We had a bit of a scare with our female cat Cassy this week, so this is a cautionary tale for cat owners, even though we are a dog bakery (we have a kitty corner too).
We purchased about a year ago an automatic gravity feeder from a local mass merchandiser that allows food to drop down into a bowl after the bowls contents had been emptied. I'm sure many of you have seen this and maybe even own some. They are quite common.
We switched her to Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken Cat Food, and were overjoyed she liked it. In fact, she loved it. It must have tasted so good, she wood occasionally eat too much or too fast and regurgitate a nice present for us to find somewhere in the house. The Katz-n-Flocken is all natural, no additives, so we didn't think much of it, other than she might have been gaining a little weight. Then it began on Monday night that she started yowling in the middle of the night, and wouldn't stop. Occasionally she does this when she wants attention, so again, no big deal - until the next day.
We found a large pool of urine with blood in it in our exercise room. Now we were worried. We immediately took her to the vet, diagnosed her with Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), and they told us her food had too much magnesium in it, which is common for dry food with fish in it, and immediately switched us over to prescription science diet.
Apparently this condition causes crystals to form in her urinary tract, much like kidney stones, and causes pain, uncontrollable urinating, straining without much production, and blood. This is apparently very deadly, especially in male cats, since their urethra is smaller, and can cause bladder ruptures if a complete blockage is left untreated, but medication and diet change will correct the condition.
There are many causes of FLUTD, which include bacterial or viral infections, trauma, crystals in the urine, bladder stones, tumors of the urinary tract, and congenital abnormalities. In many cases, the cause is never discovered.
Factors that may contribute to development of FLUTD include:
* Not drinking enough water
* A diet high in magnesium or other minerals
* Too much acidity or alkalinity of the urine
* Stress
The only problem is that now once she has had this condition, it is easier for it to return with too much magnesium in her diet. I don't think the Solid Gold food was to blame, unless you want to blame it for tasting too good. We're not going to chance it, as we will be switching her to a lower magnesium food.
If we hadn't taken the lazy route and feed her portions each day as opposed to filling up her feeder once a week or so, then I think this would have been averted. So, be careful with automatic feeders and the food that you are giving them - especially for male cats as this is much more dangerous!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday, December 14, 2007
Another Rawhide Story
Here's a story that is circulating the internet right now. It's a tragedy for sure:
To Whom It May Concern...(Is There Any Justice For The Loss Of My Bestfriend) November 08, 2007 5:40 PM
Well on Oct. 28, 2007 I had to get my most loyal and loving BlackJack put
to sleep because she was so sick and dying...I still can't believe she's gone forever. My baby was only about 3yrs old...I will not let go what happened and I want my voice to be heard !!!!! I purchased some rawhide bones from the 24hr Walgreens on Main St. here in High Point, N.C. when I gave my dog one within an hour of chewing half of the bone my BlackJack became sick, vomiting very badly...this went on for a few days and she seemed to get better or so I thought, I noticed her gums, tongue, skin, and white of her eyes was yellow...I was like no way, my dog has jaundice so I took her to the vet. They kept her for 3 days and done blood tests, X-ray, IV's, Etc. and they ruled out blood disease, foreign objects, any kind of blockage, and said my dog was way too healthy & had very good bloodwork prior to get this sick, this fast!! They sent her home with me and wanted to try medication...but nothing worked she just got sick more each day until she could barely walk & would not eat, she was suffering and the outlook didn't look good even with surgery as weak as she was...It was like she had been poisened, even the vet that put her to sleep said that...and she had from that bone. Now I'm at war with the company and want some justice for the life of my bestfriend, she was the kind of dog that if your lucky you might run into one once in your lifetime. Now take note on the information below:
- There sold at: Walgreens
- Brand Name ( Bag O Bones )
- Company Info: Specialty Products Resources Inc.
49 Harrington Rd.
Waltham, M.A. 02452 USA
Tel: (781) 894-1411
Fax: (781) 894-1811
Website: www.specialtyrawhide.com
Please Check Out & Sign The Petition To Make Sure Another Bestfriend Is Not Lost!!! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/a-life-lost
---------------------EOM--------------------------
At first glance, I want to rush out and sign this petition. I know rawhide is a horrible product, and more is sold at this time of year than any other. But there is so much information out there about rawhide. You can google it, read blogs about it, talk to your vet about it, talk to your boarder, your local dog bakery, trainers, fellow dog parkers; I would think there has to be information about how rawhide is so bad coming at people from every angle. If that is really the case, then why do people still buy it? Stores wouldn't stock it unless people were buying it.
There is another part of me that thinks, with all of the information available at hand, how is this person not personally accountable for this? Stores simply sell what people want. If nobody wanted it, good or bad for you, nobody would sell it. Doesn't that make us, everyone who buys rawhide products, accountable for this also? Anyone thats purchased rawhide in the last year send this person one dollar, and she'll feel better. Like that will ever happen. Now, if this was something new, a new product that's untested, a mistake, never happened to anyone before. I could see some accountability on the part of the company. But rawhide, and the horrible stories that go with it, have been around a long time. I think it's really up to us to spread this word. The companies and manufacturers aren't going to stop making it unless everyone stops buying it. Stores like Wal-mart are going to continue to sell it, because it keeps making them money. It's only small stores like our bakery that take a stand on junk like this (See Rawhide is for shoes).
I won't sell rawhide, I've never sold rawhide, and I won't even sell the pressed rawhide, which is supposed to be the lesser of the evils. If there should be a petition, lets tell the retailers we don't want this in the stores anymore. Lets get this on the news so other people know about it and can make an informed decision. Let's not just sue the retailer for punitive damages. Put your money where your mouth is - or your dog's mouth anyway. Just say no to rawhide. There are plenty of alternatives. Be an informed consumer. Read the ingredients. Stores like Wal-mart are very much a democracy. If the public votes they won't buy something, it gets yanked pretty fast and replaced with something else. They have to move product off of their shelves to make money, and under performing products are always replaced quickly, or else it effects their year end numbers. Bonuses are at stake. Vote NO on rawhide! Spread the word!
To Whom It May Concern...(Is There Any Justice For The Loss Of My Bestfriend) November 08, 2007 5:40 PM
Well on Oct. 28, 2007 I had to get my most loyal and loving BlackJack put
to sleep because she was so sick and dying...I still can't believe she's gone forever. My baby was only about 3yrs old...I will not let go what happened and I want my voice to be heard !!!!! I purchased some rawhide bones from the 24hr Walgreens on Main St. here in High Point, N.C. when I gave my dog one within an hour of chewing half of the bone my BlackJack became sick, vomiting very badly...this went on for a few days and she seemed to get better or so I thought, I noticed her gums, tongue, skin, and white of her eyes was yellow...I was like no way, my dog has jaundice so I took her to the vet. They kept her for 3 days and done blood tests, X-ray, IV's, Etc. and they ruled out blood disease, foreign objects, any kind of blockage, and said my dog was way too healthy & had very good bloodwork prior to get this sick, this fast!! They sent her home with me and wanted to try medication...but nothing worked she just got sick more each day until she could barely walk & would not eat, she was suffering and the outlook didn't look good even with surgery as weak as she was...It was like she had been poisened, even the vet that put her to sleep said that...and she had from that bone. Now I'm at war with the company and want some justice for the life of my bestfriend, she was the kind of dog that if your lucky you might run into one once in your lifetime. Now take note on the information below:
- There sold at: Walgreens
- Brand Name ( Bag O Bones )
- Company Info: Specialty Products Resources Inc.
49 Harrington Rd.
Waltham, M.A. 02452 USA
Tel: (781) 894-1411
Fax: (781) 894-1811
Website: www.specialtyrawhide.com
Please Check Out & Sign The Petition To Make Sure Another Bestfriend Is Not Lost!!! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/a-life-lost
---------------------EOM--------------------------
At first glance, I want to rush out and sign this petition. I know rawhide is a horrible product, and more is sold at this time of year than any other. But there is so much information out there about rawhide. You can google it, read blogs about it, talk to your vet about it, talk to your boarder, your local dog bakery, trainers, fellow dog parkers; I would think there has to be information about how rawhide is so bad coming at people from every angle. If that is really the case, then why do people still buy it? Stores wouldn't stock it unless people were buying it.
There is another part of me that thinks, with all of the information available at hand, how is this person not personally accountable for this? Stores simply sell what people want. If nobody wanted it, good or bad for you, nobody would sell it. Doesn't that make us, everyone who buys rawhide products, accountable for this also? Anyone thats purchased rawhide in the last year send this person one dollar, and she'll feel better. Like that will ever happen. Now, if this was something new, a new product that's untested, a mistake, never happened to anyone before. I could see some accountability on the part of the company. But rawhide, and the horrible stories that go with it, have been around a long time. I think it's really up to us to spread this word. The companies and manufacturers aren't going to stop making it unless everyone stops buying it. Stores like Wal-mart are going to continue to sell it, because it keeps making them money. It's only small stores like our bakery that take a stand on junk like this (See Rawhide is for shoes).
I won't sell rawhide, I've never sold rawhide, and I won't even sell the pressed rawhide, which is supposed to be the lesser of the evils. If there should be a petition, lets tell the retailers we don't want this in the stores anymore. Lets get this on the news so other people know about it and can make an informed decision. Let's not just sue the retailer for punitive damages. Put your money where your mouth is - or your dog's mouth anyway. Just say no to rawhide. There are plenty of alternatives. Be an informed consumer. Read the ingredients. Stores like Wal-mart are very much a democracy. If the public votes they won't buy something, it gets yanked pretty fast and replaced with something else. They have to move product off of their shelves to make money, and under performing products are always replaced quickly, or else it effects their year end numbers. Bonuses are at stake. Vote NO on rawhide! Spread the word!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The Funniest Thing I've Read All Week
I've been trying to come up with a new post today that is related to dog health, but I'm having a hard time getting past a comment that was made on our myspace page, so I thought I would talk a little bit about internet marketing and diverge a bit this week.
We are, of course, a small business. In Rogers, AR. I believe whole heartedly in our treats that we make, so selling this is easy for someone like me who isn't so strong of a sales person. But how do I tell our story to everyone out there that wants to hear it? There are definitely people who want our treats for their dogs and cats. I see them every day. But how do I reach you? Traditional advertising has not worked very well for us. We'd run coupons in the newspaper, radio ads for a month at a time, attend dog events as much as we can. There's only so much time and money you can put towards advertising.
A new trend that is emerging is "Flop Shopping". This is where someone will shop for what they want on the internet, and when they find it, they will go to the local store to get it "right now, without paying shipping". You may even do this and not even know it. Scour the internet for the best deal, find it at Best Buy, then hop over there the next day to pick it up. Even walmart.com is allowing you to ship to a store where you can pick it up for free now.
What does this have to do with marketing you say? Well, in order to be considered for a purchase, you have to have your sign out there for everyone to see, and with Flop Shopping, that sign has to be on the internet, especially if you are in a competitive market. And this doesn't mean you can just put a website up and pray people will find it. Those days are gone. You have to promote your website, optimize it for search engines, create quality links back to your site as much as possible. I have managed to get our website (www.bigwag.com) ranked in the top 12 on google if you search for "gourmet dog bakery" - all for free. I think that is a huge accomplishment, if you consider the unspecified nature of the above search query, and how many dog bakeries are out there. "Dog Bakery Arkansas" and we are number one, or any city we are next to in Northwest Arkansas.
Part of my execution has been to create as many links to my website as possible, this blog included. I love the blogs, because they give me a chance to tell you how great our treats are, or share some marketing wizardry like this. One of these links is myspace. If you have never been to myspace, be prepared to spend some time learning the ropes. Start by just creating a user page for yourself, before you delve into creating one for your business. See how this social networking phenomenon works. Find some friends, and then let the magic take hold.
Understanding your customer is a key component to any marketing, and our ideal customer target is a 46 year old female. The dating mechanics of myspace lets you zero in like a bullet to find your ideal customer (if you know them) within any mileage radius of your location. You can be as pinpoint or as aggressive as you want. It is slightly time consuming to search out these people, but the trade off is that it costs you nothing. If you have a small marketing budget, this is a great way to target your ideal customers for your marketing message, and to open 2-way dialogs with them.
So, as part of our marketing scheme, I have been "befriending" hundreds of people on myspace trying to find our target customers within Northwest Arkansas, as well as Little Rock, where we have our treats for sale at local pet boutiques. Most people either quietly ignore us or add us. Every once in awhile someone is so excited, they rush over to the store, or order online. Some people who are not very conversed with myspace do email back and question how we found them.
Someone actually responded back to me "I don't like dog people! And oh yeah, bones either! Have a nice day". Wow. I was a little taken back by this response. I wanted to respond, but what do you say to that? I finally came up with " Thats ok, I'm 100% homo sapien. Those dog people scare me too. I've never seen one, but I've heard about them. Atrocious. You too!" I didn't want to offend anyone, so I hope this wasn't too crass. She definitely was not in our red zone as far as marketing goes. Probably too young. She still might have made comments to her friends or family, and I wanted them to hopefully be positive comments, not that I ripped her a new one even if she was asking for it. I still think that was too funny. Who doesn't like dog people? I guess cat people maybe. We have a kitty corner too.
Either way you look at it, it could potentially be marketing that works - if this gal goes to work and mentions to her friends that a dog bakery tried to be friends with her - even if it were short sighted on her part in her own marketing efforts. She works at a hair salon, and all across her myspace page were adds to go to the salon where she worked at and ask for her. I won't be asking for her, since she doesn't like dog people. I am definitely a dog person, but I do have a cat too. Maybe if she were a cat person. Might depend if she were declawed I guess. I think the marketing bang I got for my buck will be more than she just got with her comment. I had never heard of her salon before, but I have now. And boy do I have a story about it, not to mention this was a missed opportunity. Did I mention our target market is female, aged 46, with disposable cash to spend? If they like pampering their dogs, they might like pampering themselves. Who does a salon and spa sell to? We have at least three salons that are on our friends list now - and they get it.
The point here really, is that you are always marketing, especially on the internet. I think this gal's comment was negative marketing and she didn't even realize it. Most of my friends are dog people - unfortunately for her. Hopefully I was positive marketing, even if she doesn't like dog people. If she tells one person about us, than it worked. If you can create some positive buzz around your business, then you are doing your job. People tend to email and comment without really thinking about it. This gets lots of people in trouble and sometimes fired. If you are trying to market yourself or your business, you need to give positive responses no matter what.
So, in an attempt to have your sign on out there in the Flop Shopping world, remember that honey gets you more flies than vinegar. It's important to have yourself out and visible where people can search and find you, but just be careful of what message you are giving out - especially with these new mediums like myspace. It's very easy to get caught up in it and not realize whats going on. Not everyone will be a fan - just don't take it personally.
BTW - I found some more people that worked at her salon on myspace, and I'm currently asking them to be friends too - we'll see if it's just her or the culture of that salon in a follow up.
We are, of course, a small business. In Rogers, AR. I believe whole heartedly in our treats that we make, so selling this is easy for someone like me who isn't so strong of a sales person. But how do I tell our story to everyone out there that wants to hear it? There are definitely people who want our treats for their dogs and cats. I see them every day. But how do I reach you? Traditional advertising has not worked very well for us. We'd run coupons in the newspaper, radio ads for a month at a time, attend dog events as much as we can. There's only so much time and money you can put towards advertising.
A new trend that is emerging is "Flop Shopping". This is where someone will shop for what they want on the internet, and when they find it, they will go to the local store to get it "right now, without paying shipping". You may even do this and not even know it. Scour the internet for the best deal, find it at Best Buy, then hop over there the next day to pick it up. Even walmart.com is allowing you to ship to a store where you can pick it up for free now.
What does this have to do with marketing you say? Well, in order to be considered for a purchase, you have to have your sign out there for everyone to see, and with Flop Shopping, that sign has to be on the internet, especially if you are in a competitive market. And this doesn't mean you can just put a website up and pray people will find it. Those days are gone. You have to promote your website, optimize it for search engines, create quality links back to your site as much as possible. I have managed to get our website (www.bigwag.com) ranked in the top 12 on google if you search for "gourmet dog bakery" - all for free. I think that is a huge accomplishment, if you consider the unspecified nature of the above search query, and how many dog bakeries are out there. "Dog Bakery Arkansas" and we are number one, or any city we are next to in Northwest Arkansas.
Part of my execution has been to create as many links to my website as possible, this blog included. I love the blogs, because they give me a chance to tell you how great our treats are, or share some marketing wizardry like this. One of these links is myspace. If you have never been to myspace, be prepared to spend some time learning the ropes. Start by just creating a user page for yourself, before you delve into creating one for your business. See how this social networking phenomenon works. Find some friends, and then let the magic take hold.
Understanding your customer is a key component to any marketing, and our ideal customer target is a 46 year old female. The dating mechanics of myspace lets you zero in like a bullet to find your ideal customer (if you know them) within any mileage radius of your location. You can be as pinpoint or as aggressive as you want. It is slightly time consuming to search out these people, but the trade off is that it costs you nothing. If you have a small marketing budget, this is a great way to target your ideal customers for your marketing message, and to open 2-way dialogs with them.
So, as part of our marketing scheme, I have been "befriending" hundreds of people on myspace trying to find our target customers within Northwest Arkansas, as well as Little Rock, where we have our treats for sale at local pet boutiques. Most people either quietly ignore us or add us. Every once in awhile someone is so excited, they rush over to the store, or order online. Some people who are not very conversed with myspace do email back and question how we found them.
Someone actually responded back to me "I don't like dog people! And oh yeah, bones either! Have a nice day". Wow. I was a little taken back by this response. I wanted to respond, but what do you say to that? I finally came up with " Thats ok, I'm 100% homo sapien. Those dog people scare me too. I've never seen one, but I've heard about them. Atrocious. You too!" I didn't want to offend anyone, so I hope this wasn't too crass. She definitely was not in our red zone as far as marketing goes. Probably too young. She still might have made comments to her friends or family, and I wanted them to hopefully be positive comments, not that I ripped her a new one even if she was asking for it. I still think that was too funny. Who doesn't like dog people? I guess cat people maybe. We have a kitty corner too.
Either way you look at it, it could potentially be marketing that works - if this gal goes to work and mentions to her friends that a dog bakery tried to be friends with her - even if it were short sighted on her part in her own marketing efforts. She works at a hair salon, and all across her myspace page were adds to go to the salon where she worked at and ask for her. I won't be asking for her, since she doesn't like dog people. I am definitely a dog person, but I do have a cat too. Maybe if she were a cat person. Might depend if she were declawed I guess. I think the marketing bang I got for my buck will be more than she just got with her comment. I had never heard of her salon before, but I have now. And boy do I have a story about it, not to mention this was a missed opportunity. Did I mention our target market is female, aged 46, with disposable cash to spend? If they like pampering their dogs, they might like pampering themselves. Who does a salon and spa sell to? We have at least three salons that are on our friends list now - and they get it.
The point here really, is that you are always marketing, especially on the internet. I think this gal's comment was negative marketing and she didn't even realize it. Most of my friends are dog people - unfortunately for her. Hopefully I was positive marketing, even if she doesn't like dog people. If she tells one person about us, than it worked. If you can create some positive buzz around your business, then you are doing your job. People tend to email and comment without really thinking about it. This gets lots of people in trouble and sometimes fired. If you are trying to market yourself or your business, you need to give positive responses no matter what.
So, in an attempt to have your sign on out there in the Flop Shopping world, remember that honey gets you more flies than vinegar. It's important to have yourself out and visible where people can search and find you, but just be careful of what message you are giving out - especially with these new mediums like myspace. It's very easy to get caught up in it and not realize whats going on. Not everyone will be a fan - just don't take it personally.
BTW - I found some more people that worked at her salon on myspace, and I'm currently asking them to be friends too - we'll see if it's just her or the culture of that salon in a follow up.
Friday, November 9, 2007
The Dilemma of All Natural Soft Treats
There is a growing trend for people to search out soft treats for their smaller or older dogs. The reasons are usually "they can't chew the hard ones", "their mouth is too small", or "they don't have any teeth left", that sort of thing.
I don't know how else to break the news to you, but there is no such thing as a soft treat that is all natural. There are only two ways you can get an all-natural soft treat - bake it yourself fresh in your kitchen, or load the treat up with preservatives, glycerin, and sugar to give it a soft, gummy texture. Those treats that seem like bacon flavored gummy bears, well, thats basically what they are. Gummy bears with bacon flavoring. Not the healthiest thing you can feed them on a regular basis. Now, once in a blue moon, I'm sure they won't hurt your dog, but would you want to eat a gummy bear every day of your life? My dogs won't even eat these gummy bear treats anymore. They just get them all wet then spit them on the carpet to make a nice red stain.
The "cake" treats that are out there are really best served as the bake it yourself variety, where they are made in small batches fresh right there in your kitchen. There are lots of recipes floating around the internet for these. They can be a great option if you have the time and inclination to make them yourself, and should pretty much be a cookie recipe (eggs, milk, flour, etc) without sugar or salt so they are healthy for your dog. Add some ground meat or peanut butter and watch them salivate. You should feed these quickly or freeze them, as they can sour pretty quickly.
There is also a difference between crunchy and crumbly. We do have a treat we bill as "soft bites". They've been called that for over a decade, so I don't think I can change the name. We make these crumbly, which makes them easier to chew for older or smaller dogs. We still bake out most of the moisture, but despite that, their shelf life is still only 3-4 weeks. We'd rather throw some away then add preservatives. But they last a lot longer than the cake cookies, simply because we remove most of the moisture.
One last note: There is at least one brand of treats that are out there, that claim to be soft AND natural. The ingredient that enables this is guar gum. I guess they claim that guar gum is natural, as it comes directly from a bean. I might hesitate feeding this to my dogs, simply because it has a myriad of uses, such as a waterproofing agent for explosives. According to the wiki article, it is a non-digestible ingredient, and can actually bind with other ingredients, making them indigestible as well. I really don't like these all-purpose, one-million-uses ingredients like these. Glycerin is also one of these. It's a sugar alcohol that is used in tons of things, including soap. I think it's hard to avoid these at all times, simply because they are so prolific, but I don't want to eat them on purpose.
I don't know how else to break the news to you, but there is no such thing as a soft treat that is all natural. There are only two ways you can get an all-natural soft treat - bake it yourself fresh in your kitchen, or load the treat up with preservatives, glycerin, and sugar to give it a soft, gummy texture. Those treats that seem like bacon flavored gummy bears, well, thats basically what they are. Gummy bears with bacon flavoring. Not the healthiest thing you can feed them on a regular basis. Now, once in a blue moon, I'm sure they won't hurt your dog, but would you want to eat a gummy bear every day of your life? My dogs won't even eat these gummy bear treats anymore. They just get them all wet then spit them on the carpet to make a nice red stain.
The "cake" treats that are out there are really best served as the bake it yourself variety, where they are made in small batches fresh right there in your kitchen. There are lots of recipes floating around the internet for these. They can be a great option if you have the time and inclination to make them yourself, and should pretty much be a cookie recipe (eggs, milk, flour, etc) without sugar or salt so they are healthy for your dog. Add some ground meat or peanut butter and watch them salivate. You should feed these quickly or freeze them, as they can sour pretty quickly.
There is also a difference between crunchy and crumbly. We do have a treat we bill as "soft bites". They've been called that for over a decade, so I don't think I can change the name. We make these crumbly, which makes them easier to chew for older or smaller dogs. We still bake out most of the moisture, but despite that, their shelf life is still only 3-4 weeks. We'd rather throw some away then add preservatives. But they last a lot longer than the cake cookies, simply because we remove most of the moisture.
One last note: There is at least one brand of treats that are out there, that claim to be soft AND natural. The ingredient that enables this is guar gum. I guess they claim that guar gum is natural, as it comes directly from a bean. I might hesitate feeding this to my dogs, simply because it has a myriad of uses, such as a waterproofing agent for explosives. According to the wiki article, it is a non-digestible ingredient, and can actually bind with other ingredients, making them indigestible as well. I really don't like these all-purpose, one-million-uses ingredients like these. Glycerin is also one of these. It's a sugar alcohol that is used in tons of things, including soap. I think it's hard to avoid these at all times, simply because they are so prolific, but I don't want to eat them on purpose.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Lone Ranger Gets a Partner
For those who haven't checked out www.zootoo.com yet, this is a website that is trying to build a pet owner community and knowledge base centered around user experiences for different pet services, retailers, animal shelters and rescues, products, you name it, it's probably there. Their goal, I think, is to become the number one destination if you want a review of a pet product or service, and they are doing a good job building it up with a million dollar makeover contest for your local animal shelter.
Anyway, my point is, as I was perusing some of the reviews for some of the dog treats on this website, I started out mildly disappointed. After all, I own a dog bakery, and my whole mantra is healthy, natural, no sugar, no salt, no preservatives. Some days I feel like I am on a crusade to improve the diets of all of those disbelievers out there. With the humanization trend of pets, we can compare our dogs to our children in many cases. We wouldn't dare feed our kids nothing but sugar, salt, and artificial coloring all day, would we? They need to eat their vegetables, the food pyramid, good stuff in the tank, right? But so many of the treats you buy in the store is contrary to that stance. Sugar and salt help all the other nastiness go down easier - make the dog want to eat it.
Sorry for the digression - back to my point. I started off mildly disappointed, as I read one mom after another quip how these treats must be yummy, their dog "wolfed them down". Ick. Then, the tide turned. Someone actually mentioned that they should look at the ingredients of these treats. Too many chemicals - 1 out of 5 stars. Then another low review - look at all of the sugar. Look at all of the artificial coloring. These colors can't be natural.
Now, I know that I am not personally responsible for these readers opinions, but I don't feel like I am the lone ranger trying to help your dogs live longer and healthier. These women get it. If you are reading this, then I think you are getting it too. And that makes me proud. Most people don't know that the pet food industry was born to dispose of the people food waste. Fancy marketing was used to lull us into a sense of complacency of what we feed our pals, our best friends, our park play buddies, and our sappy movie snugglers. Even if you don't buy your treats from me, just read the ingredients. Just because it's cute and looks like a mini spare rib doesn't mean it's good for your dog. Thats all I ask. Oh, and vote for your local shelter at zootoo.com. I guess thats really two things.
Anyway, my point is, as I was perusing some of the reviews for some of the dog treats on this website, I started out mildly disappointed. After all, I own a dog bakery, and my whole mantra is healthy, natural, no sugar, no salt, no preservatives. Some days I feel like I am on a crusade to improve the diets of all of those disbelievers out there. With the humanization trend of pets, we can compare our dogs to our children in many cases. We wouldn't dare feed our kids nothing but sugar, salt, and artificial coloring all day, would we? They need to eat their vegetables, the food pyramid, good stuff in the tank, right? But so many of the treats you buy in the store is contrary to that stance. Sugar and salt help all the other nastiness go down easier - make the dog want to eat it.
Sorry for the digression - back to my point. I started off mildly disappointed, as I read one mom after another quip how these treats must be yummy, their dog "wolfed them down". Ick. Then, the tide turned. Someone actually mentioned that they should look at the ingredients of these treats. Too many chemicals - 1 out of 5 stars. Then another low review - look at all of the sugar. Look at all of the artificial coloring. These colors can't be natural.
Now, I know that I am not personally responsible for these readers opinions, but I don't feel like I am the lone ranger trying to help your dogs live longer and healthier. These women get it. If you are reading this, then I think you are getting it too. And that makes me proud. Most people don't know that the pet food industry was born to dispose of the people food waste. Fancy marketing was used to lull us into a sense of complacency of what we feed our pals, our best friends, our park play buddies, and our sappy movie snugglers. Even if you don't buy your treats from me, just read the ingredients. Just because it's cute and looks like a mini spare rib doesn't mean it's good for your dog. Thats all I ask. Oh, and vote for your local shelter at zootoo.com. I guess thats really two things.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Our Customers Are The Best
As most of you know, BigWag is a family business. From the outset, we wanted to create a comfortable, homey atmosphere where you could bring the furry members of your family and get quality treats that would be just like the ones grandma made. (If grandma had baked cookies for the dogs!) We knew that as we added employees, we wanted them to become members of our family, not just paid help. We wanted to be that little corner shop where they actually know your name, or at least your dog's name. What I never expected was the outpouring of generosity we get from our customers. Sure, I quickly learned no one ever buys their dog treats when they're in a bad mood, which makes working here a joy. But I never expected people to respond so warmly to us and especially to our dogs. A few days ago one of our regular customers stopped by Andy's and picked up puppy cups for Sam and Hannah. (They thoroughly enjoyed them by the way! I'll post the pictures later.) Another customer and I were discussing the difficulty of finding somewhere to board the dogs at Thanksgiving, and she offered to watch them for us if I couldn't find anywhere. I was totally blown away at this extremely generous offer. And there are countless other examples that I can't even begin to completely list here. The numerous customers who donate treats to the Humane Society. The customers who put their spare change in the bottle to help defray vet costs for rescue animals. The customers who made our angel tree a huge hit last year at Christmas time. The customers who advertise for us, taking business cards or treats to their friends, family and co-workers. The ones who post fliers for our events at work. We even had a customer write about us on her own blog, complete with a link to our website! (You can visit her blog by clicking the link to Scott and Kelly under our favorite blogs) It means the world to us that our customers love us so much. So, I just wanted to take a few moments to tell all of you how much all of these gestures mean to us and that we do notice all of them. And we want to say thank you for embracing us so completely.
Friday, October 12, 2007
How To Crate Train Your Dog In 30 Minutes
I hear complaints of people who can't potty train their dogs, or they destroy furniture at night, or the sleep in their bed with them and become aggressive if the owner wants them down. The simplest solution to all of these problems is to crate train your dog, but how do you do that? they ask.
First step is to buy a dog crate. I got mine from Wal-mart. I like the metal ones with the slide out plastic liner to make accidents easy to clean up. The only trick here is to make sure you get the right size. You don't want too small, but too big, and they will feel like they can use the bathroom at the other end of their "house". It needs to be just small enough to where they won't want to go to the bathroom - dogs have a natural sense to not potty where they sleep. If they do use the bathroom and then sleep in it, I will address that at the end.
The second step is easy. Now, your job is just to make the crate a fun place. I usually place it in the living room, or someplace they are familiar with, and let them be around it for a little while. Let them smell it, walk in it if they are brave enough, explore it, and become comfortable with it. Then, once they have had a chance to become familiar with it, I try to entice them into it with a treat. I try not to push them in - I want it to feel like their choice. Once they go in, I give them a treat, call them out, and hug and praise them a whole bunch. I repeat this, using the phrase "Do you wanna go to bed". This does two things. First, it associates the crate with someplace fun, where there are treats involved, and lots of praise. Second, it gives them a verbal cue "Bed" that they know with the crate, and the associated treats and praise. This usually takes about 30 minutes, maybe a little more with reluctant or scaredy cats.
Dogs are natural den dwellers. Sometimes draping a towel over the crate will make it more appealing. I like to put a towel with my scent on it (I rub it all over my body) and place it with a favorite toy at night so they feel close to me. Overall, the crate makes them feel safe. They will run to it when they are scared or frightened. All I have to do is mention the word "bed" and they are racing down the hall to see who can be first in their crate.
If they are young, especially puppies, they may not want to remain in their crate throughout the night. You have to determine if this is just because they want out, or because they really have to use the bathroom badly. If they just want out, then I would ignore them. They should eventually quiet down. I have used a glass of water thrown on them so that a really stubborn dog knows this is unacceptable behavior.
What you want to avoid is having them use the bathroom and then lying or sleeping in it. If this happens, you can undo any good crate training cold do. It's like it psychologically damages the dog, so that they will urinate on themselves and not care anymore. It can undo pottie training they may have mastered. I use the rule of thumb that for every month the puppy is old, they can go an hour before needing a bathroom break. Hopefully, by a year old they should be able to go all night without a problem. I have a dog that can get so distracted on their end-of-the-night outside trip that he forgets to go to the bathroom. Each dog is a little different, and you will have to find that balance and learn with them.
Getting this technique down is a great way to potty train a dog too. When you let them out in the morning, have a treat ready, and go out with them. They will more than likely have to use the bathroom if they went all night without going outside. As soon as they start, start praising them (but don't touch them - let them finish their business) and then when they are finished, give them a treat and praise and hug them. This will reinforce going outside is good. It's about the only time of day you know with 100% certainty that they will go to the bathroom, and it's really a slam dunk. The more you praise them for going outside, the faster they should catch on.
First step is to buy a dog crate. I got mine from Wal-mart. I like the metal ones with the slide out plastic liner to make accidents easy to clean up. The only trick here is to make sure you get the right size. You don't want too small, but too big, and they will feel like they can use the bathroom at the other end of their "house". It needs to be just small enough to where they won't want to go to the bathroom - dogs have a natural sense to not potty where they sleep. If they do use the bathroom and then sleep in it, I will address that at the end.
The second step is easy. Now, your job is just to make the crate a fun place. I usually place it in the living room, or someplace they are familiar with, and let them be around it for a little while. Let them smell it, walk in it if they are brave enough, explore it, and become comfortable with it. Then, once they have had a chance to become familiar with it, I try to entice them into it with a treat. I try not to push them in - I want it to feel like their choice. Once they go in, I give them a treat, call them out, and hug and praise them a whole bunch. I repeat this, using the phrase "Do you wanna go to bed". This does two things. First, it associates the crate with someplace fun, where there are treats involved, and lots of praise. Second, it gives them a verbal cue "Bed" that they know with the crate, and the associated treats and praise. This usually takes about 30 minutes, maybe a little more with reluctant or scaredy cats.
Dogs are natural den dwellers. Sometimes draping a towel over the crate will make it more appealing. I like to put a towel with my scent on it (I rub it all over my body) and place it with a favorite toy at night so they feel close to me. Overall, the crate makes them feel safe. They will run to it when they are scared or frightened. All I have to do is mention the word "bed" and they are racing down the hall to see who can be first in their crate.
If they are young, especially puppies, they may not want to remain in their crate throughout the night. You have to determine if this is just because they want out, or because they really have to use the bathroom badly. If they just want out, then I would ignore them. They should eventually quiet down. I have used a glass of water thrown on them so that a really stubborn dog knows this is unacceptable behavior.
What you want to avoid is having them use the bathroom and then lying or sleeping in it. If this happens, you can undo any good crate training cold do. It's like it psychologically damages the dog, so that they will urinate on themselves and not care anymore. It can undo pottie training they may have mastered. I use the rule of thumb that for every month the puppy is old, they can go an hour before needing a bathroom break. Hopefully, by a year old they should be able to go all night without a problem. I have a dog that can get so distracted on their end-of-the-night outside trip that he forgets to go to the bathroom. Each dog is a little different, and you will have to find that balance and learn with them.
Getting this technique down is a great way to potty train a dog too. When you let them out in the morning, have a treat ready, and go out with them. They will more than likely have to use the bathroom if they went all night without going outside. As soon as they start, start praising them (but don't touch them - let them finish their business) and then when they are finished, give them a treat and praise and hug them. This will reinforce going outside is good. It's about the only time of day you know with 100% certainty that they will go to the bathroom, and it's really a slam dunk. The more you praise them for going outside, the faster they should catch on.
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