Thirty Days of Turning Thirty

Events: Two of Marshall Dillon’s Favorite Things - Food & PetSmart

We brought Marshall Dillon home on July 1, 2006 when he was eight weeks old.  Here is a picture of him from that day:

Here he is today, July 1, 2010, (wearing his bandana from Kelly) wishing I would put the camera down and give him his anniversary treat:

To celebrate the anniversary of his arrival (what Jim has referred to as his “Bought Day”) we took him to PetSmart.  MD loves that place because there are dogs there, people tell him how handsome he is (oh wait, maybe that’s why I like it), and most importantly, there are treats hidden under the shelves:

I also prepared him some treats (can you go wrong with a dog treat recipe that calls for bacon grease?) from a cookbook from the Carolina Basset Hound Rescue.  He could hardly wait for them to be ready.

(Side note: How cute is the apron Mom got me for my birthday?!?  Love it!)

I used the only two cookie cutters I have (I’m not much of a baker) and made the treats West Virginia- and heart-shaped.  

Of course they were a hit!  (And I may have enough left over to last until Day 30…yeesh!  That recipe might be better suited for a multi-dog household!)

It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of my hound.  Who can resist those brown eyes, droopy ears, and big paws?!?!  He brings a smile to my face.  Every.  Single.  Day.