Barks & Bites from Barking Biscuit

So long, farewell

2008-02-29T17:32:00.002-05:00

It's with very mixed feelings that I post this note to let you know that after (almost) 10 years in business The Barking Biscuit Company has been sold to a new owner. My husband and I are heading off on a new adventure, and moving to Nova Scotia. I'll be unable to run the business from there.

I want to thank all of my customers, and hope that you will continue to support the new owner in the years to come.

Ruth Comeau is an experienced entrepreneur...she has run The Valley Spice Company for the past 10 years. Now she's started a new adventure too and is looking forward to supplying Barking Biscuits to all our fans. Same great recipes and biscuits, though...no changes there.

You can read about our Nova Scotia adventures here: www.sharleystudio.blogspot.com

What's going on

2008-02-13T09:54:00.005-05:00

I haven't been blogging much lately. That's not to say that there's nothing going on. Things have been really hopping around here and in the dog world.

Some events to tell you about:
Photographer Natalie Heath is having a photo day at Natural Pet Foods in Carleton Place on February 23, 2008. Her theme this month is "February Formals". She's offering classic head shots against a new painted canvas background. 1/2 hour session costs $60 and includes a 11 x 14 print. Call 613.725.4319 or email natalie@heathphoto.ca to make an appointment.

Canines with a Cause will be hosting their 3rd annual Trivia Night Fundraiser on Saturday march 15th. Doors open at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm at Bells Corners United Church, 3955 Richmond Road, Nepean, Ontario. Click here to register your team on the CWAC website.

The NCCPD (National Capital Coalition for People and Dogs) is thrilled to announce that on January 11, 2008, Industry Canada approved the NCCPD’s request for a new name and they became Responsible Dog Owners of Canada. This is the first step in their plans for a more proactive organization that promotes responsible dog ownership through education and support. NCCPD keeps a list of dog events going on in the National Capital Region. Click here to see lots more great things going on in and around the Ottawa area.

Phew! You have no excuse to be bored in the dog world around here.

And now, I'd like to introduce a couple of new Barking Biscuit fans. Meet Fritz and Sparky.

They'll be enjoying some Barking Biscuits on International Dog Biscuit Day (Feb 23rd).

A couple of cuties

2008-02-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

What a couple of cuties!

Meet Dover...a cute little black schnauzer and Dover's visiting buddy....named Buddy!

Kim , your Barking Biscuits for Dover & Buddy are on the way.

Magnificent Mya

2008-02-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

This is Mya. Isn't she magnificent? That's the word that comes to my mind when I see her...so majestic.

Mya has some food allergies, so her mom Christine orders our Pumpkin Please! biscuits.

You can read about Mya and her adventures on her blog.

Thanks Mya & Christine!

Did you know?

2008-01-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to treat your dog to something special on International Dog Biscuit Day!
February 23rd

Crime Fighters come in all sizes

2008-01-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

Yeah, He's a Fighter.
A Crime Fighter.

The Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Bark magazine features a story about Neville...a pit bull scheduled to be destroyed in Ontario as a result of the Bill 132 breed ban...rescued by Bullies In Need...and now working in counterterrorism with his partner trooper Dave Dixon of the Washington State Patrol and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This is truly a success story. It's also a story that depicts how absolutely terrible our Ontario breed ban is. I know, I know. Lots of people are frightened by the pit bull stereotyping. I truly believe that these are wonderful dogs who are victimized by some irresponsible and criminal owners.

For the full story of Neville, pick up a copy of Bark magazine.

Bullies in Need is always in need of food and donations to help with vet bills. For more information please see their website.

Meet Beanie from Nova Scotia

2008-01-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

This is Beanie. He lives in Kentville, Nova Scotia. (some of you know that Nova Scotia is my favourite part of Canada to visit!)

He is a Boston Terrier and is 4.5 years old.

And...a really terrific dog and best friend of Lynne.

Beanie...your Barking Biscuits are on the way. Enjoy!

Lesson One

2008-01-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Remember this gift that Angelique sent me last April? Well, it is one of the reasons that Cassie and I have gone back to school. One of Cassie's little tricks is that she is a counter cleaner. That is, if you leave something on the counter and go away and leave her...she'll kindly remove it from the counter and tear it apart. I had taken my biz card holder from one purse to put into another...left it on the counter...et voila! No more biz card holder. Ordinarily it wouldn't be a big deal, but it was special to me because someone made it for me...and now it is no more.

Anyway, our first lesson in basic obedience started off in a bad way. We arrived a little early (thank goodness). I put Cassie's leash on her while I was still in the car. I got out of the car...and Cassie leaped out the driver's door after me. Dog on the loose! Do you think she would come back to me? Not a chance. She was hyper. I tried, tried to remain calm but all I could think of was that it was dark...and we were in a parking lot...and that there were going to be other people arriving. It seemed like forever, but I did get her back. Needless to say, I started the class off quite stressed.

The hour long session was a good refresher (I need it just as much as Cassie). My biggest problem was that Cassie loved...LOVED...the 2 male instructors. She wouldn't take her eyes off them the whole time...even when the 2 of us were supposed to be practicing. She sat and wagged her tail constantly. Hello! Take a look at me...you're my dog. What's so great about those guys anyway? My ego took a little beating.

So, my mind is full of stuff. Do this, do that, don't say this, don't do that. Oh well, I figure if we practice as long as I get her to look at me during a training class, I'm ahead of where we started. Ha!

Back to school

2008-01-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

Isn't this a picture of contentment? This is our cat Phantom (the oldest member of the crew) and Cassie (newly adopted in September). It's not always like this. Sometimes Cassie is chasing Phantom around the house. I consider it Phantom's exercise program. He's going to be 15 shortly and he does get outside in the summer (only in our fenced yard) but he's not too active in the winter. His idea of action is moving from the pillow in front of the window onto one of the beds.

Cassie has been progressing nicely. We had some really rough days in November and December. Very, very rough days. So rough that we didn't think we'd be able to cope. But we took her to see an "animal intuitive" and reiki practitioner in December for 2 sessions, and the results were quite amazing. If you had asked me if I believed in someone being able to "talk to the animals" before this, I would have been a big skeptic. But it sure helped Cassie, and us as well. I would definitely recommend Elizabeth Wright if you are interested. She is located just outside Merrickville and you can reach her at 613.283.3692. Her website is jasper'sspaw.4t.com.

We do still have some work to do with Cassie, so it's back to school for her (and me too). We're starting tonight with the first of 5 sessions. I'm not sure what to expect from her so it will be quite interesting. One of our problems is that she is agressive with some people and some dogs. It's not consistant, so we're not sure what her triggers are. I'm hoping the sessions help her. I know the sessions will help me!

Milestones

2008-01-14T11:54:00.000-05:00

Cinder is our Giant Schnauzer. We've been a little concerned about her health for a while now, but she has surprised us. Cinder had her 12th birthday on January 11th and she's going strong. Well, her heart is still going strong...and her big bark is still going strong...but she is pretty shaky getting around.

We love her to bits. She's our GS with a GIANT heart.

Another milestone we're celebrating this year...it's the 10th anniversary (yes 10 years!) for The Barking Biscuit. When I started baking dog biscuits in my home oven 10 years ago, I never dreamed I would be selling dog biscuits for 10 years. It goes to show that you never know where life is going to take you.

So...a BIG THANK YOU to all our friends and customers! You are the ones who have made our 10 years a big success. 2008 promises to be an exciting year!

Meet Xena from Alberta

2008-01-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

Meet Xena from Wainwright, Alberta.

Xena received some Barking Biscuits for her 10th birthday on Jan 1st. She couldn't wait for her mom Shellene to open the box.

Shellene sent us a few photos, which of course we love to receive. We love to "meet" our customers! It certainly looks like she's impatient to get into those bags.

Isn't Xena beautiful?

Paws for Charity 2007 Donation

2008-01-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

On December 31st, we made our 2007 Paws for Charity donation to the Cancer Society - Breast Cancer Research. Thanks to your generous support we raised a total of $1517.50!

From left to right: me, Sharon (Canadian Cancer Society), Suzanne Bird (Urban Dog Photog), and Julie Kelly (Chilly Dogs). Absent: Char Harding (Around the Hounds)

Winter Wonderland & our Golden Retriever friends

2007-12-30T14:02:00.000-05:00

We've had more snow this season than any other year on record!! The previous record was set in 1970. One bonus was that we finally had a white Christmas. Not so nice is all the shovelling. But, it was a good trade off I'd say.

If you like snow...and like Golden Retrievers...you're going to love this photo:

From left to right:
Choya, Kiche, Kodi and Sage...aren't they beautiful?
Sent to us by Peter, who is on the Board of Directors for Canines with a Cause. Peter and his wife Cathy generously donate many, many hours to charity.

And...a little something given to me at the recent CWAC annual meeting.

Happy New Year everyone! Here's looking forward to some more great dog adventures in 2008.

Cogan and Canines with a Cause

2007-12-28T11:58:00.001-05:00

Cogan (left) and Noah are featured on our Mambo Combo packages. The photo was sent to us by Miriam Mas, who is the founder of the charity Canines with a Cause.

Cogan was featured in today's Ottawa Citizen. Here is the article:

Couple lets Cogan do the walking
Among his duties, dog fetches, opens doors, turns on lights
By Ute Mikula, The Ottawa CitizenPublished: Friday, December 28, 2007

Bob Paynter has dropped his water bottle and is unable to retrieve it. "Take it, bring it here," he commands Cogan, a beautiful Labrador retriever, who is also known as Pillsbury Doughboy. Cogan picks up the bottle and places it with care on Mr. Paynter's lap.

The 48-year-old Mr. Paynter has used a wheelchair for 26 years. He has limited use of his hands, arms and legs as a result of Becker's muscular dystrophy, an inherited disease that causes slow, progressive muscle weakness.

Enter Cogan, a huge white bear of a dog. He's a graduate of Canines with a Cause, a non-profit organization that trains puppies to help people with mobility problems to live on their own.

Cogan, Mr. Paynter and his wife, Karen, live in Nepean along the Rideau River. Mrs. Paynter also uses a wheelchair due to renal failure and childhood encephalitis.

The couple can't imagine a life without their willing-to-please companion, who's been with them for the past four and a half years. "Cogan is one smart dog," says Mr. Paynter. "If he was any smarter, I could send him to work."

Cogan's household duties include opening doors by pulling on a rope that's attached to the handle. He also switches lights on and off and occasionally pulls Mr. Paynter's socks off at bedtime.

Mr. Paynter has a full-time government job and has, until recently, taken Cogan to work with him every day.

At first, Mr. Paynter relied on Para Transpo, but one day, Cogan was spooked by a loud noise, and he's refused to get back on the bus. There's a new solution in the works, however. A co-worker who plans to move nearby, will drive the two in the Paynters' specially outfitted van.
When Cogan goes to the office, he's busy, either retrieving items or opening doors by pressing the handicapped button. If the two are in an elevator alone, Mr. Paynter holds a laser pointer and Cogan knows what floor to press by following the laser's light ray. "Everyone at work is crazy about him."
-------------------------------
Canines with a Cause was founded in 2001 by Ottawa's Miriam Mas, after she had a near-death experience.

"You have to have a sense of humour when you are working with dogs," said Ms. Mas. "I think I would have been burned out if I had to work with people so closely."

The average cost for training, placing and certifying one service dog is about $14,000.
The organization relies on donations and holds various fundraisers such as silent auctions, trivia nights at Rideau- Carleton Raceway and Christmas craft shows. Singer Allison Crowe has performed three benefit concerts.

Canines with a Cause has seven graduates and several puppies-in-training. They are looking for two more volunteer puppy raisers to socialize and train future graduates.

They also have a wishlist of items including toys, nylon bones, leashes, baby gates and a projector. For more items, check the list at www.canineswithacause.org
--------------------------------
Service dogs are trained to be very obedient. At a fast-food restaurant recently, a friend of Mr. Paynter's tested Cogan's discipline by putting a hamburger on the floor in front of him. Cogan's mouth salivated, but he didn't budge.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

Some great coverage for my favourite dog charity.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Harley crew

We wish everyone a joyful Christmas, and Very Happy New Year! From left to right: Mulligan, Cassie, John, Sara, Cody (holding Phantom) and Cinder.

Parcels in the mail

2007-12-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't like getting nice things in the mail? Two wonderful packages arrived for me yesterday.

The first was all the way from Japan.

A 2008 calendar and lots of little goodies from Leslie of good-ness. Leslie is originally from Ontario, Canada but now lives in Japan. Her blog is full of interesting tid bits of life over there and is on my regular blog read list. She also has an etsy shop full of Japanese good-ness. Take a look sometime. (Leslie, I am going to do something special with the Merry Christmas ribbons!)

And from the outrageous Tara, who has recently returned after taking a break from the blogging world....CROCS!
Maybe not the kind of croc you were thinking? Croc mittens in 3 sizes...one pair for our 2 year old grandson, one pair for our 6 year old granddaughter, and one pair for our 20 year old (yes, 20!) son. Yes, Cody will wear them.

Too funny. I couldn't resist playing with the larger size. Maybe Cody won't get them after all!

A Christmas Classic

2007-12-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen this for years, but heard the song on the radio as I was packing a biscuit order and went to hunt it down on YouTube. Hope you like it too.

(press the arrow a couple of times to play)

Christmas Tree Expedition

2007-12-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday took us to the Christmas Tree farm with John's daughter and grandson. It was a bleak day outside, but we had lots of fun nonetheless.

3 Generations

Lots of fun making snow angels...can you see Mr. J's angel?

Not to be outdone, his mom had to join in the angel making fun...

Despite all the shenanigans, we did find a tree. A skinny but tall tree who will look just fine with our decorations at home. And on our way back home, what did we see? Wild turkeys by the side of the road, who took flight when I stepped out of the car to snap some photos.Back home to some hot soup!

Six more sleeps

2007-12-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

It's getting closer! As our granddaughter says "six more sleeps".

This photo was sent to us by Tiffany. You can't get more Christmassy than this! Piper and Rio by the fire wearing their festive finery. Thanks Tiffany.

We're off to the tree farm today with our grandson to cut down our Christmas tree. I'm not quite sure that he'll be able to make it through the deep snow, but we'll give it a try. Cinder, Mulligan, and our cat Phantom never bother the tree. We're not quite sure what Cassie will do, since she tries to grab and eat most things. We'll have to keep a close eye out this year for sure. Nothing dangerous will be going up this year.

Have a happy day!

More locations for Barking Biscuits

2007-12-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

This is a very busy time of year for most businesses. It's a little unusual to pick up new accounts at this time of year, so we're really fortunate and happy to announce a few places that have added Barking Biscuits.

A brand new business....Spoiled K9s...opening on Monday and supplying gift baskets exclusively for dogs. They are in Toronto. You can reach them at 647.346.1480. Good luck Lisha!

If you are on "the right coast"...aka the east coast (Halifax & Dartmouth to be exact)...you probably know about Paws 4 Health. They supply all natural food for dogs. And now they supply Barking Biscuits and organic catnip as well. You can reach Maureen at 902.435.2528.

And...Country Canine in Limehouse, Ontario (I must go check out where it is) has just placed an order which they will be receiving on Tuesday. How terrible...I don't have Deb's phone number but you can reach her by email.

------------------------------------------------------------

We're off to the annual meeting and celebration for Canines With A Cause tonight...one of the charities I like to support.

And...if I'm very, very good...maybe a nice dinner with my favourite man!

Have a good weekend everyone.

There's no pimping here

2007-12-13T14:35:00.001-05:00

Our new pumpkin biscuits have been giving me a few little challenges.

First of all, we printed up some lovely new pumpkin tags featuring Sammy. The tags look great, but after packing our bags into shipping boxes I realized there was a little problem...the tags are 1/4 inch wider than all of our other tags. This probably seems like a very small detail, but let me tell you it makes a difference when you are trying to snuggly pack rows of 10 bags into shipping boxes. An extra 1/4 inch adds up to an extra 1 & 1/4 inches when you pack a row of 5 bags...and there's not that much room to spare in our shipping boxes. Sigh.

Secondly, the pumpkin biscuits have been wildly popular (which is a very good thing) but so popular that I sold out a couple of weeks ago. Not to worry, I had our bakery bake up some more and picked them up earlier this week. I opened up the box and much to my surprise, it was filled with pumpkin biscuits...but the wrong ones.

A couple of years ago, we had a pumpkin biscuit which was truly uninspiring. We dropped them due to dismal sales. We revamped the biscuits a couple of months ago. We dropped the corn, dropped the grains, and added pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds and sesame seeds...oh yes, and a dash of allspice. Yum.

But the pumpkin biscuits in my boxes had no seeds! Seems my bakers used the OLD recipe, not the NEW recipe. Sadly, I am still sold out of pumpkin biscuits.

But...I still had to smile. I took a look at my packing slip. My production manager is originally from Switzerland and her written English is interesting sometimes. It seems I picked up "pimping pieces" instead of "pumpkin pieces"!

An interesting business alternative, but I think we won't diversify into pimping just yet.

Handmade Christmas

2007-12-11T16:05:00.000-05:00

This wonderful illustration is available for you to use for Christmas cards courtesy of Julia at Lineanongrata. Go to her blog to check out the details or her etsy shop to check out her wonderful illustrations and bags. Truly original and inspiring. Now, if you are part of my family and live on the "right coast"...please stop reading right now.

For the rest of you, I want to share part of my handmade Christmas....for our lovely Miss M.

Back in the summer, I blogged about an auction we went to. I purchased 2 wooden silverware cases For $1 that I planned to revitalize and turn into treasure boxes for our 2 grandchildren. That didn't go as planned. Some things just don't work out I guess. The boxes were the perfect size. I took out the old velvet linings, but no matter what I tried I couldn't get rid of a terrible musty smell. Yuck. I abandoned my plans. But I did come up with an alternative for Miss M....a wooden mini chest of drawers that I bought and painted. Here is the finished project:

I filled some of the drawers with wrapped presents. Her Beebee Mod shirt...some "jewels" to make her own jewelry...some rhinestone flowers with sticky backs...some sticky foam letters and flowers...Purple is her favourite colour. I hope she likes it.

It's all how you look at it

2007-12-10T15:52:00.000-05:00

On Friday we took a little trip. To Toronto. Four hours of driving to take a look at Cody's new home. Well...the home is not so new. But it's new to him.

His dad drove him and all his worldly belongings down to Toronto on Thursday. John and I took the drive on Friday. Our first little problem was that we arrived (by using our new GPS system) at the address on Danforth. But the address was a little bungalow in a neighbourhood that just didn't seem right. And I knew he was living in an apartment over a bar. (it sounds worse than it is). I didn't have his cell phone number with me (he just got a new number the day before). We don't own a cell phone. So off we went...walking to the nearest convenience store to see where the closest pay phone was. We got to talking with the convenience store owner. After about 5 minutes we discover that we are on Danforth Road. There is also a Danforth Avenue. Ahhhh. Back to the car, rekey in the address on the GPS, and off we go.

You have arrived at destination. (I don't know if I'll ever get used to the woman's voice on the GPS system) Cody was waiting for us and very excited. This was great to see, because usually he's pretty laid back. The first thing he wanted to do was show us his apartment.

It's funny how life is. He is on top of the world because he has a place of his own (well, he's sharing with one of his best friends). His own stuff. His own responsibility. It's perfect for him. And I'm comfortable with it too. The neighbourhood looks great. Lots to see and do. Lots of opportunities for part time jobs...good for a struggling actor. And it looks safe...important for a mom's well being.

Look Mom...it's perfect. We've got all the movies and games we need. And we have table hockey too!

So, he's really happy. But you know how life is...at our stage of life...if we had to live there...we wouldn't be so happy about it. We'd think that we had come down in the world. It's all how you look at it, isn't it?

Cody used his new tool kit and hung some pictures. We headed out for lunch, and then shopping for a futon. (for some reason, he didn't want a bed and had his heart set on a futon). That was not an easy thing...rush hour through downtown Toronto traffic. It took us 3 hours of driving around, but we found the perfect one. We managed to squeeze it into our CRV and crawled at a snail's pace through traffic. We got it up 2 flights of stairs, got him settled, and headed back home. It was dark when we left. Here is a shot of his building. He lives on the top floor. Rails and Ales is at street level, 2 apartments on the second floor (one occupied by 2 girl's from Cody's Theatre program), and Cody and Mike's place on the top.

Another 4 hour drive. I shed a few tears on the way. Sad, but happy too.

Have fun out there.

2007-12-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

I love this commercial. The look on the guy's face when the wolf swallows the bird just cracks me up. (not to worry...the wolf spits him out and starts to sing)

Any one remember Andy Kim? I want to dance and sing every time I see this on tv. John thinks I'm crazy.

If I buy a Jeep, will all my driving be like this? Fun!

More of my favourite things

2007-12-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

Yum. That's all I can say.

Well, maybe I can say a few more words. It's been a Christmas tradition every years for the past number of years that Cody make a party mix to give away to some family members. It was born out of necessity...he being a poor, penniless, starving student. But it continues because it's such a popular gift (well, to be honest he's still poor & penniless but now he's an aspiring actor...not a student)

So here is the recipe for Cody's Party Mix. It's GOOD.

6 cups Cheerios
6 cups Crispix
2 x 200 gram bags pretzels
300 grams salted peanuts
1 cup melted butter
4 - 5 tbsp worcestershire sauc
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp chili powder and/or
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix up dry ingredients in a foil roasting pan.
Melt butter and add other ingredients. Mix well.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes and stir every 15 to 20 minutes. (Keep an eye on the top layer - it may get dark - reduce heat or cooking time) YUM!!

Another favourite thing...continuing in my theme of hand made things for Christmas:

A wonderful long sleeved t shirt from Beebee Mod for our lovely Miss M. Isn't he the cutest snowman? Check out Jen's etsy shop to see all her great designs.

Are you ready for Christmas yet? I'm getting there!

Things change

2007-12-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

Our son Cody has been home for the past seven months, after spending two years in Theatre School. He lived a 6 hour drive away so we only saw him a few times a year. He moved home after graduating to work and save some money. He has saved enough, he's found a place to live in Toronto, and he'll be leaving us for good on Thursday.

After spending 20 years raising him to be independant, it's time to let him go and live his dreams. I'm so very excited for him, but it's bittersweet for sure.

He's going to have so much fun. He'll be sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with Mike, who graduated from Theatre at the same time. They'll be living one floor above 2 very beautiful young women from the same program. I'm sure they'll go through lots of ups and downs together as they work their jobs, and all try to "make it" in acting.

But I'll miss him.

The picture of contentment

2007-12-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

Meet Jasper and puppy Skyler...two of our special customers in Cornwall, Ontario.Here are some words from Mary Lynn:
Skyler is almost 4 months now and is a JOY. He is very smart of course and Jasper just loves him. He was so very sad after Spencer passed away and just moped around and didn't want to do anything and now he runs like the wind and the little one prances around behind trying to keep up to his big brother. They sleep during the day curled up together and every once in a while they give each other a little kiss. He is exactly like Jasper, a minature blond Golden that's as sweet as could be.

Did I mention I love hearing from our friends and customers? That's what makes what I do special to me.

Speaking of special...Saturday was a very special day. A "Photo With Santa" fundraiser for BARK. Two hundred and fifteen photos were done (one photo even had seven dogs in it...yes seven...all sitting pretty).

It was a long day, and I have a confession to make. It was a very slow morning for me. We started at 8 in the morning. At 11:00 I thought I would leave at noon. Sales were dismal. But I didn't have the heart to leave so I sent John home and I stayed until 5:00 when it ended. And you know what? It turned out that it was the best show I've ever done. Sales were amazing. It goes to show...it's not over till it's over. I'm embarrassed that I even thought about leaving early.

A very good reminder for me. Sometimes it's easy to give up, but it's usually better to work things through.

Today we're in for a big snow fall. I have some orders to get to the post office so I think I'll get them done early and then snuggle in by the fire to watch the storm. It's going to be a great day!

A few of my favourite things

2007-11-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

First of all, a reminder to please join us at the BARK Photos With Santa event tomorrow.

When: 8 am - 5 pm
Where: St Richard's Church, Merivale Road at Rossland in Ottawa

And now for a few of my favourite things:

Chilly Dogs coats (modelled here by our Cassie). Chilly Dogs is a member of our Paws for Charity group. I've known the owner Julie for many years. She's a great woman, and her coats are the best quality dog coats you'll find anywhere. Cinder has had a Chilly Dogs coat for years and of course we had to get Cassie one too. (Mulligan has a thick natural coat that seems to shed water and doesn't need one) The coats come in lots of colour choices and sizes. There are rain slickers and fleeces available too.

Dog food tables modelled here by Mya. I love these tables and I think they would be perfect for our Cinder. She's having a really tough time these days. Her legs are really shaky and she has a tough time standing. I think these raised bowls would help her a lot since she wouldn't have to lean over to eat. Contact Christine if you'd like to order a set.

And a present for me. Vintage Chick. That's the perfect tee for me. Available through the Prairie Home blog. I presented Sherry with a challenge and she came through! I think I was her first Canadian customer. I can't wait to receive my tee. Also available: Cowgirl Couture and Junk Prom Queen. They are a very soft cotton with cap sleeves and round neckline. Swarovski clear crystals added for sparkle. Sherry and her friends sell their items through monthly barn sales. How cool is that? I wish I lived in California. I'd be there every month. Love the shabby chic style.

One of my favourite blogs to read is Peach Tree Bliss. I have ordered a photo from Angelique but I don't have it yet. I'll share it with you as soon as I can. She's a photography student in Colorado (yes, the internet does allow me to shop the world). Read about her journey and take a look at her photo gallery.

I'd love to hear about your favourite things.

There's a new biz in town

2007-11-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of Dawna-Llyn and some of her customers. She has recently started up a business in Kemptville that all you local dog fans should know about.
Your Pet … Your Way
Dog Walking
In-Home Pet Care
Home Monitoring
"Experience the freedom and peace of mind"

Serving Kemptville and surrounding areas
Call Dawna-Llyn Marshall
613.558.3952

For more info, check out her website: yourpetyourway.bravehost.com

Warm & fuzzy feelings

2007-11-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

Some days I receive the nicest presents. Sometimes by mail. Sometimes by email.

From Pauline:

Hi Sara, I just wanted to let you know that the biscuits arrived - and that the dog barked all night at the cupboard where I keep them. She's never done that before - so I guess its safe to say that she really really likes them. I have a feeling they aren't going to last very long and I'll be ordering some more soon.Take care and thanks - Pauline

From Bill:

Nan says THANK YOU she really loves your treats...

And the cutest little Christmas card from Fluffy Flowers...Mr. Candy Cane Stripe.

For cards and stuffies, check out the Fluffy Flowers etsy shop.

Keep those emails & mail coming! You make my day.

Join us - BARK Photos with Santa

2007-11-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

Please come and join us on location at our last appearance for 2007...at the BARK Photos With Santa event.

When: Saturday December 1st, 8 am - 5 pm
Where: St Richard's Church, Merivale Rd at Rossland, Ottawa
What: huge auditorium with lots of parking, bring your dog, photos $10, tons of Christmas crafts and vendors, and of course Barking Biscuits!
Why: to help raise funds for B.A.R.K.

Ho..ho..hope to see you there!

Urban Dog Photog's great Christmas Photo Idea

2007-11-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

One of my Paws for Charity partners is Urban Dog Photog Suzanne Bird. She is the most amazing photographer...not just the actual photographs she takes but also the creativity and experience she provides to her subjects. Just look at this great idea...

Not your average "dog photo with Santa". You can have a photo taken of you and your dog under the mistletoe. What a fabulous way to show the connection between a person and their pet.

Available at Wag Cafe in Ottawa this Friday November 30th. Sessions are $59 and include a custom 5x5 print ready for framing and 5 custom country kissmas cards. Call Wag to book your appointment.

Fabulous!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's really starting to feel a lot like Christmas. We have lots of snow now. Last year we didn't even have snow on Christmas Day.

Things are bustling around here...yet another trip to the bakery tomorrow to pick up some more biscuits.

Today we are doing our own little Christmas photo session...John, the "girls" (aka dogs) and me. I'll let you know how it goes! It's not always the easiest task to get 3 dogs doing what you want them to do all at the same time.

Enjoy your day.

Stocking Stuffers for Cat Lovers

2007-11-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

Our organic catnip comes from British Columbia and is powerful stuff. I just received a new shipment last week (backordered from June...phew! I'm glad it made it in time for Christmas). It's always a big joke at the post office when I go to pick up the box. The catnip is packed in a large thick plastic bag, and then boxed in a shipping box. This stuff is so powerful, you can smell the herb through the plastic and box. So, the standard line at the post office is...."Catnip? yeah, right! They grow other herbs in BC too you know". No, I'm not a druggie. But I know some cool cats who are.

I have a Stocking Stuffer Special for the cat lovers in your life.

1. A packet of organic catnip packaged in a cellophane bag with festive star design, sealed and closed with our catnip label...for the cat

2. A one inch button pin in your choice of colour (hot pink, light blue, golden yellow, orange, apple green)...for the cat lover

Price to Canadian addresses: $4.50 (includes catnip, button pin, taxes, postage)

Price to U.S. addresses: $5.00 (includes catnip, button pin, postage)

Send me an email if you are interested and I'll email you with payment instructions. Meow!

CWAC Puppy Raising Program

2007-11-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I support Canines With A Cause, a registered charity based in Ottawa. I received an email about their new Puppy Raising Program from CWAC founder Miriam. I have reprinted it here with her permission.

Here is the CWAC announcement:
After years of carefully planning we are happy to share the news that CWAC has officially started its own Breeding Program.

Our girl named Hope (for a good reason), gave birth to 10 beautiful Golden Retriever puppies on Nov. 4, 2007. Hope was kindly donated to our program by Animation Acres and after passing all the health clearances, and successfully undergoing CWAC program socialization and training she was bred with a star stud from the National Service Dogs program in Cambridge ON.

There are currently open opportunities to puppy raise puppies from this litter to be placed early January 2008.

For more information about puppy raising, please click here.

To read the CWAC Puppy Raiser volunteer position description, click here.

Click here to apply online to become a CWAC Puppy Raiser.

We need your support to help these puppies become Assistance Dogs. Please consider making a donation or to sponsor an Assistance Dog Team. Contact us and we will be glad to send you an information package.

Shades of Gray

2007-11-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

This is what we woke up to today. It looked like a black and white world.

But every day has some colour to it.

The glass window is hanging in one of our trees. I love working with glass, and used an old wooden window frame when I created this piece. It's quite large...about 1 1/2 feet wide by 4 feet tall.

Hope you have lots of colour in your day today!

Go Elf Yourself

2007-11-20T17:10:00.000-05:00

It's really, really busy around here but sometimes you just have to take a break and have some fun.

Courtesy of Beebee Mod's blog, I discovered elfing.

Take a look at John and me prancing around in our elf outfits by clicking
here. I must admit...Jen's elves are much nicer looking than mine! As I searched my computer for suitable photos of John and me I realized that we don't have many. Lots of photos of dogs. Lots of photos of grandkids. Not so many photos of John. Hardly any photos of me (the result of me being the person in control of the camera)

Have some fun...take a break...and go elf yourself!

Photos from a Paws for Charity fan

2007-11-19T16:35:00.001-05:00

Paws for Charity clothing is not just for people! Introducing Sam wearing her Paws for Charity nightshirt...You can purchase clothing for yourself...or your dog...with our Paws for Charity logo (in pink or in black and white or even just plain black print without the round circle) Full proceeds are donated to breast cancer research.Thanks Sam! You look truly fetching!

Old friends and new

2007-11-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

I just love receiving photos from our customers and friends. Dogs, like people, come in so many shapes, sizes, and personalities. Each one has a different story.

I heard from an old friend last week. I haven't heard from her in many years so it was a nice surprise to hear from her. Meet Pichenotte, Pastel and Pablo:Thanks for your email & order Joyce!

A while back I heard from a new friend. She also sent some photos...a couple of photos that I'm holding until closer to Christmas. But here's a really cute one to warm your hearts...

Introducing Goose, Blitz, Surf, Brie, Ordi, Queue, Baxter. Thanks for the photos Tiffany!

Devil in Disguise

2007-11-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

This is the face I see at work. Those are my legs in the photo, with Cassie gazing up at me. She's between me and my workbench. The other dogs are trained to stay out of my way when I pack biscuits. Cassie is determined to get between me and my workbench. Sometimes she lays down on the mat I stand on. Basically, she makes packing biscuits a challenge and I'm constantly "shooing" her out of the way.

But isn't she a cutie?

However, she was not such a cutie today. She was a challenge when a friend dropped by for tea. The friend asked how Cassie was progressing and I talked in glowing terms about how well she's doing...not much counter surfing and snatching things going on. Ahem. What was that again?

In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea: Cassie got up on her hind legs and grabbed a tea towel from the counter. Cassie grabbed an oven mitt from beside the stove. Cassie grabbed one of my slippers (something she has never done before) Cassie grabbed a kleenex from my friend's lap. Cassie jumped up on the couch beside my friend, sat down, and then lay down across my friend's lap!

So I'm wondering...Dawna, will you ever join me for tea again?

Pleasant Surprises

2007-11-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

Isn't it nice when something happens totally out of the blue? Something pleasant that you weren't expecting?

I found out that our Barking Biscuits are featured in this month's Ottawa Magazine. A friend told me about it...I had no idea. I guess the person who wrote the article just went out and bought some for their feature. Totally cool!

Our biscuits are at the bottom of the page. They used 2 packages and then put some loose biscuits in the dog bowl. Our website & details are mentioned in the big white dot at the top right of the page. It's so great to have something like this happen when it's totally unexpected!

And...to make the day even better...I read one of my favourite blogs and my biscuits are featured there as well! I read Beebee Mod every day. I just find Jen so creative and so funny...I really enjoy following her ups and downs. Check her blog out (and my biscuits too!) Thanks Jen!

CNN Young Wonders - Ryan needs your vote

2007-11-10T11:36:00.000-05:00

I received this email yesterday and decided to spread the word. CNN is currently conducting a vote to determine the "Young Wonder" for the CNN Heroes Gallery. Only one of the contenders is Canadian, and he's from right here in our modest little town of Kemptville. Please consider voting for this very deserving young man. (but you must vote by November 12th) He currently only has 17% of the vote, so it's vital for as many of us to vote as possible. Here is the email I received:

"I am sure that most of you have heard of "Ryan's Well." This is a project to provide clean water to many African villages and was the product of a very industrious young man by the name of Ryan Hreljac of Kemptville Ontario. Ryan and his adopted brother Jimmy Akana have written a book "Ryan and Jimmy and the well in Africa that brought them together". This book has been nominated for a Silver Birch Reading Program award. I would appreciate all of you logging on to www.cnn.com/heroes and look under the young wonders category and cast a vote for Ryan. He is the only Canadian candidate for this award. All voting must be completed by November 12/07. It is therefore imperative that the votes be cast as soon as possible. On the website there is a brief Video clip of Ryan. His book is available through Chapters. In logging on to the aforementioned website you will note there will be subsequent voting and I would ask that you follow the instructions and complete the process. Your help in recognizing this very deserving young man would be very much appreciated. Also please note that Ryan has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show and his book promoted by her, he has been Honored by the Governor General of Canada and recently has teamed up with Matt Damon to promote his worthwhile cause."

Let's give our fellow Canadian some support. Please vote!

Update: looks like Ryan didn't make it to the final round of voting. CNN airs their results on Thursday night.

happy

2007-11-08T15:17:00.003-05:00

Don't you just feel happy when you look at this dog? This is Kiefer doing one of the things he loves best. We retired Kiefer's tags from our Peamutty Barks dog biscuits a month or so ago. (ie, we ran out of them and had to start using some new photos!)

Happy is what I felt today. I put a serious dent in my Christmas shopping list! Gotta love it. Only a very few presents left on the list. I feel good. I feel great! Everything is just coming together.

Do something that makes you feel good!

A funny thing happened

2007-11-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

I received this email today. It was the first thing I read this morning and I must say it made my day!

"Hi Sara,

My 17 year old son Michael wasn't terribly impressed with me last night when I got home from working. Apparently the bag of Barking Biscuits that I left on the kitchen counter was a lure for him to indulge himself with. So thinking they were cookies - 'er ... well ... need I say more?

... and this was my fault because? Well I didn't stand for it, I lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the person most obviously responsible - YOU! It's that nice white packaging that you use.

Have a nice day."

So, in response I had to tell her about a funny story of my own from way back when I started my dog biscuit business:
"Reminds me of a story about me & my son very, very early in my dog biscuit making days. I had picked him up from school and we were travelling to a hockey practice. He was starving and we didn't have time to stop to pick up something to eat. I had my peanut butter dog biscuits in the car so we ate the biscuits! (peanut butter, rolled oats, skim milk, baking powder)
(I've never told anyone that story...I probably would have been charged with child abuse or something!)"

Mya The Pumpkin Biscuit Queen

2007-11-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

Take a look at Mya and all her Barking Biscuit goodies! (and talk about spoiled...she gets to sit in the lazyboy too!)

And...if you want to see a video of Mya enjoying her pumpkin biscuits, check out Christine's blog.

Thanks Christine! You made my day.

And now it's November

2007-11-03T11:50:00.000-04:00

Where does all the time go? It's already the 3rd day of November! Christmas is just around the corner, and then another year will be over.

And what a year it has been!

Our Happy Holidogs (this year featuring reindeer dog Carling) are now out in many of our stores. The remaining stores have requested them for November 15th delivery. We have veterinarians who will be giving out our "Ho Ho" bones (large 5 inch bones with a tag insert that reads "Ho..Ho..hope you have Happy Holidogs!") to their customers in November and December.

And, of course, our holiday and regular biscuits can be ordered anytime on our web site.

I feel the Christmas spirit coming...ho ho ho.

Happy Hallowe'en!

2007-10-31T17:40:00.001-04:00

Never too old for dressing up. Here is Cody...off to a university party.

Timing is everything

2007-10-30T20:05:00.000-04:00

How cute is this photo? Take a close look at the pumpkin...it's a carved look-a-like of Hudson!

The photo was sent to me by Marie-Piere. She is an awesome woman who has helped out our Paws for Charity cause again this year. She held a fundraiser in September and raised $50 on our behalf. We'll be donating her cheque to breast cancer research together with cheques from the 4 Paws for Charity businesses in December. Thanks Marie-Piere!

For those of you who were reading this blog back in April...an update on my application to the Ottawa Christmas Craft Show. I was devastated to be turned down back then...it was such a big goal for me to not obtain. I was put on a waiting list. Yah, right. Turns out it was true! They phoned me today to say they had some last minute cancellations and would I like to attend?

I spent several hours today trying to make it happen. But. Timing is everything. I would have loved the chance to do this back in April. Lots has changed since then. And there are only 9 days to prepare for a 5 day show (5 days...2 days at 11 hours, 1 day at 8 hours, 1 day at 5 hours, and 1 day at 7 hours) I just can't do it. This was really difficult to say no to. But you'll see why I had to say no in time. (can't tell you yet!)

My regular customer in England has just ordered again. Thanks Sooty! You make me feel so special when you order your biscuits all the way from Canada.

As promised, here is a little look at a PIF I sent out a few weeks ago. And that ends my PIF obligations! Yay.

It has been scanned in a little crooked, but you get the idea. C for Corline...she said she likes pinks, cream, and olive green. The C is made from cream material with small pink flowers, stitched in a blanket stitch with olive green. I think I'm going to try out some stitchery next year. Stitchery seems to be a lot bigger in Australia. If you like stitchery check out Cinderberry Stitches. I just love her patterns! Gonna get some soon.

Happy Hallowe'en everyone!

Today is a gift. Do something good!

Urban Dog Photog's PerPETual calendar

2007-10-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I met with the Paws for Charity women for coffee. Urban Dog Photog Sue Bird had her new calendars with her....and they are fantastic!

Sue always comes up with such original ideas, and this is definitely original. Her 2 year perPETual calendar is a wire bound calendar featuring her fantastic dog photography.

One year is dedicated to greyhounds. The other year is an "all breed" calendar. Aside from Sue's wonderful photographs, the great thing about this calendar is that it's perpetual...you can start it anytime and go for 2 years. Anytime. Not just in January. Not just for 2008/2009. Anytime.

What a great idea! Even better is that Sue is donating part of the proceeds from each calendar sale to our Paws For Charity cause.

To order a calendar (great for gifts!) go to the "Buy" section at www.photobysuebird.com.

Good & Bad

2007-10-23T21:28:00.001-04:00

::Good::This little cutie is Lily, photo by Kendra.
::Bad::I've had this photo for weeks and weeks. Sorry for not posting it sooner Kendra!
::Good::We're back from a fabulous trip down to Nova Scotia...just a little break away that I needed.
::Bad::Oh my gosh, I've been working my not so little behind off since we've returned. I knew it was a bad time to go away but sometimes you just have to pay the price for something you really want to do. Lots of late nights ahead.
::Good::Lots of my stores have ordered well ahead, so I don't have to go absolutely bonkers all at once.
::Good::My new Pumpkin Please! tags are finally ready. We picked them up from the printer yesterday and they look fabulous.
::Bad::I promised 100 sample packs to a fundraiser on Saturday and was waiting for the new tags since it's a dog Hallowe'en Party...Pumpkin dog biscuits seemed to be appropriate. Another late night packaging them up so I can deliver them tomorrow.
::Good::I spent some time with the other Paws for Charity women today. We're all so busy, but it was great to take a little breather. Meeting with them always recharges my creative batteries...Char, Julie, and Sue are truly inspirational.
::Bad::I'm out of biscuits again. Another trip to the bakery tomorrow for another car load...500 pounds of biscuits.
::Good::Another new store this week...The Great Canadian Gift Co will be receiving their shipment of Barking Biscuits tomorrow. Yay!

Toodles

2007-10-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

I photographed our Virginia Creeper vine yesterday morning. I've been thinking for over a week that I wanted to do this. On the way to collect our morning paper, I glanced over at our fence and there weren't many leaves left on the vines. The red leaves are glorious....love them.
I like this photo...reminds me of a star. Good for wishing.

I have this little idea in my mind that involves stars and wishing. I'll work on it when we return from our impromptu trip down to Nova Scotia.

Finally, finally, I finished my little PIF project. My last PIF is on its way to Corline. I'll post a pic of it when I return...she should receive it by then (don't want to spoil the surprise).

So...we're off...leaving tonight at 3 am. We're taking Cassie with us and leaving our son to look after the rest of the crew at home. (we thought it might be just a little early to leave her behind) Cody will have fun house sitting and dog and cat sitting (actually, he's probably very happy to have the house to himself for a while!)

Have a great weekend, and we'll talk in 10 days or so!

K9 Costume Ball

2007-10-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

What fun! Yet another "must attend" event for all you dog loving folks.

Prizes for the best costumes...great raffle prizes...5 x 7 portraits for a $10 donation courtesy of Heath Photo...and more!

And everyone will get a sample of our new Pumpkin Please! Barking Biscuits. (please Mr. Printer....please, please print our new tags in time)

Date: Saturday October 27th
Time: Noon to 4:00 pm (costume judging at 3:00pm)
Location: Forever Friends Dog Training, Unit 6, 17 Grenfell Cres, Nepean

So...that's 2 fun things to do in one day....The Greyhound Planet Day event....and The K9 Costume Ball.

Deep Breath

2007-10-10T09:26:00.000-04:00

It's been a little hectic around here of late. Shipping out Christmas orders has wiped out my biscuit supply. We picked up yet another load from my bakery yesterday (500 pounds) and brought them to the workshop. Today will be a mad day of packing, packing, packing!

To add to all this, we'll be taking 9 days off to go to one of our favourite parts of the world...Nova Scotia. Despite it being the busiest time of year, we are going. I'm really looking forward to it but feeling a little guilty about getting away when it's my busiest time of the year. But the stores are stocked up and shouldn't need any more supplies till the end of the month. The web site orders get crazy in November but should be okay for the next week. So....no more guilty feelings! (please)

Before we leave, I just have to let you know about a couple of fun things happening later this month. For today, let's talk about the celebration for International Greyhound Planet Day on Saturday October 27th.

Greyhound Planet Day is a time chosen each year to honour the greyhound and its relatives throughout the world and to raise awareness of retired racing greyhounds as pets.

Ottawa's event will be held at Christ Church Cathedral Hall (240 Sparks St) on October 27th from 10 am to 3 pm. The Barking Biscuit will be there selling all our greyt (couldn't resist) biscuits. There will be lots of vendors and info booths, contests and raffles. Bring the whole family and leashed pets are welcome (not just greyhounds!) All funds raised will go to support research into tick borne diseases.

For more info, go to Greyhound Supporters of the NCR. Hope to see you there!

You snooze, you lose

2007-10-08T16:06:00.000-04:00

Our lives have been in a little bit of an upheaval over the last couple of weeks. The addition of Cassie to our lives has had a few ups and downs. She is a great dog, but does have a few challenges. (don't we all?) We were warned that she is a "bit of a counter surfer". Whoa. Understatement. One day she ate half a pound of butter in the time it took me to walk from the kitchen to the dining room table to put down my piece of toast. Another day she stole a two pound roast of beef from the counter after John made a sandwich and before I got to it to make mine. There was no trace of it anywhere in less than one minute.

Yesterday we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at our place. Eight of us stuffed our faces and had a great family time. Lots of things to be thankful for. I was so full after dinner, that I didn't have a piece of pumpkin pie...one of my favourites. I thought I'd save it for Monday when I could really enjoy it.

You snooze, you lose.

Until I can get Cassie trained not to "counter surf", I need to train the 2 legged family members not to leave food on the counter.

Pumpkin pie...gone. Bumbleberry pie (only one piece taken)...gone. And the evidence was clearly there this time...pumpkin pie all over Cassie's face! Deep breath. No pie for me. I really do love this dog. (?)

Cassie's Day At The Spaw...Before & After

Hallowe'en Fun in October

2007-10-04T15:42:00.000-04:00

This photo was sent to us by Amanda. Seems a fitting photo to kick off the month of October. Although it's hard to believe it's October around here. We've had nothing but warm, warm, warm...and more to come! Today it's 28C (that's 82F for our American friends) Thanksgiving Sunday is supposed to be the same. That will make for a great turkey BBQ on the Big Green Egg. I don't think any of our guests will have experienced that before!

Canines with a Cause is holding a wonderful new contest that has just been announced today. CWAC is looking for pictures of your own 'dog-theme' pumpkin carving until October 27th. The winner will be announced on October 28th and the winning picture will be featured on their website from Oct. 28th to the end of Halloween. Send your picture(s) along with a monetary contribution to Canines with a Cause in order to participate (no specific amount required). For complete details click here.

CONTEST RULES:
- Contest open to any individual, group, business or organization in Canada and USA
- Carving designs and pictures submitted must be your original artwork and must be received no later than October 27th
- Only DOG related designs will be considered
- Maximum of 2 entries per participant

Contributions must be by cheque or money order payable to Canines with a Cause and sent to: Canines with a Cause 25 Trevor Cres. Ottawa ON Canada K2H 6H7

Participant with the winning carving will receive a CWAC Gift Package which includes:

A night accommodation for 2 at the Best Western Baron Hotel (for Ontario residents only)
10-card pack of CWAC Christmas cards
CWAC children's T-Shirt
Barking Biscuit Adult T-Shirt
Happy Doggie Bakery dog biscuits
DVD Round the World Challenge - Mike Nemesvary documentary
Sit!Stay! Roll Over Play game

More fun stuff is coming up in October for dog lovers in Ottawa. Stay tuned!

Name The Pumpkin Biscuit Contest Results

2007-10-02T09:16:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you for your response to our contest and your wonderful name suggestions. We received 64 name suggestions, but only a handful of votes. I had a tough time deciding, so I left it up to my tag designer to choose.

One of the things us non designer people don't think about...some names are just too long to fit on the tag! Anyway, my designer (Brian) has a motto...keep it simple. The cleaner and less cluttered the better is his policy.

So, here it is:

Pumpkin Please! was suggested by two people: Kim and Christine. They'll both be receiving a Barking Biscuit gift pack as soon as our new tags are printed.

To everyone who sent us a name suggestion: please don't be disappointed. We'll send you a free Barking Biscuit button pin just for playing. If you want one, please email me with your mailing address. Let me know what kind of pin you want...our logo pin (choice of apple green, kelly green, olive green, golden yellow, orange, light blue, dark pink) or our cat logo pin (choice of apple green, golden yellow, orange, light blue, dark pink).

Now I'm off to pack a bunch of Christmas orders! Ho Ho Ho.

Run For The Cure & Introducing Kville Horace

2007-09-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

This weekend is the CIBC Run For The Cure throughout Canada. We've been very fortunate, because we've had quite a few orders for our Crunch for a Cure biscuits over the last couple of weeks. Some of the participants will be giving our biscuits as thank you's to some of their sponsors. Fantastic!

On a personal note, I'd like to share the final results of my Horace knitting project. After spending the spring and summer a broken man (knit but not yet pieced together), Kville Horace finally pulled himself together and is ready to face the world. Nothing but blue skies ahead for him.

You can view Kville Horace and other Horace Bears from around the world on the Horace Gallery at Bears United. (yes, such a thing exists)
You can buy a pattern from Amanda Hone's Etsy Shop here. (oh, and did I mention that Amanda does absolutely amazing abstract art?)

I'm not sure where Kville Horace's adventures will lead him. If he is feeling independent and in need of an adventure, he may just end up in my etsy shop.

Today is a gift. Do something good.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Bananas about Pumpkin

2007-09-27T09:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it's safe to say that you guys are bananas about pumpkin (or maybe you just want to win a Barking Biscuit gift pack!)

We've had 63 name suggestions sent to us for our new pumpkin biscuits. Wow. Such a great response. A BIG thank you to all of you!

Because of the overwhelming number of responses, we're going to narrow it down to a handful of finalists. These are a couple of the things we kept in mind when choosing the names:

1. We wanted to keep the word "pumpkin" in the name. We do have a couple of biscuits that don't have the flavour in the name...and that seems to confuse some people. The end result is that some of our stores ask us to put extra labelling on the bags. Our "Crunch for a Cure" biscuits are an example of that. Peamutty Barks is another one (although personally I think peamutty is a bit of a giveaway). Mind you, I've had some people not realize that The Barking Biscuit was a dog biscuit company.
2. We didn't want a name that was too seasonal. The hallowe'en themed names were great, but our biscuits will be available year round so we thought it might be better to have something a little less seasonal.
To everyone who sent us a name suggestion: please don't be disappointed. We'll send you a free Barking Biscuit button pin just for playing. If you want one, please email me with your mailing address. Let me know what kind of pin you want...our logo pin (choice of apple green, kelly green, olive green, golden yellow, orange, light blue, dark pink) or our cat logo pin (choice of apple green, golden yellow, orange, light blue, dark pink).

And, here are the finalists...drum roll please...
Howlin Prowlin Pumpkin
Pawsitively Pumpkin
Tail Thumpin Pumpkin
Pumpkin Paws
Pumpkinlicious
Pumpkin Please!
Pumpkin Bumpkin
Pumpkin Pawty
Howlistic Pumpkin

Please leave a comment or email me your votes by September 30th...I'd really love to hear from as many of you as possible!

Around The Hounds Raffle to help Greyhounds

2007-09-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

Char at Around The Hounds has a raffle on her website, which ends on October 1st. 100% of the profits from this raffle will go to help in the vetting and transportation of getting greyhounds off the farms and into homes. The first prize is a Sock Monkey Lover's Dream! Second and third prizes are wonderful too. All the details are available on Char's web site here.
Here are some words from Char:

When a dear friend of mine and a dedicated greyhound advocate, Becky Rollison, contacted me last month with a sad story of one little greyhound brood mamma named Sapphire, I cried with her on the phone and then resolved to help Becky do something in her memory... Sapphire may have just missed the chance to have a comfortable forever home, but hopefully with the proceeds from this raffle Becky can continue to help other senior greys on the long journey to forever homes.
Char HardingOwner/Designer
www.aroundthehounds.com

Char is also offering a 10% discount on all collar purchases during the raffle. Simply type in the code: Sapphireraffle and the discount will apply on checkout.

If you haven't seen Char's stunning collars, take a look. All the collars are available in either Martindale or regular buckle styles in a variety of sizes.

Today is a gift. Do something good!

Ottawa PugFest: September 30

2007-09-25T11:44:00.000-04:00

If you want to see 100 pugs all in one place...a special event for all you pug lovers out there. Here is the information we received from the organizer:

Event: Bi-Annual Ottawa PugFest
Invited: Pugs only and their owners
When: Sunday September 30, 2007 (rain date is October 14)
From: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Where: fenced-in area behind Lansdowne Park (beside the baseball diamond) on Bank Street, corner of Holmwood Avenue in the Glebe in Ottawa.
What to bring: your pug, water, plastic bags, chairs and your smile

Some of the fun scheduled: a pug fashion show, raffle prizes (photoshoot by a professional photographer (value of $200), a Bowser Pug Bed (valued at $125))
Tickets will be available on site. All the money collected with the tickets will go to UNDER MY WING - Pug Rescue:
$1 = 1 ticket
$2 = 3 tickets
$5 = 7 tickets
$10 = 15 tickets
$20 = 32 tickets

Here's the contribution from The Barking Biscuit: We even have a bag of biscuits included with 2 pugs on the tag!

Hope to see a lot of pugs on September 30!

A few little updates

2007-09-24T15:57:00.001-04:00

Friday night's Going to the Dogs Dinner & Races event was a great success...and lots of fun too! I even managed to snag an item at the silent auction...a certificate for grooming. Our new Cassie is definitely in need of a hair cut. It's called a day at the "Spaw". John was heard commenting that he has never had a day at the spa, so it goes to show where he ranks in the family. (just for the record, I've never had a day at the spa either!)

The BARK picnic in August raised over $6000! Congratulations to Sharon and all the volunteers who made it a success.

Cassie update: things are progressing nicely with the new family. Cinder's nose was a little out of joint for the first couple of days and she growled every time Cassie got near her. We were thinking that Mulligan might be a little aggressive towards Cassie, but actually she is quite submissive. We're on Day 5 now, and they were all playing together outside today.

This is the new gang on our daily visit to the bench at the back of the yard.
Cassie (foreground) and Cinder...our two big black girls.

John bought a mini tire from the adoption centre because Cassie had been playing with one when we first met her. Both Mulligan and Cassie love to fetch it....and sometimes they even bring it back.

So, our life with 3 dogs seems to be progressing nicely.

One more name suggestion arrived by email for our Pumpkin Biscuit Naming Contest:
Howwwlllllling Pumpkins
We've received so many great suggestions that we'll probably be narrowing it down to 5 or so of our favourites. Get ready to cast your vote! And, we'll be selecting a photo to use on our pumpkin tag. If you have a photo you want us to consider (preferably with a pumpkin in it) send it by email in the next few days. Don't forget it needs to be a high resolution photo and will work best in a landscape style (not portrait style) ie, the photo should be wider than it is high.

Guess what? I sent out our first Christmas order of the season today. Seems to get earlier every year. I'll be adding our Happy Holidogs to our web site sometime in October...I just can't add it in September.

There are a few fun events planned for the next few weeks. I'll be posting about that soon. Pug lovers, greyhound lovers, aussie lovers, and bully lovers, and general dog lovers stay tuned!

Maxine

2007-09-22T15:52:00.000-04:00

Maxine 1996-2007

One of our "grand-pugs" crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was a great dog and we'll miss her.

Pumpkin Contest Update & Photos For Sale

2007-09-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

We're off to the races tonight...Going To The Dogs Dinner & Race Night. It promises to be lots of fun. Can't wait to see all those great silent auction items. Hey, who knows, maybe John will even pick a winner tonight (stranger things have happened). We'll be sitting with Julie from Chilly Dogs and Sue, the URBAN Dog Photog....2 of the other Paws For Charity members...and their husbands too. Should be lots of fun!

Pumpkin Contest update:
I've received some more suggestions for our new Pumpkin biscuits. Remember, you have until September 30th to send me your ideas. Don't forget to vote! I have a very long list of possibilities, but not too many people have sent me their favourites yet. Here are some more names to add to the list:
Pup-kins (we also already had The Great Pupkin)
Boo-tiful Pumkin
Hauntfull Pumkin
Pumpkilicious (we also have Pumpkinlicious)
Howlin' Prowlin' Punkin
Jumpin' Pumpkin (someone suggested we stick with our former name)

I've added a few photo placques to my little Etsy store. These are photos professionally mounted onto a wooden board (plaque mounted). If you want to see them in the Etsy shop, click here. Or just send me an email if you're interested in buying them. I'll be adding a few photos from our Newfoundland trip sometime soon. Here are the low resolution versions of the photos. The colours in the mounted photos are very vibrant...they really pop. I love these photos...they are extreme close ups of marigolds after the rain. They look like modern art to me.
Enjoy! Have a great weekend.

Never say never

2007-09-20T19:56:00.000-04:00

Let this be a lesson to all of you...never say never.

Here are some of the things I have said in the past two years (since our beloved Husky Bailey passed away):
I don't want to go back to 3 dogs.
When we do get another dog, I want a puppy.
I don't want another dog I have to clip.
I don't want another dog of the same breed...it would remind me too much of who we have already shared our lives with.

Well, as they say...promises were made to be broken. Even promises to ourselves.

It all started with Christine, a member of the Giant Schnauzers In Ontario Group. She posted a note to the group about a GS who needed a home.

Casi is about 3-4 yrs old. She is spayed, well behaved, obedient and very smart. As you know, her bad habits are sometimes (she has gotten better) getting food from the table/counter and loves eating tissue paper, usually from same areas. Go figure!!! She was given to a foster home by a really nice family who just did not have the time for her anymore. She’s great with special needs kids and LOVES men.

I talked to John about her, even though really I didn't think it was right to take on a third dog. Our Cinder is declining and I thought we should concentrate on giving her our full attention in the last months or years of her life. Christine posted more information about Casi.

Update: Casi is with Standard Poodle Rescue but is still available.

I went through the thoughts again in my mind. For some reason, I just couldn't shake the thought that this dog belonged to us. Crazy? Tuesday night I contacted Christine.

Christine is amazing. She's not officially in GS rescue, but you'd never know it. She went out and visited with Casi, she took photos and a video, she talked with the people at the rescue group. She arranged for us to go down and meet with them.

Wednesday afternoon we were in Bowmanville (a 3+ hour drive) with Cinder and Mulligan.

It didn't look good at the start. Casi wouldn't come near us and was afraid. The staff gave us treats to give to Casi, but she wasn't interested. We moved outside and John got our own Barking Biscuits. Wow. Casi liked them and decided that maybe we were okay. We spent an hour or so with her and then brought Cinder and Mulligan into the fenced area to meet her.
I was worried that our dogs would be aggressive but it was sort of a non event in their eyes.
Mulligan, Cinder, and Casi all want Barking Biscuits

By 5:30 we were signing the papers and paying the adoption fee.

By 6:30 we loaded the 3 dogs in the car and were headed out for our 3+ hour drive home.
24 hours later and we have a third dog (not a puppy, a dog who needs to be clipped, and a 2nd Giant Schnauzer! I broke all my own rules)
Cassie (foreground), Cinder (middle) and Mulligan (upper right) in the backyard.
Casi (which we are changing to Cassie) is laying at my feet as I blog about her.

I couldn't be happier. Thanks Christine. Christine (left) holding Cassie, Sara with Cinder and Mulligan

Eye Candy - BIG and small

2007-09-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are some photos of an art piece I purchased at a silent auction to raise funds for our local Youth Centre. It's a BIG piece of art! The artwork was a collaborative effort of 2 painters and a potter. Here is a close up of a pottery dragonfly:

Can you see the little pottery frog under the flower? Reminds me of our Frank.

And now for some small eye candy. Have you heard of Moo cards? They are very small biz type cards made from your Flickr photos. Cute as a button and memorable because they aren't the standard business card size. Here are some Moo cards from Fluffy Flowers.

Felicia makes handmade loveable creatures in Georgia. Many of her creatures are made from recycled clothes...saving the planet one creature at a time. Too cute for words.

Birthday Hugs for Miss M

2007-09-17T08:51:00.000-04:00

It's a big day today for our granddaughter....her 6th birthday (I've replaced the original photo shown due to some scary things I've been reading about kid's photos being taken by supposedly respectable internet companies and used in some disturbing ways)

Happy Birthday Miss M!

It's hard to believe that this beautiful girl was born 6 years ago weighing less than two pounds. Yes, you read that right. Miss M was born 4 months premature and weighed only 1 pound and 11 ounces. She lived in the hospital for the first 3 1/2 months of her life and fought for her life many times.

By the time she turned 5, she had caught up in every way. Other than a touch of asthma, you would never know that this little girl had such a rough start.

Miss M is the reason I truly believe in miracles.

I know she has opened her presents, so thought I would share one of them with you. These are some of the talents of Beebee Mod, one of my favourite etsy artists. Not the best photo, but you can take a better look here and here.

Oh, and I couldn't resist this one, which Jen is putting on a long sleeve T for me and will be arriving in the mail soon. Perfect for a no reason at all fall gift!

Nothing but blue skies

2007-09-14T12:02:00.001-04:00

Some days you wake up and feel like there's nothing but blue skies...nothing can go wrong, and everything looks great.

Today is one of those days.

Here's my morning routine: drink coffee (sometimes brought to me in bed...I'm a lucky girl), let the dogs out, feed dogs, feed the cat, eat breakfast, check email, read my favourite blogs, then take Mulligan for a walk. (Cinder can't go...her legs are deteriorating and she can't walk as long as we can)

My son and I watched The Truman Show last night. Cody is a mad Jim Carrey fan. My morning walks sometimes remind me of Truman's morning routine...waving and saying hi to everyone. It's amazing how many people in our neighbourhood are at home and outside every morning.

This afternoon, I get to pick up some special things. First, I had some of my photographs plaque mounted and they are finally ready. They are extreme close ups of marigolds after the rain, and the oranges really pop in the photos. Hope they look good mounted. I'll post photos of them soon.

Best of all, a piece of art I bought is ready to be picked up. I bought it a couple of weeks ago at a silent auction. The artwork is a collaborative effort of The Six Chicks from Gallery 6 here in Kemptville. The money I paid is going directly to The Youth Center here in Kemptville. How great is that? It's a fabulous piece...I'll post a photo of it soon.

I am doing some work today too! Orders are going out to the post office. Our Paws for Charity buttons and Crunch for a Cure biscuits will be available in London next week at the Hyde Park Feed & Country Store. It's a fabulous place for birders too...lots of great things there...check them out if you're in the area.

And, my day will end on our deck while John cooks me a fabulous meal on our Big Green Egg. I posted about our BGE a while back. The fortunate result of that posting was that I received an email from Erik, another BGE fan who lives in Russell. Russell just a short 40 minute drive from here...it's a small world! Erik gave me lots of great links to some wonderful BGE recipe sites.

So...what is a Big Green Egg? It's a charcoal smoker that we use instead of a propane BBQ. Yum.

Today is a gift. What are you going to do with it?

Have a great weekend!

Purely Pawsitively Pumpkin Pleasure Parade

2007-09-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

WOW! That's all I can say. Less than 24 hours and the response to our "Name our pumpkin biscuit contest" has pumped me up! (ha...couldn't resist)

Here's what we have so far...

Pawsitively Pumpkin (2)

Tail Thumpin' Pumpkin

Pumkinlicious

Pumpkin Paws
Pump It Up!

Pumpkin Lights

Pumpkin "BOO"
Jack'd Up Jack-o'-lantern
Great Pupkin
Harvest Spice Snaps
Purely Pumpkin
Pumpkin Perfection
Pumpkin With Love
Pumpkin Please!
Pumpkin Light
Flickerin Pumpkin
Jack-O-lin Pumpkin
Pumpkin Parade
Pumpkin Bumpkin

Pumpkin Patch

Punkin Pumpkin

Harvest Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkine
Pumpkanine
The Howling Pumpkin
Punkin Pickins
Pumpkin Pawty
Pure Pumpkin Pleasure
Pumpkin Patch Pooches
Pumpkins Please
Lord of the Harvest
Lord of the Gourds
Howlistic Pumpkin Pieces
Tail Waggin' Pumpkin

Smashing Pumpkins

Extreme Pumpkin

Barkin' Pumpkin!

Fall Harvest delights

Citrouille la trouille (citrouille is Pumpkin in French - trouille is scary)

Jack'O Cakes

Diggin' for Pumpkins

Mr. Pumpkin Head
Calabaza WOOF

What do you like so far? Leave a comment, or send me an email.

Contest - Name our new pumpkin biscuits

2007-09-12T11:25:00.000-04:00

We're still experimenting at the bakery to get the BEST pumpkin biscuits ever! In the meantime, I'm asking for your help in naming our new biscuits. If we choose the name you suggest, we'll send you a Barking Biscuit gift pack, plus of course we'll give you kudos in our blog. If more than one person suggests the same name, we'll do a draw to select the winner.

We did have pumpkin biscuits before, but one of the ingredients was rolled oats. Our new biscuits are completely grain free...a special biscuit inspired by a very dear friend of mine whose dog has cancer and can no longer have grains in her diet.

Our former name? Jumpin Pumpkin

Our new name? You tell me

It's not too late! Going to the Dogs Dinner & Race Night

2007-09-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

These little Barking Biscuit sample packs are just one of the things you'll receive in your goodie bag if you go to "Going to the Dogs Dinner & Race Night" on September 21st. Let me tell you, it took a bit of time to package up 300 of these little guys! Of course, a little self promotion is involved...I printed the inside of each tag with information about our Christmas biscuits, our dog photo search, and so on. Hopefully people will read them! The goodie bags will also have our Paws for Charity postcards with information about our button pins and cafe press tshirts printed on the cards.

This unique & fun fundraiser starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, and promises to be a fun-filled evening with live horse racing, fabulous food, door prizes, 50/50 draw and silent auction.

For tickets contact Julie at morejulie@hotmail.com.

For more information contact Cathy at going2thedogs@gmail.com

How a shirt led to a conversation & PIFing news

2007-09-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

We bought our home 9 years ago, when the house was 5 years old. In the past 9 years, we've had to replace LOTS of things...things you wouldn't expect to have to replace in such a "young" home. The latest in the long string of replacements (windows, french doors, furnace, hot water tank...) is our front porch. It was made from cedar, but it's rotting after 14 years.

So, I'm talking with the man who's doing the work (Pierre) and he asks me about the shirt I'm wearing. No, he's not interested in fashion. I was wearing one of my many "Barking Biscuit" shirts....a golf shirt embroidered with my company logo.

This led to a lengthy discussion. It seems that Pierre and his wife have bought my biscuits, and have been at agility events where they use my biscuits as prizes (they are both judges for agility). What a small world!

For all you budding entrepreneurs, my advice to you is to have your logo digitized so that you can have your logo put on the clothes you wear. It's not expensive (my logo costs $5 to embroider on anything I want), and it's one of the best marketing tools you can invest in. I can't tell you the number of times that people have asked me about my business just because I'm wearing a shirt with my logo stitched on. I'm my own walking advertisement!

Speaking of stitching...a bit from my personal life...

I recently joined a Pay It Forward (PIF). Sometime in the next 10 months or so I'll be receiving a little something from Joy. In return, I promised to PIF to three people. Well, I've sent my little somethings to Angelique and to Linda. I had lovely emails from them both, who loved what I sent. Here is Angelique's gift:

For some better photos, you can check out her blog entry here. The flowers represent Angelique and her husband. I revived my rusty embroidery skills for these projects.

And here is Linda's gift:

The colours aren't quite right in these photos...I was lazy and used my scanner instead of taking photos of them. My scanner dulls down the colours, and I'm not sure how to change the settings. There are 3 flowers around Linda's L...two flowers to represent Linda and her husband, and one orange flower that represents their daughter.

I have one PIF left...Corline, I'm working on it!

Frank is back & Meet Cypris

2007-09-07T16:17:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I was hoping to obtain a spot in one of the largest Ottawa Christmas Gift Shows. I was really disappointed (but not surprised) that I didn't get a spot. It turns out that everything happens for a reason. I have a couple of big things going on that I'm quite excited about. It's a little early yet, but I'll share them with you soon.

Guess what! Frank is back. He's not a goner like we thought. Here he is, up to his old tricks, hanging out on the outside of our living room window at night.

Time to share a photo sent to me a few days ago. Meet Cypris...sent to us by Suzanne of Mountain Dog Lodge in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Cypris is a real sweetheart, adores all people & kids, goes to "work" (their doggie daycare) every day, and she's a rescue to boot!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Go Bananas Pawty Cake

2007-09-06T15:21:00.000-04:00

Here's a cake recipe for you...well, actually for your four legged friends. Yes, a cake for dogs. What can I tell you? It's a crazy world out there. I have baked this cake on several television shows. Usually the host of the show will try it out. It's a little bland for the human palate, but dogs love it.

Barking Biscuit Go Bananas Pawty Cake

2 cups water
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
3 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute rice flour, but you'll have to reduce the water)
1 cup dried bananas
1/2 tbsp baking powder

Frosting:
250 grams low fat cream cheese
3 teaspoons carob powder (not chocolate!)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, mix together water, bananas, vanilla, egg and honey.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, dried bananas and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. The dough will be thicker than regular cake mix.
Pour into an 8 inch greased cake pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake will be quite dense...definitely not light and fluffy.

To make the frosting, beat ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Spread over the cake and decorate it with pieces of dried banana.

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Let your four legged friends enjoy!

One day you relax, the next you don't

2007-09-05T17:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday lots of parents sent their children off to the first day of school. Our son is in Toronto (about 4 hours from here) trying to find his first permanent home. Where did the time go? Seems like just yesterday we were putting him on the bus for school.

It seems fitting that we spent yesterday babysitting John's grandson. Mr. J is a joy to have around. We had a fun day with lots of adventures. The great thing about a two year old is that everything is a big adventure.

Playing with cars. Did you know that some float...and some don't? Amazing to a 2 year old.

Going for a walk with Baba (and Bama busy taking photos)
Watching the local machinery busy at work. And watching. And watching. Want to go home Mr. J? No! We didn't go home until the digger stopped for the day. Good thing we waited until the afternoon nap was over before we went for a walk to look at the machines!

So, yesterday was relaxing and fun. Today, not so relaxing.

Package an order and go to the post office. Go to the bank to deposit the cheques that came in last week (yay!). Go to the natural food store to purchase ingredients for the dog cake (yes, a cake for dogs) that I'm going to bake. Package 5 orders for delivery into Ottawa tomorrow. Process and print invoices for the orders. Bake a cake for a dog birthday party. John picked up the biscuits from our bakery to bring back to our workshop for packaging. When he arrives, we unload 500 pounds of dog biscuits out of the CRV and into the workshop. Whew! And it's not over yet...

Going To The Dogs Dinner & Race Night

2007-09-04T14:57:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to be part of the 2nd annual Going To The Dogs Dinner & Race Night.

This unique & fun fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, September 21st starting at 6:30 p.m. It's held at the Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, and promises to be a fun-filled evening with live horse racing, fabulous food, door prizes, 50/50 draw and silent auction.

Price of admission includes valet parking, coat check, all-you-can-eat buffet, complimentary race program and your first $2 wager. Price per person is $40. All proceeds from the evening go to 3 great dog groups...Aussie Rescue Placement Helpline, Canines with a Cause and National Capital Coalition for People and Dogs (soon to be Responsible Dog Owners of Canada).

For tickets contact Julie at morejulie@hotmail.com.
For more information contact Cathy at going2thedogs@gmail.com

I've seen some of the items for the silent auction...they look great!

We went last year, and it was lots of fun. Hope to see you there this year.

Article: The Power of Blogs

2007-09-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Our Paws for Charity project was featured in a recent article about the power of blogs. A big thank you to Sherri Garrity of Make It Count Communications for including us in her article.

HIGH TECH, HIGH TOUCH - THE POWER OF BLOGS by Sherri Garrity:
If you're looking for a way to engage your audiences, reach thousands of people, promote your vision in an interactive way, and do so quickly and inexpensively, the blog is an incredibly powerful communications tool. Non-profit organizations and individuals are beginning to use them for mission driven and philanthropic pursuits.

Sara Harley of The Barking Biscuit and three entrepreneurial friends in Ontario joined talent and forces to form the PAWS for Charity project to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Their blog launched earlier this year complements promotions in their own businesses (check out the Pink Ribbon Chilly Dog Sweater from Chilly Dogs shown here as an example). Like many who blog, Sara had no prior experience and underestimated the reach it would have. The last 100 visitors to the site were from North America, UK, Europe and as far away as the United Arab Emirates. The success of the blog prompted her to start one for her own business.

As more and more people link to their site, news of their efforts has spread. The project was recently highlighted in the grassroots Women Can Do Anything blog, another testament to using technology to unite people of common interests. The WCDA motto of Dream. Believe. Achieve. is a great motto for us all.

To read the full article click here.

Weekend Snapshots

2007-09-03T10:42:00.000-04:00

It was a long weekend for us here in Canada, and I think for our U.S. friends as well. How did you spend your long weekend? Here's a few little snapshots from our weekend.

Bath time for everyone. We have a hose from Lee Valley Tools that is perfect for outside baths. We attach it to an indoor tap (the small bathroom on our main floor). It's a coiled hose that stretches to 50 feet. Since it's attached to an indoor tap, we can adjust the water to a warmer temperature than the freezing water that comes from our well on the outdoor tap. The theory is that the crew will like having a bath better if it's not with freezing water. I don't think the theory works. All in all, the 3 of them "tolerate" their clean up time but not one of them really enjoys it. Strangely enough, our cat Phantom likes it best!

Next was a ride in the Miata for John & me. Despite the dire warnings of greenhouse gases, one of our favourite things is still to "go for a ride". It was a perfect day for it...sunny, but not too hot.

Remember my Horace Bear WIP? Well, I finally started putting my poor Horace together. Now that I've started, I'm hoping to have him/her finished by the end of the week. I enjoy knitting, but I really dislike putting everything together. (as you can probably tell, since I am sadly behind in my target completion date of July 15th!)

On Sunday, we had visitors for a barbeque. Two friends drove up from Kingston to see us...and brought the food with them! We had an unbelievable meal BBQ'd by John on our Big Green Egg...the biggest steaks I've ever seen, salmon, grilled mushrooms, onions, and peppers, olive sour dough bread, potatoes, carrots, and home made baklava. Mmm Mmm Great.

Today we were off to a baseball game in Ottawa...the very last (ever) game of the Ottawa Lynx. We were there for the opening game on April 17, 1993 (a very cold evening) and were seasons tickets holders for a few years. We sort of stopped going to ball games once we moved from Ottawa. Anyway, the team is moving away so we thought we should go to their last game. It was a perfect afternoon for a ball game...sunny & hot (30 C or 85 F...however you measure it) Perfect for hot dogs & beer. (but they lost!)

Hope you had a good weekend!

Goodies from Tomboy Trades

2007-08-31T14:49:00.000-04:00

Today was a day of ringing doorbells. First, it was CanPar delivering some racks I had ordered. The racks were supposed to be for displaying my biscuits at last Sunday's BARK picnic, but they didn't arrive in time. Oh well, I have them now and in lots of time for my next day of sales fundraising for greyhounds in October.

Then, the doorbell rang again. This time it was FedEx delivering my box of goodies from Tomboy Trades.

I won a draw on the website Women Can Do Anything and look at the goodies I won!

A hard hat, embroidered tshirt, blue safety glasses and a fantastic blue suede tool belt. Now that I'm all geared up, maybe I'll tackle my workshop. It's in desperate need of some glamming up.

If you don't know the story about Tomboy Trades, click here to read an article that was published recently.

And...if you need workboots, check these out. Tomboy Trades offers the first ever CSA approved pink, blue, green and red work boots women exclusively at Home Depot. Forget about safety, I think these would make a great fashion statement.

Women really can do anything!

BARK Picnic - Final Installment

2007-08-30T15:36:00.001-04:00

Meet some of our special friends from the BARK picnic on Sunday.
Chelsea and Sabrina are long time customers...they are sisters. I bake them a cake every year for their birthday celebration..."Go Bananas Pawty Cake". I originally met Chelsea at a weekend training session many, many years ago. Mulligan was with me...she was only a puppy and she's 8 now!

We met Luna, a miniature schnauzer, for the first time on Sunday. If you've been reading this blog, you know we have a soft spot for Schnauzers. Our Cinder is a Giant Schnauzer, but I have had two minis in my life. My family brought a mini home when I was 17. I named him Sam. I was supposed to be studying for an exam. I didn't study that day, but was saved by nature. There was a huge snow storm and school was cancelled the next day. This meant my grade 13 Spanish exam was cancelled too. I never did have to write that exam.

The second mini in my life was Mac. My first husband and I bought him from a breeder when we lived in Edmonton, Alberta. Mac moved with us from Edmonton, to Toronto, and then to Ottawa. He was a great dog.

This is Allie and Tyler. Allie is a very lucky dog to have such a devoted friend. Tyler spent all his allowance on Allie that day!

It was great meeting everyone on Sunday. I always get a little nervous before an event but it always runs smoothly. Some funny tidbits from the day:

After giving my little speech about our dog biscuits being hand made with all natural, human quality ingredients, someone asked "human quality, does that mean they're made with humans?" Ha. Funny guy.

We pack all our dog biscuit bags into large rubbermaid bins to transport them to and from a show. I put the bins at the back of our booth after I set up the table. Someone let their dog come and pee all over one of the bins. No apologies were offered.

We sell one inch button pins as fundraisers...I donate $1 to charity for every button pin sold. There is a medium sized sign right beside the bowl with the price marked, and the fact that we donate some of the money raised. A boy walked up, put his hand in the bowl, and grabbed a hand full of pins while his dad watched. He started walking away with all the pins. I didn't know what to do, but John saw it happening and chimed in "those pins are $2 each". He brought them back.

I haven't heard the final results for the fundraiser, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear.

Next booth: Greyhound Planet Day, October 27th, Ottawa. More info later!

BARK Picnic #4 - Lots of dogs

2007-08-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

More dog photos from the BARK picnic last Sunday.

Next: some special customers

BARK Picnic #3 - Huskies

2007-08-28T14:07:00.001-04:00

John (my official photographer for the day & better half for life) has a huge...I mean HUGE....soft spot for Huskies. Our first dog was Bailey, a Siberian Husky. She passed away unexpectedly 2 years ago and we still miss her a lot. There were quite a few Huskies at the BARK picnic, and John spent a lot of time taking their photos.

It made me think that going back to being a 3 dog family might be in our near future. But, we've also been talking about adopting another Giant Schnauzer so maybe we'll be a four dog family! No, never that.
Anyway, here are some huskies from the BARK picnic. Notice the different coloured eyes of the Husky in the first photo.

BARK Picnic #2 - Small Dogs

2007-08-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the wee cuties from the BARK picnic on Sunday.

BARK Picnic #1

2007-08-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's BARK Picnic was lots of fun. I haven't heard yet how much money was raised for BARK, but there were hundreds of dogs and people there. Here is a photo of me setting up The Barking Biscuit booth.

Now, a couple of photos after the people arrived. Quite a change!

Here's a few photos from one of the games....Musical Dogs. This game took quite a while...there must have been about 50 dogs to start:The dogs had to walk around in a circle while the music was playing. As soon as the music stopped, they had to sit. Last one sitting was eliminated.

Sorry...you'll have to guess who won. We didn't get a photo of the winner!

Next was the obstacle race. There were 3 teams of 10 dogs. All the dogs had to jump over the low bar,

go around a pilon, bypass a tub of treats, go around another pilon and run back to the start. If the amount of cheering was anything to go by, everyone had lots of fun.

It was a great day, perfect weather, and a fun way to raise money for a deserving charity.

Next: some of the dogs we met at the picnic

Joys of Collaborating

2007-08-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

Collaborating with different business people is one of my favourite things in my work life. I always learn something, and it's just plain fun to meet different people and learn about their businesses.

One amazing lady is Sue Bird...The Urban Dog Photog. She is one of the "Paws For Charity" women and looks after designing our promotional postcards as well as the photo shoots for my Crunch for a Cure dog biscuits.

As the Urban Dog Photog, Sue produces fantastic coffee table books of people's dogs after doing a photo shoot in the dog's home (or park, or whatever location the owner wants).

And now, when Sue delivers her finished coffee table books to her customers they will also receive a bag of Barking Biscuits! I have put together little packages of our biscuits using some of Sue's dog photos. Don't they look great?

I think this is a win/win situation. Sue's customers will get a little something they're not expecting, and The Barking Biscuit will get some extra exposure with dog lovers.

Remembering Gigi

2007-08-23T16:25:00.000-04:00

In memory of our friend Gigi

Our condolences to Julie (Chilly Dogs) and family

The Power of Pumpkins

2007-08-22T12:15:00.001-04:00

This photo is not our Mulligan....but it sure looks a lot like her! I received the photo last year from Jennifer. This is Sammy.

Do you have a photo of your dog with pumpkins? If you do...please email it to me! Maybe we'll use it on our new & improved pumpkin biscuits. If you don't have a photo, what are you waiting for? Get creative! (remember, we change the photos to black & white to use on our tags and we need a minimum of 300 dpi)

A very dear friend of mine has a dog battling bone cancer. Molly can no longer eat any grains. I have been experimenting with a couple of recipes and have decided to bring back our pumpkin biscuits. (our friend & customer Erin will be happy to hear this....she was so disappointed when I dropped pumpkin from our biscuit line)

I've modified our previous recipe and have eliminated the oats. The new recipe is currently being tested and if all goes well it will be hitting the shelves in October. The new list of ingredients in our pumpkin biscuits will be: pumpkin, brown rice flour, unsalted sunflower seeds, water, egg, corn oil, baking soda, and allspice.

Pumpkin and allspice are very good for the digestive system. These biscuits are packed with healthy goodness and boy do they smell good!

Our Wild Life

2007-08-21T11:29:00.000-04:00

Did I say Wild Life? Ha. I mean wildlife.

Remember my post about our Strange Visitor in the Night? If not, read it here.He came so often that we named him. Frank. Frank visited us every night for over one month. (well, he missed 3 nights during that time). We had family visiting for a week during that time and Frank entertained us all. We had dinner guests a few times and Frank entertained them. Funny how a little frog can amaze so many people.

Frogs can apparently really give some people the willies too. We had one dinner guest who was okay about looking at him (well, let's say she tolerated it) only because he was on the other side of the window. It turns out that she has a real aversion for frogs. She told us about a nightmare of a story (nightmare for her)....she was in staying in a home in Africa...they had a terrible rainstorm....and the home was invaded (inside the home) with hundreds of frogs.

I have to say, I might not be too big a frog fan in that situation!

Anyway, Frank is gone. He has been gone for about a week now. We discovered two molted snake skins in our garden. Methinks Frank has met an untimely end.

Speaking of untimely ends... Meet our two pond fish. Yes, we named them too. Lance (with the black arrow shape on his back) and Sugarlips (all orange, with a white ring around his lips).

Lance and Sugarlips joined us in May. We installed a pond and decided to put a couple of fish in it. We used to have a smaller pond, but we had to replace it after I dropped a rather large rock in it and put a hole in the bottom.

Sugarlips is gone! It's just not safe to be wildlife at our place. We talked to the pond lady. She told us a snake could be the culprit....or maybe a large bird. Poor Lance looks lonely and hides behind a rock almost constantly. Maybe we've traumatized him. Before Sugarlips went missing, the 2 fish swam around, up and down. The funniest thing to watch was when our Cinder went to get a drink from the pond.

You can't see the fish very well, but I've marked the 2 of them with red arrows. They used to swim up and get right into her beard.

Yikes, do you think Cinder swallowed Sugarlips? Stranger things have happened around here.

Barking Biscuit Specials at the BARK Picnic

2007-08-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Those of you who are regular readers know that Mulligan is a rescue dog from B.A.R.K.

B.A.R.K. is hosting it's first annual Dog & Family Picnic this coming Sunday August 26th in Ottawa at the Arboretum from 12 to 4.

We'll be there selling our Barking Biscuits at very special prices.

200 Gram Bags - $5.00 (including taxes) - regular price $5.65

Buy 6 bags - $25.00 (including taxes) - regular price $33.85

5 inch bones - $1.00 (yes, including taxes) - regular price $1.54

WOW

Come out and see us. It'll be lots of fun!

Mulligan's Garden - Part 2

2007-08-19T12:43:00.001-04:00

Remember my post in May about Mulligan's garden? If not, click here.

As promised, here are a couple of photos of the outcome. I left everything natural throughout the summer....no watering, no thinning....and here is Mulligan displaying the result:

There's something about sunflowers that just make me feel good.

Hope you have a feel good day!

Dags & Willow

2007-08-17T10:23:00.000-04:00

Meet Dagny (a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) and Willow (a Collie/Shepherd cross).Dags & Willow Fine Cheese and Gourmet Shop (named after Dagny & Willow) is in Collingwood, Ontario and is the most recent store added to our Barking Biscuit Retail Stores list.

Dags & Willow boasts the largest collection of cheese in the Collingwood area, offering over 100 varieties of cheese at any given time & a try-before-you-buy policy that goes beyond just their superb collection of cheeses. Don't these products look fabulous? Yum. And now Dags & Willow customers will be able to spoil their pooches with Barking Biscuits!

The Happy Dance

2007-08-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

What makes you do the happy dance?

Here are some of my happy dance moments:

:: Fresh Tomatoes ::
from our garden

:: Interesting photos ::
don't you just love the colours of these marigolds after the rain?

:: Being creative ::
Here's a hint for my PIFs. I have Angelique's PIF finished and will start working on Linda's PIF soon. I'll show the completed projects after they receive them in the mail. (wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!)
:: Good music ::
I don't know how to give you just the tune to listen to, but here is a You Tube video of one of my current favourites...Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's. Nothing like a good love song.

Go find something that makes you do the happy dance!

Dog and Family Picnic - meet us there!

2007-08-15T14:58:00.000-04:00

Join us at the first annual Dog and Family Picnic...a great fundraiser for B.A.R.K. I'm going to be there with a vendor's table selling our biscuits and button pins. As well as my vendor's fee, I'll be donating $1 to B.A.R.K. from each pin sold.

When: Sunday August 26, 2007 12 noon - 4 pm
Where: Arboretum (Central Experimental Farm), Ottawa
What: Picnic for your family and the dogs
Cost: $20 gate fee per family - this entitles you to one free hamburger, one free hotdog and a drink. Veggie burgers and dogs are also available.
Additional tickets can be purchased on site - hamburgers $1.00, hotdogs $1.00, drinks $1.00.

B.A.R.K. promises that all dogs will win something...if not a first, second or third prize then they get a BIG cookie and a fancy neck piece. Five hundred dollar gas cards are also up for grabs, and they're using a rating system.
First Prize - worth 3 points
Second prize - worth 2 points
Third Prize - worth 1 point
At the end of the day the five dogs with the most points win the gas cards

Here are the fun games they are planning:
Musical Dogs
Owners and dogs form a circle(can be two circles if there are too many dogs) music starts they all walk around in a circle, when the music stops the dog must sit, the owner can say the word "sit" but cannot use a treat and cannot touch the dog. Last dog sitting is out. There will be a First, Second, and Third Prize for this game. All dogs get a treat.

Obstacle Course
Course consists of: small jump/run around orange cone/run by cookies on a stand/small jump/finish
Form two to three teams depending on number of dogs entered. Dogs and handlers must navigate a short obstacle course from A to B. The first team that finishes wins. All dogs on the winning team get a prize equivalent to a First Prize Win. All dogs get a treat.

Weiner Race
All participants must run their dogs from A to B. The dog will be carrying a weiner in it's mouth. The first three dogs to reach the finish line with an intact weiner win. All dogs get a treat.

Recall Race
In the recall race, all the dogs are taken to one end of a flat area. Owners stand at the other end and call their dogs. The first three dogs to reach their owners win. All dogs get a treat.

Contests
All contest winners are equivalent to first prize points
Best Trick - there is a one minute limit for trying to get your dog to do a trick
Best Tail Wagger - you can only use the names of fruits and vegetables to egg your dog on
Dog Owner Look Alike
Smallest
Biggest
Biggest Ears
Best Singer
Most Colorful

Sounds like a ton of fun! Hope to see you there.

Funky Finds

2007-08-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I've been following the Funky Finds blog for quite a while...Jessica always finds some really neat things to blog about.

I'm thrilled that The Barking Biscuit Company is today's Funky Find! Read about it here under August 14th.

It's official - we're a Monarch Waystation!

2007-08-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

We are registered Monarch Waystation #1459. Monarch Watch is an educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas in the United States. It engages citizen scientists in large-scale research projects. Monarch Watch gets children of all ages involved in science.

Monarch Waystations provide milkweeds, nectar plants, and shelter for monarchs throughout their annual cycle of reproduction and migration.

Some stats from the Monarch Watch site:

Monarch resources are declining. Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations.
• Farm and ranch land is disappearing at rate of nearly 3,000 acres per day. In a 5-year period starting in 1992, 6 million acres of farmland (an area the size of the state of Maryland) were converted to subdivisions, factories, and other developments
• Widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant corn and soybeans in the last 5 years has resulted in the loss of at least 80 million acres of monarch habitat.
• Use of herbicides along roadsides continues to reduce milkweeds and nectar plants.

Monarchs need resource patches - lots of them - and the goal of Monarch Watch is to create at least 10,000 of these patches, which they are calling “Monarch Waystations”. If you want to become a waystation, here's the link to register: http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/certify.html

Paws for Charity Ezine article

2007-08-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited about an article about my PAWS for Charity project that's currently on the ezine Women Can Do Anything website. (womencandoanything.com)

Working Better Together: PAWS for Charity
Written by Lorette C. Luzajic

Here's the link to take you directly to the article and read all about our project.

http://www.womencandoanything.com/content/view/364/71/

Dream. Believe. Achieve. – is the motto of Women Can Do Anything. A great motto for us all!

A Greyt Auction

2007-08-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

You may remember that I sent two of my little watercolour paintings to the Maritime Greyhound Adoption Program in New Brunswick. One of the organizers is a customer of mine, so I wanted to help out in some small way. My paintings were auctioned off at their Annual Picnic & Auction to raise money for special needs greyhounds that would otherwise be euthanized. The auction raised nearly $3000! Congrats on a greyt event Erin!

This is what greyhounds look like bobbing for hot dogs!

The Fun Run

Time for a break

Hope all you Canadians enjoy our long weekend! Have a good one.

What do you do when it's hot?

2007-08-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

We take the dogs to the river so they can go for a swim. Well, one dog goes for a swim. The other dog is a wimp and doesn't go past her ankles.

She lets her sister do all the fetching and steals the stick when it gets back to the ankle deep part of the river.

It didn't cool us down, but the girls had fun.

New Biz Cards & Watercolours Sold

2007-07-31T17:28:00.000-04:00

Here are my new business cards...yet to be printed. The photo on the left is the front of the card, and the photo below is the back. That's our Mulligan:) Our Giant Schnauzer Cinder just shows up as a big black blob in photos (might be my photography skills) They're a little blurry here because of the low resolution, but I think they'll look great printed in high gloss.

The design work was done by Monster Pilot. They have designed all my tags for my dog biscuits, as well as my promotional postcards. I just love working with Brian and his partner. They have so many great ideas, it's really difficult to choose. They also did our logo for my PAWS for Charity project. You can see all the work they've done for me under their "Archive" section.

On the personal front, I sold 2 of my little paintings on Etsy yesterday. Thanks Angelique!
I am quite honored that Angelique bought them...she is such an artistic person. You must check out her photographs as well as her Snow Angel Designs.

In Memory of Shamy

2007-07-30T14:06:00.000-04:00

This stunning painting of Shamy was created by Kellie Oliphant-Burns of Doodle Dogs Paintings.

Shamy had a birthday party last year and collected funds for my PAWS for Charity cause. He and his mom Marie-Piere raised $200 and donated it to breast cancer research on behalf of Paws for Charity.

Shamy recently passed away. In Marie-Piere's words "great dogs make everyone feel loved". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Biz cards - your advice needed

2007-07-29T08:43:00.000-04:00

I'm having my business cards revamped. In the past, I've had one sided cards that were admittedly rather dull.

This time, I'm having 2 sided cards done up. I'm happy with the front (which I'll show you later) but I would like your advice about the back of the card.

Question 1: does the dog look happy to you? John told me that she looks aggressive. This is a photo of our Mulligan so she certainly doesn't look aggressive to me, but I would like your unbiased opinions. I want the photo to look "happy".

Question 2: I was going to use the back of the cards to ask people to send in dog photos (I use different dog photos on my packaging). This is really a 2 part question: I'm not sure about the wording. Do you have any suggestions to improve it? In case you can't read it, it says "SEND US YOUR DOGGY PHOTOS FOR POSSIBLE USE ON OUR PACKAGING".
Second part: Should I really include this, or leave it off?

Any other thoughts? Just leave a comment, or email me with your thoughts. Thanks for your help!