We Would Add Hot Dogs To The Lure

I've always been an animal person.  When I was really little, we had cats.  My mom tells me I named my first cat Spike.  Not sure where I got that name but I guess I thought it was perfect for it.  While we still lived in Tennessee, I got a duck from someone at church.  I named it Peep.  It would follow us around the house and it would get into the bath tub with me.  Peep got too big and we gave him to some people who lived in the country.  After moving to Idaho, we got some more cats.  Simon and Rags.  Simon was a mischievous cat and later ran away.  Rags was an interesting cat.  She drank like a raccoon.  I don't remember what happened to her.  When I was 8, I got a dog.  She was the only black curly haired dog in the litter.  She was an adorable ball of fluff.  I named her Muffie.

Muffie was a great dog.  She was a mutt.  From what we could tell, she had cocker spaniel, terrier, & poodle in her.  In the summer time, we would shave her.  In the winter, we would let her hair grow out to keep her warm.  She would be a big ball of fluff in the winter.  After her running around in the backyard through the snow, she would come in the house with balls of snow stuck to the bottom of her.  In the summer time, when she was skinny without the hair, she could get through the fence.  Our solution was to attach a empty milk jug to a leash and attach it to her.  She could get through the fence but the milk jug couldn't.  Often we would have to go untangle her because she would go out one hole and back through another.  If she got out, she ran.  We would have to drive around the neighborhood looking for her.  She loved to ride in the car so we could con her into hopping in.  After a few times of that she caught on and wouldn't come.  So we would add hot dogs to the lure.  And then drive around town making her think we were actually taking her for a ride.

Muffe loved to eat people food.  While we didn't want her to do it, she found ways around that.  She would snatch things when left around.  Once in a while we would give her leftovers if there was just a little bit.  I learned the hard way to not give her beans.  Apparently, beans are not good for animals at all.  One of her favorite things to eat was cookie dough.  Maybe she ate it often because I also like to eat cookie dough.   I had a bad habit of leaving a bowl of cookie dough on the couch or bed while I went to do something else for a minute.  She would get into it.  One time she got the chocolate chip cookie dough.  We were so afraid she was going to die from the chocolate.  It never phased her and we were thankful.  I tried to be better about leaving cookie dough down after that.  Sugar cookie dough is much better for dogs but not as good to eat as chocolate chip cookie dough.  Although they are very good cooked with a little frosting.

World's Best Sugar Cookies
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together powdered sugar, butter, sugar.  Mix in oil, eggs, vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.  Dough can be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters or rolled into small balls and press down to flatten.  Bake for 10 -12 minutes.   After baked you can either sprinkle with sugar or cool and frost.

Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
food coloring
1/2 tsp vanilla (leave out if you want white frosting)

In mixer with whisk attachment, mix powdered sugar, milk & vanilla.  Add food coloring to achieve the color you want.  Add powdered sugar or milk to achieve the consistency you are looking for.