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Lucy's Luau

The Guest of Honor!

Hey Everyone!

On Saturday, May 14th we were honored to host Lucy's Luau, a celebration of the life of Lucy the Rescue Pug.  This is the third year we've held a party celebrating the continually remarkable Lucy.  Last year we held a Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds party and the year before that it was an I Love Lucy party.  If you aren't familiar with Lucy's story, you can read it here.  The luau was great fun for both dogs and humans alike, complete with cake for the dogs and cupcakes and punch for people!

Lucy's Beach Ball Cake

Andrea and Maddy get in the Hawaiian spirit

The spirited refreshments

Lucy's mom, Jolene (right)

  And just a few of Lucy's guests...

Protecting Pets in Severe Weather

Hey Everyone!

As I'm sitting here, it's pouring down rain, we had tornadoes touch down last night and Hannah is wearing a path around my coffee table in a release of nervous energy.  Which makes me think that there are probably some precautions that pet owners should take during severe weather season.  I was able to find this list from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters that I think warrants taking a few minutes to review.  Many of the items are pretty common sense, but a few of them may just make you think again about habits to get into!

TORNADOES AND THUNDERSTORMS

Severe thunderstorm watch
Conditions are right for:
• Lightning or damaging winds greater than 58 mph
• Hail that could reach a diameter of 0.75 inches
• Heavy rain
A thunderstorm watch indicates that you should take action to protect yourself and your pets.

Severe thunderstorm warning
Severe thunderstorms have been sighted in your area.
Animals, especially dogs, can often hear thunderstorms before humans and may show this by becoming anxious, hiding, and vocalizing. Horses will sometimes run frantically around their pasture.

Tornado watch
Conditions are right for a tornado to develop and the sky should be watched.

Tornado warning
A tornado has been sighted or is spotted on radar. Warnings will give the location of the tornado and the area immediately affected by the warning.

There are several steps that you can take to keep yourself, and your animals safe during thunderstorms and tornadoes. Preparedness actions are listed below.

• Designate a safe area in or near your home to shelter your family and animals in a severe thunderstorm. Teach family members what to do in a storm if they are at home, outside, or in a car, including how to relocate animals to safe locations.

• If you have animals that get nervous and pose a safety risk in thunderstorms, contact your veterinarian for advice on how to mitigate this situation.

• The best preparation for a tornado is to designate a tornado shelter for yourself and your animals. Tornado shelters are safest if they are underground — a storm cellar or basement away from windows offers the best protection.

• If your home has no basement, stay in the center of the house away from the windows or in a small room on the ground floor that is away from outside walls. Take cover under solid furniture or mattresses. Protect your head.

• Do not drive. If you are driving and spot a tornado, get out of your car and go into a nearby building or ditch and take your animals with you. Protect your head and stay low to the ground.

• Know the location of the designated shelter where you work or go to school. If you frequently travel with your dog in the car, keep a leash in the vehicle at all times in case you have to vacate the car during a tornado.

I would add to this list that it's important to have current identification on your animals at all times and that they be up to date on all vaccinations.  That way if they do become separated from you in case of severe weather it becomes much easier for them to be returned to you.  And while identification tags are great, microchipping is ideal, because microchips will be carried with your pet, even if they lose their collar.

 The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters also provides tips for keeping your animals safe during other types of disasters, ranging from hurricanes to tsunamis.  You can view their entire emergency preparedness document here.

Mardi Gras, Bigwag Style!

Yesterday we had our annual Mardi Gras Yappie Hour. We had a great time and gave away a $50 gift basket for finding the "baby" in the King Cake.

Cecil, King of Mardi Gras!

The gift basket to be given away

Winner - Matt Sims

The Power of One

Hey Everyone!

You always hear that one person can make a difference. It's said so often that it's become cliche. But every once in a while we get a glimpse at how true it really is.

We have a customer who recently has begun "paying it forward". I won't mention her name, because recognition isn't her intention. But I will tell you that the last few times she has come in to purchase food for her pups, she also purchases an extra bag for the next person who comes in for food. That in itself is remarkable and inspiring.

But, what is amazing is the reaction to her gift. The next customer is often floored, and speechless and thankful. Then, when they recover, they want to find a way to continue passing along the good will. For example, the last customer who got free food continued paying it forward by buying treat mix for the next customer and that customer bought an extra bag of treat mix and donated it to the Humane Society. And, it doesn't end there. Those of us who work here are equally inspired, as are people who hear about or witness these acts. And while these simple acts aren't curing cancer or eliminating homelessness they are brightening people's days and reassuring others that there is still hope and love in a world that sometimes seems to have run amok.

So, thank you to the remarkable customer who began this and to all who have participated in it. You all inspire us to be better human beings.

Just a Little Fun

Hey Everyone!

Here's a fun cake that I got to do for Bess today. Bess is turning ten and she's an agility champion!



We also got to do goody bags for the guests at Bess' party! Lucky dogs :D

By Request

Hey Everyone!

As you probably know, we take lots of special orders around here. Sometimes it's barkday cakes, sometimes it's pupcakes and other times it's a completely unique order. So, I thought that from time to time I'd post some of our most unique special orders.

This week we made a dozen carob pupcakes for Willow to share with her agility class.

(Thanks to Grant and Kathy Johnson for providing this photo)

Unfortunately for Willow, there were new students at class this week and she didn't get one! So, Kathy called and asked if we could make a quick little something special for Willow. But Willow can't have peanut butter - so our Monster Bones were out and a cake was just too much for this pup! So, we were able to make a very special custom Howl at the Moon Pie for Willow's birthday...




One other fun request this week: Mardi Gras Ninjabread Men! We delivered yesterday, but sadly, I forgot to take a picture before they walked (or maybe danced) out the door. So, Joan if you're out there reading this and Ted E. hasn't already gobbled them up, would you send us a pic? We'd love to share your special request.

Oats - The Next Super Food?

An ingredient that you should start to see a lot more of in pet foods and treats starting this year will be oats.  The first federally sanctioned health claim for a manufactured food was granted to makers of oat-rich foods in early 1997, and are common ingredients in horse and rodent diets, but not so much in dog foods or treats today. There is no reason why except pet food manufacturers just have not thought of it yet, but they are starting to come around.

The nutritional composition of oats is high compared to other cereals. Oats are higher in protein (17.1%) with more essential amino acids than most other popular grains. Oats also carry a higher level of lipids than most other grains, of which about 40% is the essential fatty acid linoleic acid.

Most people think that the biggest benefit of oats is heart health, since that is the effect on humans. That is just simply not the case in dogs or cats. The biggest benefit of oats, however, is the large amounts of Beta Glucans. Beta Glucans harden the stools, and prevent the reabsorption of cholesterol and starches in the digestive track, thus lowering the glycemic index and help prevent health disorders like obesity and diabetes.
Another benefit of oats is the low allergic reactivity of the proteins. Many vets feel that the protein in oatmeal is very hypoallergenic (less likely to cause an allergic reaction) and therefore an ideal nutrient to be included in a diet formulated for pets suspected of having a food sensitivity or skin allergies. There are other benefits in performance and long term health as well.


This isn't something new for us - in fact all but two of our baked treats have oats as a primary ingredient - usually either the first or second ingredient in our recipe, and we've been using oats since day one, back in 2006.
 
CONTEST ALERT - The first person to comment on this post with one of the two treats that does not contain oats will win a free pound bag of treats - our Fish Sticks - great for skin and coat health with both oats and real Alaskan Salmon. Make sure you include a phone number or email address so that we can contact you. (We won't make anyone's information public). Or email us at sales@bigwag.com . Just head over to our online store http://www.bigwag.com/ and check out the treats section. We list all of the ingredients for all of our treats under each product.

For more information on oats and related pet food applications visit these articles on PetFoodIndustry.com