Tag Archives: #dog

Dining with Dogs March 2017

 

I’m off to Sardella’s Pizza in Peoria AZ

Dining with Dogs is just a “Fluff” Story about taking my dog(s) out to eat. There are a bunch of rules and things you should consider when dining out with dogs. We have many restaurant patios in Arizona but not all restaurants are dog friendly. It’s always best to call any restaurant the day you plan to visit to make sure it’s ok to dine with your furry friend. Dogs are to dine close to your side. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture and dogs are not to eat off of restaurant plates. you NEED to be aware that most of the food you eat can be harmful or toxic to your dog and you need to review a dog friendly food list from your veterinarian. Basically small pieces of sauce free plain meat and certain vegetables are safe. It is also a good idea to visit restaurants with your furry friends at off times because sometimes you come across people that don’t like dogs there and it’s good to avoid non-pet friendly people.

We had a very tough month because we lost our beloved Louie to cancer. We thought for our first dining out with Dogs without Louie that it would be best for a new memory.

We picked a family owned business called Sardella’s. It isn’t fancy but they offer a comfortable patio and they serve pizzas, pastas, wings, salads and calzones.

We started out by sharing a generously sized salad made with romaine, spinach and artichokes.

This is only part of the salad.

I kept her busy with plain romaine and spinach.

Then they brought us garlic knots for dining in.

The complimentary garlic knots are tasty….Then our pizzas arrive….

“Pizzas!”

We have a sausage pizza and a pomodoro pizza (cheese pizzas with garlic, tomato, ricotta cheese, basil and Italian seasoning)

I do note that Bread, Cheese and Garlic can be very harmful to dogs. My dog is over 90 pounds and can digest cheese. I am very careful and only give her a very small amount of mostly cheese to taste the pizza.

“Oh that was so tasty!”

“All three of us really like the Pomodoro Pizza Best!”  “It’s special and has the most going on with it.” “The Pomodoro is a nicely seasoned pizza accented with mounds of milky creamy ricotta and slices of sweet roma tomatoes that cut threw the richness.”

“The Forking Truth is that I enjoyed my fist visit to Sardella’s.”

www.SardellasPizza.com

“We are on our way to Lamp Cafe.”

We were on our way to Lamp Cafe but all the patio seats were taken so we went next door to Lamp Pizzeria.

Both Lamp Cafe and Lamp Pizzeria have small but comfortable patios with umbrellas that face each other.

We started by sharing a salad called a Union Salad that was great for sharing.

Two pieces of delicious charred crusty bread, fresh romaine, onions, sweet tomatoes, white beans, provolone cheese and toasted pine nuts.

“I got to eat some romaine lettuce and some beans!”

Then we shared a Neapolitan Style Pizza named the Grandma Pizza.

This is a very flavorful pizza made with provolone cheese, garlic tomatoes, onion and chiles. This pizza was very thin but also was foldable …..if you should desire to fold……with good flavor and the perfect amount of char. It’s a nice light pizza that doesn’t weigh you down. Although it wasn’t needed….. but just for fun we had to have a side of Calabrian Chile Oil that was delicious.

I really enjoyed myself at Lamp Pizzeria!

www.LampPizza.com

I’m on my way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ

Cucina Tagliani is a family friendly type of restaurant that serves American Style Italian Food. We had the Grilled Salmon with Asparagus and Spaghetti Squash and the Spicy Sausage Rigatoni.

Everything is tasty and all is ok!

“I got some rigatoni”

“I really enjoyed spaghetti squash and salmon!”

“I did alright at Cucina Tagliani”

www.CucinaTaglini.com

That was dining with dogs for March 2017. We hope to see you next month!

The Forking Truth

In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

 

 

Chicken, Liver and Rice Meatballs Recipe for Dogs

 

“What are you making me….It smells Forking Delicious!”

For a special occasion or if your dog is very sick like my 15 3/4 year old is…You need to serve special foods that your dog enjoys to keep him eating. My dog LOVES Liver but liver is too rich to feed in meal amounts. I added rice and ground chicken to stretch out the taste of liver. I recommend only leave what your dog will eat in the refrigerator for up to two days and keep the rest of the balls frozen. Serving size will differ depending on size of dog. My dog weighs 60 pounds and he eats 6 balls a day (with other foods) without any issues. He loves this recipe. It’s one of his favorites.

Ingredients that makes about 48 balls

1 lb chicken livers (my package was slightly under)

4 Tablespoons either chicken fat or unsalted butter (2T for liver and 2T for rice)

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups dry white rice

1 lb ground chicken

3 XL eggs lightly beaten

a few cracks fresh ground sea salt

a few cracks fresh ground black pepper

about 8 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Spread out the chicken livers on a baking sheet and split the two tablespoons of butter or chicken fat into about 8 pieces and place over livers.

Place in oven and cook 30 minutes. When you pull the livers out hit them with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.

While the livers are cooking you can prepare the rice.

Put 4 cups of chicken stock in a pot with 2 Tablespoons of either butter or chicken fat and bring to boil.

Add rice, then cover and reduce to simmer for twenty minutes. Take off heat and fluff rice.

By now the livers will be done. Get a potato masher and mash them like potatoes on the pan with juices and all.

Chicken livers will cool fast but wait till the rice is just warm and then combine the rice with the mashed livers. Then add beaten eggs and then mix in ground chicken.

The mixture will be soft so you need to use a meatball scoop.

Sprinkle olive oil on your sheet pans. I use a paper towel and make sure the whole surface has a light coating of oil.

Scoop out the balls.

Mine were done in 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

“Oh Fork that smells so good….I hate waiting for them to cook….I want them now!”

The dog is waiting by my feet for the Chicken, Liver and Rice Meatballs.

Chicken, Liver and Rice Meatballs for Dogs Recipe

People can eat these balls too but they only taste like chicken liver with a better texture.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

 

 

Dining With Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ June 2016

"We"re on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ"

“We”re on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ”

Dining with Dogs is not full blown reviews on restaurants. It’s just a “Fluff” story on taking my dogs out to eat.

Many restaurants in the Metro Phoenix Area have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s always a good idea to call a restaurant first before planning to dine there with your furry friend just in case they decided not to be dog friendly any longer.

There are some rules to dining with dogs. Dogs are not allowed to eat off restaurant plates or sit on the restaurant chairs. Dogs also need to stay close by your side.

You also need to be aware that most of the foods you eat are not safe for dogs and you should ask your veterinarian for a list of foods to avoid for your dog and you can also find several list on-line.

We went out to the nicest licensed dog friendly patio nearby at Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ. This American/Italian Family Friendly Restaurant has been in business for over twenty years.

My favorite plate to eat for lunch here is the Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad. The greens are fresh. The strawberries taste like they came fresh from a farm and the house made dressing is just right. The Chicken is moist and tasty just like it should be and I can share it with my dogs.

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“I’m getting lots of Forking Chicken here!”

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“Your not getting all the Forking Chicken OLD MAN!”

My husband had a spicy pasta dish made with pickled peperchini so the dogs didn’t try any of that because vinegar is dangerous to give to dogs.

For more information on Cucina Tagliani please visit www.CucinaTagliani.com

The next weekend it hit 115 degrees F. It was too hot to dine out with dogs so we took them through the Jack in a Box Drive threw and got them an Ultimate Cheese Burger no sauce.

"The pavement is too forking hot for my butt and my paws"

“The pavement is too forking hot for my butt and my paws”

I removed 1/2 the bun and feed them 1/2 the burger saving the rest for a treat.  The burger felt fresh and juicy but I can’t eat it because it’s a fast food burger. Dogs seemed to enjoy it.

We're on our way to PetSmart"

We’re on our way to PetSmart”

The next week it was expected to reach 120 degrees F. It was slightly lower but terribly hot even at breakfast time. We took the dogs out early before it reached 100 degrees to the dog friendly dog’s supermarket called PetSmart and went threw a Burger King Drive Threw for a treat for the dogs.

"Oooooh what are we getting?"

“Oooooh what are we getting?”

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I gave them half a breakfast sandwich. It was a croissant stuffed with breakfast sausage, egg and American cheese. The 15 year old particularly really enjoyed it. I didn’t have any but my husband ate the other half.

The following weekend it was close to 120 degrees F in Phoenix AZ so the dogs went threw the Burger King Drive Threw again and we got them the same croissant sandwich.

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For some reason this is one of the dog’s favorite fast food sandwiches.

I don’t recall so many hot days in a row last year….maybe I just don’t forking remember?

Don’t know how many more dining with dogs will be with the 15 year old but his last blood work and X-rays were amazing so I think and hope he’ll be around for a while. His low dose Chemotherapy pills might be slowing down new cancer growth.

It’s the monsoon season here that sometimes brings cooler weather to Phoenix now so there is a possibility we might get to have some Dining with dogs stories.

That was Dining with Dogs June 2016

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We forking hope to see you next month!

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

Mini Beef Patties for Dogs Recipe

 

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Treats from the store are often recalled and many treats out there can make your dog sick. These mini beef patties are healthy and are made with lean beef, rice, eggs, stock and oats. They are healthier for your dog than just straight beef because too much straight beef and beef fat is too rich for your dog if you know what I mean.

If you have an older dog or a dog that needs food with medication it’s often next to impossible to get your dog to eat dog food on command. I don’t think any dog would turn down these treats.

Treat the beef patties like your food and store in the refrigerator only enough for three days. The rest of the beef patties need to be frozen. Feed sparingly. This isn’t meant to replace meals.

These are meant to be special treats or treats to give with medication so the dog eats.

Ingredients for 24 patties Serving size depends on the size of your dog.

1 lb lean beef (I used 93%)

1 cup cooked rice

2 beaten XL eggs

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup whole grain oats (never use instant)

use either parchment paper or a scant amount of oil on your baking sheet. Be careful about what oil you use. Grape seed and Avocado oil MUST BE AVOIDED. Anything made from Grapes and Avocado can be harmful to your dog’s health. I used a very scant amount of canola oil..just rubbed in on and did a wipe off.

Directions

Set your oven to 350 degrees F.

Either use parchment paper on your baking sheet or sprinkle it lightly with a safe canola oil.

Mix remaining ingredients and get out your small scoop and make the meat patties into a meatball size. I flatten them into a patty so they look different from people food.

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They go in the oven for between 10-12 minutes or so. Scoops and ovens differ…..

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You will here the pitter patter of furry feet.

“I’m getting me some forking beef patties!”

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“Your not getting them all OLD MAN!”

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“I’m going to forking try Kiddo” “Don’t get all ornery with me Youngster” “I’m 15 years old with cancer, someday all the beef patties will be yours.”

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“I love you Old Man but I also love beef patties too!”

You will have happy customers unless you forking give them to humans because they are bland like they should be for dogs.

 These are Great for Dogs and that's The Forking Truth

These are Great for Dogs and that’s The Forking Truth

 

Dining with Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ May 2016

"We're on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ

“We’re on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ

Dining with Dogs is not full blown reviews of restaurants. This is a FLUFF story of dining with my dogs.

Many restaurant in the Phoenix AZ area have outdoor patios but not all outdoor patios are dog friendly. It’s always a good idea to call the restaurant and ask if they are dog friendly even if you’ve been there before with your dog.

There are some rules with dining with dogs. Dogs are not to sit on the chairs or eat off the restaurant plates. Dogs are also suppose to stay by your side.

You also should be aware of what foods are dog friendly. Most food you eat isn’t safe for a dog to eat so you should do a quick search of what foods to avoid for your dog.

It’s 92 degrees F today in Phoenix AZ so we go to Cucina Tagliani’s roomy dog friendly patio with misters in Glendale AZ. This is a budget American/Italian family friendly restaurant with the best dog friendly patio in town.

Our server quickly brings water to the dogs and to the humans garlic toast, ice water and large glasses of wine.

I haven’t had the salmon in a while so I go with that.

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I got a large grilled piece of meaty moist salmon, a big bunch of thin tender crisp asparagus and spaghetti squash in lemon caper butter instead of pasta.

The dogs were very happy to share the salmon with me.

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“Yummy I’m a good girl.”  “I want some.”

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“I’m forking 15 years old.” You are going to forking give me some.” “Make it quick too because I don’t have all Forking Day!”

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“You don’t need all that food.” “Forking give me more.”

My husband had Tortellini in hot sausage sauce.

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“ummm…That smells good.”

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“I’m pushing my way over to have some tortellini with hot sausage sauce too.”

For more information on Cucina Tagliani please visit www.cucinatagliani.com

"Were headed to AJ's Patio and outdoor BBQ"

“We’re headed to AJ’s Patio and outdoor BBQ”

We”re on our way to AJ’s Patio and Outdoor BBQ.  We tried to have lunch there and AJ’s was running late again. Just like last time we didn’t arrive exactly at opening time we come about fifteen minutes after opening time because we always try to dine at off times out of consideration for other guest. We try to miss most of the crowd because some people don’t care to dine around dogs. We called AJ’s and asked what time they open the BBQ and we were told they were open.

"I don't forking know when we'll eat at AJ's Patio again."

“I don’t forking know when we’ll eat at AJ’s Patio again.”

We said the gate was down and was closed. Have no idea how long till they opened so we left and went back to Banh Mi Bistro. This is a small Vietnamese Eatery that specializes in the Banh Mi Sandwich. They also serve noodle bowls, rice plates, appetizers and don’t serve the popular Vietnamese Pho. They are a Pho Free Vietnamese Restaurant.

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My Chicken Rice plate was so good last time that my husband tries a BBQ Pork Rice Plate.  It comes with a crispy pork egg roll, Lots of tasty BBQ Pork, A big sticky rice ball and a tasty light crispy salad.

I needed to eat lighter so I had the chicken rice plate again. I had plenty of help finishing up the plate.

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“Don’t you forking eat all that BBQ Pork by yourself”

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“I did alright here.”  I love coming to Banh Mi Bistro. “This is a forking great $8.00 lunch!”

For more information on Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery please visit www.BanhmiBistroAZ.com

We are on our way to A Taste of Buffalo in Glendale AZ

We are on our way to A Taste of Buffalo in Glendale AZ

Eating local again so we’re on our way to A Taste of Buffalo in Glendale AZ. The specialty of the house is The Beef on Weck Sandwich that is seldom offered in any restaurant outside of Buffalo New York. The roll is a special hard kind of kaiser roll called a kummel weck bun and course sea salt and caraway seeds are applied to the top of the bun. The roll is dipped with au jus and is stuffed with a big mound of tender roasted beef with fresh grated HOT horseradish.

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There was plenty to share with the dogs. The beef is tender and flavorful. I’m not hungry enough to eat the whole roll so I just use half and let the dogs share the beef with me.

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They forking love sharing the beef with me.

According to my husband A taste of Buffalo makes the best Italian Hoagie around so that’s what he went for this time.

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This sandwich not only contains higher quality lunch meat but is also a belly buster. My husband took half the sandwich home.

For more information on this restaurant please visit www.ATasteofBuffalo.com

"We're on our way to Leo's Island BBQ in Peoria AZ"

“We’re on our way to Leo’s Island BBQ in Peoria AZ”

We took the Dogs to Leo’s Island BBQ in Peoria AZ. They specialize in the Hawaiian Plate Lunch and are one of the only independently owned restaurants in this part of Peoria AZ. The Plate Lunch is lots of meat, a double scoop of rice, creamy macaroni salad, steamed cabbage served in a styrofoam container. You have about thirty different choices and the plate lunch coast around $8.00 each.

My husband went with the one he gets most often.

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The BBQ Pork and Chicken Combo.

I get the Lemon Pepper White Meat Chicken Today. The chicken is moist and mildly seasoned and caramelized.  They always give me a very large portion. I bought home half the chicken home after me and my buddies ate a bunch of it.

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“Immmmm…..I’m getting a bunch of Chicken”

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The dogs are very interested in the food.

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For more information on Leo’s Island BBQ please visit www.LeosIslandBBQ.com

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“Where’re on our way to Amuse Bouche in Surprise AZ…ooooh…la…la”

Amuse Bouche is a tiny gourmet bistro that serves up Foods prepared by a husband and wife trained chef team that met in France at a French Culinary School. The menu is small but everything they serve is packed with flavor and also technically impressive. Back when they opened around 2009 they were featured in New York Times as one of the Best New Restaurants in Phoenix Magazine.

I’ve been here a bunch of times over the years and always enjoyed anything I ordered but this is the first time I brought the dogs here. Their Pots de Creme was the fist perfect Pots de Cream I ever tried. Also at a West Valley Food Festival that I attended I remember the most delicious food I tried there was from Amuse Bouche.

Today it was going up to 96 degrees F in Phoenix today but in the shade it still is very comfortable at lunch time. I’ve been living here around a decade now and I will never understand the weather. Sometimes at only 70  degrees F it feels like 100 degrees F in the sun but in the shade 96 degrees F is still comfortable. I don’t think I’ll be taking the dogs out much more since the weather is expected to rise in temperature.

I was craving a nice juicy piece of salmon today the way most people crave hamburgers so I ordered the Salmon Salad.

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The greens were fresh and the salmon was fresh tasting, juicy, succulent and crusted with herbed crisp potato. I also liked that the eggs are cooked medium/well instead of chalky. They also served a HOT and Steamy fresh baked roll with soft butter with my salad. This salad was very enjoyable.

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Both dogs behaved very well.

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Both dogs also helped me eat the salmon.

My husband had the Meatloaf Sandwich.

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It wasn’t ordinary meatloaf it was very good and came with a nicely detailed salad.

A community water bowl for dogs sits on the patio that both dogs helped themselves to.

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For more information on Amuse Bouche please visit www.AmuseBouche.biz

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“We’re on our way to Bahn Mi Bistro”

We haven’t had Banh Mi Sandwiches in a long time and wanted to stay local so here we are at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery. (minus Pho…they don’t serve pho here) Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery’s specialty is the Banh Mi Sandwich. The roll is a Vietnamese Style Baguette made of both wheat and rice flour. The exterior has some crunch and the interior is soft. This kind of bread seems much lighter from a regular baguette in the stomach. You have ten choices of Banh Mi sandwiches to pick from and they all include pickled radish and carrot, cucumber, jalapeño, fresh cilantro and house made aioli.

We shared a crispy light and refreshing Lotus Root Salad.

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The salad was light and delicate and the mint made it refreshing. The dogs enjoyed my portion of shrimp.

My husband had the Shaking Beef Banh Mi Sandwich.

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The beef was like really moist tenderloin infused with delicate seasonings.

I had the Chicken Banh Mi.

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Suddenly I have lots of friends.

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The sandwich is just delicious. I love the sweet, sour, tangy and spicy. The white meat chicken has a nice caramelization and is very tasty but the slightest bit dry when you taste a piece separately from the sandwich. When you eat the sandwich as a whole you don’t notice it anyway. Still a delicious sandwich. I do note the dark meat chicken on the rice plate they serve is amazing with flavor and is always very moist.

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“There is a bunch of Chicken there that I am Forking Waiting for.”

“I’m the cutest 15 year old out there.”

“You better fork over some of your forking chicken to me!”

“I don’t have all day!”

That complete’s May 2016 Dining with Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ. The weather is expected to reach around 110 degrees F by next weekend and that is way too hot to dine outside. But we might be able to squeak one more Dining with dogs in before the weekend.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Special*** May 5TH 2016 Edition – The Birthday Boy’s Photo Album

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Someone Special is 15 Years Old Today!

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He looked like this when I adopted him. I was told he was a beagle cocker mix and would be a small dog. He started to grow and tipped the scales at close to 70 pounds a few years back. Now he’s around 60 pounds.

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When he was younger he enjoyed playing with boxes.

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When we lived back east he used to enjoy the snow.

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He enjoys Halloween and doesn’t mind dressing up.

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Voted least likely to graduate and voted most highly improved at PetsMart Dog Training.

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Loved old back yard.

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haircut

Still LOVES to run and chase the hot air balloons that fly over yard.

Photo Hound

That Face

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That Face

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Resembles the Shape ups Shoe Dog

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Enjoys getting his feet wet.

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Wants Cookies

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Good Sport at accepting an adopted sister. He used to be a collector of bones until she dug them.

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Enjoys Hamburgers

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Really enjoys Hamburgers!

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Enjoys macaroni and cheese.

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Enjoys Italian Food.

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Doesn’t drink wine but has an appreciation for wine.

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Enjoys Pizza

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Enjoys Vietnamese Food.

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Happy 15th Birthday! Everyday is your birthday now!

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Investigations are Pending for Beneful Dog Food

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A lawsuit has been filed against the Purina Company with allegations that Beneful has possibly caused thousands of dogs to become ill or die. (according to PetfoodRecall.org)

Propylene glycol is the ingredient alleged to cause the illness. Propylene glcol is a preservative that is used in foods for human and pet consumption.

Investigations are pending.

According to PetFoodRecall.org They note 11 recalls by Purina.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth