bird thing

My attempt at mid-century modern art. 

Ok, no. In line with recycling and making stuff Kip might actually use, I decided to make what the household now calls Kip's milkstick bird. Milk sticks are those twisted rawhide things you see there; many people give their dogs rawhide to keep the teeth clean and the jaw strong, as well as satisfy the dog's natural instinct to chew. Chewing provides stimulation and can relieve anxiety too.

There are some risks associated with giving dogs rawhide though, in particular digestive problems, and choking and blockage hazards. Some dogs are allergic to rawhide or the other ingredients that go into the treat, and pieces of rawhide can get stuck in the dog's digestive tract. Plus -- and I know this is not very medical-sounding -- rawhide just gets plain gross after a bout of chewing and salivating.

Well, you might recall my post on Kip care; Westies are one of those breeds that are susceptible to food allergies. Thankfully, Kip has not given me any trouble in this area, and to avoid starting anything, I just avoid giving her edible treats in general. However, I do recall how my old Lab used to love chewing those huge rawhide bones, and I know Kip loves chewing things that have a certain smell and texture, so I decided to give her the rawhide twists, but in a form she could neither break down nor swallow. Hence the milkstick bird.

I chose the milk sticks because they have, to me, a stronger scent than plain rawhide, which I felt would be better once they were wrapped up. I chose to make the bird a longish shape so the milk sticks would fit, and Kip would have the satisfaction of carrying it around like those big hunting dogs with the ducks (I chose a black bird because Kip has been having this long-standing feud with the black mynahs living in our neighbourhood).

After sewing the bird shape with canvas and reinforced stitching, I filled a second canvas "envelope" with four milk sticks and aniseed. If you didn't know, aniseed works on some dogs in the same way catnip works on some cats! Then I sewed up the envelope and inserted it into the bird. Easy!

This picture kind of says it all.

Fearsome hunting dog.

Fearsome hunting dog later in the day.

And, toward evening, fearsome hunting dog looking particularly demented. All in all a success I think -- the rawhide is safely chewed, and the canvas dries fast, making it distinctly less gross than exposed rawhide. An unexpected bonus? Chewed aniseed leaves behind a lovely spicy fragrance! Yay for homemade treats!