On November 19th, I went to the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan to attend Meet The Breeds (http://www.akc.org/meet_the_breeds/), hosted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) andThe International Cat Association (TICA). If you’ve never been to Meet The Breeds – a weekend long event that precedes the Thanksgiving Day National Dog show in Philadelphia, it’s half a showcase of 160 pure-breed dogs and 50 breeds of cats and half a consumer goods showcase. And in the middle of it all, attendees can check out activities and demonstrations in the center ring, where experts show off the tricks their dogs can do, including security and DEA drug-sniffing dogs, who work for a living. More than 30,000 people attended the two-day event.
Along my travels through the show, I came across some new products that I’m excited to let you know about:
Charlie’s Chews - http://www.charliechews.com/
This new “100% doganic” gourmet treat handmade (in Tribeca) for dogs currently has two flavors: venison and cow heart, with more to come in the future (including goose). Claudia and Ashley are the founders and owners of this new venture, and it seems like they’ve put their full passion into baking these yummy treats. Madison happily ate both samples, almost without chewing them fully (always a good sign).
The Chews are made from grass-fed cow heart, low-salt nitrate-free bacon, whole-wheat flour, rolled oats, carrots, parsley and water…all local ingredients from the Hudson Valley. You can find Charlie’s Chews here in NYC: Picnic Basket, Pamper Ur Pets, The Barking Zoo, Happy Paws, Dudley's Paw, Le Petit Puppy, Chelsea Kennel Club and Coco and Toto.
Charlie’s Chews supports the non-profit comedy organization, Funny for Fido, to provide financial grants to no-kill, volunteer-based animal rescue organizations.
John Paul Pet - http://www.johnpaulpet.com/
Although the John Paul Pet care line has been around awhile, I was very interested in trying their oatmeal and almond-flavored deep cleaning and deodorizing Waterless Foam Shampoo. Madison, who despises water (other than drinking it) and makes me get into the shower/tub with her, was joyfully and calmly sitting in the sink letting me scrub her down with this new shampoo. And I must admit, it made an enormous difference for me, not to walk away with long red claw scratches against my body.
The only thing I wasn’t sure about, after washing, was that the scent completely disappeared, which surprised me. I kept leaning over Madison to sniff her to sense the cleanliness, but the scent was gone. So I called the company to ask what it was all about. Here’s what they told me:
“John Paul Pet products are water-based, designed for the pet to have a clean, fresh scent when bathed with John Paul Pet. The person shampooing will be able to notice the scent of the products; however once the pet has been washed, the fragrance dissipates, leaving the pet clean and fresh. When products are based with alcohol or perfume the scent is left on the pet, like when we spray perfume on ourselves, then the pet could intake the alcohol or perfume by licking themselves. Since our products are water-based, they will not harm pets if ingested. We also researched and found pets do not like having scents other than their natural scent. We proudly promote Clean, Fresh, Healthy pets.”
I would definitely try it again – and maybe some of the other products as well.
Music My Pet - www.musicmypet.com
Music My Pet is produced by Thomas Nazziola, who also produced music for several of the Baby Einstein children’s videos, and the CD’s are aimed at keeping your pet calm when you’re away from home – in the house or on the road. Currently, there are two CD’s: one for every day using music from Brahms, Beethoven and other composers, and the second is a compilation of well-known holiday tunes. Madison and I enjoyed listening to both CD's, and not only was she calmed by the music, but so was I. Definitely worth the listen and purchase!
See my interview with Thomas here: http://newyork.nearsay.com/nyc/other/arts-culture-interview-thomas-nazziola-music-my-pet
Freshpet - http://freshpet.com/
Freshpet, a cooked, unprocessed, nutritionally balanced and refrigerated human-grade pet food made with all fresh ingredients (vegetables, chicken, meat, eggs, fish, etc.), is the pet food everyone’s talking about. When Madison first tried it a year ago, she wasn’t so thrilled about it and turned up her nose (disclosure: she might have been full from other treats she sampled that day). But when I offered it to her again, she promptly swallowed it, looking at me for more to put in her dish.
Freshpet’s nutritional philosophy is: “We believe fresh, minimally processed foods are more nutritious and animals thrive when fed biologically appropriate diets. This is why we only make fresh, meat-based foods that are gently cooked for cats and dogs. We know that if we stray from our philosophy, we not only let ourselves down, but more importantly that we have let our supporters down, the people who believe in fresh pet food and have helped educate others about the difference fresh food can make.”
