Yesterday was National Dog Day, a fact I was not aware of until I saw the hashtag blow up on instagram. It got me thinking about my sweet pal, Koda.

Since the girls were born, she’s fallen to the bottom of the pecking order. That’s reality unfortunately, but it doesn’t mean we love her any less.

Seeing everyone’s pictures with their dogs made me feel a little soft about my furry friend and loyal pack member.  Sure she may be a little rambunctious as times and not listen as well as she used to, but that’s our fault for slacking on our training. I get frustrated when she eats gross things in the yard or shakes her ears so loudly right next to the sleeping baby, but she’s been here since before David and I were even engaged. She’s watched our family grow and has taken it all in stride. She has the sweetest demeanor and is so gentle with the girls. When I get to thinking about it, I really really love that pup, though I don’t always get to show her like  should.

So yesterday afternoon I went out of my way to show her a little extra love.

We covered 2.5 miles together, then I came home to make her a little something special.

Chicken Jerky Treats for Dogs

– 1.5 lbs boneless chicken breast
– 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
– 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Place chicken breast, olive oil and parsley (which helps freshen doggie breath!) in a ziplock bag. Shake it around to coat it well and let it marinate in the fridge for an hour or so,

Then place the bag in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. You don’t want it to freeze solidly, but it will be easier to slice if it firms up a little in the freezer first.

Slice chicken so it’s about 1/4 inch thick.

Place in dehydrator at 140-150 for about 4 hours depending on how chewy or tough you want it.

Then tell your dog how much you love her and make her day with these jerky strips!

You can store them in the fridge for up to two weeks… if they last that long.

Are you a dog lover?

If you have a dog, tell me his/her name! Is there a story behind it?

Koda got her name because I really loved the name Dakota. Being that I love to abbreviate names, I knew I’d never call her Dakota and would inevitably shorten it to Kota. When I said it out loud, I found a ‘d’ just sounded better than a ‘t’ and thus, KODA was created.

Not the world’s best story huh? HA! But we sure do love her!

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