Raw Food Diet, Day 275- The Great Feast Arrives

Dog bloggerinis! Another feasting order has arrived. I am SO HAPPY!
It was a wonderful day. Feast your eyes on my tasty meat!My people have to break those 5-pound tubes into our daily rations, so there's TONS of good smells as feasts are weighed and placed into baggies for Big Pupi and me.
This takes a while, and I snoozeled on the sofa most of the time... until the GOAT was prepared! Then I sat at my humans' feet and begged begged BEGGED for a taste test!
Goatylicious! The goat and beef have that pungent tripe smell that makes my people sick but makes my tummy grumble with the need for feasting.Mom doesn't appreciate the picture of the animal on the label. I can't imagine why!

Although we've been taken off the feathered creatures, mom still ordered some turkey necks which she planned to give us once per month to keep our teeth clean. But when the necks came out of the box our people couldn't believe how big they were. They were beast sized!I mean, I have jaws of steal and can make my way through bird necks with the best of them, but these particular necks are more like oxtails. They're massive! Pupi is a weak chewer and so the size of these bones becomes a concern. Wimpy boy! We've never had necks this big before. These turkeys must have really feasted hard in their day. My kind of guys... Tasty guys.

Pupi spent a lot of time checking out the boxes which is used as a garbage as the feasts are packed away. He kept trying to take nibbles off the plastic meat wrapping. Cheater! But seriously, folks. What's a boy to do when there's tasty meatiness at eye level?Both of us got into the begging when it came to the unveiling of our all-time favorite snack feast.
Bully sticks! And these happen to be particularly good ones. It even takes me - the World Champion Chewer - a long long time to make my way through one of these.It was a successful day of feast preparation. We could hardly contain ourselves at the thought of all this meat! And to know for certain that it will all find its way into our mouths eventually. Amazing! I think Big Pupi's face says it all~Happy feasting!
Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 272- Spooky!

All through the month of October, the city of Chicago hosts Chicagoween.  

It's a series of events that includes a farmer's market, pumpkin carving, mask painting, parades, acrobatic shows, a haunted house and pyrotechnic dancers.  This is what the acrobats look like:Spooky!  On Saturday the children's costume parade was scheduled and Big Pupi and I strapped on our outifts to join in on the fun down at the "Franken Plaza."  Our costumes were a hit!  

There were LOADS of human puppies dressed up as skeletons, and there was even one pup in a skunk costume!  We got our pictures taken with lots of kids and there was TONS of attention and head skritches coming our way.  It was awesome!

The best part of the whole event for Big Pupi was the delicious smell of the sausage stand, and it was difficult (impossible!) getting his attention and stopping his nose from the constant SNIFFING SNIFFING.  Mini-humans would come to pet him and he wouldn't even notice!  The fact that there were hay rides being pulled by great big horses didn't help either.  Pupi isn't fond of horses and goes nutty whenever he can smell them... which is often when you live downtown, surprisingly.  Silly humans love their romantic carriage rides!  This is what Pupi looked like the whole time, keeping an eagle-eye on that sausage feasting stand:

The acrobats started their show a few minutes after we arrived at the Plaza, and the BOOM BOOM of their music and high climbing and tumbling was just about all I could take.  I joined their music with some screaming and whining of my own and got totally stressed to the max.  I began barking at humans and their puppies and moments after that Naughty Boy-ness I was removed from the party.  Not a single sausage found its way into my mouth!  Not fair!  At least I managed to give a little girl a huge slobbery Stanislaw smooch right on the cheek before leaving, and a little male human puppy let me lick the sugary stickiness off his tiny human hands.  Tasty!

Our people weren't able to get any good photos of us because they were so busy trying to calm me down and keep me quiet, and they were constantly plucking half eaten chocolate candies from Pupi's and my mouths.  We found them!  We hunted those Reese's down!  I deserve to feast on it!  Arg!  Again - so not fair.

As we were making our exit, we passed a super awesome Westie dog dressed as a bumble bee.  I had to give her a couple really good sniffs to make sure she was, in fact, a dog and after a few impromptu play bows we were on our way.  While waiting at a red light, while I was shrieking and drawing all sorts of attention to myself, a very nice mail lady with a bag filled to the brim with fresh shreddable materials showed my humans her cell phone with a photo of her black cocker spaniel on it!  Ah yes.  We spaniels are everywhere.  We shall soon rule the world!

But first I've got to get this dang skunk costume off me...

stinky Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 268- I've been missing!

Afternoons around here have been sending me into a dogatonic state, as mom CLICK CLICKS away on her glowy screen machine and I'm left to fend for myself.  Whazzup with that??

Sure, we have our morning jaunts about town which bring on an intense case of Sleepies once my belly is full and muscles are tired, but c'mon.  How much longer is a boy this cute...

...supposed to handle this lack of attention.  I simply am not used to it!

Well folks, I blame my absence on my humans' packed schedules.  I guess full time work, part-time school, wedding planning, doggy school and daily exercising of the canines - all between 2 people - leaves little time for blogging.  If my folks only had as much energy as I have!  Man.  People are lame-o. 

I've decided to make the afternoons a little more interesting, as mom tests Pupi's and my tummy reactions to poultry after a week+ of feasting bird-free.  Let me tell you... it was a BLAST!  And by "blast" I mean that I was baking air biscuits like it was going out of style!  (For the record, farts NEVER go out of style for us pups.)  I smoked mom out of the office on more than one occasion, and during one particular bark park outing I let one rip in the middle of a human huddle and boy did that get me attention!  Apparently, the louder they are the more popular you'll be.  Just a word to the wise about making yourself known.

Aside for the bum fireworks, Big Pupi's and my poobles weren't "ideal," and the symphony of tummy sounds made mom cut out the bird completely.  Now folks, I enjoy birds.  I hunt birds.  I have caught 2 birds in my day and it was a thrill.  I was not pleased when I learned of the sudden elimination of this fine creature from my diet... until I heard that extra goat and mutton was being added to my online raw meat feasting order!  Mom didn't seem happy because chicken doesn't cost a lot of cheese money to buy and goat is a tad more, but I guess the Biscuit Risk is too great... so goat it is!  Delish!

So anyway, tomorrow is my female human's birthday and I'm wondering if she gets vanilla ice cream in a bowl on the floor like Pupi and I do.  If that's the case, then I'm totally planning to steal a few licks!  I know she wanted to get in on my birthday feast, so she'll understand.  I'm an opportunistic feaster, and ice cream is my weakness.  I have no Have when there's ice cream!

To end my much delayed post, I wanted to say with much (HUGE!) excitement that my feather post has been nominated for Post of the Month over at the DWB Bone Zone.  I'm a little embarrassed that my humans put that little tale online as it was not what a bird dog does during his shining moments, but hey... it was true and it was terrifying.  Thanks to my therapist (stuffed tug raccoon) I think I have made a full recovery.  Anyway, if you're a fan of the post then vote for your fellow feaster!

That's it for now!  Gotta go scavenge some of my humans' dinner this evening.  Tasty!

Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 265- Raw Meat & Rainbows

***

Big Pupi gives a tour of his territory:

Hi folks!  While dad was hard at (home)work on Saturday, my mom and I went on a walk to watch the sun set on my lake - Lake Michigan.  We're lucky to live just a few blocks from the water, so it makes our runs and walks super special.  Since I've weebled on this land and in this water and therefore have claimed it as my own, I thought that I should be the one to show you around my property.

Here's the marina overlooking Navy Pier, which is like a bark park for humans.  Navy Pier has a ferris wheel and all sorts of things that people find fun.  I've only been running past the Pier, but dogs are allowed in the outdoor park so I really want to go sometime.

This is Stanislaw's most favorite boat that's been in the marina all summer.  He thinks that it looks like the perfect party boat as it provides easy access to belly-soaking water and plenty of sticks to weeble on.

Stanislaw calls this boat "Dad's boat" because of its name.  Can you see what it's called?

This is me on the grass by Adler Planetarium.  There were 4 brides and grooms and wedding parties there today taking pictures.  It has an amazing view of the water, the city skyline, Navy Pier and the marina all at once.

This is the Planetarium from a distance.  It's sitting on a little peninsula and is the perfect place to sit and listen to the water.  It makes me have to wee!

As the seasons change the waves in my lake grow.  They make great sounds and lots of bubbles.  I guess these things are what Fenway tries to herd?  They don't look herdable to me, but I do find them extremely interesting.

This is my least favorite part of the lake front trail.  I LOVE swimming in lakes!  Whose idea was this?!  I certainly did not agree to have this painted on my land.

Mom and I enjoyed the water for a while.  It was hypnotic.  Even I fell under the trance of the water music.

All of this water will turn into ice in just a few weeks, so we've got to enjoy it while we can!

This was about the time that I met a few interesting characters.  First, I met a little lady cocker spaniel who was tiny and just my size, and she was black and white just like me!  We are the same age and we hit it off immediately.  I asked her to go steady, but her humans said it was dinner time and that sounded better than a boyfriend to her.  Ahh... I could feel my heart beating.  A lady that loves feasting too!  She lives in my territory and I super hope I see her again.

We also saw some raw pre-feasts.  They weren't quite at the feasting stage yet but they still looked delicious to me.  Mom had to keep me away from the ledge because I really wanted to disobey the "No Swimming" signs and dive into the lake to catch my dinner.  Don't they look juicy?

Here's a photo of your handsome host next to a sweet crab claw I found.  I'm allergic to shellfish so I didn't eat it, but it was fun to sniff and carry for a bit.  My winter coat is growing in and it's perfect for soaking up loads of dirt and city grime!  Notice how my paws are a nice ecru color?

This beach is hiding on the other side of the Planetarium.  Stanislaw and I love to stick our bellies in here but we get in trouble when we try to sneak a dip.  Apparently it's a very exclusive bi-ped beach that's very prejudiced against us quadrapeds.  Whatever!  I've weebled in it a couple of times just to make sure they know who it really belongs to!

This is the sunset we saw on the way home.  It looked like a rainbow over the city.

When I got home it was way past my usual feasting time so Stanislaw and I ate with gusto and then settled in for a post-feast snoozel.  He was pooped from his early morning bark park walk and after my 3-mile trek around town with mom I was a tad tuckered out as well.  I guess being a city-bound canine isn't so bad!

Aaaahhhh...

Big Pupi

AND THE WINNER IS....

We got so many totally awesome entries for our Very Tiny Competition we had trouble choosing a winner! Sorry to keep all you furry critters in suspense for so long while we oggled at our fabulous friends at their very smallest. There were photos of fuzzies of the non-canine kind:

Girl Girl Hamster

... and they were just the snuggliest! Our hammie buds can really wrap themselves up tight. There were also some SuperCrazy adorable entries, and if we were handing out A Very Cute & Tiny award these guys would have certainly tied for first place:

Coco

Poopie (with Aki)

I wish my stinky brother would snug with me like that! While parusing the photographs we also noticed that certain breeds seemed more apt to make themselves itty bitty. I've got to give my fellow spaniels a shout-out for their expertise and foldable skillz:

Shelly

Maggie

Zach

Zach said that he used to be super naughty just like me when he was a spritely young fellow. I bet he's one cool dude - I wonder if he likes socks as much as I do?

A breed that surprised us with their unbelievable ability to get small is the grey hound. These guys are no tiny turkey but boy can they stuff themselves into the smallest of kitten beds. Where do they put those long lanky legs? They must be able to suck them in like airplane wheels when it's nappy time. Check out the sweet grey hound entries:

My dear friend Henry

Gabbi

Romes (snugged on the front seat of a car!)

Now the competition was narrowed down to 2 possible winners. Both are super talented and both deserve to win. BUT, only one beast can take the grand prize. It was close, my blogging buddies! Oh so close! Our runner up is...

The fabulous, talented, flexible and oh-so small CJ!

Check out those leg-tucking skills! What talent! What grace! What a bendy neck she has! Certainly you can see why it was such a tough choice to find our numero uno tiny pup.

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for...

.

.

The winner of the Very Tiny Competition

.

.

Is none other than....

DAISY!

Doesn't she look like a beagle bagel? What makes Daisy's entry so spectacular is that our dear lady canine is 18 years old. That's 126 in dog years!! I bet your humans can't imagine being so flexible at that age. This is truly a feat of tiny-ness and we've got to hand it to Miss Daisy for her talents. Even her tail is tucked in! (Not even I have mastered the tail tuck yet. I'm taking notes...)

So here's to you, Miss Itty Bitty Daisy Dog~

A paw trophy and a tail wag for all of your 18 years of hard work, mastering the art of Small. I guess practice does indeed make perfect. (Oh - and there's some sweet swag that comes along with this award as well. Our humans will arrange for that little goody exchange.) May we all follow in Daisy's paw prints and enjoy 18 years with our buddies, our humans, and our favorite teeny tiny little bed all snugged up, tucked in and toasty warm.

Congratulations to everyone that entered. We truly LOVED each and every one of your photos. You are a talented bunch! Perhaps we'll make this competition a yearly event... you never know... so keep practicing your tiny skills and we'll see you next year!

Learning how to tuck my tail under,

Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 260- Reminder

Don't forget that the entry deadline for A Very Tiny Competition is tonight at 5pm CST.  Read the competition info and rules here, and send your photos or links to RawFeasting@gmail.com.

Can't wait!

Raw Food Diet, Day 259- The Thing in the Grass

Yesterday my whole life flashed before my eyes.  It was horrifying.  Terrible.  My body froze in fear.  I may never recover from this.

I was out in the park, snurfeling around in the grass getting ready to do my Good Boy business, when this horrid thing attached itself to my nose.  It came out of nowhere, and suddenly my face was assaulted by this wretched beast.  With every breath its soft tentacles would reach further and further into my nose and it flooded my nostrils with its strange scent.  In a dramatic showing I thrashed about and used my front paws to dislodge the nasty critter, but it was useless.  It had a gorilla glue grip on me.

When I realized its power over me I froze with one paw in the air.  I would not move as any motion pressed this thing ever tighter into my face.  My humans could not make me walk and I would not blink my eyelids lest I draw attention to that delicate feature.  In mere moments it had rendered me helpless and mute, too afraid to think.  This was my end, I was sure of it.  I would starve out here in the wilderness with this thing sucking the life out of me through my schnozzle as I stood like a statue silently begging for help.  And my humans laughed at me.  All they could do was laugh.  Their son was in grave danger and they threw their arms into the air mingling guffaws and mocking me.  

After witnessing my wretched condition and allowing it to continue for far too long my humans peeled the creature from my frozen face and urged my stone-like body to move over the grass.  I would not sniff.  There would be no business done this time.  That monster was still hiding out there somewhere and I wasn't about to risk life and limb again.  I would not play with my friend when she came out for her walk.  I warned her though.  Warned her about this terrible creature the humans call Feather.  "Feather sticks to your face and reaches into your nose," I said in a menacing voice.  "Beware of Feather.  Feather hunts for wet canine schnozzles."

I need to speak to my therapist about this one.

Beware of the thing in the grass,

Stanislaw

_________________

PS- The Very Tiny Competition ends tomorrow at 5pm, so if you haven't sent in your entry yet make sure to have it in before the deadline!  We've got loads of totally awesome photos so far and we're super pumped to choose a winner.  Email your photos to rawfeasting@gmail.com.  Good luck!

Raw Food Diet, Day 258- 26.2 Reasons to Feast

Something crazy awesome and horrible happened yesterday.  The Chicago Marathon came to town and that was sweet, but I was stuck home with dad which was totally uncool.  I was a boof-face for hours and whined while he worked.

Crowds of humans are a little too much for me to handle still and I get stressed and start to shriek.  It's not really that much fun for me so I wasn't invited to the event.  I guess that makes sense but I'm still taking liberties and being a mad boy anyway.  Big Pupi got to go!  That's crazy unfair.

Pupi is super laid-back in crowds so he was out with mom for over 3 hours watching runners come in.  He said he took some notes for me to use in my own marathon training.  The men's winner crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 6 minutes and a couple seconds so I better get my bum in gear so that I can run his bum into the ground come the Olympic trials!  Good thing we went on a training fast hunt this morning.  

Pupi also said that he saw a man pass out just a few feet away from him and he wanted to go lick his face so badly!  The man was caught before he hit the ground and came to right away.  He drank some miracle stuff called "Gatorade" and it made him all better.  I want that magical healing liquid!  I bet it makes you beastly since it's obviously made from alligators and swampy things.  Delish!

Big Pupi wore a special shirt that mom made for him complete with his new best human-friend's name on it.  Kristen (the new best human friend) ran the marathon with her sister and did an amazing job.  Pupi played with her after the finish and she drank lots of this miracle alligator drink.  He said it was super fun and he danced about the whole time.

Mom didn't realize that by putting her human friend's name on Pupi's shirt, that other human strangers would think that Pupi's name was "Kristen."  All people kept calling him a "her" and asking to pet cute little Kristen.  No way!  He made sure to mark some good territory so folks wouldn't mistake him for a girly boy.  He got LOADS of attention from other humans and he even got to lick peanut butter off a little girl's hands who laughed so hard her face turned red.  He was super well-behaved with little kids and never jumped once on any of them, however he insisted on kissing adults' faces and that involved a little jumping.  Mom wasn't so pleased about the jumping but Pupi was otherwise a model citizen during the day.

I could smell pets and small humans and peanutty delicious on my brother when he returned and I let it be known that I was not pleased to have missed out.

I got all crazy-eyed and helped myself to some of dad's socks and undies from the hamper just to make a mess and prove my point.  I didn't realize that later that day I'd go for a nice long walk (without my stinky brother!) to the squirrel park and all around my neighborhood which was super fun.  I made sure to be a very good boy to show mom what she was missing by not taking me that afternoon.  I've also come to realize that I may be calmer when walked at dusk because there isn't as much visual stimulation for me to get wrapped up in and panicked about.  Whatever dudes... dusk or dawn, as long as I get my walkies in I'm a happy boy.

Shopping in the hamper,

Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 255- A Day of Firsts

***

Big Pupi did something new today:

Today, for the very first time ever in my adopted life...

...I killed a stuffy. I chewed right through his evil schnozzle.

Then I ripped his guts out through his face.

Now I'm not a violent dog. In fact, I've never chewed through a stuffy before (but I have been known to take part in some destuffing if Stanislaw made his way through some fuzzy flesh). I have stuffed toys that are so old and so gross that mom has to toss them just for that reason. They never have any damage aside from the right ear which I insist on removing on each of my toys. Why do I do that? I could tell you but then I'd have to destuff you.

I don't know what got into me. Maybe it's the sudden lack of chicken that's left me feeling detoxed and sprightly. Perhaps it's those energizing B vitamins we've recently added to our food. Maybe I was motivated by the fact that it was Stan's tug stuffy and not one from my precious lot. I don't know... but whatever it was it has me feeling so strange. So daring. So.... NAUGHTY.

So I gave that stuffed raccoon a facelift and boy did I teach him a lesson!

Watch out for these jaws o' destruction,
Big Pupi