Category Archives: South Loop Scoop

Keep up with what’s happening at Out-U-Go South Loop – Hyde Park.

Flowers and Jewelry Ain’t Gonna Cut It: How to Spend Valentine’s Day with your Pet

Happy Valentine’s Day, Pet Parents!

Let’s be honest. Your furry sweetheart is expecting a pretty grand gesture of love this Valentine’s Day, and who are you to disappoint? This year, show your fur-baby how much you really care. From staying in to hitting the town, we’ve got you covered on ideas for how to spend your special day!

  • Sweet & Savory: What pup or kitty doesn’t love snacks?! Cookies are almost certainly what puppy dreams are made of. Whip up a tasty treat for your pal..try these festive Red Velvet Pupcakes!
  • Movie Night: Make it a movie marathon! Queue up Must Love Dogs and Lady and the Tramp, pop up a gigantic bowl of popcorn to share, and let the snugglefest commence.
  • Spread the Love: Not able to spend your whole day with your beloved? Ask your B.F.F. (Best Friend’s Friend!) for a Valentine visit! Extra belly rubs are complimentary on February 14..and every other day of the year.

Whichever date you choose, your furry kiddo will be elated to have spent it with you.

Big Hugs,
Your Human & Furry Friends at Out-U-Go!

red-velvet-dog-friendly-cupcake-batter

Dog-Friendly Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Pupcakes [Recipe]

via Raising Healthy Dogs

Baking a special snack is a great way to treat your four-legged friend this Valentine’s Day. Your fur-baby will love these festive Dog-Friendly Red Velvet Pupcakes!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup apple sauce (preferably natural without sugar)
  • 1/3 cup beet puree or beet juice
  • 1-1/2 cup wheat flour (all-purpose white will work, too)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese for frosting

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with 15 baking cups
  • In a large bowl, combine honey, oil, apple sauce, beet puree or juice, and egg
  • Gradually add flour
  • Mix thoroughly
  • Spoon mixture into prepared cups
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
  • Let them cool on a rack
  • For frosting, add the cottage cheese to a food processor or blender and puree cottage cheese until smooth (30 – 60 seconds)
  • Frost and serve!

Yield: 15 cupcakes and wagging tails.
Don’t plan on leftovers (but refrigerate any pupcakes that don’t get gobbled up!).

Out-U-Go! Pet Care Services Partners with Village Green Property Management Services

Out-U-Go! Village Green Partnership

The OUG! Gang is very excited to announce becoming the official pet care provider of Village Green properties! Village Green is a wag-worthy and award-winning property management service with 40,000 units across the US. Furry residents can now enjoy customized packages for dog walking, dog and cat sitting, and puppy and critter care!

In addition to providing awesome pet care, we will be co-hosting pup and kitty events for our four-legged friends at Village Green properties! Keep an ear to the ground for upcoming dates to hang out with us. We can’t wait to shake paws!

out-u-go-pet-sitter-in-green-orange-apparel

Look out, Fashion Week! New Out-U-Go! Apparel Hits Streets Winter 2013 / 2014

You don’t have to look to the runways of Paris or Milan for the latest fashion. Out-U-Go! Pet Sitters are sporting their newest apparel and looking quite spiffy if we do say so ourselves!

Our Sitters have always provided you and your furry families with professional love and care—now they look the part, too! Don’t be shy to woof “Hello!” when you see us out in your neighborhood wearing our bright green and orange!

Where in the World is your Top Dog?

It has arrived!!! Watch out for your first peek at the new OUG! South Loop – Hyde Park mobile! Make sure to wave and tell the pups to give us a nice big woof if you see us driving by.

BONUS! The first Pet Parent to find us gets two free visits just for keeping those eyes peeled. Just let us know what day, time, and closest intersection or retail location we were near.

Happy Hunting!

Turkey & Cranberry Dog Cookies [Recipe]

via Allrecipes

turkey-cranberry-thanksgiving-dog-cookie-treat

In looking for ways to share a memorable Thanksgiving dinner with our pups sans slipping table scraps, we’ve stumbled upon this genius treat recipe in which two cornerstone Turkey Day dishes join forces to become:

Turkey & Cranberry Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 3-1/2c. whole wheat flour
  • 1tsp. baking powder
  • 1c. shredded cooked turkey
  • 1c. dried cranberries
  • 1 egg
  • 1tbsp. olive oil
  • 1c. low-sodium chicken broth, or as needed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F & lightly grease baking sheets.
  2. In large bowl, thoroughly whisk together whole wheat flour & baking powder. Stir in cooked turkey meat & dried cranberries. Make a well in center of mixture: pour in egg, olive oil, and 1/2c. chicken broth. Mix into soft dough, adding chicken broth 1tbsp. at a time if needed for consistency.
  3. Turn dough out onto floured work surface: knead for 1-2mins. Roll dough out 1/4in. thick and cut with favorite cookie cutters!
  4. Bake until treats brown (~25mins.). Turn off oven, leaving treats in for additional 30mins. to dry out. *Refrigerate leftovers.*

Yield: wiggly bodies and waggly tails (…and 45 treats)

Best of OUG! Top Dog Halloween Costumes: South Loop Edition! [PHOTOS]

Halloween is a pretty great holiday to share with your pet. Not only does every pup’s favorite word occur within its most popular exclamation, “trick or treat,” it is a day (…or week…or entire month) where a furry body running around in a little hot dog suit or carrying out an entire neighborhood watch shift, a.k.a. walk, wearing a skeleton outfit is not considered absurd.

Meet a few of our South Loop pet pals who are donning their best dog (and cat!) Halloween costumes in the spirit of the spooky!

Cloe: Initiate superhero face.

south-loop-dog-chloe-superhero-halloween-costume

Brock: Clearly not the king of the jungle, but a good effort!

south-loop-cat-brock-as-lion-halloween-costume

Milhouse & Mandrake: Good Bananas vs. Bad Bananas

south-loop-dogs-milhouse-mandrake-good-bad-bananas-halloween-costume

south-loop-dogs-milhouse-mandrake-good-bad-bananas-halloween-costume-2

Camilla: Shark attack!

south-loop-cat-camilla-in-shark-halloween-costume

Milhouse: The cow says…MOOOO!

south-loop-dog-milhouse-in-cow-halloween-costume

south-loop-dog-milhouse-in-frog-halloween-costume

What are your four-legged kiddos dressing up as for Halloween?

Lily dog in halloween costume

Trick or treat? (Just kidding…the answer is always “treat.”)

Halloween is the perfect excuse to let your furry buddy explore her spirit animal through costume. From experience, though, we warn you: some of our canine friends have connected too strongly with their spirit animals.

Last year, our buddy Vern sported a little piggy get-up. Using his disguise as an incognito sow, he ate his way through an entire box of human cookies!

Our friend Lily, on the other hand, stepped away from her normally sluggish demeanor to take on that of a bouncy bunny.

Have a spooky October, everybody!

Vern office dog in Halloween costume