Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Today’s post is from Sandy, honoring our sweet Sparky dog.

We’ve missed sharing a post or two in the past few days and want to take a few moments to explain; as well as raise a toast to a furried best friend.    On Friday last week, our Sweet Sparky girl was put to sleep.  She was our 15 year old shepherd-husky mix and amazing big sister to Chloe.  

Sparky taught Chloe much there is to know about being a perfect companion in our home, from how to walk on a leash, to learning to potty outside and greet us with trust and love.  She was a graceful girl, sharing her toys with Chloe from the moment the new little one arrived in our home.  Chloe even took many of Sparky’s favorite stuffed toys and summarily chewed the ears off of each one, without so much as a sideways look from her big sister.  She was generous with Chloe when she jumped onto her bed unannounced to sleep next to her, morning or night.

15 years ago, I came to know Sparky through a friend of mine who volunteered with a dog rescue.  She spied Sparky cowering in the back of a crate and brought her home to foster until someone would take her to be their very own.  As it happens, that someone was me.  It was love at first sight.  Her beautiful black and tan markings were accented with a white chest and perfectly aligned markings.  Our first greeting included a walk together, in which she pressed up against me and licked my hand when I first put the leash on her.

When I brought her home, someone said to me that my house was finally now a “home”.  Knowing  the companionship of my own dog for the first time,  it occurs to me that it was a very truthful statement and Sparky proved to fulfill on that notion her entire life.  She guarded our home with a protective bark, she greeted our friends and family with love and opened her paws wide to our lovely three cats through their aging years and of course, now Chloe.  Described as the “perfect dog” on many occasions, Sparky was the grand dame in our home and in our hearts.

It is my desire that I can learn to be as accepting as Sparky, to forgive so quickly, to be as loyal to those I love, to take joy in every day with a wag of the tail and start all over again with full commitment, believing in myself, with the break of each new dawn.   Her life was maybe less complex than mine, but maybe that is sometimes the point, that we make our days too complex.  I will commit to remember to enjoy this day, to sniff a few trees (or flowers in my case) on each walk and just live more in the moment.  

I thought it would be fun to include a recipe in this post for you, as this is something that is so joyful about Exploits.  So, I’ll pick Sparky’s favorite.  This is the recipe for her beloved doggie biscuits, first made for her by her human “Grandma”, my Mom.  In most recent years, we added nutritional yeast to the recipe for a cheesy flavor, which she absolutely adored.

Sparky’s Favorite Dog Biscuits (not quite vegan)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C non-fat dry milk powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

6 Tbsp margarine

1 egg

1/2 C cold water

Optional:  Add 3 Tbsp powdered No Chikn broth or Nutritional Yeast for added flavor.

Make it Happen:

Mix ingredients together.  Knead for about 3 minutes.  Dough should form into a ball.  Roll  into about a 1/2 inch thickness and cut into dog bone (or any favorite) shapes.  Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bye my sweet Sparky, we love you.

Tags: 30 day challenge, dog biscuits, tribute to a dog, tribute to our dog, vegan experience, vegan wannabe