The most important man in my life turns 2 today! Yes, I am talking about my dog Chase. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I made him his own special treats using his two favorite foods – peanut butter and bacon. They were pretty simple to make and are a nice change from the usual Milkbones he snacks on constantly.  I adopted Chase from an animal shelter in January of 2012. It was my college graduation present to myself. Actually, it was never intentional. I went to the shelter to work on a final presentation for school and I fell in love with him. I tried to convince myself a dog was a lot of responsibility and left without him. When I couldn’t stop thinking about the little 4 month old pup, I went back and got him.

Chase is a one-of-a-kind dog. He’s predominantly a Brittany Spaniel/ Pitt Bull mix, but is probably other things too.  No one will ever know for sure. Chase also has a hook at the end of his tail. Although we’re not 100% positive, it is assumed that someone did it to him before he found his way to the shelter. The only time he ever gets aggressive is when someone tries to go near it. For this reason, even when Chase gets groomed and his hair is short, he always has a little puff at the end of his tail. Classy dog, indeed.

I treat Chase as if he were a child because, most of the time, he acts like a human baby. He developed separation anxiety something awful when I came back from New York and has to be distracted when I am about to leave or he lays at the door and cries for hours. This is heartbreaking, but also annoying when he throws a fit because I have to close the door to go to the bathroom. He also gets a second wind right as I lay down to sleep and has more friends than I do. Seriously. This kid is in high demand. He’s a great dog though. He’s incredibly smart. He’s too excited about everything. He tries, very cutely, to comfort me when I am upset. I wouldn’t trade him for anything…unless you ask me at 3 am when I’m trying to sleep and he’s gnawing at my shirt sleeve to get me to wake up.

Today we’ll be headed to Chase’s two favorite places — the dog park and Sonic. (Someone is incredibly spoiled and enjoys laying under the sunroof of the car and eating french fries.) Consider making some of these cute biscuits for your own fur baby. Chase freaks out when I take them out of their container. I’m sure I’ll be making some again pretty soon.

Peanut Butter Bacon Oat Dog Treats adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

Makes 3 dozen

What You Need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Use a cookie cutter to cut out the shape you want your dog treats to be. Place them on a greased baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Let them cool completely before giving them to your four-legged friends.