Y’all. I’ve taken the next step into dog motherhood. Riply now has her very own Instagram account (@riplyvsaliens)! Yes, that’s Riply vs Aliens 😝 Needless to say, I’ve become even more obsessed with my dog than ever before. I’m very thankful for Zach for his support but also for his occasional reminders to chill TFO. Hah! But that does not stop me from doing another dog post! Check out this recipe for homemade Grain-Free Bacon Dog Treats. Plus, sharing some of Riply’s favorite things – stuff that she loves, and has been real handy for us as…paw-rents. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

Homemade dog treats are usually pretty simple to make, which should be the point! Though this Grain-Free Bacon Dog Treats recipe is more elaborate than the Peanut Butter Oat Doggie Treat, it’s still a mix-everything-into-a-bowl-and-bake kind of cooking. In the end, these may be dogs, but for the dogs that give us so much joy and love, why not spoil them a little?

Originally found this recipe from With The Grains, by Quiley and her adorable dog, Julep. Quiley is a huge animal lover and cares about the quality of ingredients she gives our four-legged friends. If you are a grain-free eater as well, you’ll probably already have these ingredients in your kitchen! It includes peanut butter and bacon (what dog doesn’t love that?), eggs and pumpkin puree  (great source of fiber and protein), and coconut oil (a doggy immune builder and promotes shiny coats.) Coconut flour is grain-free and you can easily find it nowadays in any grocery store. I also included some alternative ingredient suggestions in the recipe below!

Like I said, to make these treats you just put everything into a bowl and mix well. It should form into a pliable dough for you to roll out.

Don’t have a rolling pin? A wine bottle will do the trick! Pour yourself a glass while you’re at it. Also, put the dough inbetween two sheets of parchment paper to roll out. That way it won’t stick to anything!

I have a bad habit of impulse buying baking tools so of course I just had to get some dog bone cookie cutters for this recipe! Thank you, Amazon Prime for this 3-piece Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Set! Pst, it’s only $6 bucks.

Grain-Free Bacon Dog Treats

• Servings: >50 pieces depending on cookie cutter size
• Print

A healthy and fun treat for your furry best friend!

Adapted from With The Grains

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 coconut flour
• 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or almond butter!)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree (no sugar added; can also use sweet potato puree or unsweetened apple sauce)
• 2-3 slices of hormone-free bacon, cooked & chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well to form a dough.
3. Roll out dough, just slightly under a quarter inch thick.
4. Use a cookie cutter to cut out different shapes and carefully place them onto a lined baking pan. Ball up remaining dough, roll out, cut, and repeat until all dough has been used.
5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until treats are hard. This cooking time might vary depending on thickness of each treat so keep your eyes on them.
6. Let cool completely before sharing with your pup!
7. Store remaining treats in an airtight container in the fridge. Very important to cool completely before doing this! Otherwise the heat will make the treats soft.

RIPLY’S FAVORITE THINGS

When Zach and I first got Riply, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of ‘dog stuff’ out there. Of course, every dog is different and what works for Riply may not work for you. But wanted to share some of Riply’s favorite things as well as some of ours – the stuff that has made being dog parents a little easier for us 😉

1 | Peanut Butter Filled Kongs – It’s iconic, classic, and a must-have. Riply perks up the minute I pull the peanut butter out and becomes so incredibly obedient! I like to fill them up and stick them in the freezer until we want to use them. That way the peanut butter lasts a little longer.

2 | Ruff Dawg Stick Toy– If your dog loves sticks as much as Riply, then you should get them this rubber stick toy. Riply was obsessed with this (until we lost it, oops!) This is not meant for chewing though because it can break into pieces. But it’s very durable as a tug and pull toy, and of course, fetch!

3 | Himalayan Dog Chews – This chew is made from yak and cow milk, essentially a cheese but in a super hard form. Riply loves cheese. Since it’s basically food so it’s not going to be indestructible but it does last much longer than most! However, PLEASE supervise your dog when chewing this. It can break into pieces and if your dog swallows them whole, they could have trouble passing it. Riply actually threw up two pieces once and since then I’ve been keeping a much closer eye on her. It’s great for keeping her busy though so we are just being more careful!

4 | Bully Sticks – Another dog staple, bully sticks are well…bull pizzle (aka. penis). Is that wierd? Yes. Do dogs love them? Yes! They can be kind of pricey and Riply goes through these much fast than she used to but she absolutely loves them. Bully sticks can also stink pretty badly so I always get the Odor-Free versions. They aren’t completely odorless but much better. I buy them from BestBullySticks.com and they have all sorts of natural dog chews. Riply got into their cow hooves (also a little wierd) which lasted for days and days.

5 | Pet Sling– So this isn’t exactly Riply’s favorite but one of ours. A pet sling, as ridiculous as it sounds, has been a handy tool for living in Chicago without a car. We use it to take Riply on the train or even into some stores while running errands. Obviously only for small pets and you might get some weird looks because your carrying your pet like a baby 😂 but I swear, it’s been helpful!

6 | Kong Wubba – We bought this as a toy to take to the beach and it was a hit! Super durable and it floats well. We give it two paws up as a water toy! Riply also likes playing with it on land though we admit, not as much.

7 | Grooming Wipes – Definitely not Riply’s favorite but a neccessity for pets who love couches and beds. We use these not for ‘grooming’ but to clean off Riply’s paws after she’s been outside. It’s actually amazing how much dirt and grim we clean off! Great value, a solid resealable package, and bamboo-based to make them more eco-friendly. No poopy-paws on my clean sheets!

If you have any of your pet favorites, please share them at hello@ohemcee.com! Riply and I would love to hear them ❤️

And in case you want to follow along on Riply’s Insta adventures…