14 Saber Tails Fall 2017
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
Although we do now, at that time we didn’t have smoke
detectors in the attic and apparently, the fire had been
burning for some time and was now out of control in the
attic. The fire department investigators believe the fire
started with a spark from some old wiring and then was
able to burn through all the items we had stored in the
attic - boxes of holiday decorations and other very flam-
mable collectibles.
If the dogs hadn’t alerted me to the danger in the house,
the ceiling easily could have caved in on me in an ava-
lanche of burning wood and insulation. Not only did the
girls smell the smoke, they also instinctively knew the
situation was bad
and tried inces-
santly to alert me
to the emergency.
What is particu-
larly amazing to
me is that Beasley
and Brie are obvi-
ously not trained
to detect smoke or
fire. But they have
definitely smelled
smoke
before.
They have never
barked at the fire-
place in the house
nor at the fire pit
outside. Some-
how these smart dogs knew that this fire in the attic was
not normal and not okay.
The house was
destroyed.
Though the fire
did not burn
the house to
the ground, it
did burn holes
through the ceil-
ing in several
places, spilling
ash, burning
boxes and insu-
lation into the
main part of the
house. What
wasn’t destroyed
in the course of
the fire, was ru-
ined with water
and foam when
the fire depart-
ment fought the
blaze. Our home
ended up being
a complete tear
down. We de-
cided to rebuild
and now live at
the same address in a completely new home.
We are so grateful for our Peebs! Possessions can be re-
placed but our dogs’ lives and mine cannot. I owe my life
to Beasley and Brie.
RECIPE CORNER
MENU
Turkey Oatmeal Dog Biscuits
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup turkey (or chicken) broth/stock
1 1/2 cups shredded roasted turkey (or chicken)
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F (175˚ C)
• Grease cookie sheets
• Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl and set aside
• Blend broth/stock and shredded turkey or chicken in blender until consistency
of baby food
• Add meat mixture to dry ingredients and mix well by hand
• Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and knead to ensure consistent
distribution of ingredients
• Roll out dough and cut into shapes (this dough is thick so it will take some
muscle!)
• Place cut biscuits onto cookie sheet leaving a bit of room between each to
allow for minimal rising
• Bake at 350˚ F for 25 minutes or until they are golden brown
• Let biscuits cool completely
Please Note
Turkey Oatmeal Dog Biscuits are PERISHABLE and must be REFRIGERATED.
These do freeze well, so only keep the amount you plan to use in one week in the
refrigerator. The rest should be kept in the freezer until ready to use.
KNOW A CLUB MEMBER IN NEED?
If anyone knows of a PBGVCA member who
has lost a loved one, is sick or is just in need of
cheering up, the PBGVCA would like to send a
card expressing our best wishes. Contact the
Hallmark Committee Chair, Sandy Bustin at
sbustin@verizon.net. Sandy will make sure a
card is sent on behalf of the membership. This
Hallmark service is free for our members. Help
us let them know they are not alone during
their difficult time.