Mrs B

Now you see that's interesting, because I really wasn't sure that my cappucino fudge cake was as good as it could be - I feel I need to do a few experimental runs with that to improve it. Thinking of experimenting with mackerel cake too ......................... But that looks as if it's now four cakes sold.

Sarah, could you sell some pilchard cake?

PANIC!!!!! Well I guess that means you'll sell out of preserves very early (and means I need to do some labels for what I've done!) I blame the weather - just as I was about to get going, it let me down got so hot I couldn't face standing over a hot preserving pan for 1.5 hours a day! Still, at least there's more in store ready to bring out for Christmas sales. Curious about "the signage" - perhaps you've already decided on my "corporate image"????? Or perhaps I should just ask the Fugees for suggestions about who I should be - your Wiccaweys folks are letting me down with their imagination (lack of)! And I only seem to have two takers for my cakes - so I've made enough for them ........................ Guess I can put my feet up for the rest of the week.

Ah, well, owing to a slight hiccup in the timing of the preserving process, the matured preserves are in somewhat short supply this week - not to mention a lack of pinking shears, and even worse, suitable labels ................ I can bring the few I have - or save them to go with the others to make a better display in your shop (the better for Tigger to find them in!)

Erm. Think I'm coming. As long as someone will promise to buy my cakes. Please. Pretty please.

Hello there. I'm really and truly not the Mrs B on the Irish Forum ............ or am I??? Then again, if you're "the quiet one" it's definitely not you! Good to see you here.

Do try the jumping up and down bit. Some dogs pick up on vibrations better than others - and if Ollie is one who does, then he may look to see what is causing his world to shake, and see you doing a recall.

Susie, our last collie, became quite hard of hearing - but I also found that clapping my hands in the garden acted and worked as a recall when other sounds failed. Now that I have two youngsters that are profoundly deaf, I've had to look at things completely differently. Outdoors my recall signal consists of waving my arms in the air and jumping up and down as well if that doesn't work - hopefully Ollie's eyesight is still good? Erm, it helps to have no sense of dignity if you're going to do this in public, I find. I guess you will need to test this out in the garden first too. However at the end of the day, it will depend on how you find Ollie responds whether you feel you need him on a long line or can trust his recall. Apart from that, I guess you could just generally help him out for the future, but starting to put hand signals in now, when you give your verbal commands - you're probably doing this already though.

Fantastic news about Kym. Hope you've filled Sarah in on Kym's need for afternoon tea. As I understand it, the need for Kym to find a new home had nothing to do with his advancing years - which makes this new home even more special.

I know you say he's not food or toy orientated - but is your food/toy exciting enough to make him want to come back for the treat? Have you tried the smelly hot dogs, cheese, baked liver, tuna cake - or is there any toy, tuggie or whatever that can be saved, and only used for a successful recall. And I agree with Sanrosscott - are you recalling him frequently on walks - so he's not just being recalled when it's the end of the walk, so it's an end to fun. Have to say that I'm in favour of putting him on a long line for now. And keep trying the recall out in less exciting places too - around the house, garden - push the boundaries out gently where there are fewer distractions, and make a huge fuss when he comes back - and hopefully you will have discovered the magic treat he enjoys!

Thank you lots. Off to retry the recipe tonight. Looking for "FIRM" cake. I gave a bag each of Sunday's tuna effort to my trainer plus her two helpers last night - without confessing that I thought it was erm a bit odd. Wouldn't it be hilarious if they thought it was good.

I'm not important enough to be Mrs Mop! So having used a 400g tin of tuna this explains why the tuna cake I was attempting to make at 5.00 am on Sunday morning looked more like soup than a recognisable cake! As I was cooking it in the oven rather than the microwave, I didn't know whether that was the problem, or the quantities. I assume you put all the oil in too? Or should I have drained that off? I want to try again tomorrow night - Daisy isn't fussed on liver, but was happily chomping at my fingers last night for my "failed" tuna cake! Chasta - I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use a non wheat flour for this recipe - although you may have to experiment a little to find out what would be best.

I know this may seem a stupid question to ask .......... but what size tin of tuna do you use - the 200g or 400g?

Don't think there's anything wrong with being nervous - I know I was! By the way, bit of a reality check this weekend, as I had to buy some AMP mince to tide me over to Landwoods delivery on Tuesday. 62p and 64p for 400g packs. I can't really comment on the likelihood of an intolerance to beef. I would perhaps try some one day, leave it a few days and feed some more. Personally I've used beef from the outset - but just ensure a variety between lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit (if I'm lucky) and offal and oily fish less often. Hopefully someone here has the knowledge to advise you more fully on intolerances - and I'm not aware that beef is particularly difficult for them to digest, but am always prepared to learn. Pork is more difficult for them to digest - although I have just managed to obtain a small supply of certain pork bits for my dogs, and these have been going down very well. I do think that the scariest thing about BARF feeding initially is (a) getting supplies and (b) working out proportions and worrying what they will eat. It all comes with time. Honest.

I would say that the minced meat from Pets at Home is approximately twice the cost and not nearly such good quality as that supplied from Landywoods - I appreciate that doesn't help you as you can't get it! I think I pay from 22p to 38p per pound for minced meat from Landywoods, and similar prices per pound for raw meaty bones. Packs from Pets at Home are probably 54p for 400g (?) Setting the standard, Landywoods meats are from DEFRA approved sources, and if it says "lamb" or "chicken" on the pack, that's what it is. AMP meat is, from memory all mixed with chicken, whatever is says on the pack. I do buy this when we are on holiday to keep mine feeding on raw when we're away, but I just don't think it's nearly such good quality - personally. Oh, and don't be put off by it saying "For Working Dogs Only" on the packet - they have to put that on by law .......... for some reason. I agree with the suggestion of joining BritBarf - although no-one on there was able to help me to source what I needed locally - so you might have the same problem. The other thing you could do is walk around your local butchers, and have a chat to them to see if any of them would let you have chicken carcasses and the like for a nominal or reduced price - particularly if you took a lot at once. Butchers have to pay to have their waste meat products taken away - so you would be doing them a favour, and someone might recognise that! Again, I tried this locally, but I didn't get any joy - having said that, we really don't have many "proper" butchers left locally. Yet I know someone in another area who has a butcher who gives her fantastic trays of meat bits for her dogs. Apart from Pets at Home, there are other pet shops who do stock frozen meats - they're not always on "display", so it could be worth asking in a few places if they do them, or ringing up AMP and asking where your nearest stockist is. You'll still need to find a source for the RMBs though. Do you belong to the Pets Ireland Forum? If so you could also ask on there. Good for you for trying - let us know how you get on.

I was wondering if anyone had any recipes for dog treats/cake that could be cooked in a conventional oven. I have managed to track down a couple of recipes on here – but these involve using a microwave to cook them in – and in my kitchen it was a choice between having a microwave and having an oven – and those who know me will understand that the oven won, and the microwave is now stored in a wardrobe! I’m not sure that using the microwave recipes in a conventional oven would produce a good result. Has anyone tried? All suggestions welcome.

Fantastic photos of Percy. I was convinced he was going to disappear in the grass!

Darcy.

I am always delighted when Tigger honours someone with a cuddle - he still doesn't have enough confidence to be certain about people, so when he greets someone in his own special way it brings quite a lump to my throat. Not the completely worried boy of two years ago .......... but still with some insecurities. When Tigger's confident enough to be big headed, I'll worry about it then.

Well it's two years since Tigger came to join us - and he certainly made this a mad house for a while. We survived, and he got used to us - or perhaps we got used to him, and we're here celebrating his second Gotcha. Of course butter wouldn't melt in his mouth! Parsnips may take a little longer.

I think most folks have said most things. So I'll just say that Tigger and Daisy are both fed raw food - Tigger for probably 20 months, Daisy since day two of her coming here a year ago (which was interesting as out of deference to tummy upsets I deliberately gave her dried food the first night which I'd obtained specially, which she sniffed at a bit - next day she tackled her chicken wings and raw meat in a way fitting to her new life, and I gradually worked her up to larger bones!) I wouldn't go back - personally - but I do think it's a personal decision. Our supplies come from Landywoods - delivery can be a little trying - so a delivery due "before lunch" can end up coming in the evening - but at the prices they charge, and the quality and variety of what they delivery - and where I live, I really have no options - so put up with it. And yes, beware the minimum order - £50 of raw meat and bones, when an average price is 25p is obviously 200 lbs of meat - and when some of that is carcasses and ribs .......... I obtain my own veggies - I have an arrangement with the local veg shop, who gives me her rejects on a Saturday - there's plenty there, and there's a variety week to week. I started by mixing them in with minced meat really well - but now they enjoy them so much I can just add them separately. Oily fish Tigger loves and Daisy is picky about. Ditto liver. But as long as they are getting a variety and they're healthy, I don't stress about it. There is sooooooooo much information out there - all of which is contradictory - at least so I found. I ended up sticking to two books, common sense and the odd question. I'm no expert, but I've found a way that works for us.

Hello - I'm here too. I'll embarass Aisling by saying she's the lady who rescued Tigger in Ireland. Mind you, she's pretty unreliable when it comes to Crufts meet-ups!

I'm leaving in ............. 8 minutes.

Been and bought my train ticket (didn't fancy tackling that at 5.45 am tomorrow!) Bought my lemon squeezer (Sarah, it would have been quicker to come to HQ and borrow yours than go around as many shops as I have today in search of a new one - are you training everyone to make orange cake?) The cake is currently at the "waiting for chocolate" crisis point. Rucksac on the table, semi-packed - thinking what food to put in it - and trying to make sure there's room left in it for shopping. Pritt stick bought ready for badge making tonight. Think I'm ready to be excited now ........ if I have time!

Don't forget how I'm the little white haired lady sat in her rocking chair with her knitting ......... This morning I dropped five basins and the lemon squeezer on my foot (bad one, naturally) - only two basins survived. I tried three shops on the way home tonight to buy a replacement lemon squeezer - failed! Also tried to buy a train ticket ready for Friday - failed as the ticket office closed at 5.00 pm!!!! I will now obviously have to hobble off on my walking sticks to the shops tomorrow to buy a replacement orange squeezer to obey your commands. Erm - aren't you worried that the chocolate might melt? Enters into worry-zone working out the logistics of trains and melting chocolate and dogs trailing after me salivating. And I'm making myself a badge .......... So if you don't recognise me from the descriptions and the cake, you'll have to check out the badge. Oh, I am so grown up.