Old Favorites

This past summer we picked up a 35mm on Craigslist. C took these shots of Bender. I really enjoy them.

I love the look on his face here. "WTF are those? They don't look like noms."

No new photos of Bender buddy, camera is on the fritz. I'll try to get some new pics up this weekend, and possibly another treat recipe.

Have a great night!

Sunday = Baking

Usually on Sundays I find myself writing lesson plans, grading papers, catching up on homework for my class, etc., but on the rare occasion that I am caught up on my work, I like to bake on Sunday.

Today C reminded me that I had peeled some bananas and left them in the fridge. I decided to make chocolate chip banana bread for the humans. After I had finished this I still had a lot of leftover banana. I looked down at the Corgi sitting by my feet, staring at me, begging me to make him some nommy treats.

I dug out a recipe I had for peanut butter dog treats and modified it to include banana.

Lazer beam boys want treats!

Corgi Approved!

Bender's Peanut Butter Banana Treats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

1/2 cup peanut butter (all-natural or organic)

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/2 - 3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine oil, peanut butter, banana and water. Mix flour together in a separate bowl, and add flour, one cup at a time, forming a dough. Knead dough into firm ball and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. (I've found you need to add a little extra water)

Use cookie cutter or cut into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes (longer if you desire crunchier treats). I recommend rotating the trays half way through. Makes 2+ dozen cookies. (Note: If you wish to leave the banana out and make plain peanut butter treats, increase water to 1 cup. You can also add a sprinkling of flax seeds. Finally, I refrigerate mine so they last longer.)

Yogurt

We usually mix in a spoonful of yogurt with the boys dinner. Each time we reach the end of the container I let Bender lick it clean. I love watching him try to fit his entire face in the container.

Hoping the weather clears up, I want to take the boys on a walk by the canyon.

Sneaky Thief

The dogs and I have a routine when I come home from teaching. They meet me at the door, jump on me, run around, etc. This is followed by Bender sticking his head in my bag until I put it on the ground for him to inspect. This has become so routine that I think nothing of dropping my bag on the ground while Bender rummages around in it and walking away.

Usually when he's finished with his inspection he'll come and find me to give me kisses. Today he did not. After a few minutes I grew suspicious. I looked around and discovered him in his "cave" - which is really just his doggie pillow hidden under the plant table. It looked like he was playing with his squeaky yellow ball. And then I noticed the corgi "I'm not doing anything wrong" look.

Upon closer inspection what I thought was his yellow ball was actually the pear that I had left in my bag. The little sneaker had taken the pear and begun to eat it as quickly as he could.

MMM... this is yummy!

Mom! Why did you take it away?

But I WANT it!

Ok, I'll eat it outside.

I ended up taking it outside and breaking it apart for both my boys to share. It didn't last long. Then I thought about it, are pears ok for the boys to eat? So I Googled "Are pears bad for dogs?" I found this:

"Pears are an excellent source of water-soluble fiber, including pectin, which makes them useful in toning the intestines. Fresh pears contain potassium which is necessary for maintaining heartbeat, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, and carbohydrate metabolism. Pears also contain Vitamin C. An important antioxidant, Vitamin C is essential for helping prevent free radical damage. Because of the extra added fiber and pectin, you want to make sure your dog doesn't over-do eating the pears. It can cause diearhea or an upset stomach."

Maybe I should give them pears more often?

Also my dad sent me this from the PvPonline comic, it made me giggle. I think Bender would make a great fairy steed.

Bones

I know this is Bender's blog, but I thought I should introduce Bones, his younger brother.

Bones' rescue story. Last October I was in my car going to return a movie. I got to the intersection at the end of our street and saw a dog and cat sitting in the middle of the intersection. I stopped the car and opened the door to check on them. The cat ran away but the puppy ran right over to me and hopped in the car. I drove back down the street to our house and got C. We got the puppy into the back yard and decided we would bring him in the house and feed him since he looked starved. This did not sit well with Bender. It took him 3-4 days to warm up to this new puppy while we searched for his owners. As I mentioned, the puppy was pretty starved and had a bad case of fleas. After a month we couldn't find any owner, so we decided since Bender had warmed up to him and he really was a sweet puppy that we would include him in our family. We named him Bones because he was so skinny and for "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek.

After 4 months he is healthy and happy. He's a goofy puppy, but I'm glad we added him to the family.

Outside!

Bender loves to go outside. He likes to walk along the perimeter of the fence, bark at the squirrels, chase the birds.

Look at that cute bottom.

Mom, really? More Pictures?

I just want to go out!

Sorry they're a little blurry. I'm using an old point and shoot. If you have any suggestions for a nice camera upgrade I'm listening.

Also, I have 2 followers! Hello to Kelly at CorgiButts, and Betty at A Corgi in Southern California!

Valentine's Day

Just another lazy Sunday in our house. Slept in and had Bender cuddle time. Spent most of the day working on the blog and watching the Olympics. Here are a few photos of Bender and his dad enjoying some TV cuddle time.

Bender: An Introduction

I've decided to start a blog for my dog Bender. He's a 2 and 1/2 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We adopted him when he was just over a year old. It was love at first lick.

We call him many names: The Duke, Bender Peabody-Snarflenubbins, Bender-Buddy, BooBoo Bear(kins), Sausage, Link, Nubbins, Nubbers, Dummy, Dum Dum...

He enjoys naps, raw hides, pulling the stuffing from toys, playing in the back yard, and pulling apart anything made of cardboard.

Bender is my first dog. I was bitten when I was younger and had a terrible fear of all dogs. This changed the day I met Bender. My other half was asked to baby-sit a corgi for a while while they tried to find him a home. I went to his office to pick the dog up. I got there, sat on the floor with him, he licked my face and sat in my lap. That's all it took. He melted my heart - love at first lick. Obviously we ended up keeping Bender, a decision I couldn't be happier about.

Hopefully with this blog I can share all his goofy little mannerisms and fun adventures.

Right after we brought him home.

I <3>

He hates being leashed.

Being goofy in the car.