Tasty Tuesday: The Birth of "Tico Nugget Bites" to Benefit Special Needs Husky Puppy

The FiveSibes and I are so very excited to make this wonderful announcement! We are so pleased to announce the "birth" of the newest treats - Tico Nugget Bites - a healthy homemade biscuit from the fabulous Vermont bakers at House Wolf K-9 Dog Biscuits who hail from the Edelweiss Bakery & Cafe family!

The House Wolf Tico Nugget Bites are named after a very special Siberian Husky puppy named "Quantico" - "Tico" for short and he is in care of a foster family through Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue. Tico came into Tails of the Tundra's care with a challenging congenital disorder, Spinal Nephroblastoma. He just finished receiving radiation therapy after surgery removed 80% of the tumor pressing against his spinal cord. With the relief of the pressure, mobility of his hind legs is improving! We are all hoping and praying for this beautiful boy to heal and have a shot at a long, healthy, happy life. 

Our thanks go out to the wonderful folks at Tails of the Tundra and Tico's foster family for working so hard to give this beautiful boy the best care possible in order to have that chance. You can read his progress, see the photos and watch the videos by visiting "Tico's Story" on their website and also HERE on Tails of the Tundra's Facebook page. Just wait until you see the joy and strong spirit of this handsome Husky puppy!

We are so excited about the birth of Tico Nugget

Bites, and the fabulous bakers at House Wolf will be donating 75 cents for each bag purchased at $10.75 per bag from their website store to Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue. Now, how cool is that?! When ordering, just look for this photo of Tico on the House Wolf website store and let them know FiveSibes sent you and that you want Tico's treats to benefit the TOTTSHR! These delicious treats are made of oatmeal, buckwheat flour, flaxseed flour, apples, carrots, bananas, and spring water. So if your dog has issues with wheat glutens, this is a healthy choice that is filled with flavor.

House Wolf makes the best treats...our FiveSibes literally go wild over them! They are filled with wholesome ingredients...and House Wolf never, ever adds salt. And that's important - for all dogs, but especially for Epi-dogs such as my Gibson, who are meds such as Potassium Bromide and must watch the amount of salt that is in foods and treats. I feel really good about my Sibes eating these healthy treats that are made by a family of bakers and right here in the U.S.A. Inspired to make homemade dog treats by their own Siberian Huskies Sahsa, Dakota, and Kayak, they felt they wanted to take a "more holistic approach to their feeding. The Wolf came to mind and being our K-9 friends are not too far removed from the Wolf, we researched on how they lived and ate in the wild. Our three didn't need artificial food colorings, preservatives, and starches and syrups (sweetners), nor did they need Humectant and Plasticizer so their biscuits and treats maintained dampness and flexibility. This is where we developed a biscuit for the three of them that had a much more healthier approach." 

Today, their most recent Siberian Husky rescue,

beautiful Keysha, helps out with all aspects of quality control - and she really enjoys her job! Now what dog wouldn't want that job?!

We are so pleased and proud to be part of this great endeavor and sincerely thank Ralph La Belle and Ken Schlegel, owners of Edelweiss Bakery and Cafe and House Wolf K-9 Dog Biscuits for their dedication and devotion to donating to Huskies in need, such as Tico, and for developing this very special treat for a very special Husky pup. You guys rock! 

And here's a little upcoming promo - House Wolf will

be our August 11th guest on our Dog Works Radio show, "The Sibe Vibe," where they will be talking about their love of baking, Siberian Huskies, and their support of Husky rescues...as well as sharing with us their philosophies on cooking healthy treats and even sharing some yummy recipes for canine companions! We'll also be having a treat giveaway drawing! So we hope you'll tune in at 1 PM EST and join us for an hour of deliciousness!

Thanks to our Tasty Tuesday hosts Sugar, the Golden Retriever  and Kol's Notes! Please be sure to visit their blogs and the others on the blog hop for some tasty recipes and tips!

Thoughtul Thursday: Reflecting on the Kindness of Others

Artist Kat with Gibson and his artistic likeness.

It's hard to believe, and it does sound very clichéd, but time sure does fly by. It seems life gets so busy at times caring for our families and furkids, jobs, school, ailing and rehabilitating furkids, our own health issues, and so many of life's commitments, while we intended to do something, we sometimes carry it around in our mind until we have the actual time to put it into practice. Such is the case of today's blog. While I am late in posting this, the timing of such a story is never ending. And since it's May...a time of renewal and holidays such as Mother's Day, May Day, Memorial Day, graduations, weddings, and all things pertaining to celebrations and gifts, it actually is a perfect time to talk about about a gift that was so thoughtful and meaningful, I needed to share the story behind it and thought, no time like the present to do so!

The OP PACK at TheChroniclesofWoos.blogspot.com

Back in December, during the heighth of the Christmas gift giving season, I featured a new pet artist, Kathleen Burger a/k/a "Kat" of Kat N' Kanine (who also works for our fabulous veterinary hospital, the Kingston Animal Hospital), surprised me with a beautiful portrait of my Gibson she painted on the side of one of our vet's buildings that they were renovating. (Click HERE for full story). I was so touched by her thoughtfulness of painting such a wonderful likeness of my Gibson to become part of the vet's property. I brought Gibson over and shot photos of him with Kat and KAH owner and one of our vets, Dr. Arnold Rugg, in front of the outdoor portrait for a December blog post. As a special treat, Kat offered to do a complimentary portrait as a  prize for a giveaway I had conducted through Rafflecopter, which Blogger pals The OP Pack of the Chronicles of Woos blog won in the random drawing.

All sounds just wonderful and full of seasonal cheer, right? Well...it gets even better!

After notifying the OP Pack that they won the random drawing...they in turn did something remarkable and very caring...they paid their win forward by gifting the prize to another Blogger family - The Portuguese Water Blog (PWB) family, who the OP Pack family felt could certainly use it more because at that time, they had sadly just lost two of their furbabies - their beloved Samba and Sky - and the OP Pack wanted to bring them some cheer during what was a very sad time for them. The OP Pack Hu-Mom sent an Email to a very surprised PWB Hu-Mom telling of the regifting. You can read thhis story shared by the PWB Hu-Mom by visiting their blog post HERE.

Soon after contacting Kat, the PWB Hu-Mom couldn't

Kat's portrait of Samba and Sky.

decide which of her two beloved babies to have painted and left the choice up to Kat. And here is where the story gets even better still...Kat surprised her with a beautiful portrait of both dogs!

I still get chills thinking of the chain of events that created this tale of human compassion and kindness no matter which angle you are looking at. In a world where we too often hear sad and heartbreaking stories, it was so nice to be part of one that was so uplifting and kind. While it's so difficult to lose a beloved furpal, let alone two, by the thoughtful actions of others, hopefully it brought some comfort and a little cheer to someone at a time when they really needed it.

I know Kat, the artist personally, and she is an extremely talented and kind gal! The portrait is beautiful. And I know the OP Pack Hu-Mom, like many of you, through our wonderful "town" of Bloggerville. This giveaway will always hold a special place in my heart because it was done in the true spirit of giving. So during this spring season of gift giving, celebrations, and rebirth - when it gets hectic and you are feeling pressured because you simply can't find the right outfit or gift or fret about the time it will take to attend one of your upcoming events, let's remember this story of not one, but several human beings reaching out to bring some joy to another...for no other reason than they simply wanted to from the very goodness of their hearts.

As I stated in my original blog post about the drawing, perhaps author Harold Kushner did indeed say it best, “When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel.”

Yes, I believe this is exactly how it ought to feel.  

Wordless Wednesday: Woo...Who's in My Tree?

A Mother's Day Tribute ~ And Remembering Smokie

We wish to wish and woo a very Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there...both canine and human! We hope today is a very special day for you all and filled with love, hugs, and treats! I'd also like to wish my own Mom a wonderful day and a happy day to our pack family's surrogate momma, Harley, who took all three Pupsters under her wing when they were mere puppies as if they were her own! And today, five years later, still relishes in the "momma" role as their parent, mentor, teacher, and boss!

"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there."

  ~Robert Browning

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Happy Mother's Day!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Today also marks one year since our dear, sweet honorary Husky cat Smokie suddenly crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Before she left us, she brought us a starving little feral kitten we named Binx. In a way, she was his mother, bringing him to safety and love. He is a real charmer and has grown into a happy, healthy, vetted boy! Every time we see him roll in the sun, he reminds us of Smokie and how they played together and mirrored each other's actions. Smokie, we miss you every day. Bask in the warm sunlight, our sweet angel.

♥We will never forget you. ♥

 

 A replay of our video remembrance:

 

 

It's Wolf Wednesday!

Why is Wolf smiling? Because it's half way to the weekend! Wooooo!

'Tis the Season For A Husky Hot Tub!

The weather is perfect for going in the hot tub - Husky style! When the gentle breezes are blowing, and the mercury is rising, what better place to cool off than in a freshly dug hole in the earth under the shade of a big maple tree?! Grab a bone and come join Bandit and the FiveSibes in their newest "hot tub!" Woooooo!

It's Cinco de Mayo!

I loved the pics from last year's celebration, that I thought (especially since Gibson and Harley are still recuperating from their CCL injuries) I would share them once again while wishing everyone a fun and "paw"some day filled with partying and yummy treats! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Woo!