Home-Made Monogram Doggie Treats, and the Winner of the, “Name My Puppy” Contest. Woof.
I am one of those people who makes fun of a particular group of parents. The STFU parents (I cannot explain what that means because there is a potty word in there..most of you can probably figure it out, but if you cannot ahem, Google it, ahem).
You see, regular parents fall in love with their children. They brought these little people into the world and that is a very special thing. So it is no big surprise when they want to share photos and funny anecdotes about their darling little ones on social networking sites.
STFU parents take this whole thing a little too far. For example, the parents who ONLY posts about their children, and do so about 30 times per day.
Or the parent who posts a photo of their child’s first poop in the toilet. I understand that potty training is an important and exciting accomplishment, but don’t let that blind you to the fact that photos of crap are just wrong.
Or the parent who will hijack a discussion on Facebook that has nothing to do with parenting, and turns to the topic of his or her kids. Your children are the world to you, but not necessarily to others.
All true stories.
You get the point. Kids are important- VERY important- but so is having a life.
Anyhoo, I made fun of these infamous STFU parents. I did, that is, until I got a puppy. I have become an STFU puppy parent. I sincerely believe he is the best looking and cutest dog in the galaxy. I talk about him constantly to anyone who will or won’t listen. I show photos of him to anyone who does or does not want to see them.
………………………………………help.
I was so excited about the new puppy, that I ran a contest on the 1 Fine Cookie fan page. The contest was to name my puppy. The winner receives custom-made cookies from 1 Fine Cookie.
Before I announce the winner, I of course will overwhelm you with an atrocious amount of adorable puppy photos.
We drove out to see Louise of Stoneledge Goldens. An amazing breeder of the British Cream Golden Retrievers we were having difficulty finding. This photo is from our visit when we met out future pup.
He is sort of special, you see (or that’s what I believe since I am now an STFU parent). My puppy was the runt of the litter.
As you can see from my crude, yet epic telestrator my puppy on the right is about half of the size of the puppy from the same litter on the left. Scrappy.
We picked him up a few weeks later. What a stud muffin.
Good GOD. How can you not agree with me that he is the cutest puppy in the universe????
How?!?!?! How??!? sefnignidurbindioboiernabianerobiaeoinbioaneriaenonri!
The most dreaded part of my work is selecting and watermarking photos. yawn. I avoid editing as much as possible.
Oh, but wait- when there is a puppy involved, I am suddenly willing to try out every feature on my computer.
This was taken on my phone.
Even better in black and white.
I’ve always wanted a Glamour Shots Photo.
Oh, I’m sorry. Is this too much? I can stop.
OR keep going.
I always wanted to be on TV. During the 80’s. On those 80’s televisions.
Photo collage, bitches.
Still not finished.
Seriously though, look at his smile.
I couldn’t end a photo montage without a mustache.
Or unicorns, duh. Lots of magical unicorns.
I was going to draw them farting out rainbows, but I didn’t want to offend anyone. Especially after calling them STFU parents. Sheesh.
And before I bombard you with even more (and better) photos (don’t worry, I leave myself out of most of the other ones) I will share a recipe with you.
If you think your dog deserves the best (duh.. but not as much as mine does of course) then bake these home-made doggie treats. Perfect for training. Umm and personalize them by making them into little monograms. Cuteness until my head explodes with puppies and farting unicorns.
Here Is What You Need For Home-Made Monogram Doggie Treats
– 1Â 1/8 cup peanut butter (organic, if you like)
-Â 1Â Â 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
– 1 cup of milk
–Â 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of baking powder
– You don’t HAVE to make little monograms (or initials, actually. One might argue these are in fact initials and not monograms, however, since the difference is based on the order of the first letter of each name being written out and a dog sort of only has one name you will never be able to tell. Muwahahahahahhaha! Sorry, distracted with semantics. Back to baking)
You don’t HAVE to make monograms. The only important part is that you use mini cookie cutters.
If you want to create the monograms here is one example of what you can use. Or just Google it.
If you want to mix in other shapes or avoid using the letter cookie cutters, here is an example of something else you can use.
The point is that you need mini cookie cutters. The tinier the better, so that they work as treats for training and you aren’t overfeeding your dog.
FYI this recipe can work with full-size cutters for a dog cookie or biscuit. The choice is yours.
Begin by measuring out your ingredients.
You can mix everything with a spoon, but be warned: a mixer is much easier. It is very possible to do it by hand, though.
I just so happen to have received an early Christmukkah gift on my front doorstep. My mother taught me to bake using a KitchenAid.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
The first thing you want to do is mix the milk with the peanut butter. This is why a mixer makes life easier.
I scoop the pb into the bowl, and the slooowly pour the milk in while the mixer runs on a low speed.
Keep pouring…
…and pouring…
…and mixing…
…and mixing.!.?.!.?.!.?…
Until all of the milk is completely mixed in with the peanut butter.
If it looks like this:
it is not ready.
Should look more like this:
Yours could vary a little in appearance depending on the pb you use.
Mix together all of your dry ingredients and pour it into the batter.
Lightly flour a surface and roll out your dough.
It should be very thin. Otherwise those tiny cutters will not make it through.
Grab out your mini cookie cutters.
Here is what I used:
Your first clue to the winning name.
Place them on a parchment paper (or wax paper)-lined baking sheet.
I liked the miniature star cutter so I used that as well.
Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for about 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the treats. They are ready when they begin to firm up and are difficult to squeeze.
Remember, dogs like to chew on hard things (bones, furniture…).
Mine is no exception.
Look at that little mug. He should be a dog model. Add stage mom into the mix and I am officially nuts.
But seriously, he really is quite good at posing.
Enthusiastic. Maybe for a catalog shoot.
Serious. Blue Steel.
Hmmm or maybe this look is more of the, “I’m angry, starving, and working for Calvin Klein,” look.
His athletic look.
Pensive.
VERY enthusiastic. He is so pumped.
Forlorn. Distant.
Ladies man. *wink*
Party animal.
Oh, what about the name? I’ll show you his dog tag.
Whoops. Death breath isn’t his name. Too long.
His name is actually on the back of the tag.
(We ordered this and another dog tag from the Urban Puppy Etsy shop. Thanks Nancy! Check it out here. )
Congratulations Kate!
There were some other names that I thought were either funny or notable.
In case you are considering adopting your own pet sometime soon, check out this epic collection of submissions:
Tex
Beau
Ziggy
Dexter
Roscoe
Shotgun  (this person has to be from the South)
Chaz
Biscuit
Beans
Stanley
Coleman
Salty
Buddy
Kujo
Tucker
Huck
Farley
Harley
Zippy
Navajo
Gavin
Phil Collins    (haaaaaaaaa)
Commodore Schmidlapp (I loved this. Especially fun when training him to recognize his name)
Misfit, the Atomic Dog
Whitey       (I live in Boston)
Charlie, when he is bad call him Charles
Mason
Sebastian   (this is such a beautiful name!)
Sean
Dustin
Pedey
Max
Chester
Peanut
Milo
Bruce
Pike
Tek   (I am a die-hard Red Sox fan)
Bentley
Oscar
Bailey
Harley
Marley
Boston
Jack
Fenway (again, Red Sox)
Sox       (if you need me to explain this one…)
Camo
Katmandu
Pepper
Indian Creek
Joe
Mucho Gusto Joseph Jackson aka Joey (why do I always like the long ones?)
Gus
Winston Custard
Rex
Kevin
Rascal
Spanky
Partner
Chipz
Ryker
Buckley
Simba (I proceed to walk to a cliff and hold him up to the sun)
Oliver or Ollie
Sam
Topher
Teddy
Wallace
Clifford
Mr. Roboto (haaaaaaaaaaaaa)
Alfalfa
Axel
Bogie
Cujo
Hulk
Ninja (clearly, this was a favorite as I am a member of the Chuck Norris extreme and extremely secret ninja club. I just made that up)
Puddles
Wookie
Frodo
La Flama Blanca
Cooper (Mr. Cooper?)
Chicklet
Ritchie
Bear (the only cat that I like in the entire world is named Bear, and he sits up like a human. Legs out and torso upright.)
Nugget
Viking
Rocco
Turbo
Bobby
Hero
Cleo
Djavo [meaning, little devil. Yes he is]
Dreadnought
Home/Homey
Sir Chino Chewsalot of Liverpool (again, another favorite)
Bacon (you know me so well)
Beer  (are you sure we aren’t best friends in real life?)
broccoli (okay now you lost me. On a side note, anyone seen choppin’ broccoli from SNL?)
fat tire
cheese (you are back in my graces)
Pickles (this name is adorable)
Menudo
Bolt
Fido, but spelled Phideaux (haaaaaa)
Pupcake
Jake (the person who suggested it is also named Jake)
Dune
Cookie
Jolly
Sugar
Scrumptious (this reminds me of words such as tellie, crumpets, or dashing)
Tina
Tatum
Wyatt
Finian
Black to the Future (haaaaaaaaaaaa)
Mr. Cookie
Hobart
Peanut Butter
Sir Reginald Barfly
Cassoulet
The Dude (the Dude abides)
Spritz
Yeti
Biscuit
Jax
Valko
Winston
Casper (cute)
Kayak
Solo
Cairo
Zhuz
Oslo
Stockholm
Pretzel
Akrika
Afrika
Buttercream
Bruce
Beau
Marocco
Allah
Squirt
Zigzag
Duckie
Daisy if it ended up a girl instead
Troy
Ajaxx
Crab (ha?)
Hamlet
Ibsen
Huckleberry
Titan
Jupiter
Sterling
Sheldon
Alaska
Shannon
Skyler
Bengal
Kaviar
Blaze
Casey
Plato
Pip
Caesar
Gypsy
Falcor
Stewart
Stewie
Smulligan
Scooter
Tsar
Cannoli
Beignet
Marshmallow
Sprinkles
Diesel (I love this and will begin incorporating it into my vocabulary. Immediately)
Nugget
Ruffles
Thunder
Snow
June
Shane
Slider
Brewster
Buster
Grayson
Caleb
KitchenAid
Rusty
Fluffy
….and Hunter
Hunter gets the crazy eyes over these…
…and then passed out from all of the excitement.
****If you are considering posting up photos or ideas from this or any other posts I am truly happy that you are excited and find my recipes interesting enough to share with others. Please see copyright standards in the footer (bottom) AND follow them!!!!
I am laughing so hard…. !!!
First of all: He is PRECIOUS! I love dogs and puppies and handsome young, furry men. 🙂
And I agree, he could be a supermodel. 😉
Great name, too.
Crazy stage mom/STFU parent –I believe you’ll be okay. 😉
Love this post and will try these treats for my two furry boys.
@spiceblogger
Shelley! Hunter loves these! I trained him to sit within a week using these. Let me know how your pups like them.
Loooove the pictures, he certainly is the most adorable puppy in the galaxy. 😉
Hunter is a great name, and it suits him. But I have to say, from the list, Pupcake has got to be my favourite! If I ever get a dog, that will definitely be it’s name! 😀
@Anne-Marie, Pupcake is certainly cute! I wanted something preppy or athletic! Just the New England girl in me.
Hey cuz,
I am glad to know that we are not the only crazy folks who just adore their pets. The puppy is definitely handsome and the name suits him so well. I am going to try the treats, but it might be too late as our old girl is 12 and doesn’t respond to much. Actually the cats listen and cats usually don’t. Anyhow, love the website, you are extremely creative, talented and intelligent. I wish you the best of luck with the baking and the new son.
love this! I am also a crazy pet parent, hey if I have to listen about your kids you can listen about my dogs and cats. Your dog is adorable!
So cute!! I want one too!!
I agree, he is the cutest puppy ever…Now I want one!!!
hahahah, I forgot about FLUFFY! <3
Oh, how I can relate. My precious maltese, Bentley is the love of my life. I’m going to be making him some of your treats…he does love his treats. When he wants one, he walks over and sits by the desk where his treat jar is and looks at it then back at me…looks at the jar and back at me and yep…he gets a treat. How could you deny that precious baby a treat. 🙂 Enjoy your Hunter !!!
@Melody, I like to make mine work for the treats haha. Even if it is simply giving me a kiss, some sort of trick or form of obedience is involved. I’m a toughie ha 😉
I don’t know how to add a picture or I would…We have a Golden doodle (Jazz) and a Golden Retriever…Her name is Jean Simmons…she has the longest tongue..and such a sweet personality…both of them do…I have been baking treats for them for a couple of years…I will be using this one next…BTW..I also do doggie Birthday Cakes
@joy, I love the doggie birthday cakes! Feel free to post photos of your pup on the facebook fan page wall: http://www.facebook.com/1finecookie the fans always love a cute doggie photo
Nice article. I know what we will be making for our neighbor’s recent adopted puppy. Wanted to ask where you got the dog tag with the skull & crossbones … amazing!
Feel free to email me the answer.
Thanks
@Father of Baxter.
Thanks. The dog tag is from Etsy. I linked the Etsy shop by the photo of the dog tag in the post. I ordered two from them.
I can see you really love your furbaby 🙂 please be aware that baking soda is toxic for dogs 🙁
Baking soda is toxic in large quantities. Unless I am feeding him spoonfuls of it, he will be fine.
Omg SO cute! Just got new Cavoodle Jasper (means treasure)
@charli, these work great as training treats for new dogs