Lucky Dog Blog

Gooood Garlic

There is reasonable fear that Garlic may be bad for your dog. Onion, its botanical cousin causes hemolytic anemia  - in other words, causes red blood cells to burst resulting in a low blood count or anemia.

Garlic does have the potential to cause a similar reaction but only if ingested in VERY HIGH AMOUNTS like BULBS of it at one sitting. And just for the record, just about anything is toxic if you consume an overabundance of one thing. Moderation is key.

What garlic does offer is this:

destroys or expels intestinal worms and/or parasites

immune system stimulant

destroys bacteria

a powerful natural antibiotic which does not destroy the body’s natural flora

Anti-cancerous activities

contributes to the oxidation of free radicals which are believed to contribute to premature aging and dementia-very potent one

inhibits the growth of tumor cell formation

destroys viruses

blood thinner

eases griping pains, colic and expelling gas from the intestines

aids the digestive system

excites or quickens the functional activity of the tissues giving more energy

Dr. Pitcairn is the pioneering holistic veterinarian who wrote Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. He's trained more than 300 veterinarians in homeopathy and recommends garlic as a flea and tick preventative. Wendy Volhard a 30 veteran in home cooked diets for dogs wrote A Holistic Guide For A Healthy Dog and not only daily additions of garlic to your dogs meals but recommends garlic specifically for cancer diets.

So go ahead, add it in its dry powdered form (without the salt), chop it up raw, or my personal favorite, add it to your roaster of food before you put it into the oven. It doesn't take much and your dog will thank you for it (with improved breath and less hitchhikers in the fur!).

Have a great weekend!

Cooper goes Camping

We are taking Cooper out on his very first canoing/camping trip.  I'm a little nervous about him in a canoe. He is almost 40 lbs and has just started liking car rides.  The motion used to freak him out.  He is also not a water dog. Cooper will step around a mud puddle (a nice touch for a white dog).  He's a bit of a princess.

So why are we subjecting him to this?  I think once we get out there he will love it.  It is pure wilderness with tons of new smells and squirrels to chase.  And it is something we love to do and would like to keep doing it. The are some things to consider when taking a dog in a boat into the wilderness.  First step is to make sure you AND the dog have a life jacket.  Even if your dog is a swimmer, dog life jackets have a very nice feature - a handle.  If your dog decides to go for a dip, it is easier to get them back in the boat - especially if they are heavy.  Curly had a life jacket when he would canoe with us.  For the record, he hated the canoe and the handles have come in handy when catching him going over the side in a feeble attempt to reach dry land.

Curly liked camping for the last two summers but at 14 he is too old now for the portages.  When he slipped last year, I vowed that was his last time.  He is at "Grandma's" house visiting Poochie.

Cooper has a life jacket ...but I'll get to that in a minute.

Another consideration is wildlife.  We have bears.  We've never seen bears at this site, but it doesn't mean they don't exist.  That creates a problem -what do we take for Cooper to eat?  We have to portage so we don't want to carry heavy food. And there is no refrigeration, so we can't take meat.  And we don't take cans because the empty can would be like a dinner bell for bears - even if we threw it in the campfire.  We learned last year about an animal's incredible sense of smell.  After grilling a fish on the campfire, we threw the skin and bones in with a ton of wood and had a huge bonfire for about three hours.  The next morning I found Curly rooting around in the coals, obviously sniffing out the charred remains.  Scary because nothing should have survived that inferno.  Lesson learned - burning does not eliminate smell therefore cans are out.

We plan on catching fish but as anyone who has fished knows, you need a back-up plan.  For us, KD is the back-up. That right, good ol' Kraft dinner on a campfire.  Light, filling and easy to make.  Not really great for Cooper though so we picked up some dehydrated meat pucks.  I can't remember the name but it resembles can food without the slop.  He seems to like it so he won't starve.

So with the food tackled and a life jacket purchased there was one last concern with my little white dog - SUNBURN.  His nose is a beacon and his eyes get super red if he has been out too long.  We don't plan on being in the canoe very long BUT we will have to be in it during the day for a little while.  I didn't find anything for his nose BUT ... and this is funny... he has DOGGLES.  And he does NOT like them. AT ALL.

The nice part is, he sits down when he has them on.  He must think he is being punished and if he's good I will take them off.  It's a great reaction because it should keeping him sitting while he is in the boat. 

So there he is, ready for his camping trip.

Wish us luck.

We'll need it.

And stay tuned on Tuesday for the camping report. 

And the Winner IS....

Max the wonder dog........because we wonder what he is!!! My husband and children lobbied hard for a dog. I wasn't anti dog it's just I wasn't really wanting one.
After some research by my husband, he came up with a schnoodle.

Well, from the second I picked him up, at 2.2 pounds, I knew he wasn't a schnoodle!!!! He was the last of the litter and no one wanted him.Well, that sealed the deal for me.

Five years later, guess who is my best friend?!!!! He is my constant companion, he loves me unconditionally and the feeling is mutual.
He now weighs 12 pounds, is faster than fast. He loves to run,jump and play. He is funny and sweet and, he is my friend.

He is one lucky dog. But more importantly, I am one lucky human being, to have the privledge of having Max in my life.

Congratulations Kim McMillan! Please forward your address to us in an email so we can send Max his winnings...some Lucky Dog Biscuits!

A walk in the park

This past Sunday was the Winnipeg Humane Society's Paws in Motion 3 km walk and 1 km Furry Scurry in Assiniboine Park.  It was a hot, muggy day but that didn't stop about 1500 dogs, cats, rabbits, ferets and their people from coming out to support this great event.  This year we were lucky enough to be approached by Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU) for some Lucky Dog Biscuits samples.  ACU likes to support local companies and you don't get any more local than us.  Jackie and Gary were handing out samples to all of the lucky dogs.

I showed up just to take pictures but couldn't resist hanging around, handing out samples and snapping pictures of some of the cute "kids".  For example, how cute is Ryder?  Six months old and already posing for photo shoots.  A Diva in the making.

And speaking of divas, I can't remember this little cutie's name but what a sweetheart.  The dress is stylish but functional given the lack of hair on the rest of her body.

I'm a sucker for the small dogs but there were tons of dogs of all shapes and sizes.  Even a Bloodhound - you don't see those guys around here very often. 

And yes there were cats, rabbits and ferrets in the Furry Scurry.  I'm not sure about the wisdom of entering cats in the same event with small prey.  This little guy was probably thinking the same thing.  He was hopping so fast my shot was blurry.  Get me the heck outta here!   

So it was good times. Thanks Jackie, Gary and Assiniboine Credit Union for the fun day.  We'll have to do that again next year.  And thanks Winnipeg for coming out to support such a fabulous event.

Check back tomorrow for this week's winner of the Lucky Dog contest.

 

"Je ne sais pas"

Five minutes after landing in Montreal a lady walks up to me in the airport and asks me a question in French and a very useful, and often used phrase from my high school french days came rushing back to me  - "je ne sais pas".  I used it frequently when I was asked a question in class - "I don't know".  The more approriate response would be "I don't understand what the heck you're saying because I didn't pay attention in class" but this one is easier to remember and useful in more situations.  I don't know what you are talking about, I don't know what the answer is, I don't know where the bank is (assuming I could understand the question in the first place).  Fortunately for me, the good people of Montreal are fluent in both languages, which is very useful for this Prairie girl. 

I made my way over to Mortimer Snodgrass  located in Old Montreal. I still smile everytime I say that name.  And when you see the dog that the store was named after, how could you not smile? The place is packed with super cool things so I got a little early Christmas shopping out of the way. (It is never too early to Christmas shop for those who a scoffing at me!)

They have a great display of our product - YAY!  and lots of other fun dog products.  They tell me our biscuits are very popular, which is always great to hear. 

 

So a big thank-you to the Mortimer Snodgrass gang.  Thanks for your support.  Check out their blog and online store when you get a chance.

As for the meeting, it was good as far as meetings in an over air-conditioned room go.  We talked a lot about the regulations in place to make human food safe.  It is a lot of work for food companies to keep up with these government regulations, but the companies recognize that it is necessary to protect our food supply.  There was a lot of interest in what happened with the melamine in pet food.  Fortunately, there are regulations and testing done on people food to prevent these types of things from happening. I'm pretty happy Lucky Dog is tapped into that ingredient supply and not the feed grade supply. 

So all in all, a short shopping business trip, but it was definitely worthwhile.

Happy Friday. 

Mavis

Chien chanceux

That's Lucky Dog in French - or at least according to Babelfish translations it is. I'm afraid my six years of junior high and high school French classes have left me with a lot of ways to tell you my name and phone number in French, but little else I'm afraid. Why am I telling you this?  I am off to Montreal for a quick food industry meeting. I LOVE Montreal!  And we have a great store there called Mortimer Snodgrass.  Does a name get any better than that??  We have lots of great stores in Montreal selling our biscuits but that one has the coolest name, and it is close to my hotel so a little shopping customer service trip is in order.

The industry meeting is also pretty neat. I am one of two pet food representatives on the board of advisors to a new Food Industry Council.   The other advisor from the pet food industry is from Purina.  That should be an interesting conversation that I'm sure will start with ... so how about those recalls?? Crazy isn't it??

There are lots of good "people food" contacts to be made at this meeting too.  Those are our kinds of peeps!  They can help us source "people quality" ingredients (melamine free ingredients that is).  There are some organic companies, dairy, fruits, veggies. Good times!  Lots of information and...did I mention the shopping.  They have an entire underground city of shopping. HEEHEE!!

So wish me luck.  I'm the little voice in the big leagues.  Actually for anyone who knows me, I'm a really big voice (you can hear me for miles).  I'll catch up with you again on Friday.

Au revoir!  (I got that one on my own without Babelfish!)

mavis

Petfood contamination update

If you remember our earlier post, a Texas laboratory reported that they found acetaminophen (the drug found in Tylenol) contamination in multiple brands of wet and dry, dog and cat food.  The laboratory, ExperTox, declined to name the petfoods involved.

On June 12, the U.S.  Food and Drug Administration tested two types of dog food and one type of cat food and ruled out acetaminophen as a petfood contaminant after they found no trace of the drug.  It is not clear whether the FDA tested the same production run of petfood or even the same brands that were tested by ExperTox.  More testing is being done.

My personal opinion:

COME ON PEOPLE!  Three types out of the hundreds of brands of petfoods out there?  I might not be a statistics whiz but that seems to be a bit of a long shot to rule out contamination from three brands.  Why the big secret?  Why can't ExperTox reveal, at least to the FDA, what brands?  Or is ExperTox just trying to drum up business?  Why are pet owners being kept in the dark?  HMPH!

We'll let you know if we hear anything else about the topic.

Mavis

And the Winner IS...

Goodboy Norman  Featherstone!!!

Goodboy Norman Featherstone is a 6-year-old Pug living in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC. Norman enjoys blogging (studpug.blogspot.com), hiking, gardening and cheesing it up for the camera. Norman is a cancer surivor, having had three malignant mast cell tumors removed over the past year. The surgeries have not slowed him down one bit though, and he loves his new cancer-friendly diet of broccoli and beef. Norman is an all-around sweetheart of a Pug, and his owners love him very much!

Way to go Audrey Hepburn - I mean Norman Featherstone.  You look MAAH-valous dah-ling!

B.Y.O.B.

No I'm not getting this party started.  Be Your Own Boss!  That's what it means.

I've been on this crazy ride now for awhile - Bonnie and Quinn have been on it even longer. Iron stomachs I tell you - or a truck load of Gravol.  I mentioned before that I've read a few books on business start-up.  All I have to say is it is NOTHING like the real thing.  I think once people are successful enough to write the book, they forget how crazy the ride was.  Either that, or words truly can't describe the experience.  It certainly isn't as easy as it looks.  There are days when the three of us don't have a clue.  We know WHAT we want to do, but damned if we can figure out HOW.  That's where mentors come in.  Seeking advice from others gives up a fresh perspective - it is really the best thing you can do when you are starting out.  You aren't meant to have all of the answers but there are lots of people out there with answers - you just have to ask.

Here are a few of our favourite mentors (there are lots more too but I'll limit it to three for this post):

Mike Fata at Manitoba Harvest Hemp Food and Oil.  They know nutritious food and they know the natural health food industry.  I met Mike in my former life while I was working for the government. Mike was just starting out and I thought "this guy is crazy!".  Sorry Mike - I thought that.  Mike and his partners started their business long before hemp was popular in the manstream health stores.  They had battles that we only have nightmares about.  but they kept at it and now Mike and the crew have a hugely successful business selling their products worldwide.  WORLDWIDE!!  You guys rock.  Mike gave us tons of advice and introduced us to some important people in the health food industry.  And yes Mike - we will get some help biscuits going.  We promise.  Check out their brand new product on the market - Hemp Bliss.  Thanks Mike and congrats on the new product.

Bruce Gjovig at the Center for Innovation located in Grand Forks, ND.  And no we don't just like working with him to write off shopping trips to the US (although it is a nice perk).  Bruce has mentored thousands of new companies (and if not thousands it must be pretty close).  Bruce understands entrepreneurs.  Bruce is an entrepreneur and has built his incubator into an amazing facility.  Next time you are in Grand Forks - stop by.  I guarantee the art in the building alone is wort the visit.  Bruce was just in Winnipeg and I had a great visit with him.  I told him all about our opportunities and challenges.  it's like having a psychologist for the business.  And boy do I feel better now.  Thanks Bruce!

Our newest mentor on the scene is Gary Brownstone at the University of Manitoba's incubator called the eureka project. Gary found us through a contact of Quinn's.  He phoned up Quinn and asked if we could use any help.  are you KIDDING?? ABSOLUTELY!!  You pay big money to tap into this kind of expertise. Gary has spent a lot of time with us working through some numbers.  Helping us through the "know WHAT we want, just don't know HOW" dilemma.  Gary has done this business start-up stuff before - multiple times actually (we suspect he is addicted to business start-ups).  After a few meetings we have some solutions.  Just like magic.  We have a way to get things done.  So be prepared for some new stuff - SOON!  Thanks Gary.

So is it all worth it?  You Bet.  Are you kidding?  We have "board meetings" in the dog park.  My "employees" sleep on my feet at work.  And best of all, we get to build this company from the ground up.  WE make mistakes but they are OUR mistakes.  And we are learning A LOT. 

Lots more to say but I must get to work now.  Hasta luego.

Mavis

pet humour #2

Crazy day today - dog days of summer perhaps? What exactly does that mean?  There are a few of those expressions out there that if you really think about it, they don't make sense but they are just a part of our language.  But thanks to Google you can get the answer.  From what I can tell - it doesn't start until July and has something to do with the stars. I'll let you go check it out.  So as I was saying - CRAZY DAY!  Our new batch of biscuits have been packaged and we need to get them out the door FAST.  There are some deprived dogs out there that have been without their stash for awhile now. So off I go but not without sharing quite possibly my favourite comic about dogs. Enjoy and don't forget to submit your photos for the contest.  We have super FRESH dog biscuits up for grabs.  service@luckydogbiscuits.com