When my eldest son was five years old, he started asking for a dog. Aware that I would be the one looking after said dog, I was not ready to grant him this desire. When he turned six, he again asked for a dog – for the whole year. When he turned seven – you guessed it – he asked for a dog – over and over and over again. So just before his eighth birthday I began researching dogs for children, when I ran across a site for Maltese-Bichon dogs. I was in love instantly. Imagine my son’s surprise when I loaded him up in our car and told him we were off to pick up his birthday present. We drove out of town and went to meet a whole crate of beautiful, squirming, little white fuzzy pups. The look on his face was absolutely priceless – sheer and utter joy. He picked up each puppy and snuggled them close but when he picked up the smallest one, she immediately put her paws around his neck and snuggled her muzzle in close (she looked like she was giving him a hug). Instantly he (and I) knew that this was his puppy. Without hesitation he named her Molly and a fast friendship was born.

My eldest is a bit of a worrier, an over-analyzer if you will, (I wonder where he gets this from…?), and he has a lot of thoughts and feelings to share. By giving him Molly he instantly had a safe confidante, someone who snuggled up to him at bedtime that he could confess all of his worries to and be rewarded with a soft puppy kiss. When he is sad, worried or angry, he grabs his little white puppy and buries his face into her fur – she snuggles patiently and quietly. When he is feeling rambunctious she jumps and chases, plays fetch and wears him out. And when he is scared, she is the brave little protector standing guard over the night-time terrors. Suffice it to say, we all love our little Molly. But with a face like this, who wouldn’t?

Therefore when ShesConnected introduced the Milk-Bone Healthy Favorites Ambassador program, I knew that my kids would want me to sign up – for Molly. The day the box came, Molly immediately knew it was for her, her little sniffer went into overdrive! I hadn’t told my kids that I had applied so they too were very curious to see what was inside. When we opened it, they were overjoyed (you would have thought it was something for them!). Without knowing what the treats were for, they immediately ripped open the boxes and bags and started handing them to Molly. Now at six pounds, you can imagine how many treats she should have – if I hadn’t intervened, I am sure she would have eaten her weight in treats!

The best surprise from the new Healthy Favorites Milk-Bone treats? Not only was I able to read and understand the label (all real food goodness!) but they smelled and looked so good, they convinced my five year old that they MUST be for kids too. (Seriously – you can see the carrots and oatmeal and smell the beef flavor.) Against my wishes he had a taste and proclaimed them “delicioso”. Worried that he would be fighting over the treats with Molly, I was thankfully able to convince him that they were for dogs only. Phew.

As Molly is only six pounds, we do break up the Milk-Bone treat for her to eat and she sits so prettily it warms my heart. My five year old is the self-proclaimed treat giver and when it is treat time, Molly follows him around so diligently you know she’s in love. Although I suppose one hundred years of treat making will do that to a dog!

Molly’s favorite treat to scarf:

Oven-baked Chewy Treats

Beef Flavour: made with rolled oats, carrots and apples.
Made with Real Chicken: made with real chicken, rolled oats, sweet potatoes and apples.

Molly’s favorite treat to hide and eat later:

Oven-baked Granola Biscuits

Beef Flavour: made with ground whole wheat, whole wheat flour, carrots, rolled oats and flaxseed.
Made with Real Chicken: made with ground whole wheat, wheat flour, sweet potatoes, rolled oats, flaxseed and chicken.

I am super excited to share this new product with you – Milk-Bone is giving one of my readers (yes, you!) a prize pack of these delicious Healthy Favorites treat pack (this is an amazing prize package – plenty to share with the neighborhood dogs!) As this is my VERY FIRST giveaway I am hopeful you all will enter! To enter please do the following quick tasks:

1. “Like Milk-Bone on Facebook

2. “Follow Milk-Bone on Twitter”

3. Tell me about your dog in the comments below so I can read them with my children!

I will randomly choose a winner in a short amount of time – so go!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Milk-Bone Blogger Outreach program by ShesConnected therefore I received a supply of products and compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. Opinions and comments are mine.