How do you work this thing?

We have so much to share and photos to post yet we're having some downloading issues, camera mishaps and so on. See you soon with things to share!

Good Readin'

"All dogs are brilliant at perceiving the slightest movement that we make, and they assume each tiny movement has meaning."

At my wits end trying to find out what my dog really thinks and what I'm doing wrong with communicating, a friend of mine highly recommended this book to me. Although I'm not finished reading it I cannot put it down. It's amazing to find out what we as humans do to confuse and disorient our dogs and how their behavior differs from ours. We are so connected and share so much (humans and canines) yet our instincts are polar opposites. This book is amazing at explaining human behavior and dog behavior as well, and offers stories so similar to the one's we experience with our dogs that really makes me feel like we all stumble onto the same problems. No one is alone! Only very few humans are naturals at understanding and communicating flawlessly with canines, for the rest of us there's hope...it starts here, with this fine piece of work! A must read for any dog loving, dog hugging, leash holder out there! 

More wonderful readin' and information...here!

Feline facts.

*photos courtesy of fofurasfelinas

Yes. We do obey, praise and love them.

The cat (felis catus) also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small predatory carnivorous species of crepuscularmammal that is valued by humans for it's companionship and it's ability to hunt vermin, snakes and scorpions. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years. 

A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Cats may be the most popular pet in the world, with over 600 million in homes all over the world. 

Cats have specialized teeth for the killing of prey and the tearing of meat. The premolar and first molar together compose the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently functions to shear meat like a pair of scissors. While this is present in canids, it is highly developed in felines. The cat's tongue has sharp spines, or papillae, useful for retaining and ripping felsh from a carcass. These papillae are small backward-facing hooks that conatain keratin which also assist in their grooming.

Sunday in the park.

This sunday after some early morning work and then some delicious brunch at Slow Club, we made our way to the top of Bernal Heights otherwise known as Bernal Hill. It was such a gorgeous day and Tuula very much enjoyed running around and meeting new friends. We did however run into some old friends, a four legged type named Elliott and his lovely owner Jan, it was quite a reunion! After some overdue chatting about everyone's happenings, and some romping about between Tuula and Elliott we took off to run some more errands and finish off the day in Half Moon Bay. Apple Jacks and Duarte's if how we ended our afternoon... much deserved too since it's back to work today.

Enjoy the weekend.

*photo by lilian3000

Happy friday everyone! Looks like good weather is coming our way, hopefully this is the case in your neck of the woods. smallbatch will be attending a party at cheengoo tonight, we'll be handing out samples and hanging out, getting to know some new faces. We'll make sure to post photos of the event next week and some other photos we've been meaning to share with you all. In the meantime enjoy some time off or perhaps a break here and there.

Hooray, for herding dogs!

*photos by fourinchesofego


Just felt like sharing this photo of a beautiful herding dog and the sheep being herded. Even though we have a herder in our gang (miss Tuula) she doesn't get to exercise her awesome herding abilities. Instead we have to find things (jobs) for her to do, keep her busy with long walks, romps at the beach and park. Roaming on beautiful grasslands and being part of a farming or ranching lifestyle would really be ideal for her. She does have the opportunity, whenever smallbatch heads out to collect ingredients (produce and meat) to come along and experience country life even for a bit. As most of you know, our ingredients come from all over the bay area. We of course bring along our third wheel, instantly you see how this setting makes her feel right at home. Fresh air, beautiful land to roam and trot on. In the meantime she's stuck in the city herding the house cat, dogs, and us of course. Perhaps someday my little crazy herder. Here's to you and all the hardworking herders out there.

Devotion.

*photo by TamaraL


"be the kind of person your dog thinks you are"

Going through flickr I found some incredible photos out there. So many truly inspire me to photograph everything around me, mostly my beloved pets. This photograph in particular gave me the "ooh" and "ahh" it really shows the dynamic we (pet and owner) share. Our pets look up to us to protect them, love them and to feed them! Yes, you can say that we are their "meal ticket" but i like to think that I mean much more to my critters than just that. They do however, depend on us to make the right choices for them. They can't speak (our dog tries), they can't drive (we bet our cat could!) , they can't make vet or dog walker/pet sitter choices and they certainly cannot shop for themselves! Just imagine is they could...scary. But in all seriousness, they do depend on us to give them all the right things and i'm not talking about cute collars and toys (which a lot of us obsess about... specially the cute kind!) but mostly in regards to nutrition. Pets can't read labels, and they can't ask questions like "where does this meat come from", or "where is this made" but we their owners can, and we should for them. Having an animal companion is so much more than just acquiring a cute fur ball to tote around or parade about, it's a serious relationship that involves so much more to consider and act on. They provide all the goofiness, love, devotion and warmth. We should stand up and take the responsibility they most certainly can't take. Imagine that, you being your best friend's hero.