Three Dog Blog

Feed vs. Food

Three Dog Bakery was founded in 1989 by three dogs, two guys, and a 59¢ biscuit cutter. Because Gracie (Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye’s Great Dane) was born deaf, blind in one eye, and had a delicate constitution, Mark and Dan made all of her own food. After researching what is allowed by regulation to be put in dog treats and food, Mark and Dan made a commitment to create a dog bakery that makes all-natural, oven-baked food and treats with 100% human-quality ingredients for dogs. Three Dog Bakery products contain no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or other artificial ingredients.

How Dog Feed is Allowed to be Made:

Dog food companies fall under the auspices of the feed industry, which includes both agricultural feed and pet feed. Feed is different than food by definition in that feed is allowed to contain rather unsavory things that food may not contain.

While federal regulations ensure that dog feed meets certain minimum standards for keeping dogs alive, the same regulations also allow pet feed and treats to be made from all manner of things that we wouldn’t generally consider edible. They even allow parts and pieces that have been condemned for human consumption to be included in dog feed. These byproducts may come from animals that died in transit, died from disease, or were euthanized. To reach minimum crude fat requirements, dog feed is also allowed to contain the grease that is collected at restaurants.

Most dog feed is extruded. That is, meat, meat by products, and offal are scooped up and placed into the back of an unrefrigerated flat-bed truck. The truck can take about three days to a week to fill up. Once full, it is transported to the rendering facility where its contents are ground up into a paste and boiled at very high temperatures to kill harmful bacteria. Required nutrients are then added per government standards, and the food is extruded (puffed up with air) to create the kibble shape.

At this point, roughly three weeks may have passed from the time the truck started filling up; and a dog won’t eat the extruded kibble. Although dogs may eat something that’s three days old, they’re smart enough not to eat something that’s three weeks old. So, to make the kibble palatable, it is often sprayed with digest, which is exactly what it sounds like: emulsified guts. Digest gives extruded kibble its greasy texture, and is why most food bags are lined with a sort of waxed paper. This is also why many commercial brands do not have a window on their packaging to see the kibble. Although palatable to dogs, it’s also what makes us wonder why they eat it. It certainly doesn’t smell appetizing.

Some companies use terms like holistic and organic to make their products appear more wholesome than they are. In reality, there is no government-endorsed definition for the term holistic. At the end of the day, a dead animal in the gutter could be called ”holistic”. And the term organic is only a certification of how the grain was grown or the feed was raised prior to harvest or slaughter. It says nothing about the quality of the finished product. Many so-called “organic” dog foods contain ingredients that have been condemned for human consumption.

How Three Dog Bakery Food for Dogs is Made:

At Three Dog Bakery we believe in feeding our furry friends like they are a part of the family. Three Dog Bakery food for dogs exceeds government minimum standards by containing only the finest ingredients.

Our food includes premium-quality meats such as chicken, lamb, and fish made with whole, unadulterated parts that are refrigerated until such time as all ingredients are combined into a dough, dye-cut, and baked 5-10 times more slowly than most brands to preserve nutritive value and flavor. We add no animal fat, no meat meal, and no byproducts. Loaded with anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids, and wholesomeness, Three Dog Bakery food is ready to eat when it comes out of the oven. No digest is sprayed on our food! And rather than being artificially preserved, Three Dog Bakery food is preserved with natural ingredients.

So it’s not dog feed; it’s all-natural, oven-baked food made with premium-quality ingredients—for dogs!

Today pets are treated as family and what family member doesn’t deserve a good party in their honor. Whether it’s a yappy hour or Birthday party, owners are going head-over-tails for canine-centric celebrations.

We, at Three Dog Bakery, are known for our dog friendly events such as Dogs’ Night Out and frequent Yappy Hours so naturally we are masters at planning dog-oriented parties. Follow our 10 easy steps to plan a “puptacular” party they won’t want to miss!

1. Location – Pick a good location for your party. One that is pet-friendly and has lots of space to work with. Ideally you would want a patio and a lawn so the dogs and their owners have plenty of space.

2. Pupdate – Pick the right date for your party. You want the weather to be cool enough for the pets but not too cold for their owners. Spring and fall are great times but summer can be accomplished on a cooler evening or morning. Just make sure the dogs have plenty of water to drink!

3. Rules – Simple rules are always good when you’re hosting a party, especially one that is canine oriented. A couple rules of thumb are bathroom breaks before eating and after, keeping dogs on a leash, and don’t allow anti-social dogs.

4. Choose a Theme – Choose a theme for your party. If it’s a birthday party get party hats, and Birthday cake for both kinds of guests, etc. If it is a Mexican Fiesta play appropriate music and have Mexican themed dishes for both human and pet, for example you can easily make doggie quesadillas out of our entrees and tortilla.

5. Party Decorations & Accessories – The fun part about throwing a party is getting all the decorations and accessories! Haute Diggity Dog and Charming Pet Products have plenty of themed toys, hats, and party collars to choose from. You can find a number of these products at your local Three Dog Bakery Store! If you are on a tight budget don’t fret, you can get party hats at your local party supply store or even make your own!

6. Chow Time – Creating a menu gives you the chance to be creative. When catering to the canines try cakes and Pupcakes from Three Dog Bakery or make your own Yappetizer baskets with Three Dog Bakery goodies! Our favorite is Cheese Fetch-it Sticks, Ciao Wow Cheese Pizzas, and Pretzel Sticks paired with a “drooltastic” dipping sauce! You can also dig out the Three Dog Bakery cook book to whip up some treats of your own!

7. Games – Keep your guests engaged by holding contests! Some examples include longest tail, best costume, find the toy or even an Easter begg hunt for Easter.

8. Playtime – Have a designated playtime either before or after the meal/cake and ice cream. This gives the dogs a chance to socialize and release some energy!

9. Paw-tee Pics – You are the “puparazzi” at this party and you want to capture every moment!

10. Paw-tee Favors – Lastly, you want something for your guests to take home. We suggest a small toy or a fun “doggy bag” full of treats. Three Dog Bakery carries pre-made Party Favors available at select Three Dog Bakery locations and online at www.threedog.com!

Hosting a K9 paw-tee is both fun and unique but with all the excitement expect accidents. Not everything will go as planned but don’t fret; relax and have fun with it!

Fun Tips:

• Make iron-on bandanas for the dogs to wear at the party or for their party favor!
• Have human guests make their own tie dye party collars while the dogs are having play time!
• Get fun drinks for the dogs too; peanut butter or chicken flavored water creates the perfect K9 cocktail!

Fun Recipe: Little Eataly Meatballs

2 cups quick rolled oats

2 large eggs

2 pounds ground chicken or turkey meat

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon (or a pinch) of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, using your hands. Scoop out a tablespoon or two of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Continue with the rest of the mixture.

Place the meatballs on an ungreased shallow baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cool to room termperature before serving.

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months. (Thaw before serving)

Links:

Three Dog Bakery

Charming Pet Products

Sniff out a Three Dog Bakery Location

Haute Diggity Dog

Celebrate the good-stuff your pets bring to your life!

This May is National Pet Month. It celebrates the benefits that pets bring to people’s lives – and vice versa! Our pets are our babies and they give us unconditional love; this month share with us how your pets have impacted or touched your life for a chance to win Three Dog Bakery treats!

How to Participate:

1. Comment on the Three Dog Bakery National Pet Month Contest blog post and tell us the benefits that your pets have brought to your life.

2. Become a fan of Three Dog Bakery Headquarters on Facebook. Judging: • Entries will be judged on the most touching and best depiction of the subject along with the originality of the post. This contest is not limited to dog owners, Guinea pigs and rabbits enjoy our veggie chews too!

Prizes:

• 1st Place – Treat Sampler – Retail Value $75

• 2nd Place – Treat Sampler – Retail Value $50

• 3rd Place – Treat Sample – Retail Value $25

Rules & Regulations:

One entry per person. Contest is open to all animals, prizes are as stated in this blog and may not be exchanged for other products. Contest runs 5/10-5/31. Winner will be announced the week of 6/1/10. All participants must be a Fan of Three Dog Bakery Headquarters on Facebook.

Terms & Conditions:

Must reside in the US and be 18 years or older. No cash value and non transferable. Cannot be a Three Dog Bakery employee. We will contact winner via email provided or Facebook. If winner does not acknowledge within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. Standard ground shipping and taxes are included. Please email contest@threedog.com with any questions!

Dogs LOVE anything peanut butter and the peanut butter used in all of our products is made of 100% peanuts. Nothing else. No extra sweeteners, preservatives or anything unnatural. We’ve packed our peanut butter with so much pea-nuttyness that we have trouble getting the lid on the jar! For your pup, this means that he’s getting a great source of all-natural protein and Vitamin E.

Three Dog Bakery offers the best all natural peanut butter treats for your pooch. Learn more today at www.threedog.com or your local Three Dog Bakery.

Yes, it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book; sneaking your dog your fruits and veggies under the table so you don’t have to eat them. Feeding your dog fruits and vegetables has a plethora of benefits; not to mention they enjoy them too!

Vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, and pumpkins are wonderful additions to a dog’s diet. The powerful antioxidants may help to reduce chronic disease and slow down the rate of aging. They also contain other vitamins, minerals, and fiber beneficial to your dog’s daily diet.

Fruits can also be an important source of vitamins, folic acid and potassium. Again, fiber is another major component to fruit offering benefits like healthy bowels, protection against colon cancer and heart disease. Apples, cranberries, blueberries and bananas are all smart choices while avocado, grapes, and citrus fruits should be avoided. All Three Dog Bakery Natural Meals Bakery Blend products contain cranberries and blueberries or sweet potatoes.

 Additional facts about fruits and veggies….

• Low Calorie
• Low Fat
• Wheat, Corn and Soy Free
• Satiated source of water
• All natural and only contain one ingredient
• Free of additives and preservatives
• Dried fruits and veggies are great alternatives to rawhides
• Natural oils good for dogs with dry coats
• Cranberry is good for doggie breath and gums
• Can contain anti-cancer compounds such as Vitamin A and C

Three Dog Bakery now offers premium dehydrated fruit and veggie chews for your dog. Learn more today at www.threedog.com  or your local Three Dog Bakery.

Here at Three Dog Bakery we love all things chocolate. We think in a perfect world our dogs would too. That is why we use carob, a healthy chocolate substitute suitable for dogs, in half of our products.

Carob is an eastern Mediterranean evergreen tree of the pea family. Carob has increased in overall popularity because it is a low-fat, low-calorie, and no-caffeine alternative to chocolate. While chocolate is harmful for dogs, carob is not. Unlike chocolate, carob does not contain theobromine or caffeine, which are the key ingredients not suitable for dogs. Theobromine is a stimulant found in chocolate which acts as an energy booster. Dogs metabolize theobromine much more slowly than humans and therefore chocolate can be fatal. However, carob is a healthy alternative that looks and tastes just like chocolate. So, spoil them with carob, your dogs will love you for it!

Although dogs are a man’s best friend, we are lucky that they don’t have thumbs. Imagine the dog that is able to open a box of Woofers or open the refrigerator door! Although we like to think a dog with opposable thumbs would hitchhike to Three Dog Bakery, what do you think your dog would do? Tell us by commenting on this blog post for a chance to win all-natural yummy treats for your furry friend.

 How to Participate:

• Comment on this blog post by telling us what you think your dog would do if they had opposable thumbs? Include your pets name, your name and your Twitter name (Twitter name optional).
• Follow us on Twitter or become a fan of ours on Facebook.
• Spread the word about the contest by RTweeting us or posting links on Facebook!

Judging:

Entries will be judged on the most creative comment or answer to “what would your dog do if they had opposable thumbs?” The founding dogs and office staff/dogs will pick the winners.

 Prizes:

• 1^st Place – “Ulti”mutt” Gift Basket
• 2^nd Place – Pooch Paradise Picks treats
• 3^rd Place – Dottie’s Dipped Delights treats

Rules & Regulations:

One entry per person and dog. Contest runs 3/3 – 3/12 11:59 p.m. (CST). The founding dogs and office staff/dogs will pick the winner. Winner will be announced no later than 3/19/10. All participants must be a follower on Twitter of @ThreeDogNews or a Fan of Three Dog Bakery Headquarters on Facebook. 

Terms & Conditions:

Must reside in the US and be 18 years or older. No cash value and non transferable. We will contact winner by blog post and twitter name – if provided. If winner does not acknowledge within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. Management, employees and families of Three Dog Bakery are prohibited from winning any prizes (that includes you Jenny – insert smiley joking face here). Three Dog Bakery reserves the right to alter any rules of the contest at anytime. Standard ground shipping and taxes are included. Please email contest@threedog.com with any questions or to claim your prize.

You want to provide the best for your pups. They’re family (your babies) and you want them to be healthy and happy.  However, let’s face it, trying to figure out the best dog food to feed them is confusing and somewhat scary. 

 Have you ever read a dog food label and thought what is this stuff and what does it mean for my dog’s health?   Does dog food really need all those chemicals? Should my dog eat that much corn?  What are meal and meat by-products?

 In this article, we answer several of the most common asked questions about dog food ingredients and dog food labels.  If you don’t see your questions answered, bark back  and we’ll “dig up” some answers.

What are meat by-products?

They are the left over stuff from the human food industry. The items you don’t want to eat such as beaks, heads, feet, undeveloped eggs, feathers or intestines.  GROSS! You wouldn’t feed these to your dogs in raw form, so why would you feed it to them as a dried up pellet?

There are all types of “meal” on dog food labels, what does “meal” mean?

Meal means coarsely ground. For example, corn meal is just coarsely ground corn. There isn’t anything wrong with meal. However, you want to see Chicken or Lamb listed before Meal.  You never want to see Meat or Meat Meal listed. It could be anything, including dying, diseased or dead animals.

Remember to look for chicken meal or lamb meal.

Why is there so much corn and corn filler in dog food?

Corn is a cheap protein source used to keep down the cost of the dog food. As with humans, corn is known to be hard on dog’s digestive system.

Are chemical dyes and preservatives necessary?

The simple answer is no. In general, foods will spoil without some form of preservative, however there are many all natural food coloring dyes and preservatives available. Beet, tomato and spinach powders make great coloring dyes and citric acid (vitamin 0C) and tocopherols –a natural antioxidant that slows the oxidation process of fats and oils—are perfect for preserving yummy-for-the-tummy dog food and treats.

Does my dog need a full balance diet?

Yes, your dogs should eat a well balance diet (just like yours). It should consist of healthy protein, vegetables, fruit, and wholesome grains. 

Why is oven-baked dog food so important to the quality of my dog’s food?

Many pet foods are mostly made from grain fragments mixed with meat by-products, (both left over from the human food industry). It is then cooked quickly at an extremely high temperature until it is tasteless. To make it palatable they then coat it with fats. YUCK!    

Three Dog Bakery uses only premium, wholesome ingredients, like you would for your family.  We slow bake our premium dog food and treats to seal the natural flavors, aromas and nutrients into our all natural ingredients.  The slow baking process creates highly nutritious and palatable healthy dog food that works naturally with your dog’s digestive system.

There is a lot of contradictory information about dog diets. Just like humans no two dogs are alike. You have to find what works for you and your dogs.

We at Three Dogs Bakery, believe our premium quality dog food and treats are something you can feel good about feeding to your family–the four legged ones. Remember, Three Dog Bakery dog food and treats are made in the USA.

Get Three Dog Bakery premium dog food today at http://www.threedog.com

In honor of National Peanut  Butter Lovers Month Three Dog Bakery decided to share with you and your pooch our favorite easy treat recipe – dogs love all things peanut butter!

 Peanut Butter Cups

• 1/2 cup carob chips, unsweetened
• 6 teaspoons peanut butter
• 12 confection candy cups or cup cake cups

Place cups on tray that will fit in your refrigerator. In a small pan, on medium heat, melt carob chips. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of melted carob into each cup. Chill 10 minutes. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter on top of chilled carob. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of melted carob on top of peanut butter. Chill 10 minutes. Peel and treat!