About Kol's Notes

I’m Jodi. Baker. Crafter. Dog Mom.

dog blogger, Jodi Chick, wearing a shirt that says "dog hair is my glitter" Text says" 7 ways to turn your passion for pets into a profitable side hustle"

Do you want tasty treats for your dog, fun crafts to make, and a stylish, naturally clean dog-friendly home?

ME TOO.

Image from the movie StepBrothers. Did we just become best friends? Yep!

Whether you’re looking for a tasty dog treat recipe, a fun craft or DIY solution, dog-friendly home care tips or just some good ol’ fashioned dog lover humor, I can probably help. I’ve been a dog mom over a decade and while I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes, I’ve managed to learn a thing or two about being a great dog lover along the way.

Now, I’m spilling my secrets on how to live an amazing dog-friendly life and talking about everything from how to bake a birthday cake for your puppy to creating meaningful DIY dog art and sharing my all-natural, dog-friendly cleaning tips.

And I want to learn your DIY Dog Mom secrets too.

I can’t wait to get to know you, your best doggo, and what makes your life the best life to share with your pooch.

Charles from Brooklyn 99 saying"Tell me everything"

Come hang out with us on the Kol’s Notes Facebook page.

I know. I KNOW. There are “cooler” social networks, but the Facebook is like an old pair of sweatpants and I can’t quit it. Plus, let’s get real here: I don’t know how to use the Snapchat/Tik Tok/Whatever the kids are doing these days.

Drop by. Introduce yourself and most importantly, show me a picture of your dog. I can’t get enough dog pictures.

Our Story.

Dog DNA Tests | diy dog blog - kols notes — Felix is cute as heck though, am I right?

My first love, a rescue dog named Felix.

Felix had lived with us for just a few weeks when the BIG pet food recall of 2007 struck and every bite of dog food in my house was recalled. I was devastated. I’d had a dog a hot minute and already I’d screwed it up. Felix relied entirely on me to do the right thing for him and I was doing it all wrong.

He had raging food allergies, out of control ear infections and anxiety about…everything. He was the most endearing, adorable little trainwreck I ever could have fallen in love with. I swore that I could and would do better for him… and that promise changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.

The sass is strong with this one, but I just adore him.

Bringing home chaos in a fur suit.

We did what any rational, well-intentioned family, overwhelmed by allergies and behaviour issues does: we got puppy – an irrepressible, goofball of puggle who we named Kolchak. This dog has more personality in his right snaggle tooth than some humans I know have in their entire body and man, can he make me laugh. His love for a snack knows no bounds. He’s strong-willed in the best possible way and he knows how to communicate his desires. While he’s obedient where he needs to be, he also doesn’t hesitate to let me know when he is very annoyed that he has to take orders from me.

writer Jodi Chick lays in the grass with sunglasses on. Her black puggle Kolchak lays on her arm — My ride or die – but can we stop for snacks first?

More than a decade of awesome memories together, but the best is yet to come.

A lot has changed over the years. Kolchak has grown from a monster puppy into an upstanding, well-behaved, but still opinionated pooch. We’ve said good-bye to Felix after some health challenges, but some amazing and wonderful senior years together where his anxiety faded, his allergies were managed and he truly got to be the awesome boy he was always meant to be.

senior dog wheelchair — So grateful for the gift of time with the dog who taught me so much about patience, perseverance, and the art of finding joy.

We grew up together.

I’ve grown so much as a dog owner. We’ve tried dozens of diets and dog foods to figure out what works best for my dogs. Kol started training for obedience – and I decided it wasn’t for us, so now we train for lifestyle. I learned what makes for a dog’s best life and how to balance that with my own desires. I’ve encouraged my dogs not just to behave, but to misbehave a little too – to show personality, take initiative, and to be their own “person”. I’ve gone from that person who was always covered in hair to someone who is mostly presentable…minus a few stray puggle hairs here and there. (Some things never change!)

And I still wake up every day excited as heck to spend it with my four-legged best friend and keep exploring and learning about all these things that bring us joy and make us love living this life.