The Bride Makes Dog Food

Sheba, aka the DOG of COG, has many problems with allergies - Allergic Skin Syndrome - to be exact.. This has come as a shock, because the Bride kind of doesn't believe in allergies. But when her dog's hair (the dogs hair not the Bride's hair) started to fall out because of them, it was hard to discount them. So anyway, the vet has recommended a special diet.

The special diet is hideously expensive and not particularly appealing, as least that's what the DOG of COG has told us. Yes, it's true, she has told us. Not with words, but in Dog language, she has made it clear to us. It goes something like this:

(Eager jumping around the kitchen with little excited barks as I wash her dish and prepare to put food in it.)( Standing very attentively, ears up, tail up, whole body quivering with interest as I place the bowl on the floor.)( A sniff at the dish.) (Another sniff at the dish.) (whole body slumps, ears and tail descend to position of utter despair, eye contact which indicates a patient resignation without reproach.) (Turns away from the dish without eating and flings self on blanket in front of fireplace.) (Head on paws, big dog sigh, eyes closed).

So the Daughter of COG told us about the food she creates for her dogs. First, she buys fabulously expensive, but organic grain mixture that requires soaking and to which you add meat and veg. The dogs love it. (Three little faces straining attentively, ears up, tails up etc. but in the end they eat it happily). I decided to replicate those results. But there was trouble getting the organic grain mixture, so the Bride considered the even more expensive mixture by the same company. The one that doesn't even have grain in it, but has..... something else, to which you add meat and veg and your grain of choice.

Is this beginning to remind you of the Mr. Tea that Father Guido used to sell - Mr. Tea does all the work, all you add is the tea and the water? That's what the Bride was thinking of.

So the Bride had a brilliant idea. Why pay Big Buck$$$ for oatmeal (which is what the stuff that's only fabulously expensive (as opposed to even more expensive) mostly contains), when she could just make the whole thing from scratch.

So now the Bride makes dog food. The picture shows chicken thighs ($0.99 a pound) atop veggies waiting to go in the oven. The whole thing bakes for a while at a certain temperature until done. Then it's chopped up and cut into squares and served. So far, not too difficult and The DOG of COG seems to like it.