2/16/2010 1:10:00 PM Pets receive special Valentine's treat
The Times photos by Robert Herrington Phyllis Durborow feeds Skye, a female lab/pitbull mix, a special treat on Sunday. Durborow delivered the 500 dog cookies and seven pounds of cat treats to the shelter animals on Valentine’s Day.
Tia, a Min Pin, receives a Hearts of Gold dog cookie from the hand of Humane Society of Hamilton County Executive Director Rebecca Stevens Sunday afternoon. Tia was surrendered from her owner on Feb. 12 and is currently looking for a new home.
Make Your Own Pet Treats
HEARTS OF GOLD DOG COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup powdered milk - nonfat
1 egg
1/3 cup banana - ripe, mashed (1 medium banana)
¼ vegetable oil
1 beef bouillon cube
½ cup hot water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients first, then add wet until well blended. Knead for 2 minutes on a floured surface adding more flour as needed to work the dough. Roll to ¼-inch thickness. Use a 2 ½-inch heart shaped cookie cutter (or any one you prefer). Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325 degrees on ungreased cookie pans (some use parchment paper to line the pans). Cool and enjoy.
KRAZY FOR YOU KITTY KRUNCHIES
Ingredients:
3 cups wheat flour
2 cups soy flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup dry milk
½ cup brewer's yeast
1 tin mackerel (15 oz.)
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
Instructions:
Before you begin, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, soy flour, wheat germ, cornmeal, dry milk powder and yeast together. In a separate bowl, mash the mackerel until it's in small pieces. Then mix the oil and water.
Pour the mackerel mixture into the dry ingredients and blend together well. The dough will become quite thick and tough, so continue to fold the mixture over itself until all ingredients are well blended. If the dry ingredients look like they're not absorbing any liquid from the oil and water, drizzle a little water into the dough. Be careful not to add too much.
When you've formed a nice ball of dough in the mixing bowl, remove the ball of dough and roll it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface until it's an even ¼-inch thick. Use a knife to cut even ¼-inch strips lengthways, and then cut crossways so you end up with small bite-sized pieces suitable for a cat.
Place the biscuits roughly onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes. You don't need to worry about laying them out evenly. About halfway through the baking, toss the biscuits with a wooden spoon so they'll brown evenly.
When they're cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Store them in an air tight container in the fridge.
Sometimes forgotten about, the canines and felines residing in the Humane Society for Hamilton County (HSHC) felt the compassion and caring of others as a group of pet lovers donated 500 dog cookies and seven pounds of cat treats to the animals on Valentine's Day.
"We wanted to do something nice to brighten their day," said Phyllis Durborow, who delivered the treats Sunday afternoon. "We wanted to show them a little love."
Durborow said she represented a group of pet lovers and employees of Fetch! Pet Care, professional pet sitting and dog walking services which covers Noblesville, Westfield, Carmel and Zionsville. She said the group likes to get together and come up with ways to help unfortunate animals. Around Christmas they collected bedding and toys for shelter animals.
For those interested in making their own Hearts of Gold Dog Cookies or Krazy for You Kitty Krunchies, the ingredients and instructions for each pet-friendly treat are available online at www.thetimes24-7.com.
"The cat treats are really smelly," Durborow warned. "The dog treats smell good, like they're really tasty."
At any given time the Humane Society houses 100 dogs and 150 cats so the group worked together to make sure they donated enough treats for all the animals.
"It's very thoughtful, especially being so mindful of the ingredients," said Rebecca Stevens, HSHC executive director. "It's a very thoughtful gesture. Every one of the animals gave a great review of the treats."
If residents are still in the giving mood following the holiday of love, Stevens said the shelter is looking for help in getting a surveillance system for safety reasons. She said animals have been stolen from other shelters and wants to ensure the Hamilton County doesn't get added to that list.
"We want to monitor traffic, but that's costly," she said.
HSHC is always in need to 55-gallon trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, canned kitten food ("We'll have kittens up to my ears in a few months," Stevens said), new and gently used medium and large crates, and money. A complete list of items needed can be found at www.hamiltonhumane.com/wish_list.htm.
Stevens said the shelter had one open kennel Saturday and they try to place more animals in home then they receive daily.
"Literally, its day-today," she said of the shelter's available space.
The Humane Society is looking for foster homes to place animals in and many of the "Featured 50" animals from the holidays are still available - these pets come with gift packages valued up to $200. Stevens said only three of the 25 dogs have found new homes and those participating in the program are noted with a "Homeward Bound for the Holidays" tag on their cage or online. "Featured 50" dogs include an appropriate sized crate, blanket and Kong toy, while cats include a PetMate litter box with hood, scoop, deodorizer and kitty litter; a bed; toys and treats.
For more information on the Humane Society for Hamilton County or to see its pets list, visit www.hamiltonhumane.com or call 773-4974. For more information on Fetch! Pet Care, visit www.fetchpetcare.com or call 644-1465.
