home made dog food

Maui Dogs | Most Favorite of All Time

Maui Dogs

Maui Dogs | My Most Favorite Of All Time In The History of Ever

Favorite things in the world. We all have them. Most of us don’t celebrate them enough. Unless of course you have “that dog” in your life.

Many times no matter what is going on, that certain dog in our lives constitutes, “My Most Favorite of All Time In The History of Ever.”

I’m called upon a lot for two things:  Dog behavior and dog health. What to feed? What’s the healthiest thing that could possibly make my dog live longer? How much and what kind of exercise could lengthen my dogs life? Those kinds of things. Which I truly love answering and being helpful for people and their dogs.

Sure, behavior can be a problem. But let’s face it. We all got issues! And sometimes quite honestly the dog’s issues are really our own issues. But what are we really worried about in life?

Small orange ckmkWhat quality of life do we have?

Small orange ckmkHow happy are we day to day?

Small orange ckmkHow long are we going to live?

Small orange ckmkIs this all there is?

Things to Add To Most Favorite Of All Time Daily List

PawsLife is short. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had two really cool people I know diagnosed with cancer. Another dog, a Chocolate Lab went to rest forever, hopefully in some dog wonderland. He had cancer too, and he leaves behind a Dude that loved him dearly.

So, make it a commitment.

  • Do your most favorite things as often as possible
  • Be with your most favorite people as often as possible
  • And spend as much time with your most favorite dogs as often as possible
  • Exercise as often as possible
  • Eat whole food as often as possible
  • And love yourself all the time
  • And of course love your dog
  • Drink water… and sometimes wine… laugh, enjoy, live every moment to it’s fullest as often as possible
  • Be grateful for your health and every little thing you have

HeartsDo you ever tell your dog, “I love you more than anything ever?”

There’s a reason. Its called unconditional love. Acceptance. Do that for yourself too. Its the hugest lesson ever you can get from your dog.

Get 17 Things Maui Dog People Should Know


Jt Clough Running Dogs Jt Clough lives in Maui, Hawaii and practices health, happiness, natural remedies and training for dogs and their people. Her work at Maui Dog Remedies is for people looking to live healthier and happier lives through their dogs and her passion for it has helped so many to find and do that thing they’ve been talking about or wishing to happen for so long. She is a dog whisperer for our best friends. Her latest publications are Pumpkin Dog Food + Treats Recipes and 5K Training Guide | Running with Dogs.

 

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Beneful Dog Food Recall Yes or No

Beneful Dog Food Recall Yes or No?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmabney/6980919617/

The dog world is rocked with dog food questions these days. What is good, what is bad?  What is the truth, what is not.  The latest controversy is a Beneful Dog Food recall that hasn’t happened.  A Purina product.

Yep, one of the big store name brands that puts pretty pictures of real food on the front of the bag.  The marketing is done nicely.  Fresh carrots and peas, chunks of premium red meat imprint on the mind.  The photos let us believe in our hearts this is what we are feeding our beloved dogs.

After all.  Its an oldie goldie trusted name, right?

But Beneful Dog Food is Not on the FDA Dog Food Recall List

Should I be concerned?

Recently the Consumer Affairs website has been inundated with over 250 complaints about Beneful Dog Food causing illness, even to the point of liver failure on their website.  I think these complaints are going to be far from over unfortunately.  It’s quite a political arena as it turns out, sort of like the fight over listing GMO’s!

*you can see more complaints about Beneful Dog Food at Dogstar.com

An Examiner article titled Beneful dog food killing dogs nationwide; no recall issued by FDA has become quite popular and in fact has also taken criticism for reporting something before it is actually proven to be true.

Yet, the truth of the matter is there have been chicken jerky dog treats on the market that have also been making hundreds and thousands of dogs sick, some to the point of death, but have not been placed on the FDA recall list.

The FDA Criteria

Finally, after over a year of people reporting sick and dying dogs over the chicken jerky treats coming out of China, the FDA listed Milo’s Kitchen® Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers after the company voluntarily recalled the product due to finding trace amounts of antibiotics in them.

What??? Not only are there all kinds of chemicals and diseased products being added to our dogs’ food, but we are feeding them a little bit of antibiotics every time we give them a treat?  Sound like something you want to sign up for?

I don’t know about you, but I’d certainly believe the number of complaints and problems listed on the Consumer Affairs website to have some serious validity to them before I’d wait until the FDA decided to issue a warning!

So why isn’t the FDA recalling Beneful?  There could be several possibilites.

It could be every single complaint on the Consumer Affairs website are legitimate reports of pet death or illness linked to Beneful, but only a few of these pet food adverse events were reported to FDA.

You can read more on reasons why the FDA doesn’t seem to get on these things in a timely fashion at Information Regarding Beneful Complaints

What Dog Food Should You Feed Your Dog

That’s the big question.  And there are many opinions about it.  Personally, I have a problem with an all processed diet.  However, not even I have time to cook for my dogs every single day.  As well, feeding your dog a home made dog food diet does require some knowledge.  They need certain vitamins and minerals.

It’s not that hard really though.  Once you have a few rules down, get a few good dog food cookbooks and find good quality ingredients kibble to feed on those days you can’t do it all, you’ll have a happier healthier dog (and you too most likely…  back to the old fashioned you are what you eat methodology).

Let People Know About Beneful Dog Food

 

Maui Dog Training + Running + Retreats + RemediesJt Clough lives in Maui, Hawaii and practices health, happiness, natural remedies and training for dogs and their people.  Her way of communication with both dogs and people is healing and her training is effective physically and emotionally. Her work at ReVIBE | Dogs + Joy + Vibrance is for people looking to live healthier and happier lives through their dogs and her passion for it has helped so many to find more peace and joy in every day life with dogs. She is a dog whisperer for our best friends, specializing in private training and dog retreats. Her latest publications are Pumpkin Dog Food + Treats Recipes and 5K Training Guide | Running with Dogs.

*photo credit By vmabney
*there are a couple affiliate links in this article, a few links to other resource articles and a couple links to e-books I have written myself.

Maui Beach Dogs and Walking on Sunshine

What is your favorite thing to do with your dog on Maui?

There are so many things dogs can do on an island like Maui. This past weekend I went with a small group of two other dogs and their people on an outing.  A beach romp for the dogs, then off to a trail that led to the coolest blow holes by the ocean. Way cool stuff. And yes, we all were literally walking on sunshine.

Dogs Bring Out the Best In People

The fun part about it was the dogs and the fact that each of their people had spent enough time with their own dog that off leash recall was no problem. The dogs got to be dogs while maintaining good behavior and the people got to do their thing too, which mostly revolved around how much fun the dogs were having! It got everybody out to play.

And we all need to PLAY MORE!

Off Leash Recall

So how to you get your dog to come back to you no matter what?

It really comes down to repetition…. and knowing how your dog thinks and learns.  Repetition means time spent doing it over and over again. How dogs think and learn…… well, that’s where I excel in working with people. It s a concept that slips by easily because we are such multi-taskers as people.

Stay with the task each and every time and recall will become automatic.  Don’t try to call your dog to you from too far away when you start getting serious about teaching a solid “come here” every single time.  Take the time to get your dog to come to you from 3-7 feet away from you over and over and over again, before you even try to use the concept for 10, 20 or 30 feet.

When one starts understanding the fact that dogs learn in pictures rather than logic a whole new world opens up.   The new and fun things make having a dog as part of your own family the best thing in the whole wide world every single day and practicing fundamentals becomes fun, not daunting.

Upcoming Maui Dog Events

Poi Dog Contest Sept 2

Bring the family for an afternoon of fun by watching or entering your dog in the Poi Doggie Contest. This event offers a variety of canine-centric contest categories with prizes (for poi dogs only – nonpedigree, not purebred). Categories to be judged are: Best Dressed, Best Howl, Best Trick, Dog-Owner Look-Alike, Most Mixed Up and Stellar Senior (enter one category only for each dog; entry fee is $10 for contestants)

Cooking for Dogs Sept 29

Our dogs are dying way too early and we are finally bringing our dogs into the age of fitness and health as we people are realizing the best way to feel real good and to live our lives as long as possible enjoying each and everyday is through what we feed ourselves. Food truly is a drug. It can be good or bad.

Dogs have been hooked on a processed only diet for years. We’ve been lead down the road to believe it is the only way.

You are what your eat is not only true for you but your dog too.

Find out how real food can help with itching, scratching and licking issue as well as provide a diet that leaves your dog vibrant and living the good life for as long as possible. $10 for you and your dog!

Location TBA.  Join my Inbox to get updates on cooking for dogs classes.

Jt Clough lives in Maui, Hawaii and practices health, happiness, natural remedies for dogs and dog training. Her work at ReVIBE | Dogs + Joy + Vibrance is for people looking to live healthier and happier lives through their dogs and her passion for it has helped so many to find and do that thing they’ve been talking about or wishing to happen for so long. She is a dog whisperer for our best friends and studies natural dog remedies, nutrition and communication. Her latest publications are Pumpkin Dog Food + Treats Recipes and 5K Training Guide | Running with Dogs.