What a wonderful day today has been....this morning as I was riding around beautiful Cairns, I met this adorable little puppy.  He was the most energetic little sweetheart.  Full of kisses and licks for everyone.   I thought after wards, isn't it interesting how babies are very trusting of everyone and everything.  This little puppy saw me from a distance and fixed me with the most adorable loving gave.  He kept jerking on the lead until I went to him....where he proceeded to shower me with excited affectionate licks.  It was the most beautiful moment.  If only we humans couldn't greet each other with so much joy rather than trepidation.  It was certainly a powerful reminder to me to look at life through the eyes of an innocent.  Joy will surely follow and it did.....and much laughter (that's just the bonus). 

The next recipe is dedicated to all the wonderful little puppies out there who bring so much to our lives.  The following is taken from the book 'Real Food for Dogs & Cats' by Dr Clare Middle. 

Sample Meal (250g) for a 5kg dog.150g meat, fat, bone (eg two chicken necks or one chicken wing)50g vegies (eg mixed juice pulp, banana, ginger peelings)40g of raw white bait1 egg1g capsule of fish oila pinch of kelp1 tsp cod liver oil

How do you keep motivated through the colder months?  Well for me, exercise is a must!  It keeps me sane when the rest of the world looks the opposite and your animals will also benefit from daily walks.  Its easy to get home from work, switch on the tv and just settle in for the night watching mostly non entertainment.  I don't know about you but I feel alive when I take a walk in the evening.  My brain feels like its rested and often I come up with clever solutions to any daily issues.  I also just love taking dogs to the park and watching them play with each other, sniff each other and generally just run around like maniacs (something I think we could all benefit from doing every now and again).  Exercise for your pets is vitally important (as it is for you).  Even in older dogs, a stroll around the block provides a change of scenery, interesting smells and some exercise to the body and mind.

Young and fit dogs really benefit from being tired out with a good run and will often spend a good part of the day just sleeping until you get home.  Many dogs will also be much happier and less inclined to miss the company especially if they are an only dog.  Dogs love company and if you lead a busy lifestyle often we forget the very basics for our animals health and wellbeing.  I would encourage everyone to walk their dogs at least twice a day (early morning and evening) and if thats not possible, then consider hiring a pet walker to assist.  My personal motto is 'outource it'! 

There is no argument that everyone leads a busy lifestyle and if you find you don't have the time to do the things you know you should do....then hire professionals who can do it for you.  Life is just too short to be running around just doing stuff all the time.  It leaves no time to rest for yourself which is nuts.  There is more to life than just speeding it up...so take time out, rest, relax and outsource with a pet minder, pet carer or pet walker.  For as little as $5 for 15min your animals can be well exercised and well looked after.