Treat for Two

As new pet owners, we had very little knowledge about life with a dog. We knew the basics: feed, groom, excrete, and talk to her every once in a while. Little did we know how much she would change our lives.

After a week with our rescue-adopted, 2-year-old toy poodle, we acknowledged a communication barrier. Our dog is actually quite intelligent, but we were inexperienced on picking up her nonverbal cues. This prompted the purchase of a “how to” book, which made our long list of what we didn’t know about dogs even longer. For example, I thought one of the perks of dog ownership was never having to bend over to pick up dropped food again. I secretly hoped that my days of vacuuming were over. But when we read the chapter on nutrition, the list of food toxins was startling.
• Chocolate is toxic and dangerous for dogs.
• Raisins and grapes are poisonous to dogs.
• Onions have the ability to cause anemia so all onion products should be avoided to be safe.
• Macadamia nuts and walnuts contain toxins.
• Potatoes themselves are fine but the green parts are toxic and dangerous.
• Salt in large amounts may cause kidney issues.

We’ve come a long way in a year of dog ownership and are more thoughtful about our pet’s health and nutrition. We have also discovered that, like most pets, our dog is motivated and rewarded with special treats.

Van Otis offers Kanine Kookies in a variety of flavors. These bone-shaped, decoratively dipped cookies contain healthy ingredients such as oats, flax, and oat bran. The next time you stop into Van Otis’ Elm Street retail store, remember that you’re not the only one who could benefit from a treat.