Pete the Patient.

Recently my friend Christy had to take her son in for surgery and as a parent myself, I could feel her pain. Although Christy's son is a fluffy, snowy white, five pound maltese...I still realize that little Pete is her child. Having gotten our dog Rocco prior to having our other children I know how much our pets can mean to us, especially when we don't have any human children as well. That being said, Pete wasn't feeling so great and just as I would reach out to any of my other friends when their children weren't feeling well, I wanted to help cheer him up during his recovery!

After thinking about what I could do to lift his spirits, I remembered he is a dog after all, so of course he wanted treats. I decided to hop on the internet and find a recipe for homemade dog treats. The recipe I found was actually super simple and only required five ingredients which I already had in the cabinets. While I made the dough and formed little bone shaped snacks on the cookie sheet, the boys decorated a card to send along too. Later that night I dropped off our get well present and Christy said that our treats were the first thing Pete was willing to eat all day! Success!! Not to mention our dog Rocco made out with a batch for himself since the first ones I made weren't thought out very well and ended up as big as the patient!

^^The difference between my first and second batches of bones! See, as big as Pete!^^

Have you ever made your own dog treats? While I loved my quick and easy peanut butter bones, I felt like they broke easily and didn't hold up as well once I stored them in the fridge. Rocco ended up having his crumbled in pieces, but I don't think that bothered him too much!

Roc stood guard the entire time they baked!!

Homemade peanut butter dog treats

Rocco waiting for the taste test!! 

Recipe

Flour (I used whole wheat) - 2 cups

Peanut Butter, smooth - 1 1/4 cups

Garlic - 2 cloves, minced

Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup

Water - 5 tbsp

Preheat oven to 400f. Use mixer to combine all ingredients. Use your hands to form into shapes or roll into a log and just slicing it down into small pieces. Place all your treats on a cookie sheet and bake for about ten minutes or until they've turned brown. (My bigger bones took twice as long) Let them cool and ta-dah!

I'm sure your pups will love them as much as ours. And because they're all natural and made with normal ingredients, you could try them too if you're curious...truth be told my husband tested it and said they're not too bad. Don't tell him I told!! For the original recipe, photo instructions and added tips - click here. If you have a great recipe for dog treats please share them in the comments below!

PS. Christy says Pete is feeling much better! I think I'll take the credit for that ;)