Last week I received an email. I receive lots of emails, but this one grabbed my attention. Subject line “Did you know you had the power to help a homeless dog?”
I currently have three gorgeous pups. And the thought of these beautiful creatures without a roof over their heads and without a loving family just breaks my heart.
As I’m writing this, my eldest girl is circling around my feet. There’s a storm outside and she is (ironically) a scaredy cat!
The email continues “Can you help spread the word in support of homeless dogs? PEDIGREE is inviting dog loving bloggers across Australia to help The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive”. I’m ashamed to say that the thought of using my blog to help support such a worthy cause has never even crossed my mind. How totally self absorbed of me.
Currently in its third year, Pedigree has again teamed with Pet Rescue for the annual Pedigree Adoption Drive, aimed at raising funds to help improve the lives of homeless dogs by seeking out new homes for those who desperately need one (in saying that, don’t all homeless dogs desperately need a home?).
Here are my babies. My pride and joy (Clockwise from Top Left).
Lee-Roy Brown. He's such a Mummies boy. Wouldn't hurt a fly and is a total poser (obviously).
Roxy. Very shy, but very vocal. Both Lee-Roy and Roxy were rescues from the RSPCA.
Kaiser. Only recently we had to put him to sleep. I miss him everyday. Kaiser came to our family via my late Uncle. He knew his 'master' wasn't coming home and since that horrible day his eyes were filled with an overwhelming sadness. But the joy and affection he brought us after my Uncle died is unmeasurable and indescribable. A broken heart can't always be fixed, but a face like his will help ease the pain.
Finally, Miss LuckyB. My princess. She's getting on in years, but still has the attitude of a snooty teenager. I think that's because I spoil her. She has one eye and a squashed face. I think she is the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on.
You don’t need to adopt a dog to help this worthy cause (although, that would be fantastic!). You can donate money, or simply join The Pedigree Adoption Drive facebook page. For every person that ‘likes’ the facebook page, Pedigree will donate a bowl of food to a dog shelter. And there are so many hungry mouths to feed.
And now, the tough part. It’s easy for me to give you all this information, leave you to go about your business, and cross my fingers hoping you might join in. But will you? Will you act on it? Will you help?
I’m going to inspire you. With the only way I know how. Through cakes. Puppy cakes.
I wouldn’t suggest you share these with your pooch, but there are plenty of dog friendly cake recipes out there. Or make up your own with things like rolled oats, apple sauce, frozen veggies or wholemeal four.
Puppy Dog Cupcake Decorations
What you will need
Fondant, in 3 colours. Yellow, brown and white is most suitable.
Round cookie cutter (I used a 2 1/4 inch cutter)
Black paste food colouring or piping gel (gel can be bought from all major supermarkets)
2 (different sized) small circle cutters - I used my piping tips.
Toothpicks, or thin tip brush
Rolling pin
Cornflour
Sprinkle your bench with cornflower. Also coat your rolling pin in cornflower. This will stop it sticking and wont stain the fondant like icing sugar will.
Take your base colour (yellow) and roll out to just a few millimeters thick. Cut out circles with the round cookie cutter and set aside to dry and harden.
Next roll out your brown fondant, nice and thin. Cut out two brown circles using the larger of your two circle cutters. These two circles will be your puppy’s ears.
Slightly pinch one end of the circle between your thumb and your index finger to creat a teardrop shape. Repeat with the second circle.
Using the smaller circle cutter, cut out another brown circle. This will be the patch on the puppy’s eye.
Next, roll out the white fondant, again nice and thin. Cut out one circle using the larger of the two circle cutters. This circle will become the base for the puppy’s mouth.
Using the same circle cutter, cut two small sections out of the top half of your circle. Make sure you leave a thin gap between the cuts, so you create the outline of the mouth (and keep the off cuts).
To finish the mouth paint on a smile with your black food colouring and toothpick/brush. Leave aside to dry.
Grab your white off cuts from the base of the mouth. Cut one of the off cuts in half, roll into small balls and flatten with your index finger. These are now the puppy’s eyes.
Take the second off cut and roll into another ball and paint it black. This is now the puppy’s nose.
Grab your paint brush and a cup of water. Arrange all the parts of the puppy’s face first, so you have them in the correct position. Now glue them onto the large yellow circle with a little bit of water (the water dissolves the sugar in the fondant and makes the two surfaces stick together). Paint on any extra details, like black dots for the eyes.
Once your puppy has dried, smother your cupcakes in some buttercream or frosting and stick the puppy on top. Enjoy. Again (and I can’t stress enough) please ensure any cupcakes you make are pet friendly before feeding them to your dog (absolutely no chocolate!). And remove the fondant puppy, all that sugar will cause an upset stomach!
Realistically, some of us can’t house a dog. A small apartment with no balcony isn’t always a suitable option for a puppy. But you can easily bring a dozen or so of these cupcake puppies into your home without any complaints about barking from the neighbours.
I will admit though, they are not quite as fun as the real thing. You can't cuddle on the lounge with them. Or take them out for walkies. They also won't fetch when you throw a tennis ball down the backyard. Or jump up and down and do a cute little dance when they know its almost dinner time. And they definitely wont try to climb up into your top pocket when you are sad and need cheering up. Real puppies have a knack for sensing when you need a good cuddle.
I’ve shown you my gorgeous puppies. I’ve shown you how to make cute puppy cupcakes. But is that enough to get your support? Well, how about this. The cold, hard fact is that over 100,000 dogs are put down each year in Australia, because they don’t have a home. It's heartbreaking. But I can attest, based on my own experience, that the love and affection you receive from a pet will go a long way in helping to mend that broken heart.
At the time of publishing this post, The Pedigree Adoption Drive has found homes for 907 dogs. I only hope this number continues to steadily increase over the next few weeks, and that you all jump online and do what you can to help support this worthy cause.
For more information about The Pedigree Adoption Drive and how you can help, please go to
You can also support via their Facebook page
