It’s not every day that I get to share news about a pet product company that’s giving back and believes in helping shelter pets with no strings attached, but today I want to tell you about just that.

They are called BOGO Bowl. (You may hear about them on The Today Show on Tuesday, September 25th!)

It’s pretty easy to let caring readers like you know about this company because they are so different–you’ll never see them on a retail store shelf.

They sell only direct and through shelters.

So the story starts…

They say things happen for a reason, and Sara Henderson and Susan Hollar believe that’s true.

Something good has to come from the bad – why else would two dogs be horrifically abused in different ways, if not to bring about good in the world? The ladies met after they each rescued special needs dogs: one tied to railroad tracks and the other shot and left to die at the river’s edge.

This was how Chance and Duke inspired their moms to found BOGO Bowl dog food (buy one, give one). Photos of Chance and Duke are to the right.

The team at BOGO Bowl wants to put high-quality food in every dog bowl across America, whether the bowl is in a comfy home or a caring shelter.

Pet pantries are the unsung heroes of the animal welfare world, working hard to keep loved pets in their homes and out of our overburdened shelters. They sometimes have the hardest time getting food donations because they are not yet fully appreciated.

“We believe they are the front line of helping end the tide of homeless pets in our country so we fully support their efforts,” said Sara!

Imagine if every time you purchased a bag of food for your dog, you could give a bag of the same food to a dog in need, in your neighborhood.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? In this case, it is true: When you feed your dog, another dog IN YOUR AREA gets to eat, too. Shelters, rescues and pantries are forever in need of donations and food.

Some of us don’t have the budget or funds to give away, especially in these tough economic times. Your dog gets a great bag of nutritious food from BOGO Bowl and so does the dog in need down the street, in your neighborhood.

Not halfway across the country.

Not somewhere on a list where you have no clue what happens to the dog food or if a dog ever gets to be fed.

Plus, the food is high quality, is made in the USA and isn’t double-priced nor overinflated.

With the holidays around the corner, this is a feel-good company that wears its heart on their sleeve. You can learn more at http://www.bogobowl.com.

 BOGO Bowl Facts

 About BOGO Bowl: Des Moines-based BOGO Bowl launched in June 2012 as the only pet food company with the buy one, give one model. With every purchase of healthy, high-quality BOGO Bowl dog food, a matching bag of food will be given to a dog in need at no additional cost. BOGO Bowl is committed to keeping pets in their homes and helping give shelter animals more time to find a loving home. BOGO Bowl dog food is currently available for purchase by calling 1-877-756-2646 and at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. It can also be purchased nationally through online sales and at some shelters and rescues. Learn more at BOGObowl.com.

 How it works: With every purchase of healthy, high-quality BOGO Bowl dog food, a matching bag of food will be given to a dog in need at no additional cost. BOGO Bowl follows this buy one, give one approach to help provide dog food to families in need, so they don’t have to part with a pet, as well as provide quality, healthy food to shelter animals, so they have more time to find a loving home.

 Matching: When you buy a bag of BOGO Bowl online, a matching bag of food will be given to a dog in need near you. The food is given to a local pet pantry or other organization that directly supports the keep pets at home model. Shelters and rescues that sell BOGO Bowl food will keep the matching bag to feed their charges.

 Formulas Available: BOGO Bowl brand dry dog foods are available in the following formulas: puppy, maintenance, healthy weight, chicken meal and rice, salmon meal and rice, lamb meal and rice, and no grain. Each formula is available in 20-pound bags.

 Ingredients: All formulas meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials criteria for quality, healthful pet food. BOGO Bowl uses healthful, quality ingredients. Just like other high quality dog food brands, protein is the main ingredient. The formulas include fruits and vegetables. They don’t contain byproducts or use artificial colors or flavors. Corn, wheat or soy is not used as filler. In fact, all the starches used are encapsulated so well there’s less fermentation in a dog’s body.

 Availability: All formulas of BOGO Bowl are currently available for purchase by calling 1-877-756-2646. The puppy and maintenance formulas are available for purchase at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. BOGO Bowl is available for purchase at BOGObowl.com with shipping included. Shelters and rescues across the country may sell BOGO Bowl.

 Prices: BOGO Bowl dog foods are comparable in price to other high-quality dog food brands. When buying direct from BOGO Bowl, the 20-pound bags range from $41.20 – $63.40 and include shipping. Prices at shelters and rescues will vary.

 About the Founder: Sara Henderson founded Des Moines-based BOGO Bowl in 2012. Sara is also the founder of the Pet Project Midwest, a not-for-profit organization in Iowa with the mission to keep pets in their homes and out of shelters.

Learn more about BOGO Bowl now at http://www.bogobowl.com.

Interesting Pet Ownership and Pet Food Statistics 

 62% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 72.9 million homes. – Source: 2011-2012 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey

 According to the American Pet Products Association, pet ownership is trending up, despite the fluctuating economy, as is spending on pet health and welfare products, particularly food. This increase spans income levels.

 The Humane Society of the United States estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized.

 In the 1970s, American shelters euthanized 12-20 million dogs and cats, at a time when there were 67 million pets in homes. Today, shelters euthanize around 4 million animals, while there are more than 135 million dogs and cats in homes. This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about 3 percent—represents substantial progress. – Source: Human Society of the United States

 Low adoption rates are one factor driving the high number of animals in shelters, but every year, millions of dogs and cats are relinquished by their owners—or rescued from the streets by animal control officers and private citizens—and brought to animal shelters. These circumstances leave shelters and rescue groups with a large number of animals in need of homes. – Source: Human Society of the United States.

 The American Pet Products Association estimates that $52.87 billion will be spent on pets in the U.S. in 2012.

 The “humanization” of companion animals has ensured regular and consistent growth in the industry. A report by Packaged Facts’ says that the U.S. pet market remains healthy, attributing this strength to factors such as the human-animal bond, an aging pet population and big-spending baby boomers. Packaged Facts expects the annual sales rate to increase approximately 6% in 2012.

 According to WeeklyPets.blogspot.com, “strong increases in pet food spending were recently made by households making only $15,000 – $39,000 per year.”

New Recipe for a Better Life™ Formulas Offer Precisely Balanced Nutrition and Industry Leading Quality

Hill’s is dedicated to animal welfare.

And through their remarkable recipes and food formulas, they help animals live longer and happier lives.

So I’m happy to announce that Hill’s Pet Nutrition is reformulating Science Diet food for dogs and cats to add more natural ingredients. This is yet another major improvement to Hill’s Science Diet pet foods since the brand was launched in 1968.

The new formulations will be available in December 2012.

Hill’s has endlessly innovated for over 70 years to provide precisely balanced nutrition to meet the specific needs of pets. Their product development continues to focus on delivering nutrition with clinically proven benefits, that is precisely balanced to deliver the optimal level of nutrients and customized for the pet’s age, size and lifestyle.

“We took a food that already delivered precisely balanced nutrition, industry leading quality and great taste and made it even better by adding the natural ingredients that pet parents want,” said Hill’s U.S. President Kostas Kontopanos.

Since its beginning in 1939, Hill’s has taken a consistent, scientific approach to developing nutritional therapies and wellness products for dogs and cats.

“But it’s not only about the science,” explained Kontopanos.

“It’s our dedication to our mission to enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets that drives the development and continuous improvement of our pet foods.”

 “Helping improve the health, longevity and quality of life for pets is at the heart of everything we do at Hill’s” explained Kontopanos.  “That’s why Science Diet is Veterinarians’ #1 choice to feed their own pets. We also want to be pet parents’ #1 choice, with the ingredients you prefer, the uncompromising nutrition that more than 50 precisely balanced nutrients deliver and the quality you can trust.”

New Hill’s Packaging

Hill’s will reformulate Science Diet pet foods because some consumers were making product choices based primarily on set criteria for ingredients, rather than the overall promise of superior nutrition, backed by clinical research.

“By providing the key nutrients critical to maintaining optimal health, from ingredients that consumers prefer, our products, now even better, will deliver exactly what your pet needs: the benefits of complete and precisely balanced nutrition with a taste they will love.”

The new Science Diet® dog and cat food formulas will feature:

• Quality protein as the first ingredient
• Natural ingredients
• No more chicken by-product
• No more artificial colors or flavors
• Great taste guaranteed

Along with the new formulation, Hill’s also will introduce new packaging designs, as well as new color-coded product groupings under Life Stage, Life Style and Life Care, which will soon appear in pet stores.  You can see the new packaging to the picture of the bag on the left.

This makes a Better Shopping Experience: Pet parents aren’t just looking for food, they’re looking for solutions. The new shopping categories reduce shelf clutter by 50% which makes finding the right Science Diet® food easier.

“We want pet parents to know that the ingredients we choose for any of our pet foods will always provide the precise balance of nutrients your pets need for optimal health and longevity,” Kontopanos said. “That is why this is the ‘Recipe for a better life’ for your pet and for your rich and long relationship together.

About Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. manufactures Hill’s® Prescription Diet® brand pet foods, therapeutic pet foods available only through veterinarians, and Hill’s® Science Diet® brand pet foods sold through veterinarians and finer pet specialty stores. Founded more than 60 years ago with a unique commitment to pet nutrition and well-being, Hill’s is committed to its mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill’s produces high-quality; great-tasting pet foods owners can trust and give to their canine and feline companions as part of a veterinary health care team recommendation. This ultimately improves patient health and the health of the practice. For more information about Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc., and Hill’s Evidence-Based Clinical Nutrition™ visit HillsPet.com, or visit us on Facebook, keywords “Hill’s Pet Nutrition.”

A line of natural dinners and treats that nourish pets’ well-being

 *I believe that my dogs have earned and definitely deserve to be getting the most nutritionally and purposefully balanced foods and treats. Spring Naturals makes this possible with their new line of kibbles and treats for dogs that we were lucky enough to get a sample of a few weeks back.

Today’s pet owners are savvy and well-informed; they’re sophisticated. They know what they like and what they want – especially for Fido. And key among pet parents’ concerns is knowing that they’re feeding their pet the best possible diet – and knowing where that food is coming from.

That’s why Spring Naturals prides itself on using only the highest quality ingredients from select suppliers in the USA and Canada. It turns to Western Europe for only vitamin/mineral mixes and to the best place to get it – New Zealand for lamb.

Each Spring Naturals product is made in the USA without any ingredients from China to give pet parents complete confidence.

*This is thee best things about the formulas I thought. No China products = no melamine, no plastic, no containment, and no God-only-knows-what-else-being-put-in-your-dog-food.

Though the Spring Naturals commitment to providing wholesome, high-quality products is certainly refreshing, it isn’t new. Spring Naturals, which debuted on store shelves in early 2012, is brought to you by Performance Pet Products, a subsidiary of American Foods Group. This family-owned firm is the 5^th largest beef processing company in the US, and has helped nourish millions of people and companion animals since 1946.

Some of the nation’s leading pet nutritionists have developed each of Spring Naturals’ recipes, and only real meat, poultry or fish is used as the #1 ingredient. Unlike other pet foods, Spring Naturals does NOT contain meat, poultry or fish meals of any kind. Meaning, each Spring Naturals recipe is formulated without high-glycemic ingredients like corn, wheat, soy, potato starch or rice, for a more pure recipe. 

*This is really the best part about Spring Naturals food and treats if you ask me – no chicken meal or meat meal, just real meat. I think this may have something to do with why Franklin and Ramsey gobbled it up so fast too. The taste must have been phenomenal to them. I know I couldn’t keep the treats away. I gave them one, and pretty soon it was four and then I said ‘NO MORE!” BOL!

And the ingredients on the Beef Treats we got went as such: Beef, apples, molasses, natural flavor, chickpeas, salt, spinach, quinoa, oats, blueberries, cranberries, flaxseed, rosemary extract, apricots, dandelion greens, calcium propionate, zinc propionate. They INHALED these – these treats turned Franklin from a “so-so” on dog treat dog to a “woo-hoo-I’m-getting-a-dog-treat” kind of dog). The treats have no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, by-products, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.

After real meat, Spring Naturals adds a sensible blend of whole vegetables and fruits that are naturally rich in antioxidants. And for a source of fiber and complex carbohydrates, they add whole grains such as oats, barley and quinoa. An ancestral grain, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source.

The Spring Naturals’ line includes dry and canned dinners for dogs in Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Salmon.

* This is another thing I like – the variety so the boys don’t get sick of one flavor. Many times when a new dog food comes out they have one flavor. Spring Naturals has five!

Look for their recipes available in Whole Grain and Grain Free varieties, with an Organic line arriving later this summer.

*Also, you won’t want to forget Spring Naturals Treats, which include more whole meat, blueberries, cranberries and oats to keep your pup healthy and happy.

* Sooo, since taste was no issue, we have to look at the food coming out because you all know what comes out is just as important as what goes in. We have one word. SOLID. HOORAY! Okay that’s two words. But usually when we give them something new they get the runs so we were pleasantly surprised and I’m sure they were too!

Fans of Spring Naturals can follow them at http://www.facebook.com/springnaturals or on Twitter @springnaturals. To learn more about Spring Naturals and their growing line of dinners and treats visit their website.

*** This fresh approach to feeding pets hasn’t been ignored. Pet Business, a leading pet products trade magazine, recently named Spring Naturals the winner in the dog food category of their prestigious 2011 Industry Recognition Award! ***

About Spring Naturals

Spring Naturals is a fresh, new family of nutritionally balanced dinners and treats for pets. Each carefully blended recipe is made with more real meat, poultry or fish as the first ingredient, plus whole vegetables, whole fruits and whole grains. Then chickpeas, green peas and eggs are added for a unique blend of high-quality proteins. And because Spring Naturals contains more real meat, each recipe is formulated without high-glycemic ingredients like corn, wheat, soy, potato starch or rice. Best yet, pet parents will have peace of mind knowing that each Spring Naturals dinner and treat is made with ingredients sourced from the USA, by a family-owned company.

Disclosure: I received a sample of the food and the beef treats from Spring Naturals for a review. I was not paid to write a review and opinions herein are entirely of my own will.

Forgive us for being behind please…we have a couple reviews to do still that included Benson’s opinion and very impawtant input…

When Benson was still with us, a while back (at least 5 months ago), we tried the Nature’s Variety® Instinct® Raw Boost Bites™ in Lamb flavor. We apologize for taking so long to do the review to everyone.

Benny, in his senior semi-stubborn state, loved these things like no other cookie or treat we had EVER given him.

He welcomed them into his watering mouth with open paws (or he would have if he could lift them all up at the same time) and he followed Dad around with the bag after he had just two of the Lamb treats – a feat considering that at the end there Benny couldn’t really move off the couch too well.

With their perfect shape and size, and freeze-dried consistency, Benson wolfed these things down and would often trick us into taking him outside to potty just so he could get one! We, of course, obliged, and let him have as many as he wanted, and he never got diarrhea or any stomach problems from them.

Benson liked the Instinct® Raw Boost Bites™ SO much that we went on a wild goose chase trying to find them at pet stores around here. After three unsuccessful attempts, I reached out to the PR guru who first sent me a package and asked for help. His response was to send me another bag – a bag of the Chicken flavor for Benny to try in his last days on this Earth… very generous company if you ask me. Not just any company would do that for a dying dog. I emailed him this:

“Our senior Golden, Benson, who has SEVERE lymphangiectasia (Google it – it’s bad) and can’t really have a whole lot – LOVES the treats. He loves them so much that I just got off the website and printed Dad a $3 coupon for the kibble and a location map to find more Raw Boost Treats!!! We tried the lamb and Benny ate them right up — but want to get beef and chicken because Benny loves those flavors (of other things.) Benson is 12 and can hardly keep anything “down.” We have found only about three treats/chewies in the past 6 months that he likes and can keep down.”

So here are the takeaways:

• Nature’s Variety® is an extremely generous company!
• Benson loved the easily digestible treats that come in Lamb, Venison, Beef and Chicken.
• Benson kept the treats down though his disease caused him to throw up many other treats we tried.
• Instinct® Raw Boost Bites™ are convenient, freeze-dried bites that offer nutritional benefits and help with increased energy, digestive health, and lean muscle. They’re ideal for traveling, training and treating!
• Instinct® Raw Boost Bites™ are made for dogs and cats!
• Find Nature’s Variety® on Facebook and Twitter!

It was a very emotional moment when a close friend named Linda, who was still grieving over the recent loss of her faithful dog, was introduced to a brand new puppy courtesy of her concerned and caring family.  It quickly became a heart-warming experience as she and the puppy (she decided to call it Henry) got to know each other and quickly became the best of pals.  Whereas Henry is a small, lithe and chirpy Spaniel, her previous pet had been a much larger and heavier Labrador-type dog that was ponderous and slightly slow.  When the initial excitement died down a few days after she brought him home, Linda’s main concern became which dog food brand would best suit the newest member of her family.

Making choices

Linda had gotten both of her dogs through the Humane Society, so not knowing exactly how Henry had been looked after previously meant that good nutrition was high on her list when she started making decisions about his diet.  It was wonderful to know that Henry was free from any kind of serious illness or disease, so there was no need to seek out special ingredients or to avoid any kind of food to which he might be allergic.

Types of puppy food

Many animal health experts favor meat-based diets for puppies these days, principally those which contain chicken, lamb, or beef, although non-meat foodstuffs which are corn-based or grain-based are also quite popular.  In fact, a well-balanced diet needs both meat and a proportion of dry foodstuffs, and many homemade recipes deliver just that.  Besides commercially produced products, homemade foods can be adapted to feed a puppy, and recipes designed to provide either raw or pre-packaged elements that mimic ‘natural’ dog diets can be followed.

However, Linda is a busy lady, and she decided that she wanted to find the right foodstuffs to provide what Henry needed without spending a lot of time concocting specially prepared recipes at home, and so she shopped around for the right dog food brand.  Many veterinary nutrition specialists recommend chicken-based foods for puppies above others, although turkey, fish, and even venison can be beneficial in the right quantities.

Finding the right puppy food

According to some experts, the key element in determining the best diet for any puppy is getting the balance between calcium and phosphorous content right.  Just like shopping for the rest of the family, it is important to pay attention to the label when shopping for puppy food; some experts suggest choosing food with a minimum protein content of 30 percent and a minimum fat content of 18 percent.  Along with being wary of food coloring and fillers, experts also recommend checking that puppy food contains vitamins C and E, and some omega fatty acids.

Important things to remember about feeding your puppy

As with all dogs, puppies should not be overfed no matter how ‘hungry’ they appear to be.  Follow the recommended guidelines concerning the frequency and amount of food for the specific type of pup you have, so as to ensure that the animal is not underfed or overfed.  This will help to ensure that your puppy is full of life, healthy, and provides great company.