Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Frankly, We’re Woofing for Jones

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I look for many things when it comes to treats for my dogs.

  • Where it’s made
  • How many ingredients are in it
  • WHAT the ingredients are
  • Who makes it.

Believe it or not, those things are all factors. I could find a treat that’s made in the US, has two limited ingredients such as duck and pea flour and if it’s manufactured by a company I don’t trust, I will pass that treat up.

Oh yes I will.

Luckily for me, Jones Natural Chews meets all the requirements I look for in a treat.

So when my friend Flea asked me to review Jones’ new treat, the Frankenwoofer, I jumped at the chance. First because it’s made right here in the good ole’ US of A. Second because Jones’ is a family owned and operated business. And third because I can pronounce all the ingredients in this treat. (Except for  tocopherols…does ANYONE know how to pronounce tocopherols? If so,  please spell it out for me in the comments.)

Here’s what the treat looks like.

It's a hot...it's a burger! No, it's Jones' Natural Chews Frankenwoofer.

It’s a hotdog…it’s a burger! No, it’s Jones’ Natural Chews Frankenwoofer.

Basically it’s a beef patty wrapped around a Rocky’s Roller and baked. It’s doggie Nirvana.

And here are the ingredients: Beef Woofer 100% beef; Chicken Sausage (a.k.a. Rocky’s Rollers) – chicken, rye flour, glycerin, brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke flavoring, natural mixed tocopherols (preservative), rosemary extract in a collagen casing.

One of the things I love is the total versatility of this treat.

I mean, as far as treats go, it stands alone. It’s a ‘hot dog’ and a ‘hamburg’ all rolled into one. What dog wouldn’t want that?

Me.

Me. I wouldn’t want a treat like that! Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Yes, yes I would. Give me the freaking treat.

AND if you get creative, you can make three treats out of one by cutting the ends off and giving your dog the woofer part. Then later on, give them the ends. You look like a total hero to your dog.

You're no HERO! You defiled a treat! WHAT is WRONG with you?

You’re no HERO! You defiled a treat! WHAT is WRONG with you?

OR if you’re super creative, you can cut the ends off and then snip them into little treats and use them for training purposes.

Which is what I did.

Then I used the little snips and put them in the treat jar I keep by the back door. In a future post, I’ll show you WHY those treats are by the back door, but until then, remember, a dog’s nose knows Jones.

It's three treats in one! Or one totally scrumptious treat.

It’s three treats in one! Or one totally scrumptious treat.

But how do the dogs like it? Let’s see if I can get a picture.

Oh my, I'm just not sure where to start.

Oh my, I’m just not sure where to start.

Sampson was a good boy and let me get a nice shot in.

Wait? WHAT? That's a treat right there! A Frankenwoofer by JONES!

Wait? WHAT? That’s a treat right there! A Frankenwoofer by JONES!

I had to be quick with Delilah, she hasn’t quite gotten her Wait down yet, especially when it comes to yummy treats.

There might be a crumb here somewhere.

There might be a crumb here somewhere.

Both dogs licked the floor. (I KNEW I should have made them eat them on towels!)

We love the tender taffy from Jones, but the Frankwoofer might just be our new favorite.

How about you? Does your dog have a favorite treat?

This post is sponsored by Jones Natural Chews.  I am being compensated for sharing my opinion about the Frankenwoofer.  Please note, while I have been compensated, Heart Like a Dog only shares products we feel are relevant to our readership and would never recommend a product we do not use ourselves.

Put Me In Coach

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Ya’ll know that I have an amazing field and wooded hiking trails right up the street from my house. In fact, it’s the dog’s and my favorite place to walk.

In years past, starting mid to late March we’ve had to share the field with the LaCrosse team. It’s not that bad, the season only runs to the beginning of June and the field is mostly used a couple of nights a week. It’s easy to plan a schedule around and make adjustments in our routine.

About three weeks ago, Delilah and I noticed some changes taking place up there. It started out slowly. Each time we went up to the field, there was something new added.

It started out with lines being painted on the grass. I was thrilled because right in the center was a giant circle.

It’s a walking meditation circle, I breathlessly declared to Delilah and proceeded to walk her around it.

Looks like paint to me.

Looks like paint on grass to me.

The next time we went up to the field, there were benches. Let’s have some fun, I said to Delilah and urged her up on the bench.

Nobody likes to SIT on the bench.

Nobody likes to SIT on the bench. PUT me in coach!

The following day there were goal posts, no netting, just the frames for the goal. I plunked Delilah in there and snapped a picture.

It's like a giant picture frame.

It’s like a giant picture frame. Who’s a pretty girl?

On our next visit to the field, the goal posts had netting.

A good Labra-goalie knows you need to watch both sides of the goal.

A good Labra-goalie knows you need to watch both sides of the goal.

At this point I knew someone other than the LaCrosse team was going to be using the field. (The LaCrosse team used the field just for practice and would store their gear in a small garage at the entrance to the park, and pull it out when needed.)

The next night, shit got real sirius.

Mom says it's a porta-potty, but I'm thinking it's what you people call a concession stand.

Mom says it’s a porta-potty, but I’m thinking it’s what you people call a concession stand. It just smells SO good.

Despite all of the clues, I had no real idea WHAT was going on until Sunday. Delilah and I headed out for our afternoon walk, and there were cars blasting up and down my street. My street is a dead end so traffic isn’t really a thing.

When I looked up the hill, I was shocked to see both sides of the street lined with cars. We happened to be heading out just as some cars were leaving, while others were arriving, which made walking up a car lined street…challenging.

But we made it.

I love that the field is getting used and people are finding out the beauty in our little corner of the universe.

I can easily circumvent the field and head right to the trails.

I can deal with the left over apple cores and the occasional bit of litter.

But why, WHY must they park in the field?  Grass should not have tire marks embedded in it.

No cars on the field!

No cars on the field!

A New Normal

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When Sampson did a partial tear of his right knee, a diagnosed Heart Murmur and Arrhythmia left us with the only option of conservatively managing it.

For us, conservative management is very similar to the rehabilitation we did two years ago, when Sampson had surgery for a full tear on his left leg.

We had to come up with a new normal, so here’s how we are conservatively managing Sampson’s CCL tear:

  • Short, slow leash walks. We started at 3 minutes out and however long it took us to get back and have worked him up to 7 minutes out and however long it takes to get back. We do this two times per day.

    She's the star? You're saying, SHE's the star? Look at how nicely I'm walking.

    Seven minutes? That’s barely enough time for a guy to do his business.

  • Blocking.  Sampson’s favorite spot on the couch is blocked off to prevent him from jumping/climbing up on it. The front window is blocked off with chairs. This it to keep Sampson from putting his front paws on the sill and standing on his hind legs to look out. It’s sort of like baby proofing your house, except never put chairs in front of windows when you have a toddler. Chairs and toddlers, it’s a bad combination.
  • Throw rugs. Any uncarpeted surface has a non-slip throw rug. This is to help keep Sampson from slipping. I have so many rugs, it looks like I’m remaking Aladdin. For dogs.
  • Pain management and supplements. Anti-inflammatories, pain meds, nerve blockers, joint supplements and vitamins have become an integral part of meal time. I spend more money on medications and supplements than an old guy spends on viagra.
  • Gates. Gates prevent him from going into areas where he could potentially hurt himself. Like bedrooms where he could try and jump on the bed, and stairs. Stairs are definitely off limits. We have more gates than a gated community.

    But the BIG bed is in there!

    But the BIG bed is in there!

  • No playtime. This is probably the hardest rule to enforce. As our physical therapist said, “From the waist up, he’s still Sampson.” He still has his mind and in his mind, he’s the same dog he’s always been.  And Delilah is still Delilah, she has energy and loves to run and play. It’s so hard to have to stop them from this small enjoyment. I feel like Cruella DeVille, when I have to say, “NO!”

 

The hardest part in all of this, is restricting Sampson without letting him get depressed. With any type of injury or illness, it’s important for your pet to feel like they are still part of the family and to make their life as normal as you can.

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