From puppy pret-a-porter to kitty couture, PET FASHION is your guide to what the world’s best-dressed pets are wearing. This one-of-a-kind Canadian series returns to The Pet Network this weekend with brand new episodes. Here’s the official announcement from the producers, our friends at FRONT TV:

PET FASHION, the only show of its kind that brings pet chic into focus, is returning for a fourth season on The Pet Network. New episodes of the half-hour program, hosted by Kristina Ejem (pictured below) will make their broadcast premiere on Saturdays and Sundays, starting February 2, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. ET. (Repeats at 1 am ET.)

PET FASHION, a fun and innovative lifestyle series, offers an in-depth look at the evolving world of the companion-animal kingdom – from educators and innovators creating the latest pet products, to visionary designers who are shaping the current pet fashions and trends of tomorrow, to the pet lovers who share their stories and the contents of their pet’s closets.

The new season will include a salute to all things fandom-licious, an interview with a real-life Dr. Dolittle, a discussion of pet reincarnation, and an introduction to a canine whose resumé reads like an A-list celeb. We’ll also meet a pet-advocate Italian Prince, go gaga over pet fashion, get the inside scoop on the latest pet-centric events, and more.

“This is this only program that shines a positive light on pet fashion designers,” says PET FASHION producer Bianca Kapteyn. “Usually, the editorial slant on these stories is jokey and frivolous. We take pet fashion designers seriously. Some of them are practically rock stars.”

PET FASHION is produced by FRONT TV, an international award winning and broadcast design and branding agency with its own TV production and animation arm that is aimed at producing high-quality, ground breaking entertainment. FRONTS’ headquarters, TV studio, animation and post-production facilities are located in Toronto, ON. For more info: www.front.tv.

One of our favourite reads, as you know, is My Dog’s Breakfast, the blog created by Fido & Wine producer extraordinaire Jen Mitchell. Jen’s constantly posting imaginative recipes for people who, like her, want to prepare nutritious, homemade meals for their dogs.

For the upcoming Canada Day long weekend (Yay!) Jen has come up with something extra special: red and white maple leaf cookies! (There’s no food colouring involved, by the way. To get the desired shade of patriotic red, Jen borrowed an idea from Fido & Wine colleague Melissa Auger and used beet juice.) Why not give these a try?

Don’t forget to check out Jen’s blog HERE. Here’s wishing you — and your furry friends – a very happy Canada Day.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

- 5 1/2 cups of flour

- 1 cup no-sugar-added applesauce

- 1 cup chicken stock (with no onions, preferably no-salt added)

- 1/4 cup canola oil

- TSP baking powder

- TSP cinnamon

 - 1/3 cup of beet juice (My grocery store has it in the “natural” section. You could also make your own beet juice.)

Begin by fork-whisking together the canola oil, chicken stock and applesauce. Then, whisk in cinnamon, baking powder and flour and mix together until your dough “ball” forms. Gently knead to get it firmly together, wrap in parchment, and then put her in the fridge for at least an hour.

When you’re ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough to about a 1/4-1/2 thickness. Use your cookie cutter and start cutting away! (I bought myself a large leaf one at the bulk food store; they have small ones too.) Bake them on the parchment paper for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven, take them off the pan, and let them cool down. Here comes the fun part – get out your pastry brush and a small bowl (I like my silicone one because it washes well, although it’s harder to use) and paint as many as you want red with the beet juice. You don’t need much at all — just do the entire cookie and two-three coats should cover it.

Pretty cool, eh?

Remember to catch Fido & Wine every Tuesday and Saturday on The Pet Network at 8 pm ET/PT.

No, we’re not sure what that post title means, either. But anyway. We love checking in on Fido & Wine producer Jen Mitchell‘s blog, My Dog’s Breakfast. She’s always got wonderfully creative, road-tested new recipes for homemade doggie meals and snacks. Some are delightfully offbeat — like her latest offering: dog cookies studded with colourful veggie chips, so that they resemble those ever-popular M & M’s cookies. (Never feed the latter to your pooch by the way: chocolate is extremely bad for our canine friends.)

Jen says the recipe took a few tries to get right. Here’s the final version:

INGREDIENTS

- 4 tbsp. butter or margarine

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

- 1 cup dry milk

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 2 tbsp. water or carrot juice

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup of “Veggie chips,” dealer’s choice: frozen peas, carrots, beets, potato, etc. Basically, cut up tiny chip-like pieces of dog-friendly veggies. (I used dehydrated ones I bought from my fave Heronview Raw And Natural: you just soak them in hot water and they are ready to use. I also used lots of frozen peas, which I left frozen for additional water content.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by adding soft butter or margarine to your mixing bowl. Give it a good forking until it’s a little whipped! Then, add your carrot juice or water, and the eggs. Beat lightly. Then, add the honey, sea salt, baking soda, and stir together. Finally, in portions, stir in the whole wheat flour. Lastly, add 1/3 of your veggie chips and gently mix into the cookie dough.

Place your cookie dough balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make them the appropriate size for your dog(s). Mine are huge as my dogs are of the pig variety. Then, place your veggie chips on top of the cookies and slightly press in. Leave most of them exposed as the dough will puff up a bit around them. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool before letting the dogs have a taste.

Follow Jen’s blog HERE.

Jen Mitchell, the producer of our series Fido & Wine, has a new blog devoted to her current passion: home cooking for dogs. We’ll be reposting recipes and insights from My Dog’s Breakfast whenever we can. Here’s her recipe for a hearty treat called Pumpkin Rye Crunchers, made with Ryvita crispbreads:

-6 Ryvita crispbreads, crumbled 

-1 cup pure pumpkin puree

-2 cups rye flour or whole wheat if you don’t have it

-1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

-1/3 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add the two cups of flour to your mixing bowl. Then add the pumpkin puree, seeds and peanut butter. Mix together. Crumble in two of the Ryvita crisps and the pumpkin seeds. Mix again. On top of the rough dough ball you’ve formed, sprinkle remainder of crumbled Ryvitas on top, let them fall off the sides to bottom of bowl. Lift the ball and and gently place the bottom on top of these fallen Ryvita crumbles.

Form cookies of any size you like from the dough ball, by gently making cookie balls. Place them on parchment lined baking tray and press down to make into a cookie shape. Don’t manhandle these ones too much,you want the crispy crumbles to stay somewhat on top of the dough so that they are still crisp after baking.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Follow Jen’s blog HERE.