51. Picture-Perfect Pets & Valentine's Day Treats

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00;00;00;05 - 00;00;14;10
Chris
Pets add life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond with Christian Levine and Chris Bowen, a fan powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

00;00;14;13 - 00;00;28;18
Chris
All right, welcome to another episode of Pets at Life. I am Chris joined, as always, by the absolutely, positively lovely and intelligent Kristin Levine.

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Chris
Kristen, how are we doing today?

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Kristen
I'm doing great and, it's almost Valentine's Day, so I'm curious to know what you've got planned for hope.

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Chris
I, we have nothing planned quite yet. We usually play Valentine's Day pretty low key. We'll go to a restaurant or something like that. I'm sure she already is. Here's a tip for all the men out there. Because they're. There's always, I found in a relationship that thing where you go, well, what do you want, and what do you want to do?

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Chris
Or where do you want to go to eat? And it's always like an I don't know. And then you end up into like an I don't know off. Here's a tip.

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Kristen
Oh yeah.

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Chris
You say I'm going to take you to a restroom and then they're going to say, oh, Eric, Woody, which one? And you're gonna say guess. And then whatever they guess say they're right and then make a reservation. Is that is it is it foolproof? It is.

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Kristen
Brilliant.

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Chris
Yeah. Yep. Because nobody ever wants to be the be the decider. Right. And make the other person in the relationship upset. So it's a little bit of romantic advice from your local accent. So, yeah, which is what you should be doing if you need relationship advice, you should be doing is be listening to Last. Yeah. We got we've got a couple a little Valentine's Day treats lined up for you all.

00;01;52;19 - 00;02;17;18
Chris
But as always, we'll be doing two stories, interviewing two guests, talking about two great products. And at the end, we're going to answer two of your pet related questions. We're not. This is not Doctor Love, though. Write it down. Spin off episode. Spin spin off series Chris and Kristen give people relationship advice. Horrible relationship with us. Yes, some of the worst.

00;02;17;20 - 00;02;20;28
Kristen
Well, I don't know. We're both happily married, so maybe we'd be good at it.

00;02;21;00 - 00;02;25;21
Chris
I happened to that purely by chance.

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Kristen
No to.

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Chris
Involve no. No skill. No skill involved. By pure bubbling charisma. And just a lacks a physical sense of luck.

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Kristen
Oh. Gosh.

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Chris
And hope if you're out there, I. I hope, you know, I try my best. I hope you know it. I try my damn best. But, yeah, you got. You're stuck with me for the next forever, so deal with it.

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Kristen
Well, for those listeners who are here for the pet stories and advice and guests, let's let's jump into our story time.

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Chris
Kristen and Chris present story time. All right. Kristen, do you want to lead off this story time or were you like me? Yeah. First.

00;03;07;08 - 00;03;32;07
Kristen
I'll I'll lead it off. My story is that I came across this really cool program. It's called the Dog Adoption Success Program. And the whole idea behind it is it's intended to help keep dogs who have been recently adopted in those homes and out of shelters. And, you know, I started my career in the pet world at the SPCA of Tampa Bay.

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Kristen
And this time of year, like February, actually, January, February, March, we would see a lot of puppies return to the shelter that were given as gifts for Christmas. And typically it was because the people really weren't prepared for the responsibility and all of the effort, training and so on and so forth, that is really required, to bring a puppy into the home.

00;03;55;03 - 00;04;12;12
Kristen
So this program is really cool because it, it teaches people what to expect in the first three days, three weeks and three months of adopting a new dog doesn't have to be a puppy. It can be really, you know, an adult dog as well. So I think this is a really great resource. And, they have you can buy it outright, the program.

00;04;12;18 - 00;04;35;15
Kristen
But also, I read that a lot of shelters have adopted this program and offer it for free once you adopt a dog. So I think that's a really great idea. Dog life is the name of the company. And, I think if you're having trouble with the puppy you adopted that you adopted or purchased for the holidays, definitely get your hands on this resource.

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Chris
Yeah. It's great. Yeah, all sorts of great stuff out there for people who are just beginning their journey with pets. So, don't be afraid to ask and look for help.

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Kristen
What's your story?

00;04;48;26 - 00;05;22;21
Chris
We're we're going back to Chris. Be the science guy here. Because I saw a really interesting one. And I'm gonna put this this article in the show notes, because there's a lot here. But the the headline or the title of the, the, science article is that coyote genes may show urban evolution at work. And I thought this was a really cool story to cover because, a couple episodes ago, we talked to that, professor from Liverpool and talked about how, yeah, moving dogs to an urban environment has drastically changed their personalities.

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Chris
And this study showing, because coyotes gains are, more pure, dogs. We have basically with dogs, we have cultivated their gene pool to be what we needed it to be over the past tens of thousands of years to create the perfect companion. We haven't done that with coyotes. So there's, a group who's doing it. I think it's called, like, selective gene analysis, which is basically looking at what they call candidate genes, and analyzing them and the changes and what's becoming more prevalent.

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Chris
And they found, they studied, coyotes in the Bronx, New York, and, Berkeley, California. And they're seeing that the normally when we talk about evolution, we're talking thousands and thousands of years, but they're seeing changes take place over just a couple of generations. And coyotes live really like 10 or 12. So like that is in like 20 to 30 years.

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Chris
They're actually seeing measurable changes in the genetic structure of coyotes. Now, I just thought that was like a really cool thing to, to bring up when we were just talking about the urban impact. Right on, on animals. And now here we have probably, you know, I'm a fake science. I'm no scientist, but I do play one on TV.

00;06;44;26 - 00;07;07;19
Chris
I think coyotes are pretty damn close to dogs, genetically. So it's a really cool insight to how things could have gone, with with dogs and the way that urban, lifestyles may be changing. So if you're like me and love to nerd out over little scientific discoveries and see what these super, super crazy smart people are up to and maybe support their work, go ahead and check out that link.

00;07;07;22 - 00;07;40;04
Chris
Awesome. Beyond the Leash Exploring the untold Stories of pet passion professionals. All right, joining us now is Darlene Woodward and acclaimed pet photographer and positive dog trainer, whose journey began with Coda, a rescued husky mix who profoundly shaped her life from struggling with Cota's reactivity to becoming a certified trainer. Darlene found her calling and capturing the essence of pets through photography, her passion for northern breeds, and her love for Winter freak.

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Chris
That led her to create breathtaking images of dogs and snowy backdrops. With over 70 years of experience photographing hundreds of pets and supporting shelters rescues across New England, Darlene brings a unique blend of artistry, compassion and expertise to the pet community and perfect timing because we are having this ridiculous cold snap across the northeast. So it's great to have you on, Darlene.

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Darlene
Chris, thank you so much, and thank you so much for that intro. And I was getting.

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Skylar
A little teary eyed when you mentioned my dog Coda.

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Chris
Well, we're going to keep those. We're going to keep those tears going because I want to jump off with some of that. That background on coda. And so, you know, she, Coda obviously played a huge role in shaping your path. Can you talk a little bit about, their inspiration to you and why you decided to pick up the camera and turn that into a career?

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Darlene
Definitely. Definitely. So I had a huge, huge career change. I was a flight attendant for 16 years, and I went from traveling the world to rescuing this project dog. My husband and I rescued Koda in 2011, and she wasn't an easy dog. She would have was a dog that would have been euthanized, and I went through several trainers who had wanted to use some punishing methods on her as a puppy.

00;09;01;29 - 00;09;28;08
Darlene
That didn't sit right with me. So at that time I said, you know what? There's a better way. I'm going to learn everything I can about dog training to help this dog. And I went and got certified to dog training, started my own dog walking business training business, worked with Cota, took an early retirement from flying, and then I picked up the camera because to me, she was and she was the most beautiful dog in the world.

00;09;28;08 - 00;09;52;09
Darlene
And I'm sorry, I said. And they are, they are. We're all right when we say that. But she was so photogenic and through her, I just became obsessed with taking the pictures and taking the photos of her, which led to adding that into my dog training business. And eventually I just went full time pet photography a few years ago.

00;09;52;11 - 00;10;15;25
Darlene
And yeah, I did say goodbye to her about two years ago and that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Because she was my soul dog, my heart dog, my inspiration to everything I do now. I didn't think I would ever be able to pick up a camera again, but I realized shortly after losing her that was about the only thing I could do.

00;10;15;28 - 00;10;20;02
Darlene
And I always feel like she's been there with me, really through everything.

00;10;20;05 - 00;10;33;27
Kristen
Part of her legacy now is your work. Yeah. Isn't it amazing how a pet, a dog can inspire us to to to a new career? So true. That's pretty cool that I want to. Let's talk more about winter. You said yes.

00;10;33;29 - 00;10;35;15
Darlene
This is your favorite.

00;10;35;15 - 00;10;46;19
Kristen
Season for photography. And tell us what makes winter so special. And, how do you ensure both pets and owners are comfortable during the chilly seasons when we're doing these photo shoots?

00;10;46;22 - 00;11;13;21
Darlene
Yes, yes. And winter isn't for everyone and it shouldn't be for everyone. And I didn't love winter until rescuing Koda and having a winter dog who loved being outside through, you know, negative degrees, the wind chills and all that. So she got me outside doing those fun winter things, and we did a lot of snowshoeing together. That was our favorite activity.

00;11;13;21 - 00;11;40;26
Darlene
Put on the snowshoes, head out. We have trails right behind us, and we would go head out on the trails. And then just when it comes to photography, that peacefulness in the winter, something about that golden light. And there's golden light all year round, but something about winter and that, I don't know, it's just extra special and glimmering and shimmery that I just became a little bit more obsessed with it.

00;11;41;02 - 00;11;50;08
Darlene
And photographing those dogs who love winter with all that joy and that environment just made it even extra special. Yeah, that makes sense.

00;11;50;13 - 00;12;09;17
Chris
That no, it definitely does make sense. And I have a bit of a follow up question with the photography. Yes, I looked at some of the pictures and you do such a great job of capturing a dog's unique personality. So how as a photographer, do you do you bring that out in the in the photo sessions?

00;12;09;19 - 00;12;37;13
Darlene
Thank you. That is a great question. And as you've seen, if you've seen my work, I am more outdoor photographer. I feel dogs outside are more in their element and they can kind of be themselves. And one thing with photos too, when it comes with working with dogs, I would rather photograph a dog in their backyard where they're most comfortable and could be them, then going to an epic location, which those are beautiful, epic locations, beautiful landscapes.

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Darlene
It all makes for great photos. But sometimes, if you're right in their own environment, in their backyard where they could run around, play with their toys, be in their fenced in yard, let them off leash, you can really capture that spirit that they do have. So I love I love doing that with them.

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Kristen
Yeah. And and Darlene, I know that you've contributed a lot to helping shelters and rescues, with your photography. Can you tell us 1 or 2 memorable moments from working with adoptable dogs?

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Darlene
Oh my goodness. Doctor Wood? Yeah. I started, with working with a shelter dogs, probably when I was dog training. I was dog training at our local Maska. I train classes there, and then I started photographing some of the shelter. Shelter dogs. But this is just. This one's popping up in my head because I'm going back to now, 2011, when I photographed this one little dog for holiday portraits, she was adopted.

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Darlene
I followed her throughout the years. She was in a book that I had self-published. She was been part of projects I've done over the years and, you know, became good close with her owner. And she recently passed away. And I myself went back to those rescue photos that I took and then her whole journey. And something about that is just so extra special, because I've met these dogs while they were looking for their forever homes and then could kind of follow them and continue their journey to, you know, while they're living in their homes.

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Darlene
Yeah.

00;14;15;13 - 00;14;40;02
Chris
That's really special. Yeah. To be a part of the and really see that evolution. I have another sort of photography related question here. I'm sure we have a lot of aspiring and amateur photographers listening to the show who want to take better pictures of their pets. I know that when I take a picture of my cat, I get the same pose and the same attitude every single time.

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Chris
Yep. Cats are a little different. Okay, let me get a cat to do anything the cat doesn't want to do. But, do you have any tips for people who want to take better, pet photographs? Whether they're doing it for, like, a little holiday card or just to stock memories, you know, since you talk about how important those are when, you know, sort of looking back on your journey with your pet.

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Darlene
Definitely. Great question to our cell phones today can do amazing things. Yeah. So I tell people, you know, take out the cell phone, use it. They do. They take wonderful pictures. So the big thing is get down as low as you can on the ground. And if you if you can't think you can get lower, get lower. Good photo of a pet is you want to be at their level like you want to be part of their environment.

00;15;28;22 - 00;15;49;20
Darlene
So hence what I do. Photo sessions. I have rain in waterproof gear over all my clothing because I'm lying pretty much on the ground most of the time, so we want to get it there level to take those pictures. And a lot of times people do think treats are what is going to get their attention, like, oh, food, you know, food and a lot of dogs are food.

00;15;49;28 - 00;16;11;12
Darlene
But what happens when you use treats to get a dog's attention? They pay more attention to your hand and they become obsessed with that and more food. Whereas noises, unique sounds are really what are going to capture the dogs attention. That's how you're going to get that little head tilt. That little kind of the ear is going up.

00;16;11;14 - 00;16;28;15
Darlene
And I use a lot of noisemakers from coyote collars, different collars, unique sounds, which now you can even get on your cell phone. And that's a great way to get your dog to look at you during that brief moment. You can capture the image.

00;16;28;18 - 00;16;33;20
Kristen
That is a great tip. I know it's frustrating sometimes when your dog is hyper focused on the treat. Hey, I.

00;16;33;20 - 00;16;35;01
Darlene
Just have to. I just have to take this.

00;16;35;01 - 00;16;42;20
Kristen
Opportunity to show. This is a photo I took of my dog. Chilly in the snow boots. I don't know if you can see that. Yeah, I mean, it's not crazy. You know.

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Darlene
His face is. It's beautiful in focus.

00;16;45;03 - 00;17;01;06
Kristen
But, you know, as you know, it's it's hard to photograph black pets. Right? So I found the snow to be such a great background. Chili cross the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago, but I just love this photo of him. And, So, yeah, I'm a big fan of the snow pics too.

00;17;01;07 - 00;17;13;22
Darlene
Well, it's beautiful and I guess I have a black dog. Makes a beautiful backdrop that contrast that white, which would even, yeah, work in color. Black and white photos. Well, it's beautiful and I'm so sorry.

00;17;13;25 - 00;17;36;22
Kristen
Oh. Thank you. Let me, let me, let's wrap things up with this question a little bit different question. I know that you have experience with reactive dogs. So what do you do when you're working with, a dog that has anxiety, fear, or reactive? How do you relax them? For the photo shoot? Get to capture their true personality?

00;17;36;24 - 00;17;58;14
Darlene
Yes. Another good question. That's what I would first recommend. Like, I was saying, doing the photos right in their backyard where they're most comfortable. I have worked with dogs who are people reactive to and I use longer lenses where I can stay at a distance. So what happens in that type of session? We'll let the dog be themselves.

00;17;58;14 - 00;18;16;25
Darlene
I'm not going to do as much posing. We're going to let them be a dog. Whether run around, do their own thing in the backyard, and then I'm going to take my longer lens and work at a distance from them. And if they want to approach me, that's all on their terms. Bless you, I am. They're not to be not to be their dog's friend.

00;18;16;25 - 00;18;21;22
Darlene
I'm there to make the dog most comfortable and safe.

00;18;21;25 - 00;18;27;14
Kristen
Excellent, excellent. And I love that we have the snowy background in the window behind you. Okay.

00;18;27;17 - 00;18;29;17
Chris
It's like very on the edges.

00;18;29;17 - 00;18;31;26
Darlene
Right. Seem.

00;18;31;29 - 00;18;33;02
Chris
Very on thing.

00;18;33;05 - 00;18;35;02
Kristen
I love it. Yeah, well.

00;18;35;02 - 00;18;54;06
Chris
Darling, thank you so much for, taking the time today to join us and share some of your your work and wisdom. I think you're right. The cell phones are amazing. Everybody, when you have a pet, you're an amateur photographer at the least, right? It's it's great. It's, So some of those tips are very, very, very useful.

00;18;54;08 - 00;18;56;00
Chris
And we appreciate you stopping by.

00;18;56;02 - 00;18;58;26
Darlene
Thank you. Thanks, Chris and Kristen. I appreciate it.

00;18;58;29 - 00;18;59;24
Kristen
Great meeting you.

00;19;00;02 - 00;19;05;24
Darlene
You too. You too. Have a good day.

00;19;05;27 - 00;19;12;20
Kristen
So for our flight attendants who are listening, you too can become a dog photographer. I love that career change.

00;19;12;23 - 00;19;18;20
Chris
Yeah, that's a that's a big switch. And listen, if you're a photographer, you could always become a flight attendant.

00;19;18;22 - 00;19;33;12
Kristen
That's true. And stuff I did want to mention, when we were prepping for the show, I went, I found Darlene's, Instagram page. It's called Paint the Town Photography. And there's some really great examples of her work there. So if you're interested, check her out on Insta.

00;19;33;12 - 00;19;35;02
Chris
Pets add life.

00;19;35;04 - 00;19;57;19
Kristen
Oh, what a treat we have for you now. Skyler crook is the creative force behind woofers, the beloved brand that has refined the way we celebrate life's special moments with our furry friends. As the Director of Marketing, Skyler channels her passion for pets and creativity into curating a delightful range of gourmet dog treats that bring joy to dogs and their humans alike.

00;19;57;24 - 00;20;22;26
Kristen
Now, woofers is dedicated to making life's celebrations in inclusive for four legged companions from birthdays to holidays well first hand designed freshly baked treats are feast for the eyes and the taste buds. Crafted with human grade, locally sourced ingredients, that are safe as they are delicious, as safe as they are delicious. Based in Ontario, Canada, Wolf is completely, not completely.

00;20;22;26 - 00;20;32;04
Kristen
That's not that's not what the says. Well, verse continues artistry and flavor to create dog treats that make every moment memorable. And let me just stop reading and welcome.

00;20;32;07 - 00;20;37;11
Darlene
Skyler regarding his hard work.

00;20;37;13 - 00;20;41;17
Skylar
Right. No, you did a great job. I, I would have been, just as bad.

00;20;41;19 - 00;20;53;19
Kristen
Hahahahaha. So so tell us, Skyler Wolfers is has become a really beloved brand for pet parents across North America. Can you give us a little bit of background on the inspiration behind Wolfers and how it all began?

00;20;53;22 - 00;21;17;29
Skylar
Yeah, so Wolfers is actually kind of just a, the lovechild, if you will, of a business that we already kind of have on the, B2B side is called Bosco and Roxy's, and Glasgow and Roxy's was founded, by my family. This is a family owned business. We own a dog kennel that's like a resort, and we said, like, what other cool things can we offer for our resort guests?

00;21;18;02 - 00;21;39;15
Skylar
And these cookies, kind of were the the idea, they were like, why don't we just do some cookies? So my mother, my father and I were like, oh, let's make some cookies. And it kind of just grew legs and walked away from us there. And, so that is back when Roxy's and then Wolfers is kind of its, baby sister that focuses on our direct to consumer effort.

00;21;39;15 - 00;21;57;06
Skylar
So Pete first and Roxy's is a brand you can purchase for your store, inside of a pet store or any sort of kind of like medium sized store. And then Wolfers is kind of your, brand that you would find on the internet and, and kind of, directly to your door if you wanted to order treats and kind of not leave your house or whatever, you can go to Verizon.

00;21;57;06 - 00;22;00;02
Skylar
Com and and just order it straight to your door.

00;22;00;04 - 00;22;30;06
Chris
Awesome. So Wolfers what kind of sets it apart? Are these locally sourced human greed ingredients that are safe for pets to eat? Because, you know, you can't just go get like a men's off the shelf and get a dog. That would not end well for anybody. So can you walk us through a bit of the process in, you know, kind of what goes into developing a recipe that is safe for a, a dog and is a is a quality product.

00;22;30;08 - 00;22;46;13
Skylar
Yeah. So one of the main things is our treats do not have any preservatives. And then that's our main call out. I'd like to kind of add to just any baked treat in general when you want to go for like a long shelf life or make it last a long time. Preservatives are usually a member of your ingredient deck, but that is not the case for a wolf for street.

00;22;46;13 - 00;23;01;26
Skylar
So we have a very special kind of drying process that we put our treats through that allow us to kind of get that 24 month shelf life that everyone loves, to kind of keep them. But it's a very safe way to do so. So none of that's included on the deck there. That would be my main call.

00;23;01;26 - 00;23;22;23
Skylar
It is a, watching for the types of preservatives that you can find in some of those treats. And in terms of the human grade aspect to our treats, we source all of our, ingredients from human food manufacturers. So that's what that means. So we're, we're contacting, food suppliers, for grocery stores and for other human businesses.

00;23;22;25 - 00;23;35;03
Skylar
And when they provide, for example, applesauce is one of the things we use in our baked treats. We're buying applesauce from a grocery source supplier, essentially, that's done with all of our ingredients.

00;23;35;06 - 00;23;59;01
Kristen
So, Skyler, I have baked dog treats at home before, and they my dog likes them, but they're always really ugly. So I can usually like their, a shape in and like they once had bubbles up the other side doesn't. So can you maybe share some some tips for anyone who wants to make dog treats at home? What what what goes into making treats?

00;23;59;03 - 00;24;03;29
Kristen
Look, as, you know, visually desirable as they are yummy for dogs.

00;24;04;02 - 00;24;23;01
Skylar
Yeah. I would say, you know, it's a very similar process to essentially cutting cookies like a gingerbread. So if you're making cookies for your family, with a gingerbread dough or shortbread dough, it's very similar to, the kind of like dough that our treats are made out of. So we cut them just like you would cut regular human cookies.

00;24;23;04 - 00;24;42;15
Skylar
We mix them in a mixture, just like regular, human cookies and things. But where the where the cookies kind of get their characters, like, the amount of color we have, we we enrobed them fully in this, like, confectioner's glaze, which we kind of use colorings to, to paint a story. And I think that we, we never really leave any left on the table will always go all out.

00;24;42;15 - 00;24;58;27
Skylar
Every design has got four colors. It's got layering, it's got, you know, kind of like human touch. And we always design kind of, with, with a human eye. We always put them through a very scrutinizing voting process. So. And you know what I mean? It's kind of fun. We also eat them, but we also look at them.

00;24;58;27 - 00;25;07;12
Skylar
And so it's definitely a, a combination of just the palettes we kind of come up with. And then we storyboard the palette and we kind of.

00;25;07;13 - 00;25;14;18
Kristen
Oh my gosh, I am so not doing that at home. Yeah, know I'm out, I'm out, I'm out. It's a bit of a lift.

00;25;14;22 - 00;25;23;11
Skylar
It's a bit of a lift for sure. But the old barn does have all those little yogurt treats that are pre colored. I would start there just kind of get all the colors, like ready to go. You lost.

00;25;23;13 - 00;25;24;24
Kristen
You lost me at storyboarding.

00;25;24;29 - 00;25;27;13
Skylar
Yeah. You're like no we don't. Yeah.

00;25;27;15 - 00;25;52;23
Chris
We're not we're not doing that here. But you know so Skyler our relationship with pets is certainly evolving as, you know, dogs are sort of becoming proxy children for a lot of people in, in our generation there. And it's clear that you guys put a lot of effort into the way these treats look. And I don't speak for all dogs, but I'm going to go ahead and say it.

00;25;52;27 - 00;26;10;18
Chris
I don't think dogs care about the way you treat. Looks like not any care. So can you talk a little bit about the evolving culture in pets and and this sort of desire for pet parents to include their dogs in, in some of our, traditions and celebrations?

00;26;10;21 - 00;26;36;17
Skylar
Yeah, 100%. We are playing on an emotion very similar to what it looks like to walk into a coffee shop and see a donut. That is exactly what what is is doing for you. So yes, you're completely right. When that treat is not decorated for the dog at all. It is fully we are fully geared to the human psyche when wanting to speak to you, kind of, this impulse buy, and whoppers fries and kind of exactly that, that impulsive.

00;26;36;17 - 00;26;56;19
Skylar
Oh, my gosh, that's so cute. I want to grab that. Like, oh, his birthday's in a week. I'm going to grab that. But yeah, in terms of speaking to the connection that dogs are increasingly becoming a very much a valued member of family instead of, you know, a pet. 1 in 3 people in North America own own dog.

00;26;56;22 - 00;27;16;24
Skylar
And that's higher than we've ever seen. Yeah. Kind of in any, you would have asked us 15, maybe 25 years ago. It's it wasn't like that. And now and now it is. So we're even seeing, you know, big box kind of carry a larger pet array than what you would have seen normally in kind of, your Kroger's or your Sobeys or your metros.

00;27;16;26 - 00;27;32;00
Skylar
So it is it's an exciting time to be in the pet industry for sure. And it's, it's I have two fur babies of my own, and I can't explain it. It just comes over me, you see it, and you're like, oh my God, these they need that in their life and I want that in my life.

00;27;32;00 - 00;27;34;01
Skylar
And I think that's why.

00;27;34;03 - 00;27;46;16
Chris
I totally agree. I think ten years ago, if you ask somebody, do you get a birthday cake for your dog, you know, people would be like, what the heck are you talking about? But now it's it's like, do you like for me with my cats? Like, do you get a birthday cake for your cat?

00;27;46;17 - 00;27;48;16
Skylar
Absolutely right. It's my.

00;27;48;16 - 00;27;56;19
Chris
Princess. Of course she gets a birthday cake. It's a no, I just don't. It's it's just crazy how how much the culture is moving.

00;27;56;21 - 00;28;22;23
Kristen
Yeah. And I think it's so brilliant that you guys, added the treats to your resort business, because can you imagine walking your pet into the resort and you smell cookies baking? I mean, that one as a pet parent, I mean, we feel so, so good about leaving my dog with you guys. Before we let you go, since you're in the treat biz, and can you give us an idea of what's evolved for those of us who like to buy treats and not make them?

00;28;22;23 - 00;28;30;03
Kristen
So, What what what where where are trends? Where is the trend headed next?

00;28;30;06 - 00;28;52;08
Skylar
Yeah, I think, it is, still kind of one of those major points is, quality. And quality is always something that will be at the forefront of the market, where we might see ebbs and flows in like price sensitivity or, different kind of elaborate, like, how much effort or cost of these treats may fluctuate.

00;28;52;10 - 00;29;15;20
Skylar
We even had a bit of a grain, Freeman. Like grain free movement that happened, started about five years ago, and it kind of ebbs and flows. And now we're seeing, different coloring research come out, but in forefront of everything. And what we, what we strive to keep the base of will for us is like we are using quality, quality, quality first and we are ethically sourcing where those ingredients are coming from and the labor that goes into kind of the love of these cookies.

00;29;15;22 - 00;29;35;04
Skylar
So that's something that is here to stay for Wolfers especially, and for BNR, and that's something I would employ pet parents to kind of call out while they're shopping the shelves. There's so many more options nowadays, so many more things to try. So many different types of things to try. More than ever. But I would always say quality first.

00;29;35;07 - 00;29;48;12
Skylar
And then kind of where was it sourced and, and who kind of who's the things behind making, making that beautiful treat for your pet or as kind of those mean here forevers? I don't think those will be going away anytime soon.

00;29;48;14 - 00;29;58;22
Chris
Yeah. That's great. Absolutely great advice. And one last time before we hang up, where can people go find what works for their special furry companion?

00;29;58;24 - 00;30;12;11
Skylar
Yeah. So us you can go straight to just roofers. Dot com were available in Canada. In the US. And if you enjoy Amazon Prime, like most of us do, we are also on there. You can find all of our Valentine's and other products on Amazon.

00;30;12;13 - 00;30;23;08
Chris
Awesome. All right. Well, Skylar, thank you so much for taking the time today to talk to us. Have a happy Valentine's Day. Take care of your two little fur babies. Give them a nice snuggling treat for us.

00;30;23;10 - 00;30;26;02
Skylar
Yes, and to you as well guys, thank you so much.

00;30;26;02 - 00;30;28;05
Chris
Pets add life.

00;30;28;07 - 00;30;30;20
Kristen
Oh, she has a dream job.

00;30;30;22 - 00;30;36;15
Chris
Yeah, I didn't know you've tried to make your own dog treats before. That is. Oh, so that's a fun fact.

00;30;36;17 - 00;30;41;11
Kristen
Yeah, I did it and I, I took pictures like, for Instagram and it was embarrassing.

00;30;41;13 - 00;31;03;28
Chris
I remember when I first started, my tenure in the pet industry and I went to my first global pet Expo, and I saw a booth that said, like, you could try our dog biscuits. And, you know, because they're human. Great. Yeah. And I was like, okay, let's give this a whirl. Expecting something that was going to taste like a people cookie.

00;31;04;00 - 00;31;16;24
Chris
And then I ate it. Didn't taste like a people cookie. No. Sad. But it's mostly because there's no sugar, right? You can't give you can't give your dogs, refined sugars and stuff like, that's really bad for their teeth. So if you heard, you.

00;31;16;24 - 00;31;18;06
Kristen
Wish you would fall for that.

00;31;18;10 - 00;31;31;18
Chris
Yeah. I fell for, like, a sucker, like, instantly. That's back when I was, like, 23 as well. So I was, like, super naive. But you got to talk about, like, using applesauce and like those other alternative ingredients and things like that. It's really cool.

00;31;31;20 - 00;31;38;17
Kristen
Yeah. Sweet potatoes to make good ingredients. But whatever you do, whether you bake them or buy them, make don't forget your pet on Valentine's Day.

00;31;38;20 - 00;31;55;04
Chris
The product of the week. All right, folks, it's time for the pop pop pop pop pop pop. The product of the week. Me me me me me. Is that that's like the airhorn that like Jay-Z? Okay. All right. Yeah. It wasn't very.

00;31;55;04 - 00;31;56;07
Kristen
Good to shake the pompoms.

00;31;56;12 - 00;32;25;24
Chris
It wasn't very good. It wasn't. It was a very good. You're a much better cheerleader than I'd be a deejay. Well, I'll go. I'll kick things off. Kristen, I've got a. Yeah, another, economic, product here, just priced at $10. And obviously, you could probably hear it in my voice a little bit, because that little bit of neighborliness and being stuffy, you know, winter coat and the cat, it's all over the clothes.

00;32;25;24 - 00;32;42;20
Chris
It's all over the sweatshirt. I've been in, like my, like, seasonal depression mode, where when I'm working at home, I'm wearing the same hoodie every day. You know what I mean? Like, come on, everybody, you all do it. Don't judge me. Y'all do it. So it's covered in cat hair. And I was looking for a product.

00;32;42;22 - 00;32;59;29
Chris
We've talked about, like, upper clean, and I'm actually these brushes, but they're not really good for your clothes. That's more for, like, your drugs and your your furniture and stuff. So I'm going to get it off my clothes. And I found, a washable gel based lint roller. And since really cool it, it comes in a little container.

00;33;00;04 - 00;33;15;21
Chris
And it's like, yep. You know, like the babybel cheeses. And you take the little wax, you have it. It's kind of like that. You take, you take off half of it and you have a grip and then a gel ball and you roll it up against. Right. And it gets all the hair right off. It's all the hair right off.

00;33;15;23 - 00;33;21;26
Chris
I think. You pop it out, run it under a sink and the hair comes off. Dry it off. It's ready to be used again.

00;33;21;28 - 00;33;27;28
Kristen
That's cool. That's kind of like I don't make stuff like that gel for to clean your car. Like your dashboard.

00;33;27;28 - 00;33;54;15
Chris
Yeah, it's exactly like that. It's exactly like that. My mind is blown because I hate the paper ones. Because trying to get it off a tear on the periphery. Miserable, miserable time, miserable time. So I get it, I found it, I found it. The link on Amazon. It's that it's from a company called Tech Goo. I'm not sure I, I don't I don't think they just do.

00;33;54;15 - 00;34;03;00
Chris
Do I think they're more of, like, a house sundries type thing? But check it out. Ten bucks. Ten bucks. Solve all your pet hair problems, right? Yeah.

00;34;03;06 - 00;34;25;19
Kristen
I can't afford not to try that cat. All right, so my product is, I know last week I mentioned that February's pet dental Health Month, and I talked about a cat dental product, so I thought I should, you know, have an equal. Equal, opportunity for a dog. Let's do it. So, and just real quick, periodontal disease.

00;34;25;19 - 00;34;58;10
Kristen
Bad, very bad can lead to not only tooth problems for your dog, but also, internal issues if you if they have a lot of that plaque and gingivitis buildup. So I discovered and Chris, you're gonna like this because this is very sciencey. It's called the doggy biome oral health test. And essentially you can find out what's going on in your dog's mouth with this at home test that uses state of the art DNA sequencing technology to detect bacterial imbalances and the presence of harmful bacteria, before symptoms occur.

00;34;58;13 - 00;35;16;24
Kristen
So I'm thinking this this is pretty cool. You could do this test at home and then take the results into your vet to, you know, as part of your kind of annual wellness visit so that your vet can actually see what kind of bad bacteria activity is happening inside the mouth. Is it time for a dental cleaning, or can we wait another six months to a year?

00;35;17;01 - 00;35;20;03
Kristen
So I thought that was pretty cool stuff.

00;35;20;06 - 00;35;21;00
Chris
That's awesome.

00;35;21;03 - 00;35;28;28
Kristen
We'll put a link to that in the show notes. It's from, animal biome. I believe it's a company, but it's called the Doggy Biome Oral Health Test.

00;35;29;01 - 00;35;49;04
Chris
The fact that you could do science like that at home. Awesome. Pretty. It's so cool. Like, imagine showing that to somebody like in the year 1901 being like, hey, like their body would be blown. They'd be like, what's DNA? What's a bacteria? Right? Right. It's it's great. It's absolutely. And it's available for your pets. That's not even a person.

00;35;49;04 - 00;35;50;01
Chris
Products they mean.

00;35;50;02 - 00;35;50;19
Kristen
Yeah, exactly.

00;35;50;22 - 00;36;16;22
Chris
For pets. Really, really, really cool product. Kristen Q and days. Okay, pals, it's time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two burning questions from our wonderful listeners. And I know what you're thinking. How do I get my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, it's easy folks. Head on over to Pets at life.org/podcast.

00;36;16;22 - 00;36;42;17
Chris
Fill out that form or or if you're feeling as brave as Chris was when he decided to try the dog food, you could record a voice memo and have your question played live on your favorite podcast. So without further ado, let's get to today's questions. I've got one here. Or do you want to go? You want to read mine first?

00;36;42;19 - 00;36;59;10
Kristen
Yeah, I'll read your. All right. Listen, you got it pulled up. This is from Sarah in Austin, and she says if there is an emergency, how do I determine whether I need to rush my pet to a clinic immediately, or is it something that can wait? I often worry that I might overreact. Worse, not act quickly enough.

00;36;59;10 - 00;37;05;08
Kristen
Can you share any signs or situations where immediate care is essential? That's a really great question.

00;37;05;10 - 00;37;26;17
Chris
Yeah. This is this is a fantastic question. And, I, I'm not sure if I mentioned it on air or not off air, but, Tiger just went to the vet, and, definitely I got a same day appointment. So here's one thing I'm imagining that I'm gonna get some acronym. I had this is a millennial and is afraid of making phone calls like I am, because that's what it is.

00;37;26;20 - 00;37;52;08
Chris
I just call your vet. Like, they will pick up and answer your questions right then and there. Almost always. So that's one like, don't be afraid to just call and say, I'm seeing this kind of behavior. How like, how quickly should I be bringing my pet in? Number two have to have two care providers. We have our veterinarian, and then we have an emergency van.

00;37;52;11 - 00;38;09;16
Chris
And I have both their numbers written down and in my phone and stuff like that. So now I know where to go for the vet. I know where to go if it is, if the vet tells me that this is an emergency, I know where to go. All right. Number three, know your pet. And weird behavior.

00;38;09;18 - 00;38;32;27
Chris
Any blood ever. That's an emergency. Any any, nonstop vomiting of any sort. Animals throw it right. And if your dog or cat just goes and throws up their meal because they eat too fast, they're fine. But if they spend, like a solid 30 minutes throwing up everything that they have in their stomach, that's an emergency.

00;38;32;29 - 00;39;09;01
Chris
For cats specifically, this is something you see a lot that a lot of people don't know is an emergency. If they're going to the box really often and not actually peeing. It's a pretty common emergency, a urinary tract like blockage. That can cause some life threatening and really uncomfortable situations for your cat. All that said, if you notice something different and you're like, my, my animal is acting different, call your vet, your normal veterinarian, talk to either the vet tech, typically, you know the veterinarian.

00;39;09;01 - 00;39;30;13
Chris
The doctor is quite busy, but they have plenty of techs who can hear what's going on and tell you you need to go to an animal emergency room. You need a same-day appointment. Or we could we could schedule you in for a couple of days. So in my case, Tiger had blood in her urine. I called and they got me in that same day.

00;39;30;16 - 00;39;46;22
Chris
Tiger got a shot. She's fine now, and everything's good. But the panic, I felt very real. Very, very, very real. So, it's good that you're thinking of these things. Have a plan, know where to go. And don't be afraid to pick up that phone and have a conversation.

00;39;46;25 - 00;39;54;23
Kristen
Great advice. Especially the part about having those, you know, numbers in your phone ahead of time so you're not scrambling to, you know, to find one, find them if you need it.

00;39;54;25 - 00;40;00;02
Chris
Yes. Yeah. Always good to be, I love being prepared. So. All right.

00;40;00;02 - 00;40;01;16
Kristen
Kristen, what do you got for me?

00;40;01;20 - 00;40;06;25
Chris
I've got another question from Portland, Oregon. We're Kristen, we are huge in Portland.

00;40;06;29 - 00;40;08;24
Kristen
We are huge in Portland.

00;40;08;27 - 00;40;31;02
Chris
They love us over there. This is from Michael. And Michael says my dog seems to have constant ear trouble. He's always shaking his head and scratching at his ears. Could this be a sign of an infection or something else? What's the best way to approach this, and are there steps I can take to prevent it from happening again?

00;40;31;05 - 00;40;53;20
Kristen
Well, good. Glad you shared this question, Michael, because it's it's a relatively common issue that affects dogs. And yes, your your question about what could it be an infection. It could be this is one of those that it basically I'm going to say you probably need veterinary attention. But let me break it down a little bit about how some dogs like what's causing certain, your problems in dogs.

00;40;53;20 - 00;41;18;17
Kristen
It could be allergies. It could be a yeast or a bacterial infection. It could be, ear mites. It could be excessive moisture that, you know, that's causing them to itch. Or maybe the skin is, you know, either peeling or dried. So. But you don't know what it is, really, until you see the vet. So I suggest you call your vet, make an appointment, because once you get a proper diagnosis, then you'll know exactly how to treat it.

00;41;18;19 - 00;41;39;00
Kristen
And as far as prevention and obviously your vet can talk to you about prevention as well. But, make sure you're taking a look at your dog's ears, you know, every day, like when you're just petting them or grooming them, that's a great opportunity to take it. Take a peek in the ears. There are also lots of great products on the market, ear white products that are just little pads that you can easily clean out your dog's ears.

00;41;39;00 - 00;41;59;06
Kristen
You want to keep them clean. And, and then if you're if it's caused by an allergy, you might not, be able to see it coming on. You might, you know, once your dog is, exposed to that allergen, then the problem is going to flare up pretty quickly. So definitely talk to your vet about it.

00;41;59;06 - 00;42;15;06
Kristen
It's not uncommon. So don't feel like, you know, this is an unusual problem and it's going to be easily solved once your vet can make a proper diagnosis. But yeah, keep keep the ears clean once it's healed up, keep the ears clean and dry as much as possible.

00;42;15;09 - 00;42;22;17
Chris
That is great advice as always, Kristin. And, hey, I've got bad news.

00;42;22;20 - 00;42;23;08
Kristen


00;42;23;10 - 00;42;28;01
Chris
What the end of our show. That's it. That's it for this week.

00;42;28;03 - 00;42;28;21
Kristen
That's a bummer.

00;42;28;29 - 00;42;29;27
Chris
It is a bummer, but it was.

00;42;30;04 - 00;42;31;15
Kristen
It was a fun day.

00;42;31;18 - 00;42;50;29
Chris
We got Valentine's Day in a few days, so. Hey, for all the men out there with a significant other and women, too, don't forget. Especially men. Don't forget the flowers, okay? You dingus, I'm talking to you right now. Person was like, oh, I won't forget. Go tell your story right now to remind you to go pick up some flowers.

00;42;50;29 - 00;43;07;27
Chris
Place an order with a local for florist. How about that? We always encourage shop local. Find. Find a local florist. Get something. Make it nice. Okay? Don't go to it. Don't go to your, stop and shop and get the the for the for dollar bouquet of the saddest roses that the world's ever seen. That she's worth. Okay.

00;43;07;29 - 00;43;08;13
Chris
He's worth.

00;43;08;20 - 00;43;10;23
Kristen
And jewelry is nice to.

00;43;10;26 - 00;43;34;20
Chris
There we go. Get all is nice to woo gristle. I mean, diamonds are a girl's best friend's jewelry. Yeah, we had kids. Yeah, the flowers die in a week and a half. Diamonds last to make a lasting impression. Yeah. Also, maybe just be nice. Maybe that's also guess the thing you could do work on, be started.

00;43;34;28 - 00;43;56;10
Chris
Kind and loving partner. But for all of you lovebirds out there, happy Valentine's Day from all of us at dog. Yes, pal. From us to you. Happy Valentine's day. We'll be back next Tuesday. We never quit. It may be, it may be 6 a.m. in a warehouse. We may have filmed nine and a half episodes and 35 interviews today, but we we don't quit on you guys.

00;43;56;10 - 00;44;03;06
Chris
We'll be back every single week. So we'll see you here in a week until then, be kind to yourself and become your pets.

00;44;03;08 - 00;44;10;17
Kristen
Until next time. Until get it. Until I get it. Okay, okay, okay. Didn't sound like Ron. Got it.

00;44;10;24 - 00;44;16;25
Chris
There's a lot of things around. Doesn't get things right. Doesn't get pets. Add life.