International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

KITTERY POINT, Maine - Feb. 23, 2015 - PRLog -- February 23rd is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. The history of treats for dogs shows that earlier versions were quite a bit different than today’s variety. Dog treats used to include stale, moldy bread, rotting leftovers and rock-hard biscuits made out of grain. While a trip to England in the mid-1800s, American James Spratt saw hungry, stray dogs scavenging for leftover food and decided that biscuits needed to better . He developed a cake-like biscuit comprised of meat, grains and vegetables called “Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes”. Then in 1908, the F. H. Bennett Biscuit Co. of New York developed hard-baked, bone-shaped biscuits comprised of various minerals, cow’s milk and meat products, known to this day as the Milk-Bone.

On this International Day of appreciation make sure to give your four-legged friend an extra biscuit or two…he will surely appreciate it! If your feeling ambitious below are a couple of delicious and nutritious treats your can bake up for Fido to enjoy!

Healthy pumpkin balls
This snack is not only delicious but is also filled with fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, and iron.
Ingredients
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
4 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl
Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the mixture and     stir until dough softens
Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough and roll into balls on your hands (wet hands work best)
Set the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
Bake approximately 25 minutes until dough is hardened

Apple crunch pupcakes
A fruity treat your dog will adore
Ingredients
2 ¾ cups water
¼ cup applesauce (unsweetened)
2 tbsp honey
1/8 tbsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup dried apple chips (unsweetened)
1 tbsp baking powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix water, applesauce, honey, egg, and vanilla together in a bowl
Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended
Pour into lightly greased muffin pans
Bake 1 ¼ hours