Meet One of the Very First CANIDAE “Consumers”

By Julia Williams

This is a true story about Scout, a 15-year old chocolate Lab who has been eating CANIDAE dog food since the company started about 14-1/2 years ago. Scout began eating the All Life Stages formula as a 6-month old puppy, which makes him one of the company’s very first customers!

Considering that the average lifespan of Labrador Retrievers is estimated to be about 10-12 years, Scout is doing quite well. Moreover, Scout’s longevity is a testament to CANIDAE and their commitment to offering consumers premium quality pet food. Scout thrived on his all-CANIDAE diet as a young strapping pup, and as he grew and aged, his good health continued.

Scout now eats the CANIDAE Platinum formula for seniors and is still very healthy. Although he does have some arthritis in his legs, this is to be expected for such an old dog. As you can see from these recent photos, Scout is an energetic happy boy, still loving life and going strong at the age of 15.

Scout belongs to Duncan Reid, whose mother Debbie is a longtime friend of CANIDAE customer service rep Diane Matsuura. Debbie bought Scout from a breeder who was also one of the first sales reps for CANIDAE, back in the mid 1990s when the company was just getting started. Duncan said Scout was born in March of 1995, and was his 8th grade graduation present.

“My parents saw a ‘Labrador Puppies Available’ ad on the bulletin board at San Dimas Grain Company in California and decided it was time for me to have a dog of my own. When it came time to choose, there were so many cute puppies that I had the hardest time picking one. I remember looking over the group of puppies and seeing a small shy puppy amongst all the other strong energetic puppies. He was getting pushed around and most people would have overlooked this shy puppy, but I fell in love with him. I don't know what it was; I just could not leave without him. We named him Windy River Scout after his mother, Marilyn's Windy City, and his father, Mad River Burt.”

Duncan said he has so many fond memories of growing up with Scout. He remembers sleeping with him on the floor of the laundry room when he was a puppy so he wouldn’t whine in the middle of the night. He also remembers playing with him in the backyard every day after school. “One game we played was hide and seek. I would sneak into the bushes and be very quiet. When I was properly hidden, I would call Scout's name and wait for him to find me. It was our own little game and he always won.”

Scout is a beautiful chocolate Lab with a “golden” heart. In addition to being Duncan’s faithful companion for all these years, Scout earned his American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certification many years ago, and attained his Rally Novice title at 11 years of age. “It is amazing how long he has lived, and I cherish every memory,” said Duncan.

Read more articles by Julia Williams

Disc Dog: A High Flying Sport

By Ruthie Bently

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods recently donated prizes (which included high quality pet food and Frisbees) for Slovenia’s first Disc Dog competition. It was hosted by the Maribor Kennel Club on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Fifty-six international teams from six countries (Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia) competed in the event. The event was held to raise funds for Slovenia’s Horjul Animal Shelter. Their mission is to help as many homeless animals as possible by finding them new homes and providing them with temporary accommodations, health care and improved living conditions.

The art of playing as a team with your dog and a round flying disc is known by more than one name: Dog Frisbee, Flying Dog Disc sport and Disc Dog. Because the name “Frisbee” is a registered trademark, the sport is officially known as Disc Dog. It is now an international sport, and there are teams in the United States, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Canada. There are now international competitions for teams, as well as demonstration events.

While I knew who Ashley Whippet was and was able to see him perform, I didn’t know the beginnings of Disc Dog itself. It was started by Alex Stein (Ashley Whippet’s owner) in August 1974, when he jumped a fence during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alex and Ashley performed for eight minutes, while Ashley leapt nine feet in the air to grab discs and ran at a top speed of 35 mph. The baseball game was actually stopped during the exhibition, and Joe Garagiola kept announcing the action on the field until Alex and Ashley were escorted off the field.

Ashley Whippet went on to win three Disc Dog world championships, starred in a documentary “Floating Free,” performed at Super Bowl XII and even performed for Amy Carter at the White House; all other dogs since are measured by his standard. Thirty five years later, the sport of Disc Dog is still alive and well.

Any dog with an aptitude to catch things is eligible to play, as long as they are entered with a human partner. Most canines have a natural talent for Disc Dog because it plays to their prey instinct to chase things and stop them. What makes it different from chasing a ball is that the disc is more of a challenge. It can reverse direction or hover, can be thrown high or low, and really tests the dog’s ability to pay attention. You are also able to bond more with your dog during these sessions, even if you choose not to compete and only play for fun. It doesn’t matter if you have a big or small dog, purebred or mutt – any of them could theoretically learn to play. Before starting any form of exercise, you should have your dog checked out by your veterinarian to make sure they are physically capable of playing.

There are three types of Disc Dog competition: freestyle, long distance and short distance. There are variations within the types, and room for physical artistry and creativity. During the distance/accuracy events where only one disc is used, teams are awarded points for the distance and accuracy of the catches. Short distance events have many names: Throw and Catch, Distance/Accuracy, Toss and Fetch, and MiniDistance. The idea is usually the same: on a field with incrementally longer distances a team gets sixty seconds to get as many catches as possible. The longest distance is usually 54 feet (50 meters) for the longest catch. Points are given based on the distance of the catch, and if the dog is completely airborne during the catch they get an extra half point. A Long Distance event (where generally the longest catch wins) has a few different formats, and while still popular it is less common.

Freestyle seems to be the most popular, and routines can be anywhere from one minute and thirty seconds to three minutes long. They are frequently choreographed to music with more than one disc in play at a time. When competing in freestyle, a team (which consists of a dog and their handler) are judged subjectively. Each team is judged on showmanship, degree of difficulty and canine athleticism.

Freestyle is seen as the highest level of accomplishment. It is well-liked by spectators for its multiple catches, super speed, fabulous vaults and incredible flips. The competition divisions in Disc Dog events are based on the experience and skill of the handler, and men and women compete together. The Long Distance event is considered a “power” event, and is broken into women’s and men’s events. Competitions usually take place during summer on flat grass fields, though winter Disc Dog on snow is also popular in some areas.

Read more articles by Ruthie Bently

Is Premium Dog Food Worth the Cost?

By Lexiann Grant

When looking at what it costs to feed your dog, it's important to understand that not all dog foods are created equal. Quality kibble can make your dog healthier and probably doesn't cost as much as some might think.

In the 1970s when I adopted my first puppy, I knew very little about dogs and dog food. I just purchased an inexpensive brand from the grocery store while shopping for my own food. I thought buying special flavors in appetizing packages equated being good to my dog.

Wrong. My first dog – a finicky eater – was excessively thin in body and coat, not good for an Afghan Hound. She also had digestive problems.

With my second dog I decided to try a different kibble. The one I chose was a bit better and cost a little more, but I was still clueless about what constituted a healthy product. This dog had ear infections, dry itchy skin and allergies her entire life. She was the only Afghan I knew who couldn’t run without tiring easily.

I had heard from some of my friends how expensive the premium dog foods were compared to the grocery store dog foods I was buying and was reluctant to spend what seemed like more money for the same number of pounds of dog food.

So I kept feeding the same kibble to the next four dogs my husband and I adopted. Every few weeks, one of the dogs was at the veterinarian’s for flaky skin, minor skin cysts, dirty ears, heavy shedding, mild respiratory infections or low energy. All the dogs had thin, dull coats and were generally lackluster. Despite my personal inclination to healthy, balanced eating, I just assumed the dogs’ food was nutritionally sound enough, and never really made the connection. Even though these conditions can have many different causes, I eventually decided that trying better foods was the easiest solution.

Before making the switch to better food, we were told repeatedly at dog shows that our Elkhound was “out of coat.” We kept waiting for him to grow the full adult coat as he aged. Extra portions, vitamins, oils, herbs, and unusual supplements added to his inexpensive food did not make that happen.

Finally another handler asked what we fed, and suggested trying a premium food. I started researching ingredients, pet food standards and labeling practices. I realized that if you compared a premium dog food pound for pound to things we all buy in the grocery store, it's really not that expensive. Here's an example. At Walgreens a 14 ounce box of Cheerios costs $4.50, so 30 pounds of Cheerios would be about $150! Cheerios is mostly grains, corn starch and sugar. A 30 pound bag of super-premium pet food like CANIDAE costs about $34 where I live so it costs just a little more than a dollar a pound. A typical dog eats less than a pound a day, so feeding a premium food can easily cost less than a dollar a day.

After I figured all this out for myself, I picked CANIDAE as the dog food to try. It was affordable, and it also finally improved my Elkhound's fur! At the shows, we received compliments on how great our dog’s coat looked, and were asked what food we fed. My husband’s reply: “CANIDAE. It’ll grow hair on a bowling ball.”

Long before I became a CANIDAE Responsible Pet Ownership blogger, I fed CANIDAE because diet is everything; it is the foundation for good health.

In this brutal economy, it’s necessary to save money. But cutting corners on pet food won’t net any savings. That’s because less expensive products use lower quality ingredients. Pennies saved on kibble can turn into big bucks spent at the vet’s.

“Premium” in dog food means a higher standard in nutrition and quality of ingredients. Pound for pound, the price of premium food is higher. But each serving contains more nutrients that are more nutritionally available than in a cheaper food, making premium kibble the better buy. With more nutrients in every bite, dogs do not need to eat as much premium food as they would a brand containing fillers and by-products.

Want help including premium kibble in your budget? Check out the handy new calculator that figures the daily cost of feeding CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods based on your dog’s weight. Go to www.canidae.com/cost-to-feed-canidae/. From the pull-down menus, answer the four questions about which formula and size bag you feed (or would like to try), your dog’s weight and the amount your pet supply store charges for the selected product. Then click the “calculate” button to see how affordable premium dog food really is.

Although no single dog food is right for every dog, premium foods like CANIDAE make a positive difference. Remember, you get what you pay for: high quality food can equal better health.

Read more articles by Lexiann Grant