Halo Purely for Pets

I cook for my dog Bailey but before I realized I could actually cook for him, (without harming him), I was looking for a dog food that was made like human food with none of the nasty stuff or chemicals. I researched for months.

One of the dog food companies that topped my list was Halo Purely For Pets. At the time they only had canned varieties and I was still brainwashed to think that dogs need dried kibble. Anyway, I called the company to ask a few questions and was shocked that a real person answered the phone and she could actually answer my questions, I didn't have to be transferred or put on hold. Then I bought a few cans to sample. To my surprise, when I opened the can, the food looked unlike any canned dog food I have ever seen, more like the filling of a chicken pot pie than dog food. And it smelled different too, actually good.
The real test was would Bailey eat it. He loved it. I was impressed and while soon after my Halo dog food test I started cooking my own dog food, I keep a few cans of Halo on hand as back up for when I'm in a pinch. I have to admit that I've had to break into my back up stash of Halo on a few occassions. Initially I was concerned that Bailey would snubb the Halo food because he is used to my delicious home cooking. Not the case, he eats it right up and why wouldn't he, Halo is real food.

I still keep up with the Halo company news and saw that Ellen Degeneres purchased a stake in the the company and they expended their product offering to dry kibble in addition to new packaging. I also saw that QVC is now offering Halo's entire product range both on their TV shopping channel and their website. Most recently I saw this great video about the Halo ingredients:

I believe fresh food is the best thing you can do for your dog (or cat) however, I realize that everyone can't do it. So, if you are unwilling or unable to cook choose a food that contains the highest quality ingredients and is as close to home cooked as possible. I think the Halo Purely for Pets product range is a great way to go. Also check out their treats, nutritional supplements, eye and ear care as well as shampoos. (Their Liv-a-Littles freeze dried treats and Herbal Healing Salve continuously receive high marks from all the holistic/natural/organic in-the-know dog community.) This company does it right and I think you will immediately see a difference in your dogs coat, health and attitude.

I've seen Halo at Petco, Whole Foods, QVC and Sunset Foods.

P.S. Halo was NOT part of the 2007 nationwide dog food recall and is made in the USA of all USA ingredients!

Puppy Mill Legislation Proposed in IL

I was thrilled to learn that IL is targeting Puppy Mills. All I could think is FINALLY!

It was announced at PAWS Chicago, a no-kill animal shelter, that State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) and State Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Mount Prospect) have proposed a law that would regulate large-scale dog breeders and pet stores with the goal of cracking down on abusive puppy mills. The Law named Chloe's Bill after a dog rescued from a puppy mill in downstate Macon County, is designed to allow potential guardians to distinguish between puppies who come from caring breeders and those reared in puppy mills.

Backed by the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Fritchey said, "This isn't something that should be considered radical, it's decent."Fritchey said opposition to the bill may be inevitable, but that he would have concerns about any dog breeder who opposed the law. Puppy mills take a factory-like approach to animal breeding: maximum puppy output with minimal cost and care, Fritchey said. He noted that's in contrast to many reliable breeders, who take loving care of animals and only breed a few dogs at a time.

If passed, the bill would specifically:

1) Create a Dog Breeder License Act, which would prevent breeders from having more than 20 unaltered (not neutered or not spayed) dogs.

2) Deny dog-breeding licenses to people that have been convicted of a felony animal-cruelty crime, including dog fighting.

3) Require dog breeders to keep dogs in buildings without wire flooring. Humane Society officials said Sunday that many puppy mills they've uncovered have dogs in crates stacked high on top of each other, with the wire flooring of the crates destroying the animals' paws.

4) Require breeders to maintain a certain level of heating, cooling, and ventilation.

5) Require pet stores and breeders to provide potential pet buyers with the dog's full medical history, information of spaying and neutering and information about any prior medical care. Humane Society officials said many dogs from puppy mills end up having substantial medical problems because of interbreeding and exposure to disease in cramped environments.

Penalties for violation of these tenets would begin with fines and progress to seizure of the animals and complete closing of breeding operations.

Chloe, the only surviving member of her litter at the puppy mill, is now 6 months old. She attended the news conference wearing a collar with a large bow. Chloe affectionately snuggled into the arms of her adoptive dad, Roy Austin, who heads animal control in Macon County.

The young spaniel, with her giant eyes, floppy ears and a shiny black coat, may have fetched $200 to $400 at a pet store in Illinois and $800 or more if she had been shipped to an upscale pet store in New York state, said Cori Menkin, ASPCA's senior director of legislative initiatives.

Menkin listed the many ailments Chloe suffered from in the puppy mill: The animals were covered with feces and fleas, and they had internal parasites, matted coats and damaged paws from standing 24 hours a day in urine-soaked wires cages."We've seen less enforcement by the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] and state departments of agriculture than we'd like," Menkin said. "This bill will change many of these horrific conditions."

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Sojos

We’re back from an extra long holiday break. Christmas was wonderful and as usual Bailey received many puppy gifts. By now my family and friends know that Bailey is on a restricted diet so buying him treat gifts gets difficult. There are very few companies that make treats that meet his restricted diet and if they do, they have to make it past me….a short ingredient list of all natural real food made in the USA. Honestly, most of Bailey’s treats are fresh fruits and vegetables I pull right out of the refrigerator so I rarely buy him treats. However, one of our new favorite treat gifts is from Sojos, Good Dog Apple Dumpling Treats.

Good Dog Apple Dumpling Treats are tiny bones, which makes them great training treats and they are easy to break in half for small dogs. Plus they smell great, just like apple pie. This line of treats is wheat and corn free and packed with all good things. They are available in other flavors and Sojos offers several different lines of treats to fit your dogs’ needs. Some are even grain free.

If you’re not familiar with Soujourner Farms, you should really check them out. The company was started in 1985 by a vet making healthy real pet food for his own dogs and expanded from there. Their recipe is Sojos + your meat + water = a healthy homemade meal for your dog. This is about as simple as feeding homemade and raw as you are going to get.

In addition to their wonderful food and treats their website is full of great information about dog health, care and feeding. One of my favorite articles is Pet Mythbusters: 5 Pet Food Myths.

Bailey gives Sojos Good dog Apple Dumpling Treats four paws and so do I.

Good Dogkeeping is on Vacation

Posts will start again in January. Here is a great blog to keep you company while I'm gone, www.cocothebloggingdog.com.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

See you next year!

Coyotes and Dogs

Last night around 8:30pm, the coyotes that live in our neighborhood made another kill, this time right in the meadow behind our home. The sound is blood curdling.

I know it’s the circle of life and I try to remind myself of that when I picture the sweet rabbit or baby deer that just lost their life for coyote dinner. I just can’t help myself from thinking they got someone’s dog or cat. There are plenty of pet cats that people let roam around here and several small dogs that people tie outside all by themselves. Circle of life, circle of life, circle of life.

I would be devastated if the coyotes attacked my little dog so I have taken preventative steps to prevent this from ever happening. I’ve listed the steps I take to help you prevent coyote attacks on your pets:

I never let my dog outside without my supervision. It’s that easy and a small price to pay for living in such a beautiful community shared with wild animals.

Please keep your pets safe.

Another Dog Fighting Ring Busted

This week, Police raided a dog fighting ring in Chicago, only this time the dog fight was in process. This is the first time the Sheriff's Department has broken up a dog fight as it was happening.

Disgusting and disturbing is how the Cook County Sheriff describes it. They found two severely injured dogs, one so mutilated he had to be put to sleep. Equally disturbing is who was watching the fight, a pregnant woman and two children were among the crowd of at least 50 people that each paid a $5 cover. All of this happened in the basement of a home.

Full Article

If you suspect dog fighting in your neighborhood, please report it to your local police department and you could collect a $5,000 reward offered by the Human Society of the United States. For more information contact HSUS.