Dog | All Things Simple

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching two dogs for the day–my dog Cali and Jeff’s mom’s dog Chloe. After a chaotic few minutes of running around our 700-square-foot apartment at full speed, they eventually calmed down and my sanity was restored. As you probably already know by now, I love dogs. We adopted Cali in 2009 at the Tacoma Humane Society. Which, by the way, is a dog goldmine if you are looking to adopt in the Seattle area.

When I first saw Cali at the pound, there weren’t exactly fireworks. She was so desperate to get out that she was making the most ear-piercing squealing sound and would not stop unless someone was petting her. I could tell she was going to be a serious handful. But to top it off, the pound had decided to give her a temporary name that was coincidentally the name of Jeff’s ex-girlfriend. Talk about bad juju. I probably would have kept looking had it not been for Jeff’s persistence. And I am so thankful for that, because the moment I was able to spend some time with Cali in the visiting room, my heart just melted.

Two years later, my gut instinct about Cali turned out to be true–she is a strange and crazy dog. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. She keeps life interesting and has brought me and Jeff even closer.

The day we brought Cali home. She loved her little doughnut bed. Until she discovered our bed…

I love these homemade dog treats from Brown Eyed Baker because they require limited ingredients and so easy to make. Also, Cali is totally obsessed with peanut butter as are most dogs. I bought my dog bone cookie cutter at Sur la Table for a buck, but you of course can use any shape you want.

Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add more milk one teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead.

Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

If you are having trouble getting the dough to come together, gradually add teaspoons of milk until you are able to form a ball.

Get ready for a rolling pin workout. My arms are still a little sore!

Roll out dough. Cut out shapes. Place on pan. Repeat.

I was able to get about 25 cookies out of this recipe. When you do the math, it’s probably cheaper to make the treats at home as opposed to buying them at a fancy dog store.