Over the last week a lot of us have been through a big snow, the big chill and now that some warmer weather is on the way the meltdown has ensued.  Walking through ice, snow and now large puddles of water at the end of each block can make your dog’s walk seem like an adventure right out of  an Indiana Jones movie. Some of your dogs wear boots or doggie galoshes, which protect their paws from the ice, snow and road debris.  Here’s a tip for those of you who have dogs that don’t tolerate boots and a quick way to clean off their paws when you arrive back home.  A car wash mitt, the fuzzy soft chenille kind, is perfect for cleaning road debris (salt, mag-chloride, ice melt or anything else that has been put on the sidewalks and streets to melt that pesky ice) off of your dogs paws so they don’t ingest it. You can buy mitts made especially for your dog in most pet stores or pet sections of grocery and department stores but car washing mitts are much more economical, usually $4 or less (if you go to the hardware store you may even be able to take your dog with you for a quick outing, which is just that much more time to bond and have fun with your dog).  Buy one that is soft, machine washable and make sure it doesn’t have any chemicals added to the mitt. Make sure you mark it “DOG” so you don’t use the same one you used to wash the car.  Keep one inside your door, you can use it wet or dry and as an added bonus it will keep your carpet and flooring clean and tidy too. Oh, and don’t forget the undercarriage, give your dog’s belly a quick wipe down just in case anything splashed up during their walk. Keep a mitt by the backdoor too just in case your dog unexpectedly shows up with muddy feet.

The post Got snow? Your dog needs a car washing mitt. appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

Here are some fun things to do with your dog this week:

• Take some extra long walks and enjoy the cool mornings and warm days.
• Unlimited belly rubs.
• A few extra dog treats are always appreciated,  but be careful not to go over board.
• Take some supplies to your favorite shelter or rescue. When they don’t have to spend their money on supplies they can spend it on the dogs.
• Put a few extra treats in your pockets and treat all the dogs you meet on your walk to an unexpected surprise treat. Stand back and watch those tails go crazy!
• Buy new toys, collars, beds or bowls for your favorite dogs and donate the gently used ones to a local rescue or shelter.
• Give your dog a gentle massage or hire professional dog massage therapist to do it for you.
• Ear scratch, belly rub, repeat

While most of our dogs are very lucky canines, we still have work to do as a nation to make sure all dogs are cared for responsibly, loved and treated like the beautiful animals that they are. So whatever your cause this week be it puppy mills, dog fighting, rescue, no kill shelters, spay and neuter clinics, lifting breed bans or another cause please consider a donation to your favorite and/or spreading the word about your favorite cause. Let’s get the word out for the dogs out there that aren’t as lucky as our own, they are depending on us.

The post National Dog Week – 8 Ways to celebrate appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

1. Dogs are creatures of habit and thrive when they have set routines. Most dogs will adapt quite quickly to the new schedule. Try to keep things as close to normal as possible especially feeding times and walks. Feed them about 30 minutes after their walk if you can to keep their digestion in top notch shape and prevent bloat.
2. Set aside dog time (in addition to walks and feeding) everyday to make sure your dog is getting enough attention. If you are running short on time combine things like cooking dinner or folding laundry with a few obedience commands. You’ll be surprised how just a few minutes not only improves their obedience it also makes them think and will tire them out.
3. Whenever possible take them with you to drop off or pick up the kids from school. They love car rides and that little adventure will brighten their day.
4. Break out the stuffed Kongs and toys that keep them busy for a long time, a busy dog is a happy dog. Bored dogs tend to get into trouble more than dogs that have had intellectual, social and physical activity during the day.
5. Study breaks are a great time to play with your dog. Your kids need to get up and stretch for a few minutes so include the dog and have some fun!
6. Be careful of too many snacks. I know I’m the dog biscuit baker but I don’t want your dog to have an unhealthy amount of treats, 7%-10% of their total calorie intake for the day are more than enough treats to keep them happy. Feed fewer, higher calorie treats and if you are worried about the quantity or need dog treats that fit in toys training treats work perfectly.

Since we are talking about school here is an equation for you:

         some treats + a lot of attention =  very happy dog!

Enjoy the last few days of summer and happy back to school!

The post Back to School Tips for Your Dog?! appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

I started counting the days from January 1, 2o15 and every 52 I will be doing something to cherish the day,  it may be big, it may be small, but it will be about them and our bond. You’ll see posts and maybe a picture or two. February 21st will mark the first 52nd day in 2015.  Here is a list of all seven of the 52 days in case you want to do something special with your dog.

February 21st * April 14th  * June 5th * July 27th * September 17th * November 8th * December 30th

Now to come up with some extraordinary ideas! Dog cakes, special treats those will all have their place but I’m fetching for something BIG. Let me know if you have any ideas. I’ll share my 52DAYS2015 celebrations with you and I hope you’ll share as well.

The post 52 DAYS 2015 – Celebrate with your dog! appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

I’m usually the last one on the planet to get excited about apps but Walk For A Dog is definitely something to  bark about. Doug and his team have done an incredible job putting together an app that not only helps humans and their dogs but their favorite shelter or rescue too.  This easy to use free app couldn’t be simpler. Download the app, put in your name, email, dog’s name, a picture of your pet if you wish and your favorite shelter or rescue from the list of thousands (they are listed by state for your convenience). There are no mothers’ maiden names, secret passwords, dna of your pet’s grandparents to enter, it is quick and easy. Simply turn on the app when you leave the house and turn it back off when you get home.  While you and your dog walk, bond and get some good exercise Walk For A Dog logs your distance, time, mph and a map of your walk. Walk For A Dog keeps a history of your walks so you can compare them and if you want to challenge yourself to go farther or faster next time you can. The app then uses an algorithm using the number of people that have walked for a particular rescue or shelter, the number of times they have walked and how far they have gone. Just going down the block to get the mail, that’s okay, that counts too! And when you return home you can share your walk with others on social media with a touch of a button.

Once you have taken your first walk, the app will download information about your particular shelter or rescue including how many people are walking for them, how many times they have walked and how far they have gone. You also get a the same information to show you how much you have helped out your selected organization. If you don’t have a favorite local shelter or rescue Walk For A Dog will find the nearest subscribed organization and donate to them. Get the app here.

Don’t have a dog or want to walk for cats? No problem use the Walk for Cassie option and you can still donate to your favorite shelter or rescue. Cassie is Doug’s foxhound and she is a rescue  so she knows how important it is to help out dogs in shelters and rescues. Cassie is the poster dog, if you will, for rescued animals everywhere.

The post Healthy for you, healthy for your dog and wealthy for your favorite dog or cat rescue. appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

At Bones Du Jour we encourage you to play with your food. When the temperature rises, try these simple biscuit cooler ideas to help beat the heat. They are as much fun as doggie ice cream without all of the mess and added sugar.

Freeze a bag of biscuits and feed them straight from the freezer for a cool summer time treat.

Biscuit Coolers – Place one biscuit in each compartment of an ice cube tray and fill with water. Place the tray in the freezer and when they are frozen solid, pop them out into a freezer proof container. Dogs that love ice cubes will adore biscuit coolers!

If the whole pack is coming over, take a food storage tub and fill it with Bones Du Jour biscuits, jerky, carrots and water to make a big ice block full of goodies. Dip it in hot water to release it from the container. This icy cold treat is best served outside in a bowl as it makes a mess when it melts. This is great in the summer and will keep a pack of dogs happy for a very long time.

The post Stay cool and beat the heat! appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

June 2oth 2014

Celebrate with Bones Du Jour!  Stop by the dog bakery between 11 am and 4 pm for a free biscuit tasting or place an order for party platters, pounds for the hounds (bags of dog treats perfect for a biscuit station) or an organic pumpkin yogurt dog cake for delivery to your work place. Please place orders by Wednesday for delivery between 8 am and 10 am to your office on Friday.

Friday, June 20th, marks Pet Sitter International’s 16th annual Take Your Dog To Work Day. Celebrate your human animal bond with a work day filled with adventure for your dog and stress relief for you. Studies have shown that having a dog in the office can be beneficial in many ways, including relieving stress and increasing productivity. Even the Center for Disease Control promotes several benefits to human health from hanging out with our best friends.

I’m lucky that I have the opportunity to take my dog to work with me most days.  In fact, my bakery is housed in a very dog friendly complex. There are several businesses that have dog friendly offices at City Park Plaza and at least two of them can have as many dogs as humans come to work on any given day. Now that’s some dog friendly folks.!

My dog Joey comes to work with me at least twice a week. In fact, he knows he works on Wednesdays and Thursdays and gets confused if I don’t take him on those days.  He wanders around the house and looks at my husband like ” What the heck? I was supposed to go to work today.” He gets so excited to go he has a hard time keeping all four paws on the floor when I grab his leash and head for the door. Joey watches each turn the car makes and I swear if he could drive he would be able to drive me right to work. Having Joey in the bakery always makes the day a little brighter. He loves being there and has created a few jobs for himself including but not limited to;

• Biscuit tester
• Cleaning up stray biscuits that fall during packaging
• Scheduling work breaks and walks around the lake
• Protecting me and the biscuits (this is self imposed and we are still in negotiations regarding this one)
• Official stuffed bear eviscerator

If you are interested in having your company participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day visit www.takeyourdog.com for fun ideas, a free Action Pack download and to register as a participating business. Enter their contest for a$500 cash prize and a $500 cash prize for your local shelter. Since you live in Fort Collins,  you can head to Funkwerks, Pateros Creek or any of the other breweries with dog friendly patios or tap rooms for a little “socialization” after work.

If you are planning on participating in TYDTWD, drop me a line or send me a photo. I’d love to hear how much fun you had!

The post Work With Your Dog, Not Like A Dog appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

     A few years ago I took a chance. I decided to share with friends and family the dog treats I had been making for my dogs for years. I didn’t know if other dogs would enjoy the treats as much as my dogs did, if anyone would buy them or realize what care I took in selecting ingredients for Bone Du Jour treats. I paid attention to sourcing ingredients before it was the popular thing to do. I knew dogs didn’t need added sugar, preservatives, chemicals and that the oils used for baking are not healthy.

     Well, the dogs loved them, the people loved that their dogs loved them and now I have the best customers in the world! Thanks to all my great customers and my embezzling labrador mix, named Buddy, I am thrilled to bake treats for your best friends right here in this beautiful bakery or as Shadow calls it “The motherlode of dog treats”.  I’m proud to be considered a “biscuit goddess” from Pumba.

     Thanks everyone, I love your dogs as if they were my own!

The post Thanks, You and Your Dogs Are The Best! appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th the students and staff welcome visitors to the hospital with great tours, talks about veterinary medicine,  green and gold dog treats and rumor has it that on Saturday from 11-2 some food trucks will be there so you can load up on good eats while catching up on the latest from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. We are so lucky to have one of the top veterinary schools in the nation right here in Fort Collins! To find out more about the Open House and to see what talks are scheduled click this link http://vth-open-house.colostate.edu/

Thank You CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for including Bones Du Jour treats in the festivities. Have fun and enjoy!

The post Treats Go Green and Gold appeared first on Bones Du Jour.

Big congratulations and woof! to our winners: Maeby, Bentley, Chumley, and Abbey. Enjoy your delicious buffalo liver dog treats and peanut butter flavor dog treats. You are all lucky dogs for sure!

The post St. Patty’s Day Contest Winners appeared first on Bones Du Jour.