Satin balls and fish fudge - oh my!

No, this is not an XXX rated post. Sorry!

Sadly, my dogs have the reverse problem for mostly everyone in the county - they're too thin. Now, I like a lean dog, don't get me wrong, but they're a bit too lean... maybe only 5lbs worth, but that's 5lbs I just can't seem to get them to gain on normal dog food.

Medically, they're totally healthy. Brody's coming due for a dental in the next year or so, but that's it. Blood work has been checked, they're parasite free and eat a good quality (low protein, high fat) senior diet. And they eat a lot of that diet!

The boys and I are at the opposite ends of the food spectrum - I eat more than I burn, they burn more than they eat. The main issue - I have young, active Border Collies who in the past 6 months have expanded their running room 10x.

Kandoo digs and bounces all day. Will runs around like a fool for hours. Brody's not too bad and the girls are getting older and not nearly as active.

[Insert photo of Will running around like a total idiot HERE]

Enter the Mega Satin Ball. These high-calorie globs are doggie Manna - beef, peanut butter, cream cheese - just looking at them makes me gain weight. 1 per day, at breakfast, and we'll see what happens.

This is a recipe I compiled from 3 different ones - seems to be the fattiest thing I could come up with.

5lbs 80 or 85% ground beef

1 lg jar (40oz or so) creamy peanutbutter

3 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese

1 cup oatmeal

3 cups wheat germ

12 egg yolks

1 box total cereal.

Roll up your sleeves and mix. Form into rounds - anywhere from a ping-pong ball to a tennis ball in size, freeze. Feed 1 per day.

I froze mine in cupcake wrappers, and then dumped the lot into a ziploc bag. Each night I"ll take out the number of Satin Balls I need

for breakfast and let them thaw in the fridge. The indentations are for any meds someone may need (Kandoo is on anti-anxiety drugs, finally, and Brody currently has a leg laceration that is requiring antibiotics)... I just made the hole while my hands were still goopy.

You'll get somewhere between 50 and 70 balls depending on the size.

And while we're talking recipes... Fish Fudge from Tall Pines k9 was a huge hit at dog school last night. It sounds disgusting, smells divine (I even tried a bite - not too bad but a bit on the dry side) and got even Will asking for more. He works equally well for apple slices as he does for cheese sticks, so for him to get excited about a treat is a big deal. http://tallpinesk9.com/recipes.htm.

Super easy - I used the rest of the wheat germ bag and 3 cans of drained tuna.

Wow - I know that dog!

Kandoo was selected by the Pooch to 5k website to be the dog of the month - he's Mr January!

Way cool - They asked me to do a short write-up about Kandoo and how he's trained - I glossed over the part about him being a total NUT when he's not running, lol.

Click here for the link!

We were awarded 2 ebooks from Dogwise.com (I chose Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson and Bringing Light to Shadow by Pam Denison), and he's the featured furry friend on the website.

Its funny how to me, Kandoo and Will are not extraordinary because of the things they do despite the things they can't. After having Kandoo for a bit, I said I'd have another blind/deaf dog without hesitation, now having both him and Will, I don't think I'll ever be without one.... but I digress into the Land of Warm and Fuzzy... anywho - take a look!

Leave nothing but footprints...

My biggest dilemma when I run with the dogs is dealing with poop. Without fail, every time we go running my Working Beardie Brody will go, generally about 3 miles from home in the nicest front yard he can find. Not the field we just passed, not the woods 50 strides ahead but the wannabe golf course where not a dandelion dares to grow. On the rare occasion he does not pick an 'edged with scissors' yard, he'll go in the middle of the pavement, where I'll be sure to step in it tomorrow. So of course I'm obligated to bag it up, and thus obligated to carry the warm, swinging bag, alternating from hand to hand, for a half hour until we get home.

They make little clips so you can tie the bag to your leash, but I couldn't deal with a full bag swinging like a pendulum banging into my shin every other step. I debated using biodegradable ones and just tossing it into the woods or field, but the 45 days (plus!) it takes for them to decompose is just too long. And although placing the bag along the curb and retrieving it with the car after I'm home sounds great, but I know I'd never do it. Leaving the dog at home would solve the issue, but then I have to deal with an energetic herding dog.... and that's not for me. The ONLY good Border Collie is a TIRED Border Collie. Do you understand my dilemma?

REI to the Rescue! I finally realized that the only fair way to manage the poo situation was to make Brody carry it himself, and the best way to do that would be in a back pack. Think saddlebags for your pup. I did some looking, and realized I could spend anywhere between $15 and $150 on a pack, with quality and fit issues interspersed among the brands. PetCo has their own brand and is so flimsy, it wasn't even worth the money to try. PetSmart carries the OutWard Hound line - there's a standard and a deluxe. The deluxe with the padded chest strap was definitely worth a try, the medium fit my athletic 40 pound dogs well... but the price tag was pretty high for such a basic product. Kurgo makes a nice pack that adjusts for 30 to 80 pound dogs and is just a few dollars more than the OutWard Hound... and you get a much nicer product. I struck the jackpot though when I got a REI Ultra pack off Ebay. The small size fits perfect and it is so nicely made. Locking snaps so the strap adjustment won't slip, reflective strips, waterproof zippers and compression straps - features galore. Soft mesh, tough canvas, oh! While the $75 retail is a bit steep, the pack is worth every penny, especially if you can find it on ebay for less.

We went for a quick 3 mile run today wearing the pack. Brody had modeled it a few times in the house without issue, but this was the first time he really got to move around. No rubs or sores, it was empty so I can't really comment on shifting or sliding, but seems like a winner so far.

Even better... he did not poop.