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.