DIY Cheese and Garlic Dog Treat Recipe – Canine Cookery

Find out how to bake healthy cookies for your dog with this very simple no-fuss recipe. I experimented with a new design web-site to create this visual step-by-step guide!

This post serves two purposes. The first rather obvious one is that I want to share this easy dog treat recipe with you. My dogs love these and I feel happy knowing exactly what has gone in to their treats! My long-time followers may recognise this recipe from a previous post, Canine Cookery – Healthy Cheese and Garlic Dog Cookies. The reason that I am rehashing this content is part of the reason behind the second purpose of this post!

So recently, I have been thinking that Fluffy Tufts could do with a bit of a makeover. I don’t know about you, but I was getting a bit tired of seeing the old site banner (the one with the doggy mugs!). You may (or may not) have noticed the new banner featuring all the gang. Let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Then, the other day, I came across a great post from the blog ‘We Live in a Flat‘ about adding text to photos. I would suggest you check it out as there are some great ideas there. She kindly advised me to try out a design website called Canva, and below you can see one of my first designs!

I would really love to hear your thoughts on the info-graphic. What do you like/dislike about it? Would you like to see more visual posts in future or do you prefer to read text?

Homemade  DIY Cheese and Garlic Dog Treat Recipe - Fluffy Tufts

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The Arrival of a Sighthound!

Here is a tale that is long overdue. It tells the story of the arrival of our latest pack member, Pippa!

Pippa the WhippetLast year,  Mr Fluffytufts and I decided that there was room in our lives (and our house!) for a fourth dog. This time, we opted to search for a sighthound, given that there are a large amount of these dogs waiting patiently in rescue for their forever home.

Due to the fact that we have two cats and three small fluffy dogs, we needed to find a very special sighthound. We needed a dog who had little to no prey drive and who had been cat-tested. We approached a small rescue called Sighthound Strolls. They only rehome sighthounds, so we figured they would have the expertise to guide us with our decision.

Pippa the Whippet at the Dog ParkWhen we first spoke to them, they were very clear that it could take quite some time to find the right match for us. We prepared ourselves for a long wait and kept busy reading up on sighthounds and raising the garden fences! We were very surprised when less than a week later, we received a call about a possible match.

Pippa (then Indie) was brought to the rescue because she has virtually no prey drive and was no good to her owners as a hunting dog. The scars on her body suggest that it was probably not a happy life for her before coming into rescue.

The first meeting was at her foster home in Meath. I fell in love straightaway but tried not to let that cloud my judgement. We took her for a walk with the Lads and they all got along brilliantly.

Casper and Pippa meeting for the first time!In the end, it was Casper who made the decision. Given all his issues, we knew that it would only work if he was happy with her. Unusually for him, he took to her straightaway and so it was decided… Pippa was the sighthound for us!

Read more about Pippa’s adventures with us in future posts!

A Pile of Dogs (Wordless Wednesday – 23 January 2013)

Cuddles with Pogo, Casper and Jimmy

Fluffy Tufts is participating in the Blogpaws blog hop. Come and join the fun!

I believe in Father Christmas!

I believe in SantaBiscuits and milk laid out for Santa

Excited children hoping to catch a glimpse

Laughter and joy fills the air

Inching towards them, sleep envelopes

Elusive as ever, Santa visits

Various parcels under the tree

Even a stocking for the dog!

What I Really Do! (Wordless Wednesday – 5 December 2012)

What I really do meme - Fluffy Tufts

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Goodbye, dear Munchy…

Darling Munchy is no longer with us. She had a serious decline in her health and last Saturday morning, we made the decision to let her go. We are heartbroken and will miss her greatly, but it was the right time.

My brother and I have had Munchy in our lives for nearly seventeen years. From a tiny puppy to an elderly old lady, Munchy spent her life being loved by us.

Puppy Munchy - 1996

Munchy - 2007

Munchy - April 2012

Munchy - Hallowe'en 2012

Russborough House and Hedge Maze – Staycation Ireland

Russborough House is a magnificent stately home situated in County Wicklow, Ireland.  It is one of those places that I have heard a lot about and even driven past many times, but had never visited.

Russborough House from russborough.ie

Russborough is a stunning Palladian mansion overlooking some of the most impressive views in Ireland. Designed in 1741 by Richard Cassels, it took 10 years to build what has been described as “one of the most beautiful houses in Ireland”. (Bruce Arnold, The Irish Times, 1997) With the Wicklow mountains and Blessington lakes just a stone’s throw away the setting is idyllic.

Sir Alfred and Lady Beit bought Russborough in 1952 to house their impressive art collection. They left this historic mansion, its collections and their fascinating life story to the Irish public in 1978.”

Taken from russborough.ie

We had been planning to go back to Powerscourt Estate without the dogs, so we could tour the house and gardens. I was googling the opening times and one of the hits that came up was Russborough House, which is closer than Powerscourt and has the added bonus of a hedge maze! Being the big kids that we are, the hedge maze was the clincher!

Unfortunately, photography wasn’t permitted inside the house, so you will have to make do with a bunch of shots of us in the hedge maze ‘acting the maggot’ (which is irish slang for messing around!).

The Hedge Maze

Wandering around the Hedge Maze

Having fun in the Maze

Mr Fluffytufts

Me and my Boys (Wordless Wednesday – 17 October 2012)

Me and my Boys!

Fluffy Tufts is taking part in the Blog Paws blog hop. Come and join the fun!

If you liked this, you can click to view past Wordless Wednesday posts.

New Cat (Wordless Wednesday – 10 October 2012)

New Cat

Fluffy Tufts is participating in the Blog Paws blog hop. Come and join the fun!

See more cat photos here: