kibble, Mashed beans (usually lentils mixed with rice/unsweetened soy milk/ or water, along with small amounts of a bunch of other stuff: flax meal/oil, nutritional yeast, wheat germ, steamed veggies. All of this is pre-made and frozen in huge batches and added to food everyday). Then here and there as treats they get fruit (cantaloupe, melon, apple, banana, pear, etc.) and they LOVE the stems from Kale, and pretty much any other veggie so long as it's a little steamed, and they go nuts for carrots and avocados!

How the switch to a vegan diet went-

Easy!