At the time her paperwork indicated she was 4 years old. "Perfect!", I thought, as the last thing I wanted was a puppy to train. She was clearly a mix of some sort, and while I had my heart set on an Australian Shepherd (preferably a miniature one!), I also am a big believer in rescue and those breeds are not easy to find in shelters. They get out fast, while other dogs like pit bulls and mix breeds get left behind.
My expectations for the adoption panning out were low, as she was microchipped. This meant before anything, she had to be held for a week to allow time for her owners to claim her. So, knowing the risks and liking her as much as I did, I decided to fill out the application.
This meant clocking out as a volunteer and returning back during regular hours to do that. In the interest of fairness, there is not favoritism at the shelter. Frankly, I appreciate that, as fair means no problems can come up later. But they can come up right away.
My friend (who volunteers with me) and I stepped out to grab some lunch while we waited about an hour for the shelter to open. I was so excited and nervous; I'd never owned a dog in my adult life. The past few years in particular, I've been almost too busy for my pet cats! But it was time for me to slow down a bit, and have a buddy to go on walks with me. I'd had a challenging few months prior and this was a very exciting moment for me. So, with a mix of nervousness and skepticism about the prospect of her adoption panning out, we headed back to the shelter and I began to fill out the form.
And there was the moment the fairness was challenged. Someone else wanted her, too.
Within 5 minutes of the shelter opening, I'd applied, and someone else wanted to do the same right after me. I had my volunteer shirt on still, as I'd not had the chance to go home and change, and they claimed the fact I'd met her before the shelter opened was unfair. The thing is, I was there on the dot when the shelter opened, ready to apply. I'd asked if this was okay before doing it. And I was told yes.
In the midst of this chaos, the information came out that she was not 4 years old at all. She was 10 months old, and her name was Honey. Someone must have really loved this puppy. They told me the chances were low of me getting her, but they'd call me. And the other interested folks were set up as a backup.
All of this played out over Thanksgiving, so the seven day hold was lengthened to allow a fair amount of time. No one called to update me. I couldn't get a hold of anyone and left a voicemail. On day eleven, I got a call back. Her prior owners never called back. "She'll be ready to go home with you this afternoon after her spaying surgery." :o
And so, my uncertainty about taking her home was squashed in an instant, and I now had to rush to get things in order for her. I mean, it seemed like I'd be setting myself up for disappointment if I went out and bought food, leashes, and the like all to be let down. I'd had enough of that at the time and was making sure that no matter what happened, I wouldn't be bummed out.
One of the amazing things about friends is when they go above and beyond for you. That's what happened to me, as the same friend who was there with me at the shelter offered to run out and grab some essentials to help me out. I had to get to the shelter before they closed and get my new doggo! And given the surgery she'd had that day, getting her home calmly would be best.
So long story short, I got a dog. I changed her name to Moxie, which frankly is totally appropriate for her as she definitely has gusto. And we've spent a few months getting to know each other and her personality is so kind while her energy level is out of this world. Puppies are not easy, and I think it's the responsibility of us owners to walk them and get them exercise because bored dogs can get the behavioral problems that wind up landing them in shelters. She is so well behaved - she has learned not to pull the leash as much, commands like "sit" and "stay", and seeing her happy as she dives into the water at the dog park makes me happy. Dogs just love so purely, and even though she will literally pick any man over me (seriously, she looks at me and just turns away when I call her), it's an unconditional love. Simply put, I adore her and since you only turn 1 once, this baker had to convert herself into a doggy chef for a day.
Pupcakes are easy. And they're definitely human-grade. The great thing about dogs, though, is that they don't give a dayum about sugar. No need to sweeten it up. Just get a peanut butter flavored cake to stick together and rise and all systems are go. And like some of the best cake recipes, this one was just a bunch of stuff thrown together in a bowl and *voila* bake. I made mini cupcakes because I wanted to have extra to pass out to Moxie's buddies. Yes, my dog has friends. Probably more friends than I do.
I opted to frost these with plain ol' peanut butter because, well, dogs love peanut butter. It makes Miss Moxie a very happy girl to get a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, so I figured she'd be delighted with a lil bit extra. And sure enough, look at how happy she was!
I think you can tell by the photo below that she liked 'em.
I'll be honest, I didn't eat one. Not because I didn't trust them, no no. But because I'll save my cupcake caloric splurges for the sweeter items like donuts. And besides, stealing my dog's cupcakes? I don't have the heart. But I can say that I passed these out like Halloween candy to 4 dogs and even got one stolen right out of my hand by an otherwise well-behaved pup. So I will give these a 5/5, based on both simplicity and delight levels.
Pupcakes Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour (I used wheat but all-purpose is fine)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used honey peanut butter but it's your choice - just make sure it does not contain xylitol!)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons honey
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini cupcake pan with non-stick baking spray. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, peanut butter, oil, applesauce, egg and honey in a medium bowl, then spoon into cupcake pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside while cooling, then frost with peanut butter. Share with your dog.
adapted from easy homemade dog cake
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