On a more serious note

In light of the continuing avalanche of announcements withdrawing pet products from the market because of contaminated ingredients (now some dog biscuits have been added to the growing list), it is important to remind pet owners that there are many quality pet foods and treats made with human quality ingredients.
I was recently at a "girls night out" dinner, and we started discussing life expectencies of animals. It has become apparent to me that many of our beloved pets in fact have a shorter life span now than they did many years ago. This, despite the huge advances in veterinary care over the years.
Yes, dogs and cats can undergo treatments for cancer and other diseases. But why is this becoming such a common practice? Why are so many pets falling victim to so-called human diseases? One can think of the common ills of our society...pollution, chemicals, pesticides, immunizations. Commercial pet foods also comes to mind.
Commercial pet foods came to being about 80 years ago. The pet food industry in North America is self-regulated. In Canada, the only regulation is the Labelling Act, which states that the label must contain the name and contact information of the company, whether the product is made for a dog or a cat, and the weight of the product. There are no other standards.
It becomes apparent, then, that the quality of pet food is dependant on the integrity of the companies producing the food. The words "whole chicken" on an ingredient list bring to mind human quality chicken pieces, when in fact it may just mean ground up chicken feathers, beaks, and claws. (after all, they are part of the "whole chicken") What our minds lead us to believe when viewing the television commercials of dogs running through a sun drenched field toward a meaty bowl of food, and the reality of what is actually in that bowl of food, are often different things.
There are many options available to the consumer.
One option is to make our own dog or cat food with natural ingredients. There are many books available on this subject. This is the option that we have chosen with our own dogs, and surprisingly, it takes little time and the costs are quite comparable to purchasing commercial dog foods. One of our dogs is a Giant Schnauzer, who came to us as a puppy with an endless variety of health problems. There was no recourse with the breeder, who declared bankruptcy and moved to another province.
We switched to a preparing our own natural food when she was 2 years old, and she became a different dog. Over the years, we took the results for granted and forgot what an effect the natural diet had on her health. A few years ago, our family took a two week vacation, and switched to commercial dog food to make it easier for our 16 year old son to look after the dogs. When we arrived back home after 2 weeks away, our lovely girl could no longer run and was in pain at the end of every day. Within one week of switching back to her natural diet, she was again running and playing like a puppy. Never again will we underestimate the power of natural foods.
There are many foods (both fresh and frozen) produced locally that will allow the consumer to feed their dogs natural diets without having to forsake the time to prepare it themselves.
Small, local companies using high-end ingredients in small batches produce many of these treats and foods. The ongoing recalls of pet foods and treats is a good reminder of both the value of purchasing locally and the importance of quality. The old maxims are still valid; "you get what you pay for" and "you are what you eat".

Thank you, thank you very much

A big "thank you" to Tina from Peppermaster.com.
Yesterday was an interesting day (I have them from time to time), and was filled with a variety of things. One of my missions was to visit a craft show in Ottawa to scope out some booth layouts. I am in the process of putting together an application for a Christmas craft fair. One of the things I have to include is photos of "my booth". Well, I've participated in lots of informal shows in the past few years, but never anything on a big scale. So, I toured a show in Ottawa yesterday, and stopped and talked to Tina from Peppermaster. I explained who I was and what I was doing, gave her my card, and asked if could take a couple of photos of her booth. I think she thought I was nuts, but she graciously allowed me to snap a few photos. If you're a chilihead, you must check out her website! Brooks Pepperfire Foods is a Canadian manufacturer of Extreme heat Global Fusion cooking and grilling sauces. Spice it up! Yum.

K9 Spring Fling

This is Sherman. His photo was taken by Natalie Heath at last year's K9 Spring Fling.

Please join us for The 2nd Annual K9 Spring Fling!
Where: Forever Friends Dog Training School
17 Grenfell Crescent, Unit 6, Ottawa
When: Saturday April 28th from 10am to 4pm
Who Benefits: Bullies In Need dog rescue

Natalie Heath will take a professional 5 x 7 portrait of your dog for a $10 donation.
You can buy beautiful blankets, dog beds, and more...all hand made by volunteers.
Browse the vendors' booths for unique gifts and pet supplies.
And...The Barking Biscuit will be there selling our dog biscuits and fund raising button pins!
Please come by and say hello. All friendly, leashed dogs are welcome.
For more information email Kim or Bullies In Need.

Spring Fever #2

Taken today with Mulligan (our mixed breed adopted from BARK) and Giant Schnauzer Cinder. Notice anything different?

Button Pins #2 - for charity

I'm going to use our little 1 inch button pins as fundraisers for my favourite charities. I'll be selling them when I'm out & about at various events, but you can order them here anytime.

It's easy! Pick the color(s) you want, and let me know which of my 4 favourite charities you want me to donate the proceeds to. I'll donate $1 from each button to charity.

Colors available: orange, golden yellow, light blue, dark pink, olive green, kelly green, and apple green (not shown).
Buttons are $3 each (includes applicable taxes and shipping). If you're ordering more than one button there is a shipping discount.
Here are the charities to choose from:
B.A.R.K. - an all breed rescue organization
Cancer Sucks (but life does not have to) - making hats for cancer patients
Canines with a Cause - training dogs to help people with disabilities (other than blindness)
N.C.C.P.D. - dedicated to the education of dog owners, this group will attain it's charitable status later this year

If you want a pin, email me with your choices. I'll email you with payment instructions.
It's easy!

What's for supper?

The ongoing pet food recall in North America is amazing in size and scope. Now the recall has extended to dry foods as well as wet foods. For complete details click here. I find it truly frightening that one manufacturer makes almost all the commercial pet foods available in Canada.

You can rest assured that all Barking Biscuit dog biscuits are made with ONLY human grade ingredients made in Canada. Our biscuits are all made by hand in a bakery that is inspected by the health department. Our baking process satisfies ALL human requirements. Our bakery bakes only 2 products....oatmeal cookies and Barking Biscuits.

It has always been my commitment to use human quality ingredients. We do not add any food colouring or preservatives. All natural. Made by hand. That's it, nice and simple.

I am often asked what I feed my dogs. I believe in a natural diet. My bible has been a book called "Keep Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way" by Pat Lazarus. (also available is "Keep Your Cat Healthy the Natural Way" by the same author). Our Giant Schnauzer Cinder came to us as a puppy with a multitude of health problems. I truly believe that her natural diet is why she's still with us (and going strong!) today at age 11. Hmmmm...methinks my dogs eat better than I do!

PAWS for Charity button pins

Aren't these the cutest little buttons? You can have one!

We're selling our PAWS for Charity buttons to raise money for breast cancer research. Like all of our PAWS for Charity items, proceeds are donated to the Canadian Cancer Society - Breast Cancer Research. You can read more about our project at our PAWS for Charity blog.

You can have one of our 1 inch buttons! (or more if you want)

You can order buttons on our order form if you're ordering dog biscuits at the same time. Or...if you just want a button...all you have to do is send me an email, and I'll send you payment instructions. Buttons are $3 each (including taxes and postage) If you want more than one button, each additional button is $2.