Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 20, 2012

11

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 20, 2012 


THE CAREFULLY, CREATIVELY 
CATERED CANINE

Much like we humans, our dogs sure do love their 
food, don‘t they? Fortunately for me, my two pups, 
“Tatertotts” and “Molly” are not extremely choosy 
about what they will eat. They both seem to enjoy 
every morsel of food they are fed, and Tater 
particularly looks forward to those morning and 
evening hours when she knows it is nearly time 
to dine. Like clock work, she will come and place 
her enormous front paw on my thigh while I am 
working at the computer, or reading in my chair 
and relentlessly prod me until I quit whatever I’m 
doing, and fill her bowl with her favorite kibbles 
and veggie toppings that happen to be on hand in 
the fridge. I am so glad that my dogs are not too 
horribly spoiled about what they are willing to eat, 
because it allows me the opportunity to feed them 
healthy options that a more selective pup might 
not relish.

Not all dogs are as flexible as mine are when it 
comes to their diet. As a matter of fact, I know 
several canines who have much pickier pallets than 
that of my Molly and Tater, and the expectations at 
meal time can become quite demanding, even for 
the most dedicated of pet owners. Perhaps this is 
why there are so many canine catering companies 
cropping up these days. It seems crazy when you 
think about it, that in this economy people are 
investing as much as they do in simply feeding the 
family dog, but it’s a true fact and I kind of like it!

Purchasing or preparing gourmet foods for ‘Fido’ 
has indeed become a sort of norm for many pet 
owners in recent years, resulting in an over-night 
thriving market for a new-born food product 
line that caters to canines. Among the recently 
established canine cookeries is a company called 
“Three Dog Bakery”, founded by Dan Dye and 
Mark Beckloff of Kansas City Missouri in the mid 
1980‘s. Dan and Mark, a couple of true animal 
lovers who simply wanted to do the best they could 
to care for their pets, were initially inspired by 
their dog, “Amazing Gracie” (born deaf and blind 
in one eye) to research the ingredients of the dog 
food products that were available in the market at 
the time. Their goal was to find a dog food that 
contained the most optimal ingredients to help 
combat Gracie‘s inherent health issues. Eventually 
they came to the conclusion that the best way to 
ensure “Amazing Gracie” was getting the proper 
nutrition, was to prepare her meals themselves. 
Ultimately, after coming up with some great 
recipes, they found themselves in the position to 
share what they’d learned with the general public 
by marketing their dog food products in hopes 
of helping other pets with similar health issues. 
Today, Three Dog Bakery stores can be found 
in almost every state within the US, and they 
continue to grow and thrive as a classic “American 
Dream” start-up company.

What I like most about the Three Dog Bakery 
story is the fact that the founders were inspired 
by the love they had for their dog. When they 
were on a quest to find the best food to feed their 
beloved canine, they weren’t focused on founding 
a company to make money and get rich, but as a 
result of loving their pet and making her health 
a priority, they were blessed with success. It may 
sound rather corny to some, but to me that is 
indeed the best success story to be told, where 
unconditional love is the purest source of success. 
When one is focused on doing what is right and 
good for another, versus following an obsession in 
hopes of benefiting one’s self, some pretty 
amazing things can happen! I am sure a 
lot of dog owners have benefited from 
the original foot work that led to some 
amazing pet products, all because of Dan 
and Mark’s sincere endeavor to give their 
dog a happier, healthier life.

There are other canine catering businesses 
that offer all kinds of healthy food products 
for pets, and I imagine most of them 
probably have a similar interesting story 
to tell about what led to the founding of 
their company. I was personally inspired 
to leave my corporate career to pursue 
a way of living that would allow me to 
spend more time 
with my own pets. Eventually, my personal pursuit 
led me to start Canyon Canine Dog Walking and 
Pet Sitting, allowing me to be with animals 
all day long! It just goes to show that if you 
follow your heart on what you really love 
and care about, you can find true happiness 
in what you do with your time. Well, at least 
it worked for me! I encourage everyone who 
crosses my path to pursue what really makes 
them tick, and try not to focus on how rich 
they might get by what they choose to do. 
After all, is that not an equally, if not more 
challenging risk than most pursuits we find 
ourselves chasing? I find it liberating to let 
go of my needs and greed’s, and instead use 
that energy to follow my heart’s leads, which 
lines up just right with what I always like to 
say; “Love and let live“!

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


PET OF THE WEEK: 

FREYA - #A4496461

Meet the lovely Freya 
(A4496461). Freya is a 
sweet, kissy eight month 
old fawn female Labrador 
Retriever/Boxer mix 
puppy who was dumped 
at the Baldwin Park 
Animal Care Center on 
October 7th. Weighing 
forty-six pounds, she 
sits on command but 
needs additional leash training. She is happy and friendly with 
other dogs, and we think she will be great with children. Freya 
is curious, eager to please, easily trainable, and will make a 
wonderful addition to an active family living in a private home.
To watch a video of Freya please visit: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=z2O1CD6FKbc

To meet Freya in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park Shelter, 
located at 4275 N. Elton St., Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 
626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is currently available now. 
For any inquiries about Freya, please reference her animal ID 
number: A4496461. The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 
pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. 
This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. For 
more information about Freya or the adoption process, contact 
United Hope for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator 
Samantha at samanthasayon@gmail.com or 661-309-2674. To 
learn more about United Hope for Animals’ partnership with 
the Baldwin Park Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, 
as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for 
adoption in local shelters, visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.
org/about-us/shelter-support-program/. 

 
WEAR YOUR COSTUMES!
June Chandler’sTHE HALLOWEEN SHOWA Participation MusicalThe SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 RESERVATIONS (626) 355-4318TICKETS: *$18.00 
Children 12 and under $12.00*Call for special group rates.
CREDIT CARD SALES;
www.sierramadreplayhouse.orgSATURDAYS at 11:00amSept 29, Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 Nov 3Oct 13 - ASL interpretation
Sponsored in part by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation and the Sierra Madre Community FoundationWear your 
costumes!
Visit us on Youtube 
and learn the 
SKELETON DANCE 
to get ready for the show!
June Chandler’s Fairy Tale 
Theatre Halloween ShowHalloween is the SCARIEST night of the year!
We’re going to have an exciting show with lots of wonderful monsters who live 
in the Playhouse; a ghost, skeleton, witch, giant and an invisible man! 
There’s only one problem, the monsters who live in the Playhouse 
they are scared to be scary. We need your help! 
Please come in your costume and show them 
how to do it.
Bring your 
camera!