Happy Friday! I’m jumping on the Fit Friday blog hop. I appreciate my BlogPaws friends, Slimdoggy, Peggy’s Pet
Place, and To Dog with Love for hosting. All three blogs work diligently at urging
humans to get their dogs in shape. I’m
sure you’ve heard that if your dog is fat, then you’re not getting enough
exercise! Be sure to visit each of them
for great information mixed with a healthy dose of fun!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
And That's a Quote
Hello, thanks for dropping
by to visit. I’m joining my friends Love
Is Being owned by a Husky and Ruckus the Eskie for
Thoughtless Thursday.
I appreciate them hosting this “anything goes” blog hop.
I appreciate them hosting this “anything goes” blog hop.
I have been working on
adding some of the quotes from my books on pictures. I hope to incorporate them in a YouTube
video soon. Here’s a sneak peek at what
I’ve come up with so far.
**The last two pictures are for my friends in the north who
are still enduring mountains of snow.
Have a fun Thoughtless
Thursday!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Let the Wordless Wednesday Roll!
I’m joining my friends at BlogPaws
Community in the Wordless Wednesday blog hop.
No words are necessary. If you aren’t familiar with BlogPaws, you
should definitely visit to discover the greatest pet bloggers from around the
world. http://community.blogpaws.com/
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
PetBox and Tuesday's Tails
![]() |
Our 2nd PetBox was pawsome! |
Bentley: “I want to tell
everyone about Little Eatz Cinnamon
Crunch! They are fantastic!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Mardi Gras Mischief Madness


Sunday, February 23, 2014
The Central Park Lake in B & W
Happy National Dog Biscuit Day! I hope you are enjoying
your weekend. Are you ready for some
cool black and white photos? I’m joining Dachshund Nola and Sugar The Golden Retriever's B & W Sunday
blog hop. You know what that means…click and hop on the blog icons below to see other great photographs.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
LSU Southern Live Oak
It's Sepia
Saturday! Ruckus the Eskie established this blog hop to entertain our
readers with the beauty of sepia photography. I love to discover the
creative ways bloggers transform their favorite photos. Have a wonderful
day and enjoy hopping.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Indigo Fresh & Giveaway
Labels:
Indigo Dental
,
Infographics
,
PetSafe
,
reviews
Thursday, February 20, 2014
John Paul Pet Rules!
In January, I won
a three-month subscription to the great company PetBox. I had chosen a body wipe from John Paul
Pet. Much to my delight, they were
awesome. I was so impressed that I did a
review post on them. I also wrote a
complimentary letter to John Paul Pet to let them know how much I loved their
product. The representative from the
company was so gracious. She offered to
send me more of the products that I had mentioned I’d like to try. She did so much more than that though!
Bentley and Pierre
were very interested in the new products.
We received Clean Face
Ear & Eye
Wipes, Healthy Paws Body & Paw Wipes, and Fresh Breath Tooth & Gum Pet
Wipes to try. That would be more than
enough, but they also included some handy sample sizes of those products, some
spiffy JP bandanas, AND a travel bowl.
Woo Hoo!!
How did these new
products rate? Excellent, terrific, two
paws up, and FIVE STARS!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Ready for Mardi Paw
It’s Wordless Wednesday with my friends at
the BlogPaws Community.
Pierre is ready for the Barkus & Meoux Pet
Parade!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
May I Have The Envelope Please?
![]() |
Bentley wanted to dress-up to host and present the awards. |
Happy Tuesday
everyone! This is an exciting day at
Barking from the Bayou. We are handing
out our first awards. Last week I
received three awards from one of my favorite bloggers, Jenna from Love Is Being
Owned By A Husky http://ownedbyahusky.blogspot.com/. It was the first awards that I have received
for my blogging so it really meant the world to me. The rules for bestowing these awards on
others seemed pretty loose with no set number of recipients. I had a very difficult time choosing whom to
honor because there are so many great bloggers in my community. If I awarded all of my favorite blogs, my
list would be ridiculously long! The
only stipulation was with the Liebster Award, which is for new blogs.
The Liebster
requires me to share five things that most people don’t know about me. Well, that’s kinda awkward but rules are
rules so…
Monday, February 17, 2014
Scoop That Poop
This
is my first post for the Scoop That Poop campaign. It is a blog hop hosted by my good friend
Sugar, the Golden Retriever http://www.sugarthegoldenretriever.com/
I
have always scooped the poop from my backyard since the boys do their business
there. For years, I used a shovel and
stick to scoop that poop. It was yucky, but it did the job. One Valentine’s Day
several years ago, my husband gave me the greatest gift ever. (Disclaimer: We have been married a very long
time and he’s given me jewelry, flowers, and candy on every Valentine’s
Day) So what could be better than
sparkles, blooms, or sweets? I came home
to a brand new shiny Pooper Scooper with Mylar balloons tied all over it! Now, I know this may not seem like the perfect
romantic gift to some of you. For me, it
was the most thoughtful gift that he could have given me. Remember, I have used a shovel and stick for
20+ years! He said the man at the pet
store laughed when he explained his purchase was for a gift!


Eventually,
he added screws to the hooks so they stayed on firmly. It is one of the best inventions that he’s
come up with so far!
I’m
featuring an infograph from Sugar the Golden Retriever and dogster.com to illustrate the importance of
Scooping That Poop! Remember, poop
happens but you don’t have to step in it!
This is the “Scoop That
Poop” blog hop!
Be sure to check out the
other blogs for more insightful scoops!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Amos...Black & White
Happy Black & White
Sunday! Dachshund Nola is our host for
this fabulous blog hop. Be sure to hop
over to her blog today. http://dachshundnola.blogspot.com/
This is a photo of Amos,
our solid black Manx.
He was possibly the
coolest cat that ever lived.
Thanks Dachshund Nola!
Have a fun Sunday. Now, onward through the blogs!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Sepia Vegas
It’s time for the
entertaining and beautiful Sepia Saturday hosted by my friend, Ruckus the
Eskie. Be sure to hop over to their page
today!
I thought I’d get into the
spirit of the BlogPaws convention in Las Vegas!
This is a view of the
Paris hotel.
Sepia Saturday
Everyone is welcome to
join. Please share your best sepia pics
or videos!
Simple Rules:
Any Sepia-Related images
~ not only pets!
Grab the badge, link back
to your host
Have fun and enjoy!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Special Moments for Valentine's Day
Nature’s
Recipe for Moments along with the BlogPaws Community are sponsoring a Blog Hop
to highlight the special bond between humans and their pets. I thought that Valentine’s Day would be a great
time to gush over my special bond with Bentley. He will still be expecting treats and belly
rubs to celebrate the holiday.
I
have loved dogs my entire life. I don’t
believe there has ever been a time when I couldn’t hear the pitter-patter of
four feet. The dog breeds that I’ve
enjoyed living with truly run the gamut of size, temperament, and overall “dogginess.” We had a Beagle and a mixed breed when I was
a child. Barney the Beagle lived to be
almost 20 years old! Since being a
married adult, we have had three cats, four German Shepherds, one insane Schnauzer,
a Golden Retriever, and our current love, Bentley the Basset Hound.
I
have had a special connection with each of these great animals. My heart is crisscrossed with paw prints from
them. Every one of them has affected my
life and we all shared so many special moments.
Like most pet parents, I could brag about my fur children for days on
end. Since nobody has time for that, I
will share some magic
moments I’ve spent with Bentley.
All
dogs bring certain changes to a family. Bentley
is the first dog in my life to give me a career. That definitely makes him the dog that has
been the biggest influence in my life. He
is the reason for my book series The Returns.
Many authors write about life with their dogs but Bentley doesn’t fall
into that group. In my books, he is
former FBI Agent #7 Bentley Clanton. He arrives
in Heaven after an arrest goes bad and discovers he is too early. The Returns Department sends him back to
earth in the body of a Basset Hound. He
still has all of his human characteristics and abilities, just in a short hairy
body.
![]() |
Bentley is my cover model |
There
are many moments that I love sharing with him.
I wake up with a smile every morning because of Bentley. He sleeps next to our bed and when he wakes
up in the morning, he uses his nose to push my covers back. Then, he takes his ginormous paw to tap my
arm. I open my eyes and he is sitting up
staring at me. As soon as our eyes meet,
he puts his paws back on the edge of the bed and gives me kisses. Now, who could possibly wake up grumpy with
that kind of welcome to a new day?
One
of my other favorite times with him is bath time. He climbs in the tub and after
we
brush his teeth, he stands and lets me wash him from head to tail. Once he is towel dried, I put a towel in the
bottom of the tub. He will sprawl out
while I brush and blow-dry him. He has
been known to nod off during this special spa treatment. When he needs drops in his ears, he will put
his head on my lap to allow me to drop the medicine down in his ear canal. I know that he doesn’t like it but he doesn’t
complain or fight the process. He never
fails to give me a hug after anything we do, whether it’s playing, grooming,
feeding, and just hanging out together.
Before he goes on to his next activity, I get a hug. We enjoy our special Mama and Bentley time
together.
He
has a perfect number seven on his hip, which is where the story idea
originated. As far as the seven goes, it
has always been my lucky number, and he is the seventh dog in our family. Even though Bentley has a number seven on his
coat, he will always be number one with me.
Happy
Valentine’s Day!
This is a blog hop of Special Moments from other loving pet parents.
Hop over to read more touching stories.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Awards and Reunions
Happy Thoughtless Thursday
everyone! This is a great hop where you
can post on a hodgepodge of topics. My
friends Love is Being Owned by a Husky and Ruckus the Eskie host it. Their advice on this hop is “Don’t think,
just link!”
I must start this
post off with a very thoughtful event.
On Tuesday, Jenna of Love is Being Owned by a Husky presented me with
three awards! I know, right?! I was so excited! They are the first blogging awards I’ve
received. She presented me with the
Liebster Award, an award of Excellence and the Best Blog Around the World
award! How exciting is that? I have proudly displayed them on my
sidebar. I will be passing them on to
other bloggers in a few days. I have
been so busy nominating blogs for the Nose-to-Nose awards that I will need to
go back through and select some for these awesome awards!
Thank you from the
bottom of my heart for these incredible honors, Jenna. It means so much to me. Everyone be sure and visit her blog. She has three hilarious Huskies and since she
has already received these awards, I can tell you her blog is awesome. http://ownedbyahusky.blogspot.com/
Earlier this week I
wrote a post about my daughter, Jessica and her new husband, Keith coming for a
visit. We have been keeping Pierre, her
Westie with us since last June. He and Bentley
have become best buds! When they
arrived, Pierre was so excited to see everyone. I took him out front on his leash so Bentley wouldn’t knock him over to get some kisses of his own. I don’t really think that it dawned on him that it was his mama. He is always so hyped whenever we have
company. He was just kissing and
greeting my daughter, my son –in-law, and my son.
Once we came
inside, Jessica sat on the couch and Pierre jumped in her lap. It was at that moment he discovered it was
his MAMA!!! He went completely
nuts. He jumped on her head, laid down
on her, jumped back up for a million rapid-fire Westie kisses, and his tail was
spinning like a helicopter propeller! It
was such a wonderful reunion.
He loves Mom and Dad
and stays beside them constantly. He
sleeps on them, performs all of his tricks, and is even happier than usual. That is not an easy thing since he is the
happiest dog that I know!
Bentley was
thrilled to have his sister back home.
He loves her husband and not because he gives great belly scratches. He does, but he also loves dogs! Bentley throws himself belly up every chance
he gets. They became great friends in a
matter of minutes.
I’m still working
on the YouTube videos but I hope to have the reunion posted soon. Until then, I have a photo of my daughter,
Jessica and Pierre.
Thanks for
stopping by for Thoughtless Thursday.
Enjoy hopping to these other great blogs and have a great day!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Almost Wordless Wednesday
It
is BlogPaws Community Wordless Wednesday Blog hop! Hopping from one blog to the next is quicker
when you don’t have a long post to read, so hop through all of the great blogs
featured below.
I
try to keep inside the rules but today is the last day for the BlogPaws
Nose-to-Nose award nominations. I did
step outside of the line and post some information concerning this at the
bottom.
Thanks to all of the great
people at BlogPaws for hosting this hop.
3rd
Annual Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging Awards
Today
is the last day to nominate a blog for BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose awards that is
presented in Las Vegas during the annual convention. Anyone is able to nominate a blog for an
award. You don’t have to be a blogger or
a member. If there is a blog that you
enjoy, please take a couple of minutes and nominate them for one of the prestigious
awards. Here is a list of the categories
that you can nominate your favorite blog.
*Best
Cause Blog *Best Post Blog *Best Dog Blog *Best
Cat Blog
*Best
Other Pet Blog *Best Pet Blog Photo *Best Pet Blog Video
*Best
New Pet Blog *Best Humor Blog *Best Pet Micro Blogger
*Best
Use of Media by 501(c) 3 *Best
Design
You
can nominate as many blogs as you’d like. It was brought
to my attention that I need to provide information here in the event that
someone wants to nominate me for any of these categories. No matter whom you nominate, the important thing is to get online today before
the nominations close. Here is the link:
http://blogpaws.com/events/conference-2014/nose-to-nose/2014-nose-nose-award-nominations-open/ I truly appreciate everyone’s support in
helping me grow my blog! If you have the
urge to nominate me in any of these categories, here’s my information they form
requests.
Blog
Writer’s Homepage: http://www.mkclinton.com
Contact
Name for Blog Owner: M. K. Clinton
Contact
E-mail for Blog owner: thereturns7@gmail.com
How
long has this New Blog existed: 2 ½ months
Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Returns/371351659623434
Twitter
Account: @mk_clinton
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Doin' Double Tuesday
Love is in the air… or is that dog treats cooking? To your dog, it’s the same thing. I am participating in my first Tasty Tuesday
Blog Hop hosted by two awesome bloggers, Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kolchak
Puggle. Be sure to hop over to their
posts. You’ll love them!
I am posting three tasty treat recipes today. Your best friend will know how special they
are when they taste a homemade treat.
Remember, nothing means lovin’ like something from the oven!
I have had this
Liver Dog Cookie recipe for years. My
German Shepherds loved them. I used them
in training for the show ring and tricks.
Liver Dog
Cookies
1
lb. Beef Liver (Frozen)
½
cup Yellow Cornmeal
1
cup Whole Wheat Flour
1
Tbsp. Garlic Powder
Combine
dry ingredients in large bowl. Blend
liver while frozen at puree speed. Add
to dry mix and stir until well blended.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350˚ for 20 minutes. Cut into small squares and store in sealed
Ziploc bag or airtight container.
This
cookie recipe is another that has been around for a while. Being able to prepare your dog a homemade
treat is very fulfilling. Making them
treat in cute little dog designs is even better! Of course, for
Valentine’s Day, you’ll want to use hearts.
Cutout Canine
Cookies
1
Cup Whole Wheat Flour
¼
Cup Oatmeal
½
Tbsp. Baking Powder
6
Tbsp. Peanut Butter ~creamy
1
Tbsp. Honey
½
Cup Milk
Combine
dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir in
peanut butter, milk and honey mixing well.
Knead into workable dough, roll dough to approximately ¼” thickness. Cut out your cookies with a fun cookie
cutter, hearts, bones, and dog breeds are available. Bake in 375˚ preheated oven for 20 minutes or
until golden brown.
For
a special occasion, why not go all “Martha Stewart” on your dog? Ha-ha!
This delicious recipe is from Martha Stewart.com and she has many
fabulous recipes you can try. I thought
these biscuits sounded scrumptious!
Dog Biscuits
http://www.marthastewart.com/904143/our-tastiest-homemade-dog-treats
Makes about 5
dozen
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup low-sodium canned chicken stock, plus more for brushing
![]() |
Photo By Stephen Lewis |
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup low-sodium canned chicken stock, plus more for brushing
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt; set aside
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt; set aside
2. Place oil in a large bowl. Add stock and flour mixture in three
alternating batches, beginning and ending with stock. Mix well.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll
out dough to about 3/8-inch thick. Shape
biscuits using a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter or by cutting around a store-bought
dog bone with a butter knife. (Make
biscuits that are appropriate for your dog's size.)
5. Transfer to parchment-lined baking
sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake biscuits 10 minutes. Brush with stock; rotate baking sheets, and
bake 10 minutes more. Turn off oven,
leaving door closed. Let dog biscuits
stand in oven to dry completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Wrap as a gift, or store in an airtight
container at room temperature.
Bentley & Pierre give all of these recipes
Two Paws Up!
I’m doing a double Blog Hop today since it is Tuesday. I can’t forget all of the dogs that need “fur-ever”
homes this week of love. Today’s post is
personal since this dog wandered up out of the woods to my niece’s home. She is fostering him but need to find a home
a.s.a.p. Their German Shepherd pup just
had extensive surgery and a third pup is not in their budget.
Thanks to Dogs ‘N Pawz for hosting this wonderful blog hop!
Please visit the other blogs to see more
adoptable pets.
Be sure to look at the adoptable pets under the PetSavers tab on this
page.Sunday, February 9, 2014
Mom's Love in B & W
Happy Black & White
Sunday, I hope your weekend has been great so far. I am joining two of my favorite bloggers,
Sugar the Golden Retriever http://www.sugarthegoldenretriever.com/ and Nola the Dachshund http://dachshundnola.blogspot.com/ for a great hop through some
beautiful B & W photos of dogs, cats, and other living things.
Someone has a love
connection coming! Pierre doesn’t know
it yet, but his mom, our daughter, and her new husband are coming for a visit
today! He hasn’t seen her since
July. I’m expecting Westie~Hyper~Overload. He is staying with us, Grandma, Papaw, and
“Uncle Bentley” until Mom and Dad move to the lower 48!
We are all so excited to see them.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Thanks to Sugar & Nola
for this cool B & W blog hop!
Be sure to hop over to theirs
and the rest of these B & W blogs!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Yummies Dog Treats for Valentines Day
This is “Thoughtless Thursday” Blog Hop hosted by my friends, “Love is being owned by a Husky” and “Ruckus the Eskie.” Be sure to visit both of their blogs. They are always very entertaining! You can hop around and read a little bit of everything.
I have wanted to do a recipe post; they always look so fun. My Pinterest board titled Dog Yummies; http://www.pinterest.com/mkclinton/dog-yummies/ is full of great recipes.
Here are three scrumptious recipes you’ll find “pinned.” I appreciate Rosalyn from “Sugar the Golden Retriever” (one of my favs), Monica from “Lick the Bowl Good,” and Paula Deen at pauladeen.com for the use of their recipes.
Cheesy Dog Treats
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/view2/cheesy_dog_treats/
Servings: 24 treats
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 24 treats
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix cheeses with oil. Stir in flour, dry milk, and salt until blended. Add water and knead until dough comes together. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out treats using a cookie cutter. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until treats are golden brown. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving to your four-legged friend.
Note: You can substitute whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose to make an even healthier treat for your dog.
Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookies from Tasty Treats for Demanding Dogs
· 3 cups whole wheat flour
· 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature.
· 1 tablespoon molasses or honey
· 1 1/4 cups creamy style peanut butter
· 1/4 cup chicken broth
Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or use parchment paper to line two cookie sheets or baking trays.
In a large bowl, using a fork or whisk, combine the flour, rolled oats, and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the milk, molasses OR honey, and peanut butter together until smooth. Stir in the chicken broth.
Using a large spoon or spatula, combine the two mixes, blending until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms soft dough. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a little more broth a tablespoon at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can, reworking the scraps as you go. The dough will become stiff as it is reworked.
Place the cookies side by side on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cookies appear very dry and the edges are light golden brown. Turn off the heat and leave the trays in the oven til completely cool. Leave undisturbed for 8-16 hours. This will allow them to become shelf stable and completely dried.
~Makes about 13 dozen 1-inch treats.
NOTE: Some dogs don't tolerate milk. Substitute according to your dog’s needs.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato,
Coconut Oil,
Turmeric (optional)
Peel a sweet potato and cut into sticks. Coat the sweet potato sticks with coconut oil. Sprinkle some turmeric. Bake it for ~ 30 minutes at 350 (convection bake). For crispy fries, change bake to broil on last 5 minutes of cooking time.
*Keep in mind; if you are watching your dog’s weight, sweet potatoes contain high levels of carbohydrates and sugar.
Thanks for visiting today. I hope at least one of these treats find their way into your dog’s Valentine surprises!
Thanks to my hosts for this great hop. Have a “hoppy” Thoughtless Thursday!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
National Pet Dental Health Month
We
are joining BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday to promote
National Dog Dental Care
Month.
Thanks to my friends at BlogPaws
for hosting!
Every month is Dental Care
Month for Bentley.
He LOVES to brush his
teeth.
Thank you for visiting!
Now, onward through the
blogs~
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