Its funny how our definitions of Love change with every life situation – when we were kids, love means getting the toys we want; when we were adults, love means buying roses or cooking for a partner; when we become parents, love means changing diapers & reading bedtime stories.
Me too, have got a brand new meaning of love recently. A friend of mine got a beautiful 3-month old Retriever puppy as a present for me recently. I’ve always loved dogs, so much that I’m hesitant to buy them commercially because I’m not in favor of in breeding.
My definition of love now includes: cleaning puppy pee & poo 10 times a day, bringing puppy down 5 times a day, feeding puppy before I feed myself, planning puppy’s meals with more care than planning my own, dry cleaning & powder bathing puppy every night regardless how tired I am, even picking up warm puppy poo with my bare hands – all for a being whom I do not expect anything in return from.
So much for training in unconditional love!
When the puppy came to me, I was both ecstatic & at the same time, slightly disturbed at how in the world I’m going to create extra time to care for it.
Most of my friends and readers already know I lead a fully engaged life – teaching Yoga, teaching Living Foods, updating the website, writing recipes, updating the website, replying emails, creating programs, practicing my own Yoga, and not to mention the on-going self learning.
For the first 3 days, I slept only 3 hours every night. By the time I finish my usual work, practice, and done with Yogi (that’s his name!), it was 3am. Thank God for raw foods & the extra energy!
But raw foods don’t make immortals! Like it or not, from 4th day onwards, I was spotted with dark eye rings.
The Dog Trainer came and said:
“Linda, keeping a dog does not mean the end of your life!” Man, those words sound like an angel’s music to me.
Sunny, my personal Dog Trainer came to the rescue. We started training Yogi, so that Yogi & me can have a proper communication channel ☺
After one week, I already have a collection of raw vegan puppy recipes – which Yogi loves. Although I bought a whole carton of the best puppy canned food as a stand-by (a friend with good intentions told me to have some canned food on stand by in case Yogi dislikes raw vegan foods), I could not bring myself to feed him the stuff after examining the ingredients on the label.
I could not bring myself to feed Yogi what I would not eat myself!
So for those of you who keep dogs, and would like to migrate your dog’s diet to be more vegans based, here are some suggestions for you:
1) Avocado Okra Mayo
1 Ripened Avocado Mashed
5 Small Okras chopped
Mash up everything in doggy’s bowl and serve!
2) Jackfruit Cucumber Soup
5 pieces Ripened Jackfruit (seeded)
½ Small Japanese Cucumber
1 Tbs Tahini
Blend everything in highpowered blender, pour into doggy’s bowl and serve! (This is a strong boost for retrievers to enhance their calcium levels & thus strengthen their hips. Retrievers are well known to have hip problems, but I believe diet can make them stronger)
3) Mango Porridge
½ Large Ripened Mango Chopped
½ Cup Pumpkin Milk
1 Small bunch Spinach leaves Chopped
1 Ripened Avocado Mashed
(Can increase portions if your dog is big)
Mix up everything in doggy’s bowl, serve!
4) Banana Oat Porridge
4 Tbs Baby Oats (Soaked in a little warm water for 5 min)
3 Finger Bananas Mashed
Mix up everything in doggy’s bowl, serve slightly warm!
© Copyright Linda Loo, Light Love Laughter
