After Thanksgiving

Now that we've all eaten beyond reason on Thursday, then shopped til we dropped on Friday, I think its time for Snoozing Saturday. Enjoy.

Shari at
PetsJubilee &
Ciaohound

Happy Thanksgiving!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuzdGiW90Zs

Today, I am thankful for all the four legged friends that are a part of our families.

Alice England
makingstuffwithlove.etsy.com

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Thanksgiving Quotes

Some for fun, others for thought…mixed with some fine Etsy art!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60825653/

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?

- Erma Bombeck

There are a lot of New York City Thanksgiving traditions. For example, a lot of New Yorkers don't buy the frozen Thanksgiving turkey. They prefer to buy the bird live and then push it in front of a subway train. - David Letterman

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. - Erma Bombeck

This Thanksgiving is gonna be a special one. My mom says I don't have to sit at the card table. - Jim Samuels

My mother is such a lousy cook that Thanksgiving at her house is a time of sorrow.
- Rita Rudner

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. - Irv Kupcinet

*It took me three weeks to stuff the turkey. I stuffed it through the beak.
- Phyllis Diller

You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out. - Jay Leno

Thank God every day when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues, which the idle will never know.
- Basil Carpenter

Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all. - William Faulkner

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. - William Arthur Ward

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Written by

Patty from Catcalls and Dogbarks

Thanksgiving is around the corner…What does that mean for your pup?

My dogs love it when I cook. They are always expecting a treat. But is it really good for them? One year I gave Cody a piece of turkey skin and the results were not good. I don’t do that anymore. So here are some tips and recipe links for the pups for Thanksgiving dinner.

This is from ThePoop.com
One of the biggest mistakes people make, especially during holidays, is to "treat" their dogs to foods they aren't used to eating - foods smothered in rich gravies, sugars, salt, etc... . It may seem fun going in, but such a heavy diet, even for just a night, can wreak havoc coming out. If you want your dog to able to enjoy a true Thanksgiving meal, yet still keep it healthy, read through the suggestions listed below that have worked for us through the years.

· Don't feed the dog turkey skin. As tempting as it is, the skin is not only high in fat and hard to digest, but also holds any marinade, butter and oils, or spices used in baking, which can cause stomach upset. Instead, peel the skin off a big slice of turkey (white meat is the most bland and usually the best tolerated), then cut into appropriate-sized pieces.

· As you prepare side dishes, set aside some of the good stuff before adding all of the cream, salt, butter, wine, etc... . A scoop of plain mashed sweet potatoes, a cup of cooked carrots, broccoli or green beans, even a small biscuit without butter or some dressing without gravy will be a treasure for your dog, and is good for them in addition!

· A good substitute for gravy for your dog is a little turkey broth. If you cook the giblets in water for stock, save a little to help moisten meat before you turn it into gravy. Or buy it canned! · If your dog normally eats only "dog food" (i.e. kibble), don't offer up a big plate full of turkey, veggies and potatoes all at once. This can stress his system. Instead, try adding a slice of turkey and a few veggies to his kibble. Save some veggies for "treats" throughout the evening.

· If your dog is going to be planted under the table during dinner, denying him those irresistible flavors and sweet temptations may seem impossible, especially if your guests "mean well", but can't say no to that cute furry face! One way to help the off-limit food stay that way is to place a few "treat cups" around the table. Fill these with small pieces of plain sliced turkey, cooked veggies, pieces of bread - anything sensible. Guests will still get a kick out of feeding the dog, but it will be much healthier than what is on most people's plates. And once the bowls are empty, that's it!

If your dog is used to a homemade diet, have fun and be creative as you indulge him in his Thanksgiving feast. Oh, and for dessert? Instead of apple pie a la mode, how about some sliced apples with a "scoop" of mashed potatoes, and maybe some applesauce on top? Pumpkin is also very good for a dog's diet, but make sure it's real pumpkin, and not the filling that is loaded with sugar and fat. Thanksgiving dinner should be fun and fulfilling - a special treat on a special day. By carefully preparing your dog's meal, the holiday can be enjoyable for every member of the family, even the furry ones! There are several recipes for the dog on ThePoop.com too. For more tips and recipes, check out the following:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25674.asp

http://www.thebark.com/content/thanksgiving-dinner-dogs

http://therealowner.com/dogs/could-thanksgiving-dinner-kill-your-dog/


Annie
CodysCloset

Turkey Time is approaching!

Most people probably don't give a thought to where these birds come from or under what circumstances they were raised. Whether you are a huge animal advocate or not, I'm sure you will find these facts to be interesting at the very least. Information is from Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey Project.

1. Turkeys recognize each other by their unique voices.

2. Researchers have identified more than 20 distinct vocalizations in wild turkeys.

3. Turkeys have excellent geography skills and can learn the specific details of an area of more than 1,000 acres.

4. Like cats and dogs, turkeys are intelligent and sensitive animals who form strong social bonds and show great affection to others.

5. On factory farms, turkeys frequently have the ends of their beaks and toes cut off without anesthesia — practices know as debeaking and detoeing — to prevent them from injuring one another as they are crowded by the thousands into dark, filthy warehouses.

6. Between 1965 and 2000, the weight of the average turkey raised commercially in the U.S. increased by 57 percent, from an average of 18 pounds to an average of 28.2 pounds, causing commercially-bred turkeys to suffer from crippling foot and leg problems.

7. Completely unlike their wild ancestors not only in terms of physique but also in hue, most commercial turkeys are totally white — the natural bronze color selectively bred out of them to eliminate uneven pigment colorations — because of consumer preference for even flesh tones.

8. Also catering to consumer preferences for “white meat,” the industry has selectively bred turkeys to have abnormally large breasts. This anatomical manipulation makes it difficult for male turkeys to mount the females, eliminating these birds’ ability to reproduce naturally. As a result, artificial insemination is now the sole means of reproduction on factory farms, where breeder birds are confined for months on end.

9. Turkeys, along with other poultry, are not protected by the federal Humane Slaughter Act, and are frequently killed without first being stunned.

10. Every year, more than 46 million turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving holiday dinners, but it doesn’t have to be this way. If you think these birds are as incredible as we do, you can join talk show host and animal advocate Ellen DeGeneres, Farm Sanctuary’s 2010 Adopt-A-Turkey Project spokesperson, in starting a new tradition this year by adopting a turkey instead of eating. Visitadoptaturkey.org

Written by Patty from Catcalls and Dogbarks on Etsy

What Our Furbabies Are Thankful For

In honor of Thanksgiving this month's theme is "What Furbabies are Thankful For." Show us your pet with what they are most thankful for. (Like Frau who is thankful for her toy). Send in your photo, slide show, or video of your pet. Add some words to be posted with their pic to go along with the theme.

We'll be accepting entries from November 2nd through the 30th noon EST. Visit us in the forums where we'll be hanging out and introducing the new entries.

We welcome all pets: dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, hamsters, geckos, chickens, frogs, turtles, snakes, pigs, horses, just to name a few.

Sometime later on the 30th, we'll choose a winner using random.org and announce the results here. So comment as often as you like for as many furbabies as you like.

Click the Furbabies link above to go to the contest and rules.

Rescued - By CharmingK9Designs

This is my Bridgette. Out of all of the animals that I’ve brought home to foster she was the worse case I had ever seen. First, my friends who do the rescue day in and day out are the real heroes in my book. And, every once in a while I will get a call with a special case. I’m a little embarrassed to share this part but its part of the story – some of my friends call me the Poodle Whisperer – don’t know why I’ve just always had this special affinity with poodles. But I look for that special something in their eyes. Something that tells me the light is still on…

When I met Bridgette, she had been badly beaten and abused and very under-nourished. We guessed her age to be around 2 but she was already loosing teeth because of the bad diet or just sheer lack of food that she had been getting. She was skin and bones and her hips were both completely dislocated because of the abuse. She was fear-biting. No one could touch her. Several experts said she could not be rehabilitated and she was on “last call.”

The vet who helps this particular rescue group could only wrap her hips up after popping them back in place. She was in so much pain and they put her on medication and tried to get her to eat. I decided not to touch her or try to reach in for her but instead sat beside her kennel at the shelter every chance I got – most of my Saturdays were spent reading a book out loud to her and eating a chicken sandwich that I would try to tempt her with – my whole family made a huge project out of this and would come up and sit with me – finally one Saturday this little girl came out of her kennel on her own and curled up in my lap.

I looked down at her and said “ok we can go home now.” And, yes she stayed with me. Today after two hip surgeries, lots of love, good food, she’s as right as rain. We (all 3 of my poodles now) go to the local nursing homes to visit and we attend as many shelter events as we possibly can to help raise awareness for adoptions. This message is about hope and love and we are all very thankful because these gals have been such a blessing to me. They teach me every day how to laugh and love unconditionally at a time when I’ve needed it.

We’re not asking for your vote. We just wanted to share one of our stories.

Written by Victoria of CharmingK9Designs