The New First Dog!

The Obama's are being presented with a super cute Portugese Water Dog puppy, who they are naming Bo today. A present from Senator Ted Kennedy, Bo is 6 months old and was in need of re-homing. What is re-homing, you ask? Re-homing is when a dog is purchased from a REPUTABLE breeder and turns out to not be a good fit for a family. The breeder than takes the puppy back and finds it a more suitable home. Though not a rescue, the Obama's are making a "sizeable" donation to help rescued pups everywhere.

Not everyone is thrilled that the Obama's chose to not get a rescue. Best Friends Animal Society, a sanctuary for animals, has done a great job of voicing their concerns in their recent blog post.

Oprah adopts from PAWS!!

We were so excited to hear that Oprah, a fervent anti-Puppy Mill advocate and everyone's favorite TV show host, adopted a rescue Cocker Spaniel from Chicago shelter PAWS!

Last year Oprah lost her beloved Cocker Sophie (right) to kidney failure at age 13. According to reports, last weekend she and Stedman went to PAWS for a tour and were enamored by a litter of Cocker Spaniel puppies. The name of the puppy is going to be revealed on Oprah's show tomorrow. So exciting!

Congratulations on the new addition, Oprah!

Here is some more information on PAWS: PAWS Chicago (Pets Are Worth Saving) is the city's largest No Kill humane organization, focused on alleviating Chicago's tragic pet homelessness problem. Since PAWS Chicago's founding, the number of homeless pets killed in the city has been reduced by more than half ―from 42,561 pets killed in 1997 to 18,969 in 2007. PAWS Chicago envisions a No Kill Chicago and that dream is within reach because of important lifesaving work that is being done every single day.

PAWS not only handles adoptions, but they also have a low cost Spay/Neuter program, low cost veterinary care & pet food pantry for those in need and they're helping to pass the anti-Puppy Mill law in Illinois! They're a great organization that's helping make the lives of dogs in Chicago better.

Sabrina & Ollie, Service Dogs Extraordinaire!

My friend Veronica sent me some great photos of her two dogs playing with our wool eel toys and Simply Fido Organic Toys!! Ollie (left) is a 11 month old Standard Poodle. When Ollie isn't chomping on wool toys or playing with his sister Sabrina, an 8 year old Pittie/ Weim mix, he's Veronica's SDIT (Service Dog in Training).

Ollie is taking over for Sabrina after many years of service. Here is the lovely Sabrina in her bling collar from us!

What is a Service Dog? A Service Dog is a dog that is trained to help a handler with a LIFE LIMITING DISABILITY and the dog must be trained to help mitigate that disability. In Ollie's case, he's trained to alert Veronica to panic attacks, then to lean onto her and help ground her throughout the attack. I hear a lot of people who want to pretend that their dog is a Service Dog just so they can take it on a plane for free (or because it's too large to fit underneath a seat) or be able to take it "everywhere." Not only is it WRONG, but in most states, faking a Service Dog is illegal and can result in hefty fines and even time in jail! Service Dogs, which include Psychiatric Service Dogs (like Ollie), Guide Dogs (for people with sight impairments), Mobility Assistance Dogs (for people with mobility and balance problems) have to be trained to help with their handler's disability and have to be trained to behave in public. For more information on Service Dogs, visit www.psychdog.org or www.deltasociety.org


Here, Sabrina goes for a ride in her bike trailer, available by special order! Simply Fido Organic Toys are tough enough to take a tugging from two large dogs!!

The First Dog

According to People Magazine, the new first dog will be a RESCUE Portuguese Water Dog! We're big fans of PWD's here and think that the Obama's have made a GREAT choice, especially being that the dog will be a rescue! According to the People article, the dog will be arriving sometime in April- enough time for you to stop buy and grab up some Obama dog gear!

Want to know more about Portuguese Water Dogs? Check out the Portuguese Water Dog page on AKC.org.

Treat Area Re-Vamp!

We've been busy little bees re-vamping the treat area. We've added fabulous new sweet potato chews from Snook Dog Chews along with many other cool new products! Snook Dog Chews are made from 100% dehydrated sweet potato strung on a hemp rope. Hemp is digestible, too, so you can let your pooch go at 'em! They're super though and great for even the toughest chewer. Sweet potato is a great source of fiber and good for dogs with allergies even! When the box arrived last week Parker was literally BARKING at it because he was so excited!

Saint Patrick's Day cookies are now in the bakery! Four leaf clovers and much more for your favorite pup! We also have new Puppy Pizzas. They're made very similar to a human pizza, but are shelf stable. They're big but easy to cut and divide them up. Puppy Pizzas come in
Cheese, Bacon & Pepperoni. Yum!!




We also added Sojos treats this past week. Sojos are wheat, corn & soy free and come in lots of yummy flavors. Sojos Good Dog treats come in Chicken Pot Pie, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Apple Dumpling and Blueberry Cobbler. Their Grain Free treats come in Duck & Almond and Lamb & Sweet Potato. Both great for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities


This week we'll also be getting in new treats fro Wellness, Cloud Star, Waggin Tails and many more! Toy Temptations treats are 30% Off!

Two Days Left!

Only two days left to take part in our annual Pink & Red Sale! EVERYTHING Pink & Red is 20% OFF! Sale beds are an additional 20% Off! 30% Off Toy Temptations Treats! Nature's Variety Prairie Kibble & select Merrick Kibble 25% Off! Free food for people and pooches!

Jack-Jack, Parker and Bebe say: "Come see us through Monday to take advantage of the sale!!"

Why No Rawhide or Greenies?

We get asked every day why we don't carry rawhide. Here is a simple list of reasons we do not:
-Most rawhide is made in China. We don't carry ANY treats made in China. Even the rawhide made in the USA are dangerous.
-To get the flesh off of the hide, most manufacturers use either an Ash/Lye or Lime solution. They are VERY caustic and dangerous solutions. To get the Ash/Lye or Lime off of the product and to sanitize it, manufacturers use a BLEACH solution. At this time they also shape the rawhide. -During this process, rawhide shrinks. When your dog chews off a piece, it will swell in it's stomach. The gastric juices in a dogs' stomach will not break it down. If the piece is too large, it will get caught in the bowels and need costly surgery to be removed.

What about Greenies? Despite their healthy appearance, Greenies are not a healthy or safe dog or cat treat. It's widely known that Greenies, made of mostly unnatural ingredients, have caused the deaths of hundreds of dogs. Being undigestible, Greenies have a tendency to get caught in the throat or in the bowels of dogs, causing anything from mild coughing to needing emergency surgery to death. Click Here to read stories about some of the dogs that were injured by Greenies.

Sure, they've been reforumulated. But let's compare the new ingredients to the Terrabone, one of the dental chews we carry:

Greenies Ingredients: Gelatin, Wheat Protein Isolate, Glycerin, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Vegetable Oil (Preserved with Propyl Gallate), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Lecithin, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Monostearate, Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids, Choline Chloride, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Minerals (Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Maganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Folic Acid), Chlorophyll.

Terrabone Ingredients:
Organic Brown Rice PowderUSDA certified organic. Low in saturated Fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. It is also a very good source of manganese - an essential trace nutrient., Tapioca StarchGround up tapioca, which comes from a yucca plant. Tapioca starch is gluten-free, and is often added to gluten-free baking., Waterthe healthiest substance on earth., Vegetable Glycerinnatural ingredient, Natural Chicken Flavorhormone free , antibiotic free purified chicken liver., Organic Pea PowderUSDA certified organic. Very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin and Manganese., CarrageenanPurified extract made from red seeweed. Calcium Carbonatecalcium supplement that helps clean teeth., Tricalcium Phosphatenatural mineral that helps clean teeth., Lecithinan antioxidant that occurs naturally from soybeans., Brewers Dried Yeastcontains lots of B vitamins and tastes yummy., Parsley Powder100% natural & freshens breath., Peppermint oil100% natural & freshen breath. , Citric acidsource of Vitamin C., Rosemary oilnatural preservative. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium and vitamin B6., Vitamin Eantioxidant and natural preservative..

First, let's notice that Greenies have a LOT more ingredients than Terrabones. I don't know what most of the ingredients are- Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids? Wheat Protein Isolate? Sodium Tripolyphospate? Nope. I have no idea. I do know what Organic Brown Rice Powder, Tapioca Starch and Peppermint oil are, though! How many natural ingredients do you see in Greenies? I cound one. Chlorophyll. How many do we see in Terrabones? All of them. All of the ingredients, including tricalcium phosphate (a mineral which helps clean teeth) are natural.

What other chews are safe?
-Tendon treats including Bully Sticks, Flossies and Wish Bones are made of beef tendon and not only help clean teeth, but are 100% digestible.
-Terrabones and Z-Ridge bones are a safe and healthy alternative to Greenies, but have the same bone shaped appearance.
-Raw meaty bones. Cooked bones can splinter, but raw meaty bones have huge dental benefits. They're also great if you need to keep your dog occupied for a while! Throw 'em a Primal Beef marrow bone and they'll be happily munching on it and quiet.
-Sweet Potato treats! Dogs go NUTTY for sweet potatoes! Low glycemic, they're great for dogs with diabetes or weight issues. They're also full of fiber and great for sensitive stomachs. We'll be getting in new exciting sweet potato treats to add to our current selection soon!