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| Sometime around Christmas of 2004, my boyfriend Mike and I decided it would be a wonderful time to finally get the dog we had been talking about for ages. We wanted a Doberman, and after a pretty harrowing experience with the first breeder we selected who took our deposit and then had no puppy for us... three times... we found a breeder that had pups available and she sent us a photo of the litter right away. We decided we wanted a boy. A BIG boy. Mike wanted a big manly dog. Little did he know we'd wind up with a big softie. ;-) One very snowy day in January of 2005, Mike and I set off on the journey from Boston to a town in Upstate NY called Cazenovia. The driving was not the best, roads were slippery, and our breeder's home was way the heck up on the side of a small mountain. The conditions for picking up our puppy were less than optimal. That is, until we got to the farm. Dobermans of all colors and sizes frolicked around in the snow behind the fence. They stood majestically on the hillside and puffed out their chests to defend their territory to these two strangers who stepped out of the car into the crunchy, new-fallen snow. We hurried into the house, for the wind was starting to nip, and our breeder's assistant told us to wait just a minute while she went to retrieve our puppy. She returned, holding this little roly-poly boy out toward me. "Here he is!" she proclaimed, and there was my little Zeus. Well, little he was not, but perfect he certainly was. After making small talk and visiting with the other dogs, we set off on the long, snowy trek home. I held Zeus for a good portion of the trip. He slept for at least four hours, curled up in a little ball on the fleece blanket on my lap, his fat belly sticking out just a little. Finally, Mike decided he needed a break from driving, and I offered to drive the rest of the way. We switched positions in the car, and within ten minutes, Zeus peed all over Mike. It was then that I knew Zeus would forever be a Mama's boy. Keeping with the tradition of Mothers who spoil their kids, I came up with the bright idea one day to bake for Zeus. He already got leftover beef and chicken trimmings cooked up for him with vegetables and a nice sauce, so why not some treats? I started to research recipes and develop my own combinations to be presented to my panel of three test dogs. Zeus, Zelda (an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink breed) and Rosie (the finicky Chihuahua.) I never thought I'd wind up with 8 different flours in my kitchen cabinet, but here I am. I make these treats with wholesome ingredients (see: What's in these things anyway?) that you'd feel good about eating yourself (if you liked liver and cranberries, that is), and I make them with a lot of love and care. I hope your dog enjoys eating them as much as I enjoy making them! Love, Danielle |