Grooming Day

Yesterday was grooming day and I had two brand new puppies when they came home.  Chow chows are very neat dogs so they don't get as dirty as most dogs do.  However, these two play at least once a day with a very slobbery bloodhound so they get crustier than most chows.

 Willie had a very scary event.  When my husband picked him up, he got off his leash and took off.  The groomer is in a very congested area of the city and Wils was running across streets!  A wonderful guy stepped up and grabbed him when he saw my husband running and screaming for Willie to stop. As it turned out, the groomer hooked his leash to the bow they placed on him after his grooming so the leash was never really attached.  Willie also had to pooh and apparently held it for the 3 hours he was being groomed and when he got outside, he really had to go!  He is safe but this is just another example of the fact that you never can be too careful with these guys!

 A very fluffy Willie.  I swear they look twice their size when they are first groomed.

See that indentation right above Willie's tail?  That's his tail nest!  His tail curls up and rests right in that little spot and it looks just like a birds nest.

It was -7 this morning with temps falling.  I made lentil soup. 

Here is the recipe:

  
1 1/2 C lentils, washed and picked over
1 C. quinoa
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
2 bay leaves
2 big pinches dried thyme
1 big pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 T. minced ginger
8 to 10 C chicken broth + 2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 T. tomato paste
14 oz. tomato puree
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
  4T minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I was busy so I just threw this all in a slow cooker.  I cooked it for 5 hours on high and then another couple hours on low. 

Squeeze in a bit of lemon juice before you serve it.

Phil is still a bit rough but I'm gaining on him!