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Pets

milo's kitchen, homestyle dog treats, fur baby, pet owner, pet parent

Do You think Your Fur Baby is the Same as My Real Baby?

by Deborah Cruz 2017/09/18

Do you consider your fur baby to be one of the family? We do. Our 5-year-old Victorian bulldog, Lola, truly does feel like our third child. We love her and she is definitely part of our family. For every celebration or milestone that happens in our family, we want to include her with a treat of her own. Recently, we discovered Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats at our local Meijer store and Lola loves them almost as much as we love her.

milo's kitchen, homestyle dog treats, fur baby, pet owner, pet parent

She deserves to be treated and rewarded just like the rest of us do. Lola has taught our girls not only a love of animals but a respect for all beings and a kindness towards the world. Lola is the gift of love and I think everyone should know the love of a dog and then they’d know how to put that kind of love into the world.

milo's kitchen, homestyle dog treats, fur baby, pet owner, pet parent

You see, Lola came into our lives at a time when we had a lot of love to give and a void of where to direct it. In May of 2012, I miscarried our third child. In August of that same year, we lost our beloved 13-year-old Boxer, Saffaron. For the second time in the span of one year, our family felt an incredible loss. Loss hung over our heads like a storm cloud but despite all that grief we still had so much love to give.

The girls started asking for a puppy around Thanksgiving, which by the way was the due date of when our third child would have been born. I think that made the wound in our hearts feel a little more gaping. The Big Guy and I began to give the idea some thought because we wanted to encourage the girls to heal and them wanting to move on and take a chance on loving another dog was a huge step in that direction. So on December 14, we just felt like we needed to direct all that love someplace and Lola was going to be it. The rest is history.

Lola came into our lives and filled up the hole in our family’s heart. She closed that gaping wound in our soul and she made us feel whole again. That’s a tall order for a dog. In fact, even as a lifetime dog owner, I never could have expected an animal could be such an integral part of a family but she is. She came in and healed us in ways that we didn’t even know we had been broken.

So the least we can do is give her Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats. They are mouthwatering treats inspired by the snack we make in our own kitchens but unlike unhealthy table food, Milo’s Kitchen home-style treats are made just for dogs with 100% real chicken, beef, duck and sweet potato and free of artificial flavors and colors. The best thing is the snacks don’t just look like jerky, sausage slices and meatballs but are actually 100% real jerky, sausage slices and meatballs.

milo's kitchen, homestyle dog treats, fur baby, pet owner, pet parent

Lola is part of our family and she deserves to be treated just as good as the rest of us. We want to keep her healthy and alive for as long as possible because we love her. Nothing says, “I love you,” more than something made with love and care.

So far, Lola’s favorite Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats are the Steak Griller’s Recipe with Angus Steak (Delicious, tender strips made with real Angus Steak full of beefy flavor), Premium Chicken Jerky Strips (a great-tasting, home-style recipe made with real chicken for the best mouthwatering jerky taste) and the Chicken & Apple Sausage Slices. She can’t get enough of them.

milo's kitchen, homestyle dog treats, fur baby, pet owner, pet parent

If you treat your fur baby with Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats or if you would like to give them a try, you can take advantage of this mPerks offer of 30% off Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats now through 10/7 (while supplies last) before you head into Meijer today!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and The J.M. Smucker Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #miloskitchen https://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

2017/09/18 0 comments

Teaching Your Child about Loss

by Deborah Cruz 2016/01/08

written by Deborah Cruz

The hardest thing we have to do as parents is teaching your child about loss. I have two daughters and my youngest is 8-years-old. In the last three years, she has felt the weight of the loss of a sibling, her beloved dog, a cousin and a goldfish. She has a great grandmother and a great-great aunt who are both in their late 80’s and we know more loss is on it’s way but I want to protect them for as long as possible.

Yesterday morning before school, we had the girls say goodbye to Teddy just in case the vet could not save him. I was a nervous wreck. My daughter collapsed into my arms and whispered through tear stained cheeks, “Mommy, please don’t let him die.” I knew in that moment, I was going to fight as hard as I’d ever fought to keep this little guy alive.

I found the best exotic pet vet in town, begged to be squeezed in as soon as possible and drove across the city with the weak little guy strapped into the front seat in a box, I gingerly seat belted him in as to not disturb him in his weakened state. I felt sick to my stomach. A million what ifs ran through my mind and they all ended with me breaking my daughter’s heart.

At the veterinarian’s office, Teddy was thoroughly checked. I was told that it was pneumonia. The remedy? Antibiotics and IV fluids. I was given more liquid antibiotics to give him twice a day until he was well. I left there feeling like I had dodged a major bullet. I had saved him and spared my daughter, yet another loss.

We spent the day holding him and talking to him. He quietly chirped and nuzzled into my chin. At first his breathing was labored but soon it quieted and he lay, softly against me where he stayed for hours before doing the same with my daughter.

This morning, she held him while she ate breakfast. The Big Guy and I took him briefly to administer his meds. He chirped loudly, which at first I thought was an improvement from his listlessness yesterday but then I began to consider that maybe it was pain that elicited his reaction.

My daughter kissed him goodbye and told him that she loved him before she went to school this morning. Then she said, “See you after school, Teddy Bear.” Only she won’t.

I came home and cleaned up the house a little bit and then I checked on our little Teddy. I picked him up and he was completely limp but warm. A first, I thought maybe he was fine just still because of the pneumonia and then; I realized he wasn’t breathing and he was not responsive.

I can’t even explain the reaction I had. I sobbed and lost my breath because I don’t want to be the one to break my daughter’s heart. I can still hear her whispering for me to save him. It lingers in the air like the faint smell of perfume after someone leaves the room.

Today, when she comes home, I am tasked with the unfortunate duty of telling her that her beloved longhaired Guinea Pig, Ted Koppel, has died in my arms from pneumonia while my daughter was at school. I hate teaching my children about loss because it is one that they will learn over and over in this life.

Now, it’s pick up time. Time to be there for my girl, after I have to break their tiny hearts and tear their world apart. I hate this part of parenting.

2016/01/08 1 comment

lola, Netflix, Dog , bulldog, love, family pet

Entertainment Pets

Dog is My Co-Pilot

by Deborah Cruz 2015/01/30

written by Deborah Cruz

My dog, Lola, is more than just a pet. She surpasses anything I would have ever imagined that a family pet could be. She is part of our family. In fact, with the girls in school all day now and the Big Guy at work, she is my closest companion and that is the reason why I give her cbd oil to enhance her well being, read more at the link to learn its benefits.

Lola came into our lives one Christmas 2 years ago and filled a great big gaping hole left in our hearts from the loss of our first family dog, Saffaron. Saffy was our practice for children. She was the puppy who taught us responsibility and how to love and nurture something beyond ourselves and she returned that love ten fold.

We adopted Saffaron about a month into our marriage and she was our constant loyal companion for thirteen amazing years, up until the moment her heart just couldn’t go on. Saffy was with us as we moved around the country and grew from a young naïve couple into homeowners and then parents. She welcomed home each of our daughters with love and enthusiasm, gracefully moving aside as our family grew.

Never malicious or jealous, always filled with just a little bit more love and cuddled as close as she could get to our hearts. We loved that dog. She was more than just a “dog” she was a vital part of our family. When we lost her, we lost part of ourselves and it was hard to imagine life without her cold nose and warm kisses, especially for our children who had accepted her as one of their own.

4 months later, the hole was still gaping and the wound fresher than ever. The scab has busted off and the only way to begin healing was to welcome a new canine member to our family; enter, Lola. It’s been 2 years since she came to live with us and I think we’d all agree, life is sweeter with Lola sitting next to us.

She cuddles right up to us on Friday Family nights with her dog blanket as we gather around the coffee table playing a rousing game of Monopoly or just watching Gilmore Girls, Once Upon a Time or my daughters’ favorite new Netflix series, The Adventures of Puss in Boots. Just like next month, you can bet your sweet tukus that she will be sitting on my lap while I binge watch House of Cards Season 3 ( February 27th..Don’t miss it!)Lola is always there with us. Wherever we go in live, there she is.

Dogs are smart. If I’m watching a movie that tugs at my heartstrings and I find myself crying, Lola cuddles in just a little closer and licks my hand. It’s as if she’s telling me that it’s ok. When we laugh, she doesn’t laugh but she certainly does get excited. Lola is just as much a part of our family as any one of us.

That kind of loyalty and devotion deserves a treat.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Treats for Your Dog

Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with a silicon baking mat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats and baking powder. Stir in the broth and peanut butter until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. Press the dough together to form a ball.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 30 seconds until smooth. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Using a bone-shape cookie cutter, cut out bones and place on the prepared baking sheet (any scraps of dough can be formed into a ball and re-rolled). Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Bake until light golden, 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Your four-legged family member will adore you for this treat!

Pets are part of our family. As long as these four-legged family members live with us, we are never quite alone. I don’t know about at your house, but at mine, Dog is my co-pilot in life.

What makes your pet special to you?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix StreamTeam but all love for Lola and opinions are my own!

2015/01/30 0 comments