Summer priorities

We have been noticeably absent/quiet/whatever here in the past six weeks or so. We are making plans, setting priorities and, in general, enjoying life with the "last" teen at home before she leaves for college in mid-August. We are also working on training, spending lots of time together just "being," and thinking about how we want to spend the rest of our lives. It doesn't leave much time for writing, although I do think about it often.

We plan to be back by the end of August, but probably not before then. Lots is happening, so we will have much to write about! To contact Paula or the pups between now and then, please write to us at blkntan@mac.com.

Woof!

The Honest Kitchen

Several months ago, I responded to a tweet by food manufacturer The Honest Kitchen. They offered to provide sample packages of their dehydrated pet foods. Sure, I thought. Why not?

I was given a choice of what I wanted to try for my dogs and I opted for grain-free varieties, as all three of my dogs (two terriers and one non-terrier) do better with little-to-no grain in their diets. And since I once spent hours each month grinding raw chicken wings and prepping veggies and other ingredients for a dog with a compromised immune system, I am always interested in products that are fresh, are prepared in smaller batches, companies that pay attention to quality and ingredients - and I like the idea of smaller operations with "real" people. So I've been interested in Honest Kitchen for a while.

A little background (gleaned from the HK website and other readings):

Both personal experience and verifiable research have shown me the benefits of a high-quality human grade food. The Honest Kitchen is based on philosophies in line with my own, so I feel confident about the products. According to their website history (The Honest Kitchen - our history), the company had humble beginnings - founder Lucy Postin was making food for her dog Mosi at home in her kitchen in Pacific Beach (CA). The first product, Verve, was born in that little kitchen and used by Mosi's dog park friends and carried by a local store. That was 2002. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012 and is recognized as a leader in the industry. In all fairness, there have been some glitches along the way. Earlier this year, the company issued a recall for several of its products, citing fears of contamination. That gave me pause but, after I checked the product information and read the news releases, I realized we were in the clear. The Honest Kitchen still uses human grade ingredients. In this case, a batch of parsley was thought to contain Salmonella. The potentially affected lots were recalled - a voluntary recall, I might add - and the company severed ties with the supplier in question. I don't think you can get more proactive than that!

Anyway, I selected the grain free foods shown below - Embark, Zeal and Love.

Box of samples from The Honest Kitchen

They came in this great package, along with three booklets about the company and its products. The trial boxes were enough to feed my three a little bit each day to see how they adjusted. I also wanted to see if there was one type they liked more than the others. All three of these varieties are described as "completed and balanced for adult dogs" and are both grain-free and gluten free.

Embark has 29% protein and 18% fat, according to the packaging. It is made with cage-free dehydrated turkey, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, spinach, carrots, organic coconut, apples, organic kelp, eggs, bananas, cranberries, rosemary, and various vitamins and minerals.

Zeal has 35.5% protein and 8.5% fat and the primary ingredient is dehydrated white fish (haddock and whiting), along with sweet potatoes, eggs, organic coconut, organic alfalfa, apples, pumpkin, parsley, cabbage, bananas, salmon, cranberries, garlic, rosemary, vitamins and minerals. The packaging says the fish is "wild, line-caught."

Finally, Love has 31% protein and 18.5% fat and is comprised of dehydrated beef, sweet potatoes, potatoes, organic flaxseed, organic coconut, parsley, dandelion greens, papaya, cranberries, pumpkin, honey, rosemary, vitamins and minerals.

Love was the hands-down favorite at our house, with Embark running a close second. My dogs will pretty much each anything, however, so I'm not sure we're a good test group! At this stage of our lives - what with multiple jobs and family commitments - I have a hard time being able to prepare fresh meals for the dogs each day. I feel a little less guilty knowing I can add products from The Honest Kitchen to their diet to ensure some variety and wholesome ingredients. While I will continue to feed a high-quality kibble for the time being, I hope to once again - some day - feed a more natural diet. I am blessed that, for the time being, all my dogs are healthy and can handle a more commercially-prepared version than was the case in the past. But that doesn't mean that I EVER take such blessings for granted. After all, I spent too many years grinding more than 20 pounds of chicken wings each month, weighing and separating into individual feeding containers. Ew.

Check out The Honest Kitchen for yourself. Read about the company, its employees, the work environment (Outside Magazine named them "one of America's best places to work" in 2011 (read about it here: The Honest Kitchen). Take some time to read their client testimonials. As with all living beings, the foods dogs and cats are fed can make a huge difference in health and well-being. There are some heartwarming stories of healing and medical turnarounds.

So that's it for this week. If you haven't tried The Honest Kitchen, I would encourage you to do so. There are treats and snacks as well as the dehydrated foods. Your pets will love you for it!

Click here to for fabulous learning opportunities!

My long-time friend CJ Landry is a trainer and communicator in South Carolina. We have known one another for more than a decade, although we have never met "in person."

CJ recently decided to jump in the blogging waters. I want to share her blog with you and encourage you to read her posts. She is SO knowledgeable about dogs - and all animals - and I just know you will learn from her writings!

Welcome to the blogosphere, Ceej. We're glad you're here.

Read CJ's first blog at CJ Landry - All About Dogs and plan to follow her writing. You will be glad you did.

Dogwise affiliate!

I am very excited to announce that both Pawsitive Places and Following Pawprints were accepted by Dogwise for their affiliate program. That means that we are eligible for an 8 percent referral fee on all sales at Dogwise linked from these blogs.

I am not so excited that, so far, I cannot figure out how to embed the links on my homepage. So, please stay tuned ... And remember us whenever you want to buy from Dogwise! It's a great company, with more than 2,000 fabulous book and A/V titles to improve your life with dogs.

SO EXCITED!!!

Remembering 9:03 a.m., April 19, 1995

Today is a day of remembrance and introspection. We remember the 168 lives lost in the Murrah Federal Building during the Oklahoma City Bombing. My son was three years old and attended day care in a high rise office building in downtown Dallas. My daughter would be born four months later, in August. Airedale Mattie Rae and Welshie Blue Monster Max lived with us in our home in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas.

We may have lived in Dallas, but our hearts broke with Oklahoma that morning. This dark day in downtown Oklahoma city changed the lives of Oklahomans - of all of America - forever.

So, today we will remember all those who have gone before. Thank you for your friendship, your readership, your support.

bugRIGHT ... Made in Oklahoma!

Even when the temperature disagrees with the calendar, spring has come to Oklahoma. Most people spend more time outside, enjoying everything this great state has to offer. With that, of course, comes another of Oklahoma’s offerings: creepy, crawly critters. But now there is a natural solution for Oklahomans and their pets – an organic, non-poisonous beg repellant called bugRIGHT. Even better, it’s made in Oklahoma!

bugRIGHT products are natural and safe for people, pets and the environment. The bug repellant powder utilizes natural ingredients, including essential oils, to kill bugs and discourage future infestations. According to inventor Paul Goss, essential plant oils attack the central nervous systems of insects, killing them within a few hours. These same dosage amounts are harmless to humans, birds and mammals, and the environment. bugRIGHT utilizes clove thyme and wintergreen essential oils, along with soybean oil, diatomaceous earth, sodium chloride (table salt), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and 2-phenethyl propionate (a derivative of peanut oil).

It is difficult for many to find a balance between a nice lawn and a safe environment for pets. Vegetable gardens are most abundant when free of pests like squash bugs. The same is true for inside spaces. No one wants to live with ants, fleas, roaches, scorpions or ticks. And bugRIGHT offers an option. It is important to note that a study presented in the January 2012 issue of the Environmental Research journal found that exposure to professionally-applied lawn pesticides was shown to a significantly higher risk – 70 percent – of canine malignant lymphoma (CML). While the study did not contain many specifics, there was enough information provided in the results to raise a red flag. And there is certainly enough concern to show a link between CML and pesticides. In reporting the study, Whole Dog Journal noted that dogs “can serve as sentinels for human disease because they are our close companions and are subjected to many of the same environmental influences.” The article, authored by Barbara Dobbins goes on to say that while the goal of the study was “to identify risk factors for CML from exposure to environmental chemicals … for humans,” it is important to note that canines and humans experience different exposures to lawn care products. Humans generally do not come in direct contact while dogs – their bodies and their toys – do.

Goss and his wife, Freda, developed bugRIGHT after they recognized their own need for a nontoxic alternative to garden chemicals. bugRIGHT is safe to use inside and out and even directly on pets. While made of food-grade materials, bugRIGHT should still be kept away from children and pets and should not be ingested. The dust from bugRIGHT powder could be irritating to respiratory systems and because the product contains essential plant oils, it may cause reactions in those sensitive to fragrances.

bugRIGHT comes in two containers so users may select method of delivery.

The 11-ounce shaker canister (suggested retail $15) is best for spreading evenly on gardens or carpeted areas.

The puffer bottle of the same size and price allows the powder to be directed where needed – crevices, corners, under furniture and appliances. bugRIGHT must be re-applied if it gets wet and the makers recommend testing it on carpets and other materials to make sure it does not stain.

bugRIGHT is available at stores throughout northeastern Oklahoma. Distribution is expanding east. To find out where you can buy bugRIGHT and to read more about the product, it's history and plans for the future, visit bugRIGHT. 

Welcome to Pawsitive Places, my new blog! While I write about my life with animals on Following Pawprints, this is where I can give a written    

Thumbs up!

to places and products we know and use or visit. I had hoped to post my first article today, but I haven’t quite finished it. I will tell you it’s about a Made in Oklahoma product called bugRIGHT, an organic, non-poisonous bug repellent made of human-grade ingredients. So, please stay tuned. I plan to post my bugRIGHT blog tomorrow.