Chicken Glop - Recipe

5 pounds leg quarters (plus or minus)
2 tsp garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
5 eggs
1 can mackeral
1/2 c. uncooked rice

Boil the chicken and the rice together until the chicken falls off the bones.
Grind up chicken and bones.
Mix in big bowl (this makes about 9 cups) with about a cup of the broth, the rice, the canned mackeral, eggs and garlic powder.

You can add veggies if you want - either grind with the chicken, or fine chop, if your dog / cat will eat them in chunks.

Should stay in fridge for a couple days, but if you are using small portions, just freeze what you are not going to use up within 2 days.

Breed Specific Legislation

BSL is legislation that dictates what breeds are considered dangerous. It is designed to outlaw ownership of these breeds. Depending on the state or county you live in, BSL can apply to just about any breed of dog, though the most popular breeds that end up getting legislated (restricted or banned) are German Shepherd Dogs, Pit Bulls, Dobermans, Chow Chows, Rottweilers, and other large breed dogs. Dog attacks can be for a variety of reasons, including organized dog fighting, responses of dogs to mistreatment, dogs acting as attack or guard animals, or the unexpected, random neighborhood altercation.

Less for dog fighting, which is illegal, well-trained dogs will not randomly attack another person. If more people were to train their dogs or not mistreat them (for those abusers out there), we would not have a need for BSL. Mistreatment of dogs includes hitting, kicking, tying them out all day with no food, water or shade (or at the least, for those dogs who are fed once per day, no water and shade), and other practices that may not necessarily make a dog mean, such as overfeeding, not grooming, etc.

If your dog is properly socialized, there should not be a problem with the "random neighborhood altercation." If your dog accidentally gets loose (i.e. kid opens the door and dog takes off), and is properly socialized, the dog will have no reason to attack a random person.

How do you properly socialize your dog, you ask? It is easiest to socialize your dog as a puppy take him everywhere, let him meet strangers, other dogs, introduce him to different animals, like cats, rabbits, other dogs, etc.. It is most important that you introduce your dog to other dogs, so he is not dog aggressive.

It is more work to socialize an older dog, but the same principles apply. If you have a seriously aggressive dog you are working with, you may want to try a muzzle on him while out in public. Gradually phase out the muzzle. It can be done without a muzzle, but you must be attuned to your dog's signals, and constantly be on watch.

Legislation that generalizes, such as something along the lines of "'Dangerous dogs' are defined, in part, as those which have aggressively bitten, attacked, or endangered or has inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property,' as well as those which have when unprovoked, chased or approached a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack'" would be proper legislation, and is not breed specific.

Legislation that specifically mentions one or more breeds should not be allowed. A person could have the friendliest pit bull or the meanest nastiest chihuahua. Just because a chihuahua is small, doe not mean it cannot bite and do some damage, but you will not see a chihuahua specifically mentioned in breed restrictions or bans.

BSL unfairly targets those who do have trained dogs that are labeled "dangerous" by either restricting or banning the breed, causing home owner's insurance rates to go up and not allowing the dog in a public place where dogs would otherwise be allowed. It also makes it difficult for people who show their dogs to go anywhere off the show-grounds with their dogs.

In conclusion, BSL is a way to phase out certain breeds of dogs, most of them the larger breeds. It does not keep abusers, dog-fighters, and puppy mills from doing their nasty deeds, but puts a strain on honest breeders and responsible pet owners.

New Food Again

Shhhhh! Don't tell mom - I'm on her computer, she will absolutely kill me! She started feeding me whole raw chicken and cans of jack mackeral and country style ribs and lots and lots of good stuff! I like it much better than the cooked stuff! She even makes breakfast for me on Sunday mornings for a treat! She gave me French Toast last Sunday - I hope she makes that again! That is some good stuff! I'm glad she doesn't cook my bacon, though - I like that raw, plus it's good for my fur and that stupid dandruff I get. I noticed a bit more, she's gonna have to up the amount of bacon on Sundays! Right now I only get one thick slice. I could eat the whole 3 pound package! ~~Rambo

Elmira's Wildlife Sanctuary Fundraiser

Please visit the fundraiser - get something you like, and the proceeds from your purchase will benefit Elmira's Wildlife Sanctuary.

Please email me if you wish to purchase more than two items for a discount on the shipping.

If you provide your email address, we will send you a copy of the payments made to Elmira's on your behalf.

If you wish to forward a note to Elmira's with the proceeds from your sale, please Cherdon's with your order and your note / message.

We accept visa and mastercard - credit card orders may be faxed in or may be processed through paypal. Should you wish to fax your order in, please email me and I will send you a credit card order form / signature page.

BARF Revisited

I've been feeding Rambo a combination of cooked and raw for over three months now - his teeth, which used to have some yellow near the gums (he 15 months old) have turned completely white.

He had dandruff when we brought him home in December, and continued to have dandruff, no matter what I did. He does not have dandruff anymore, and his coat has gotten shiny and soft. Not only that, but he doesn't have that musky dog smell - and I haven't had to give him a bath since starting on raw.

I also waste less food, as he used to leave some kibble every day, no matter how little I gave him. Now he eats every bit and is looking for more! He's a much happier shepherd, and very active!

Some tips: give about 1/2 tsp garlic per day in your dog's food - the old wives' tail about repelling fleas is true.

I feed one strip of thick sliced bacon (raw) 1 to 3 times / week - most often once a week. The fat from the bacon has helped with softening his fur and making him look sleek and shiny.

For more info on feeding raw, please check out the Raw-lite list.

Dog Food - To Feed or Not to Feed?

I've been reading about this BARF diet. Ok, this sounds good - dogs are canines and are supposed to eat raw meat.

I joined a wonderful group and started reading the posts. The one thing I can't do is feed my dog chicken bones - he's like a vacuum and inhales everything that is big enough to fit in his mouth! He gets raw beef, beef heart, pork, whatever I can find on sale. I mix it with his kibble two to three, sometimes four times a week. The rest of the days he gets canned mixed with kibble.

In comes 50 million recalls - or so it seems. I'm not a patient person, so I don't have the patience to look in all the store to figure out which brand has been recalled - or worse - which brand is going to be recalled tomorrow!

I see chicken thighs on sale for $0.89 / pound. Hmmm... I get to thinking. I buy them and cook 5 pounds of them. I break out my grandmother's old fashioned meat grinder - you know - the one where your arm falls off by the time you're done grinding?

I grind up all the cooked chicken - bones and all. I add a can of jack mackeral, 5 raw eggs and about two tablespoons of garlic power - mix it all up. I feed this "glop" to Rambo (not all at once, this lasted me for a week). He LOVES it.

I have been feeding Rambo a combination of cooked dinners and raw for two weeks. His coat has never looked better. His teeth had been starting to get some yellow on them, even though I fed raw meat and bones a few times a week. His cooked and raw still gets mixed with some kibble - but his teeth are now white, his coat is soft. You wouldn't believe how soft.

He's a much happier dog - and I'm a much happier mom - a side effect that I was told about, but did not believe - he poops less! He poops less because his body uses more of the food I give him, since it's not all preservatives and fillers and other junk his gut just does not process.