This is What It’s All About

By Carole | Published: July 17, 2010

“I saw an article about your cat food in the Fredericksburg area Free Lance Star. I was very interested in your product from the minute I read about “Pawgevity™”.
I have a SENIOR cat and his health was declining. He was eating but he was throwing up with every meal.

I drove all the way from Stafford to Warrenton to buy my first few
Containers of your cat food. From day one his health improved.
He was completely tolerant of the new food.

Our days of spot cleaning the carpet are over.

We now purchase your “Pawgevity™” for our cat at the
Animal Wellness Center here in Stafford. It is only a 15 min. drive thru the countryside from my house. Our cat and our family like your produce so much that I would have continued driving 1 hour to get the cat food after I tried it.

Thank you for caring.

Barbara Lucas
A very satisfied customer.”

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FIV Won’t Kill Them but Our Ignorance Might

By Carole | Published: July 13, 2010

Distressing. A Washington Post Metro section column today, page 1, under the fold. Writer goes to a local shelter with kids to adopt a cat. They fall in love with a pair of lively tweens.

Shelter worker then informs them the cats are FIV+. They leave, without applying. Mom decides to go on Craigslist and purchase a kitten. For $1.

There is so much wrong with this story. So I decided to put my two cents in and send Ms. Dvorak an e-mail. I don’t expect a reply but had to speak up.

As follows:

“Oh Petula,

I love your column. But today you left me heartbroken.

We have two FIV+ cats – Blackie and Valentino – both found as strays, in poor condition. We nurtured them back to health through a wholistic approach, including our raw diet. We mainstreamed them in our multi-cat household. FIV is difficult to transmit and if you avoid full blown fights and sharing of dishes, almost impossible.

Blackie and Val have been with us over eight years, both full of personality and great joy. Blackie’s overseeing my writing of this e-mail. They are the picture of health.

I’d hoped for the happy ending as I read your story. Shame on the shelter staff for not providing better information. Every animal that’s purchased from a backyard breeder or pet store means another homeless animal euthanized.

I know. I’m a former Assistant to the Director of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Please reconsider and thank you for your honesty.

Best regards,
Carole”

Note: Blackie is the black cat in our banner (original, eh? – that’s a whole other story) and Valentino the handsome tuxedo boy.

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Flavor Magazine: Consumers want local, safe food for themselves and for their pets.

By Carole | Published: July 12, 2010

From Flavor Magazine:

Russ, an energetic terrier cross, was zestful and dynamic, always ready for the next adventure. So it was a real surprise when, one morning, he could hardly move. His owner, Carole King, rushed him to the veterinarian,who diagnosed him with a rare form of anemia. After two weeks in intensive care, the little dog succumbed to his illness, devastating King and her husband.

Read the Full Article

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Two Million Dogs

By Carole | Published: June 15, 2010

This is a guest post from Sheryl Bottner.

Coming home a couple of days ago I found an envelope in my mailbox from Mina’s regular vets. My first thought, considering the week-in-hell I’m having, was: “…, did I forget to pay a bill or something?” I was wrong, of course, because inside was a nice note from Dr. Nolan and a flier for a cause very near to my heart. As I read the flier I told Mina about it and, of course, I cried.

Luke Robinson lost his beloved canine Malcolm to osteosarcoma in 2006. Since then Luke is on a mission to raise awareness about canine cancer and its similarities with human cancer. His mode of communication is to walk with his two dogs, Hudson and Murphy, from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts.

“On June 19, join Luke, Hudson and Murphy as they walk the final mile into Boston. This will be a day of celebration, remembrance, thanksgiving, and reflection as they commemorate the remarkable, historic journey of 2 Dogs 2000 Miles and inaugurate our new vision, 2 Million Dogs – Partners for a New Hope in Cancer Research. To learn more about this historic journey, to donate or to find out more about the events planned for Boston, please visit www.2dogs2000miles.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.”

Luke and the boys have a blog where you can follow along on their journey. The started from Austin in March 2008 and will finish in Boston on June 18, 2010. The next phase of the project is 2 Million Dogs, “a 501 C (3) organization who relies on the generosity of individuals and corporations to help us in our mission to eradicate cancer through investing in comparative oncology studies.’

2 Million Dogs has donated funds to support the following institutions and organizations; Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center, Texas A&M Imaging and Cancer Center, and Tufts University Harrington Oncology Program and Morris Animal Foundation.” There’s a widget on the site where you can pledge to be part of 2 Million Dogs walking for cancer, details will be available as the site grows.

I salute Luke’s efforts to raise awareness about canine cancer and to raise funds for better treatment research. Please donate if you can. There’s also some really cute “Puppy Up!” gear to be had, too.

Sheryl Bottner is a professional nerd, passionate about wildlife and
environmental protection, farm sanctuary volunteer, who believes vegan
is The Way, and Virginia wine is better than yours. She is Mina’s
devoted human companion and misses Mina more than anyone can imagine.

I’ve always been an animal lover, I’ve been vegetarian for 20 years
and a more-ethical-by-the-day vegan since 2002, but getting actively
involved with animal rights and wildlife conservation started with a
wee baby panda named Tai Shan.

Things sort of snowballed from there and I thought that writing a blog
would reach a few more people than just my close friends and that led
to learning about all sorts of other people who devote their lives to
wildlife protection, environmental conservation, animal rights
activism, you name it. I’m still learning and I hope to learn more
every day. My Dad used to tell me that I come from a long line of
“late bloomers.” I guess it doesn’t matter when you find your passion
in life, as long as you find it.”

– Sheryl

Please Do Not Tap On the Glass: http://nothoney.com
Miss Mina Bean’s Memorial Blog: http://missminabean.wordpress.com

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What job would your dog have?

By Carole | Published: May 1, 2010

This is a guest post from Margaret Bishop.

I pay close attention to my dogs. I notice little things such as which is the favorite toy this week and who has claimed the most comfortable bed for the night. I have conversations with them where they each respond in different voices and with their own attitudes and verbal tics. (these take place all in my head, I’m that crazy) I think about them, talk about them and observe them. But when I took my female pointer to an acupuncturist and at the conclusion of a long series of questions about her temperament, likes, dislikes, sociability, he asked, “If she were a person, what would her job be?” I was stumped. I had never thought about her having a job. I had never imagined her working on a resume, going back to night school to get an advanced degree, engaging in an illicit office romance and taking personal days. I had no idea what her job would be.

I had been talking about how attentive and kind she is to my emotionally disturbed, special needs spaniel, so I stammered out something about how she might be a social worker, a sort of tightly wound, OCD sort of social worker.

I started thinking about it for all of my dogs. I asked other people. After the initial bewilderment, everyone usually came up with an answer. One friend said that her male corgi would be a policeman, not very bright, probably prejudiced; her female corgi would be a psychologist in flowing skirts and Birkenstocks and her male labradoodle would be a figure skater with lots of sequined outfits. Another friend said that her Border collie mix would be a night shift security guard. Someone’s Jack Russell would be a restaurant critic or maybe mayor of a small town. There was also a sheriff of a small town (another terrier), a country lawyer who works as little as possible and a Baywatch-type lifeguard (both Boykin Spaniels), and a Walmart greeter (a pitbull). Of my sisters, one has a nanny, one has a professional basketball player and one has a retired middle school principal.

For the rest of my pack, I decided the terrier is VP of a large medical device company that is defrauding the government; or maybe he owns a string of pawn shops. The pointer is actually in the military, she might fly fighter jets. She would excel at all the physical challenges, but would need some extra help with her astrophysics classes. The spaniel mix is a science professor at a small, rural university. He spends weekends in his laboratory and runs five miles every day in a pair of New Balance running shoes he has owned since the 70’s. The special needs spaniel? He does yard work at the half way house where he lives and collects disability.

What sort of job would your dog have?

Margaret Bishop is a writer living in Northern Virginia with her four unemployed dogs.

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1 Easy Way to Celebrate Earth Day

By Carole | Published: April 22, 2010

So maybe Earth Day is a bit overdone.  Corporate greenwashing aside… let’s remember the original intent and spirit of the day that started 40 years ago today.

Remember, rejuvenate, revive, renew – all these ‘r’ words are popping to mind.  It all comes back to reconnecting and recommitting to the earth.  So here’s an idea.

Turn off your computer.  Unplug it.  Just walk away.  Really.  You can do it.  It’ll be OK.  And let’s leave our Crackberries and INeedItPhones behind while we’re at it.

Grab your best friend – your cat, dog, spouse, child, whomever.  Get outside.  Walk.  Kick your shoes off and feel the cool April soil.  Plant something.  Roll down a hill.  Stare at the clouds.  Watch an ant.  Pick up some trash – even if you didn’t put it there.  Stay out of the car.  Sometimes it’s the little things.

Signing off.  What are you going to do today?

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Rhys, The Picky Eater from Bark!

By Carole | Published: March 25, 2010

Last summer Norman and I spent a lot of time traveling in our camper with our animal family and participating in pet-friendly events all over DC, Maryland and Virginia.  We met a bunch of great pets and their people, many of them learning about the concept of feeding raw for the very first time.

Of course, one important aspect of demonstrating any healthy food product is the taste.  We work long and hard making sure our animal customers love the taste of the Pawgevity™ formulas, using only the finest, freshest, pure ingredients.  At the Charlottesville Albermarle Kennel Club show in Charlottesville, VA we were approached by Kelli Rosenberg, the General Manager of the Bark! Natural pet stores in Clarksville and Olney, MD.  Accompanying Kelli was Rhys, a Standard Poodle, and notoriously picky eater.

Kelli quickly threw down the gauntlet when she stated that Rhys was a very picky eater and would probably not eat the food that we were demonstrating that day.  She jokingly stated that if Rhys liked the Pawgevity™ formulas, she would consider carrying our product line in her stores.

In closing I’ll say that Bark! has been a partner retailer of Pawgevity™ for ten months!  Rhys loves the food.  He has been a Pawgevity™ dog since last summer and is doing great.  We look to Rhys and Kelli’s French Bulldog as official taste testers for our new Pawgevity™ formulas!

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“Flooding, Farmers and Appreciation”

By Carole | Published: March 15, 2010

Mother Nature at work – first the blizzards.  And now raging waters.  Our already hardworking family farmers are on triple time.

Friday I was picking up produce at the Farm at Sunnyside in (little) Washington, VA,  for our next production run.  The country lane leading to the farm crosses a picturesque stream.  The rain was steady and the lane was already barely passable.  Our farmer friends at Sunnyside already had their contingency plan in action – packing their cooler truck for the Sunday Dupont Circle Farmers Market.  After an already long and physically exhausting day, they were getting ready to head out – two days early – to drive over an hour to DC before the road would be too dangerous to navigate.

All to get their beautiful local produce to us – their hungry customers.  That’s dedication!

And that’s just one story of many.  Kudos to all of our family farmers out there that are going the extra mile – moving their livestock to higher ground, shoring up barns for safety, monitoring their animals around the clock during the busy spring birthing season, and on.

We salute you – more than a profession, farming is a noble life.

March 14-20 is Virginia Agriculture Week.  Please take a minute to thank a farmer for all they do for us or if you’d like to send a comment here we’ll make sure our farmer friends see it.  Small family farms provide not only safe, nutritious food for the table (and our pets’ bowls), but textiles for our backs, firewood and building materials to keep us warm and sheltered, plants to beautify and enhance our landscapes, and so much more.

And thank all of you out there for your support – without you, our partner farms cannot survive and they appreciate your business.

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The Story of Pawgevity

By Carole | Published: March 11, 2010

Almost a decade ago, our much loved adopted terrier mix Russ became acutely ill with a rare form of anemia. One day he was terrorizing the mail carrier and the next day he couldn’t move. He spent two weeks in intensive care and, sadly, succumbed to complications of his disease.

After some research on this disease and animal wellness in general, we found that it was very likely that Russ’ life might have been prolonged by something as simple as his diet.  His life and illness were a wakeup call that we could make a huge difference in animals’ lives and that it was time to realize that the same old way of doing business wasn’t necessarily the best way.

At the time I owned a dog walking and pet sitting business and I began to take an even keener interest in the overall weight and health of my customer cats and dogs.  I had already begun researching traditional, integrative and holistic health care – from raw foods to herbs to homeopathics and everything in between.  Through this research we discovered the great dietary benefits of feeding raw and thanks to Russ we began transitioning our animal family to raw feeding.

We saw fast results!  One of our cats, Woody, was diagnosed with lymphoma. With guidance from our holistic veterinarian, he lived two years beyond what the conventional veterinarians predicted with a good quality of life and no invasive procedures, and we attribute much of this to the raw, organic diet that we had started.

My husband Norman and I decided to go further and I went back to school to further our knowledge of canines and felines – graduating as a Certified Veterinary Assistant with an interest in Companion Animal Nutrition. The final project – what else? – “Why You Should Feed Raw Foods.”

It was clear that feeding raw foods – carefully selected and prepared – made a huge difference in the lives of the animal friends that have enjoyed being part of our development process.  After several years of research and development of the formula, production of ingredients, sourcing traceable local ingredients, safe manufacturing processes and the pet food industry, we officially opened the doors to Pawgevity™, LLC in April, 2009.

The Pawgevity™ Vision is to change the way the world feeds their pets; promoting longer, healthier and happier lives for animals and their caregivers.

It was with Russ and Woody in our minds that we founded Pawgevity™ Pet Food.  They are in the Pawgevity™ logo and will remain mascots of the company for years to come, always with us and guiding our way to making life better for dogs and cats aroung the world.

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Introduction to “The Latest Dish!” from Pawgevity™

By Carole | Published: February 25, 2010

I’m very excited to finally get my blog up and running so I can join in all the great online discussion within the animal caregiver community.  My goal is to use “The Latest Dish!” as an informal community meeting place for cat and dog caregivers where you can see your stories, find helpful information and overall better the experience and privilege of sharing your home with these wonderful animals.

While furthering the revolution of feeding raw, I have the opportunity to attend many shows and events where we meet a lot of great people and their pets.  These are wonderful learning experiences and I’m hoping to share many of these experiences through “The Latest Dish!”.   We will also be sharing resources, answering questions, posting community news and explaining the value and techniques for feeding raw through the blog.

What a great use of technology when you can reach out to an international community and share with people who, like us, are passionate about their cats and dogs.  We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully even meeting you at one of the events we attend or at stores that carry Pawgevity™ pet food.

All the best,

Carole King

Next Entry:  The Pawgevity™ Story…

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