The Muddy Mutt: A Self Serve Grooming Salon

When the day comes that I no longer lease, and I find myself a homeowner, I have plans of transforming my basement into a dog grooming room. I’ve looked into what tubs are the best, saved up for a professional dog dryer, have selected my grooming table of choice, and even drawn out how I want everything laid out!

Until that day comes I am stuck with either bathing Milly in the driveway with a hose and drying her with a hair dryer on the cold setting, spending $65 at the groomer for a bath and brush (I’m particular about where she goes, because she is geriatric and I need to know the groomer will give her breaks throughout the process), clogging my shower drain and struggling to rinse her in my walk-in shower, or going to the do-it yourself dog wash!

I’ve found a fabulous dog wash in Shirlington (a part of Arlington, VA) called The Muddy Mutt. For $17 (you get your 6^th wash free) you are provided with a professional grooming tub that is off the wall so you can scrub from both sides, professional all-natural and organic shampoos (mixed on site for your dog’s particular needs), a professional AirForce brand dryer, all the brushes and combs you could need, an unlimited supply of treats, an unlimited supply of ShamWow’s (they’re great, but the generic sold at AutoZone work even better, incase you were wondering), and the softest wash cloths I’ve ever felt. The Muddy Mutt backs up to the Shirlington Dog Park, talk about prime location, and is owned by the sweetest lady who will help you through the entire process and answer all of your questions. They even have a small retail section, and provide you with aprons so you can leave just as clean as you entered! The Muddy Mutt supports pet adoptions by offering one free wash to any dog adopted from a reputable within the last three months.

A dog waits to be bathed in the grooming area

For senior dogs and dogs with limited mobility they offer ramps!

They have all sorts of fun dog accessories, toys and leashes in their growing retail section!

While I have the money saved up for the Chris Christensen Kool Dry Dryer I’ve been coveting, I’m a bit hesitant to make the purchase in the winter. It truly is back breaking work to bathe Milly in the driveway, and it’s way too cold this time of year, and it is just a big mess to do her in my shower (the drain clogs just from my hair so think of what Golden Retriever fur does to it!). I never thought it could be so painful to be bent over for so long, but after grooming her at home my back usually hurts for two days. So, until I can groom her in the driveway with the hose again, I’m happily spending my money at The Muddy Mutt.

If you’ve never used a grooming tub and professional dryer you don’t know what you’re missing! I can get Milly 90% dry with a professional dryer in under 5 minutes! With a regular hair dryer on the cold setting we’re looking at over an hour of coat damaging work. A professional dryer works by blowing the water off the coat, and then you can adjust the settings for detail work. The lack of heat makes this a pet-safe tool that can be used weekly (or more) with out causing skin and coat irritations. If you are spending a fortune or hurting yourself grooming at home you should check if there is a self-service grooming salon/dog wash in your area – it’s totally worth the money!

The Muddy Mutt is conveniently located (walking distance!) from my very dog friendly office. I can take Milly to work in the morning, let her play and get really filthy for a few minutes at the park, and simply put her in a tub and scrub, scrub, scrub.

This is one business I happily frequent every other week - and where I'll be spending my lunch break today! Miss Muddy Paws gives The Muddy Mutt FOUR PERFECT PAWS!

Chicken Treats Made in China and a Christmas Dilemma

Last night I found myself in quite a pickle of a situation. I returned from a wonderful week in Camden, South Carolina to a stack of Christmas cards and a few gifts under my small tree. One gift was for Milly from my boyfriend’s mother, and when I opened it I was excited to see “Sweet Potato,” but quickly became nervous as I realized this treat was wrapped in dehydrated chicken. I turned the box over and scoured to find the country of origin – disappointment sank in as I read those bold letters, “MADE IN CHINA.”

Dehydrated poultry products have quickly become the treat of choice for many owners, but the majority of them are made in China (I’ve only found two brands that aren’t). I’ve noticed these treats tend to rely on marketing “All natural” or “Holistic” or "Grain and corn free" and even the more expensive brands sold in pet specialty shops tend to be made in China. When I’ve inquired about the ingredients in such treats I’ve been told by store owners and store managers, “They’re all natural – it’s just chicken,” and so I ask what they might be cooked in because my dog has allergies – 100% natural chicken is always the response.

You might remember when I committed a cardinal dog owning sin and fed Milly some dehydrated chicken strips, made in China, which had been given to me. Normally, Milly does not get any food made in China, but I made an exception, and she paid the consequences by vomiting all day. I am so lucky that was the extent of her illness, but it was a very terrifying day, and one that I will never forget. I now read every label, and she is not allowed anything made in China.

In 2007 and 2008, there were many articles about made in China chicken treats causing renal and kidney failure in dogs throughout the United States and Australia. The FDA investigated the issue, but no conclusions about their investigation have been released, and they caution dog owners not to feed these treats. A simply Google search of “made in china chicken dog treat” turns up enough terrifying search results to make any dog owner’s head spin, and it checks out on Snopes.com!

In China the standards for processing foods are very different than in the United States, and regulations are rarely enforced, especially when it comes to pet food and pet products. From mold tainted chicken strips – go to your local Pet Smart and take a look at the packages of dehydrated chicken, and you’ll wonder why the same exact product comes in so many shades of color – to chicken supposedly treated in formaldehyde, the risks associated with these loosely regulated dog treats are high. These are both speculations of causes, though independent panels have found traces of both in treats.

The American Veterinary Medical Association urges pet owners not to feed these poultry based treats from China, and explains that there has been no definitive answers one way or another, but pets continue to get sick. They urge owners who do continue to feed these treats to watch their pets closely for any signs of illness.

I have not found much from 2009 regarding these cases, but I also have not found any conclusions regarding the issues that took place in 2007 and 2008 in my searches, but the lack of data is not going to push me into feeding my dog something made in China, I don’t care how many thousands of dogs safely eat these treats.

So now, here I am with a gift that I have no idea what to do with. At first I thought, well, I’ll Google the company, and maybe make an exception just this once, but images of Milly violently ill the last time I made an exception came to mind, and that simply is not an option. What is the proper gift receiving etiquette? Do I simply write a thank you note, and pretend like this was a great gift? Do I donate the treats to a shelter – I don’t feel comfortable putting other dogs at risk. Do I find a store that carries the same brand I was given and try to exchange them for a treat made in the USA, and then write a thank you note explaining what I did? I do believe it is important to educate the public, but I don’t want to appear ungrateful. I was truly touched that someone took the time to think of Milly on Christmas, and include a gift for her under the tree.

Sweet Potato Treats!

I am always looking for natural dog treats to spoil Milly with. About a month ago I picked up a bag of dehydrated sweet potatoes for her. They are cut into strips, and the perfect treat to give her – it takes her longer than a small biscuit would to eat, but it isn’t a chew treat that she would spend a significant amount of time on. She goes bonkers for her sweet potato treats, but they aren’t cheap. My bag was $9, and I now have 3 treats left in it. It probably had about 2 or 3 sweet potatoes worth of dehydrated strips in it when I originally bought the bag.

For a long time I have been thinking about purchasing a dehydrator to make my own jerky treats, but right now my next big dog purchase is going to be a professional dryer, and so I’m putting the dehydrator on the backburner for now. But, I really can’t justify or afford regularly spending $9 on bags of dog treats that won’t last that long, and to me the price seems somewhat steep, so I decided to see if I could make these myself.

A few days ago I bought two sweet potatoes ($.99 each) and scrubbed them very well. I then thinly sliced them, and laid them on a cookie sheet (I lightly greased the cookie sheet with oil, but I don’t think I will do that in the future), and pre-heated the oven for 200 degrees. The hardest part was thinly slicing the potatoes, and I found the thinner slices the better. I then laid my sliced potatoes on a cookie sheet (1 potato sliced perfectly fit 1 cookie sheet) and put them in the oven, and waited. Every 30 minutes I flipped the potato slices, and back in the oven they went. I waited, and waited, and waited… after almost four hours in the oven I was tired of waiting. The thinnest sliced potatoes I removed at about 2.5 hours (they were potato chip thin), but the larger strips (like the dehydrated bag I bought) were not yet crispy. I cranked up the heat to 350, and gave them another hour and a half in the oven. The results were great! I actually tasted the chip thin ones, and loved them. Totally baked, all-natural, healthy, easy and satisfying, but would Milly like them? I always ask her to perform a task before she gets a treat so I asked for a “down” and then handed her the potato, and she gobbled it right up, and wagged her tail asking for more. I still have a few left from my homemade batch, and all-in-all I think it was a success.

In the future I plan on doing this on a weekend when I have time to be at the house with the oven on. I will set the oven to 200-250 next time, and give them 6-8 hours at this low heat. Other than wanting to cook them for more time at a lower heat to really dry them out, I was very pleased with my cost-saving healthy alternative to buying dog treats at the store. Milly seems pleased too.

If you have a dehydrator I totally suggest doing them in that, but if you don’t have one, give it a whirl. It’s a great treat for dogs on a grain free diet too! I am saving about $7 by making these myself, and that is $7 I can put towards either a puppy, or the dog dryer I am lusting after! :)

Raw Marrow Bones

With so many risks associated with feeding a commercial pet food diet, and recalls hitting every part of the animal nutrition industry – from canned food to kibble to treats – it’s comforting to know there are some natural ways to reward your pet. The raw food movement has really infiltrated the pet market, and I have considered on numerous occasions switching Milly to a raw diet, but ultimately I have decided not to change her diet, because I have finally found a food that works for her itchy skin. I do however feed raw marrow bones, and want to tell you a bit more about these. They are a wonderful treat, and you will be amazed at how white your dog’s teeth will become after eating them. They really are great for promoting healthy teeth and gums.

For most dog owners they’ve heard their entire lives never to feed a dog bones, as they not only pose a choking hazard, but can also break and splinter and cause severe damage to a dog’s esophagus and entire digestive tract. Well, this old idea is true to an extent – never feed a dog COOKED BONES. Raw bones are an exception to the rule, and a wonderful, natural chew treat to give your dogs.

I have spent the past year reading up on the wonderful qualities of treating with raw marrow bones. I searched high and low, but could not find a butcher in my area, and instead decided to try Nature’s Variety raw bones – they come in a variety of sizes, and you can chose from many different animals. I’m sure they are a bit more expensive than just going to your butcher, but they are only a couple of dollars a bone, and I thought they were worthwhile. I bought lamb, bison and beef marrow bones and serve them frozen one at a time – each bone will last months, I’m told.

Milly has so far only tried the bison marrow bone, but she LOVES it. She happily chomps away for a solid hour when I give it to her, and when she’s done, I simply rinse the bone and pop it back in the freezer in a baggie for next time. I highly recommend trying raw bones with your dogs, but if you do decide to try this make sure the bone is large enough that your dog cannot swallow it (this could be a choking hazard). You want to stay away from raw soup bones (often found in the frozen section at the grocery store), because these tend to be cut small, and can easily cause your dog to choke. Also, for the most part stay away from joints like elbows and knees (these also can easily break). I always supervise Milly when I give her a raw bone to be on the safe side. I also recommend giving the bone outside, on your porch, in your garage, on-top of newspaper, etc. so you do not get raw marrow all over your house.

You can see in this photo the bones come shrink wrapped, which in my opinion reduces the gross factor of buying raw bones, and storing them in your freezer beside the Ben & Jerry's!

The easiest way to find these bones would be to look for a retailer on Nature’s Variety’s website, and then call the retailers to see if they sell the raw, frozen bones.

Do not forget there is still time to enter the second PUPCAKE GIVEAWAY!!! The drawing will take place on July 24th using a random number generator!! Good Luck!! :)

AND THE WINNER IS...

I just sat down to fill you all in as to who won my most recent giveaway!! I have been so excited about this giveaway, because there is a surprise – there are TWO winners! And ANOTHER GIVEAWAY will go up today! I always get very excited about GIVEAWAYS because I have no control over who the random number generator will pick, and I love surprises! As you all know, this giveaway allowed the winner to pick between the pink pupcakes and the blue pupcakes – therefore, our first place winner will get to pick the color he/she desires, and the second place winner will get the color not chosen.

So without further ado the Claudia’s Canine Cuisine Cookies – special PUPCAKES go to...

comment 8, Miss Sweet Tea!

Please send your mailing information and your color selection my way and I will get your prize in the mail! You can simply comment with your e-mail address and I will e-mail you for a mailing address. I hope YoYo enjoys his PUPCAKES! How special that he is celebrating his birthday this month too!

And our second place winner is…

comment 11, Gwen!
Please send your mailing information and I will get your prize in the mail! You can simply comment with your e-mail address and I will e-mail you for a mailing address. I hope Heisman enjoys her PUPCAKES! She will be able to celebrate the progress she has made since her knee replacement surgeries, and now that she can go on walks again no need to worry about the extra calories in treats!

Trader Joe's

Last night I popped into Trader Joe's to pick up some bread and granola. As always I had to peak at the pet aisle, and boy was I happily surprised when I saw they sell made in the USA dehydrated chicken treats. I didn't have time to fully examine the labels, but the price was pretty good at $3.99 a package, and they said "All natural" and made in the USA.

I'm hoping to get back there in the next few days (or possibly after the 4th of July weekend) and take a closer look at these and other American made treats.