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Home-Made Broth for Dog Food

  How to Make Homemade Broth for Your Dog’s Food Many dog food recipes do not include broth as a necessary ingredient. You don't   have  to make homemade broth for your dog food, but I personally found that if I wanted Dezzzzi to eat the rice and vegetables portion of the food, I needed to do everything in my power to make them as delectable as possible.  Once I started cooking them in homemade broth, she started cleaning her plate. Before, she would either pick out the vegetables or rice as best as she could, or she would only eat half of the meal and leave the rest (hoping I would add something special to convince her to eat the rest). While I am definitely not stingy with treats and toppings, I didn't feel good about her eating food that had been sitting out all day.  It was my experimentation with different ways of cooking her food to get her to eat all of it (cause the nutrients!) that let me to making broth at home and using it to add more flavor....
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How to Find a Lost Bloodhound: Technology

How to Find a Lost Bloodhound: Tips, Tricks, and Technology to Bring Your Scent Hound Home

Losing a bloodhound can be a heart-wrenching experience, especially since these scent hounds are natural wanderers with their noses leading the way. We know because it happened to us with Dezzzzi. The side gate was left open after hanging Christmas lights. We were both at work, but our Ring doorbell alerted us to her presence in the front yard. By the time we made it home (about a 30 minute drive), she was spotted 5 miles away. It was a devastating experience that lasted several hours until we finally found her. 

We attribute our ability to find her to her Apple AirTag and the sheer obstinacy of my sister-in-law, who lost both her shoes and a sock trudging through muddy pastures. Since then, we've added several more ways to track her so that the strengths of each overlap each other's weaknesses. 

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Dezzzzi's Escapade

As soon as we saw Dezzzzi on the Ring doorbell, we called the neighbor to get her, but she got spooked and took off. By the time we drove back, her AirTag showed she was 5 miles away. She had run through a busy intersection under a freeway overpass and straight into a commercial area with factories, a lumber yard, and many acres of barbed wire fencing with cattle on the other side.

The issue we ran into was it was already late in the evening and we not only lost sunlight...all the workers from the area were leaving for the day. Since it wasn't a residential area Dezzzzi had run off to, that meant with every worker who went home, we lost another potential Apple phone/laptop to ping off her AirTag. 

We spent 4 hours looking for her and very nearly gave up. It was pitch black, temperatures were dropping to the 40s, and we were all exhausted. My sister in law and brother in law were the ones to get another ping off Dezzzzi's collar, though, by trekking out into muddy terrain. It was that ping that gave us our chance at finding her because it gave us her general location (much father than where we had been focusing our search!). 

Our Dezzzzi was in a state of panic and actually ran away from us when we caught sight of her and were yelling her name. My husband was the one to finally "catch" her by finding her in a nearby neighborhood she had taken off to, sitting on the ground, and moving towards her very slowly. She was cowering in a corner and it wasn't until he was a couple of feet away from her that she finally recognized him. 

That AirTag saved her life. When we got her home, her paws were missing chunks (the vet later said it was from running fast and then stopping very quickly on asphalt) and she needed stitches on her chest from running into barbed wire. I ran across coyotes when I was looking for her and goodness knows how she would have survived the dropping temperatures. 


She was terrified the next several days after coming home and really benefited from her ThunderShirt.  It's a vest that uses velcro to get a snug fit to achieve a "swaddling" effect that lowers anxiety. It also helped keep her from her chest wound.

Using Technology to Track Your Bloodhound: Apple AirTag and Fi GPS Collar

Technology can be a game-changer when it comes to locating a lost pet and is honestly the only reason we were able to find Dezzzzi when she went astray.  While there are other options out there, the ones I use and swear by for keeping tabs on Dezzzzi are: the Apple AirTag and the Fi GPS Dog Collar.

1. Apple AirTag: Track Your Bloodhound Using the Find My App

Apple’s AirTag is a small, Bluetooth-based tracking device that can be attached to your dog’s collar, allowing you to keep tabs on their location through the Find My iPhone app. While the AirTag isn’t specifically designed for pets, many owners use it as a lightweight tracking solution for dogs.

How It Works:

  • Bluetooth Range: The AirTag works within Bluetooth range of Apple devices. While this range is limited (about 100-200 feet), the AirTag can still be useful if your Bloodhound hasn’t strayed too far. 
  • Find My Network: If your dog goes out of range, the AirTag relies on Apple’s vast network of devices. When another iPhone or Apple device comes near your dog’s AirTag, its location is automatically updated and sent to you via the Find My app. If you live in rural areas or have pockets of areas near you that are sparsely populated, you may need an additional option (see Fi below).
  • Precision Finding: If your Bloodhound is nearby but hiding in bushes or a wooded area, the AirTag’s Precision Finding feature can help guide you directly to their location using a combination of sound and directional cues.

Pros:

  • Lightweight and easy to attach to a collar.
  • Works seamlessly with Apple devices.
  • Affordable compared to other tracking devices, with 1 AirTag costing $29.

Cons:

  • Limited range without nearby Apple devices.
  • Not designed specifically for pets, so it’s not as rugged as a dedicated pet tracker.

Tips for Using an AirTag:

  • Attach it securely: Place the AirTag in a durable, pet-friendly collar attachment so it stays secure while your bloodhound is exploring.
  • Keep your phone charged: You’ll need your iPhone or another Apple device to track your dog through the Find My app.

2. Fi GPS Dog Collar: A GPS Solution for Active Bloodhounds

The Fi GPS Dog Collar is specifically designed for dogs and provides real-time location tracking using GPS, cellular, and Wi-Fi technology. This makes it an excellent option for active, wandering dogs like Bloodhounds. (Amazon link: Fi GPS Collar)

How It Works:

  • GPS Tracking: The Fi collar uses GPS to track your dog’s location in real-time. You can view your bloodhound’s movements on a map through the Fi app.
  • Lost Dog Mode: If your dog goes missing, you can activate Lost Dog Mode in the app. The collar will increase the GPS tracking frequency to provide real-time updates on your bloodhound’s location. 
  • Nationwide Coverage: The Fi collar uses the AT&T network to provide coverage across the U.S., making it useful even if your dog wanders far from home.

Pros:

  • Real-time GPS tracking for precise location updates.
  • Long battery life, lasting up to three months on a single charge when at home (2-3 weeks if you take daily walks and outings).
  • Durable and designed for active dogs, making it suitable for outdoor adventures.

Cons:

  • Requires a subscription plan for GPS tracking (monthly or yearly fee, approx $100 for 6 months).
  • Must have a specific type of collar for the Fi attachment (which you can find by searching for "Fi compatible collars").
  • Cellular signal can affect tracking accuracy in remote areas with poor coverage.

Tips for Using the Fi GPS Collar:

  • Set up Wi-Fi zones: The collar can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi to save battery life and send alerts if your bloodhound leaves your yard. If you have friends or family nearby and you visit them with your furry friend often,  you can set up a base (a very small charging station - think the size of a make-up compact) there, which will identify that location as "safe" and keep the charge from depleting faster when visiting. 
  • Monitor activity: The Fi app not only tracks location but also monitors your dog’s daily activity, making it a helpful tool for managing your bloodhound’s health and exercise. You can see how long she sleeps/naps. It even has a daily step goal that we try to hit for Dezzzzi! The newest model now tracks barking, drinking, and scratching.

Final Thoughts

Losing a bloodhound can be incredibly stressful, but with the right combination of technology and perseverance, you can increase your chances of finding your good boy (or girl). Using tools like the Apple AirTag and Fi GPS Dog Collar can provide peace of mind, knowing that you can track your dog’s location in real-time. Don't forget the traditional search methods like leaving scent markers, putting up flyers, and posting to online boards. You may not find your pup as quickly as we found Dezzzzi and getting his/her information out there for others to see will be essential. 

If you have a bloodhound, it’s absolutely worth investing in these tools before your dog goes missing so you can act quickly if they ever do wander off. At casa Carshua, we never thought we'd lose our baby girl and after having gone through that experience, we now know how important having safeguards in place. 

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