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FREMONT FEST IS COMING!
Eeek!Well, we're not too sure how to feel about Fremont Fest. You may remember that last year we were closed for the Fest. Don't get us wrong, we have enjoyed the fest in previous years. You might know that we've been a major player in every Fremont Fest since 2005, planning and coordinating the Parade, etc.
As most of you know, a few of our employees have serious immune-compromise issues. Add that to the fact that many of us, despite our best efforts, have been exposed to Covid and have gotten sick. These exposures may or may not have happened in the store, but we're very short-staffed, and having even one of us out is a big burden to the rest of us, (besides being a bummer for the sick employee), and potentially a risk to our most vulnerable staff and customers.
For this reason, We can't help but worry about an event that brings thousands of people to our little street, as cases of COVID-19 are surging again globally, due in large part to the rise of virus variant Omicron BA.5, which is much more contagious than its predecessors and is able to circumvent existing immunity in many people. However, we really can't afford to be closed for a whole weekend day, and we don't want to disappoint people again. So, we are going to be open for the Fest, but limiting the number of people allowed in the store at one time. We just don't relish the idea of large numbers of people crammed together in our space.
That being said, last year the Beaumont Business Association Did create ways to try and mediate the crowding during Fremont Fest, and we know that if you come, you’ll have a good time! The Fest is Saturday August 6th from 10am-4pm
We are very excited that we will be donating our tent space to Force Free Oregon. Please come by the tent in front of our store and ask these very talented training and behavior experts for advice about your pet's behavior.
NOTE: Please consider bringing your mask with you when you come to Green Dog (even when you're just shopping on a regular day), as requiring masks means that we spend an inordinate amount of money on providing masks to every customer that shops with us. For a Green Store, we also feel terrible about the amount of waste this generates. :)
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| GREEN EGGS! Joint Pain and mobility Support For Dogs
It’s fantastic to find a product that helps to lessen or eliminate the need for NSAIDs (Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) to manage joint pain . NSAIDs come with risks, as they have have been linked to ulcers, liver and kidney damage, and ironically they can even cause damage to a dog’s joint and soft tissues.
Not only have we had success with our own dogs with “Green Eggs”, we hear from our customers who have had good experiences as well. Dogs seem to love the taste! Don’t forget the value of prevention - a supplement like this can help to maintain the healthy joints your dog has by strengthening your dog’s joint capsules. Perhaps you can avoid the heartbreak of watching your dog’s joints begin to degenerate as they age.
I wrote a blog post about the ingredients and how they work Here
A testimonial from a former employee, Becky, about Four Leaf Rover’s “Green Eggs”:
"Greta (an older girl) was limping pretty badly on Monday. Her hips have been pretty sore and it caused her to fall on Sunday evening and hurt her leg a bit. A day after starting the powder she has stopped limping and her legs and hips seem better . Plus she can get up and down more easily than she has for awhile."
Other testimonials
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Gail K: "Our 7 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback was having joint problems, slight limping. Vet X-rayed and found mild arthritis but it seemed he was limping more. I purchased the Green Eggs, while not immediately, but after a few weeks he was limping less. Now, on our third jar, he's not limping at all. He also loves the taste".
Rosa R: "Great product for TPL surgery recovery! My Chocolate lab had TPL surgery and her other leg had a slight tear in it. They wanted to do surgery but because of the pandemic I held off and decided to give her this product, I have been using it for over 9 months now and my girl is really doing well, she doesn't limp anymore and she can be off-leash now more often. I am very pleased with this product."
Remember: We think it's a good rule of thumb to introduce all new supplements slowly. Start with a pinch and increase in small amounts towards the full dosage to avoid digestive surprises or unknown sensitivities to certain ingredients.
NEWSLETTER SPECIAL: Mention this newsletter at the cash register before the end of the month and take 15% off of ONE jar of Green Eggs. |
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| Some Tricks To Help With Mats!
Some of you are lucky to have pets with short, easily managed coats, but many of us have pets whose coats are a challenge. Nothing's nastier than a mat in curly soft hair (like a doodle) or in deeply fluffy coats like Walter's. His hair is close to 4" long and it is as close to spiderwebs as hair can get. When matting becomes a problem, sometimes the only thing you can do is shave them down and start fresh. When we had Otis, he started to get a few mats when he was in his teenage years. I knew that you should NEVER EVER use scissors to cut out a mat, as I'd heard a few nightmare stories from groomers and customers about going too low and accidentally snipping their skin. I was trying to pull mats apart with my fingernails, but wished I had another hand to hold the mat so it wouldn't pull on his delicate skin and make him mad at me. I eventually realized I had the perfect tool for the job in my sewing kit: a Seam Ripper! This very inexpensive tool that can be found in the sewing section at Rite Aid or Walgreens, etc. Its true purpose is this: if you need to remove a button from a shirt, or open the seam on a blouse, you slide the pointy part under the stitch. There's a little cutting blade in the crevice below that little red bead that takes care of the job.. If I find the beginnings of a mat in fur, I get out my seam ripper. I'm right handed, and I'm careful to first hold the bottom of the mat near his skin with my left hand so he can't feel me pulling on the actual mat. I then carefully slide the pointy bit into the mat (I'm not in much danger of poking him with it, as you'll remember: I've got the mat in my left fingers so he won't feel it pulling - this makes sure I'm only poking the mat and not his skin, and I'm always ripping up and not down towards the skin. That pointy bit is awesome at penetrating the mat, and the little cutting blade makes quick work of breaking the mat into smaller bits that can be then brushed out, ideally.
Now, here are the disclaimers:
1)There's always some way to accidentally mess stuff up, so start slowly and don't do it if you don't feel like it's easy to use.
2)You never want to ruin your relationship by being careless with pointy things. 3)This only works if the animal is relaxed with handling. If you can root around and find a mat with your fingers, you should be able to use this tool with them not really realizing you're doing it. This is why you hold the bottom of the mat, so they don't notice any pulling.
4)This tool is pointy, so you don't want to be cavalier with how you use it. There's a chance you can poke yourself with the pointy bit. 5) If a mat is too close to the skin, you might have to get a groomer to properly shave the mat. 6) Note: raw fed animals tend to have far fewer mats than those on a heavily processed food like dry kibble. Fish oil can also be a blessing in their diet to help them avoid mats.
I say these things with the experience of 18 years of giving advice to people that sometimes backfire in ways that surprise me. I once told a customer that they might hold an 8" turkey neck for their big food-obsessed lab at first so he didn't just swallow the whole thing at once. This mouthy lab chomped right through the neck and ALSO HIS FINGER (I thought there would be plenty of room to avoid this possibility, and that the average person might realize they have to be careful with their own fingers when feeding their own big dog. I assumed that he'd know by then if his dog had a hard mouth taking cookies or whatnot). He was furious with me (at the end of my driveway in my jammies, waving his cast at me). I didn't feel comfortable telling him at that point that I didn't realize that it was necessary for me to remind him that both turkey necks and a fingers are made of flesh and small bones so he should be careful. I certainly have never left that reminder out since then...
Anyway, I love this method for managing mats, and if I catch them early, I can make them disappear. I did actually have to go to Anya at Meow House for a shave when Otis was close to 19 - he was matting quickly as he declined, and my little seam ripper was not up to the job. I mostly mess with the occasional mat on Walter when he's sleeping and he almost never even notices.
If you have any questions please ask me (Christine) |
| | | NEW BONE BROTHS!
Our friends at Small Batch Pet Food have come up with some lovely new bone broths. Some are in the freezer and some are shelf stable. Frozen Bone Broths come in chicken, beef and turkey. Made with just 3 pure certified organic ingredients. Slow simmered organic bones, organic carrots, and filtered water create a broth rich in collagen, minerals, and amino acids. These are ideal for supporting joint health, strong bones, and healing the gut lining. Add hydration by topping any meal or serving as a treat. For dogs and cats.
Shelf Stable Bone Broths are made with certified organic & wild caught proteins (chicken, Beef and Venison), prebiotics, functional adaptogens , vegetables and herbs.
They are a uniquely crafted shelf-stable broth combining their highest quality humanely raised proteins with prebiotics for gut and immune health, and adaptogens to reduce cellular stress. (Adaptogens are plants and mushrooms that help your body respond to stress, anxiety, fatigue and overall wellbeing) . They are made stable with organic lemon and apple cider vinegar, instead of typical high heat or irradiation processes. They are perfect for supporting joint health and adding nutritious hydration. Top any meal or serve as a treat. Shelf stable broths are excellent to have on hand in the house to help animals with sudden bouts of digestive distress/diarrhea For dogs and cats.
Read More About the powers of Bone Broth (for you and your pets) Here
Newsletter Special: Mention this newsletter at the register and take 15% off of ONE container of Small Batch frozen OR shelf stable bone broth before the end of the month of July! |
| | GREEN JUJU GOAT'S MILK!
We love Green Juju's products, which are locally and ethically made by lovely people. So, we are so happy to have brought in their new raw goat milk! We believe this is the best raw goat's milk in the country right now.
Many of you know by now that Raw goat's milk is one of our very favorite products. There are many reasons for this: Raw goat's milk is the most complete food on the planet. It contains every vitamin, every mineral, digestive enzymes, and over 400 fatty acids in their most bioavailable form. It's a rich source of taurine, the important amino acid that supports their heart, their brain, and their muscle mass just to name a few, and it's a balanced food. I could go on... Anyway, there are 3 ways to feed this wonderful brand of goat milk:
The first and most popular way: Thaw it and pour it for your pets.
This is the way that 99% of people are likely to feed it. We like kibble-fed animals to have some poured over their dry meal to add fresh, whole foods to their diets, free of heat processing. Some people like to drizzle goat milk on a licky mat and freeze it, which is especially fun to pull out on a hot day, or just to keep them busy on any day. It's also excellent to replace solid food with raw goat's milk when they're dealing with loose stool - it's almost like a fast for digestive rest, but they're also getting calories, nutrients, digestive enzymes and moisture without digestive work.
Second, For the more sensitive pets, you can make it lactose free with ease. This might be the best way to use it for cats. It's very easy!
Add the appropriate number of drops listed below of lactase enzymes (look for a brand such as "Milkaid").
(Pint: 10 drops, Quart: 20 drops, Half-Gallon: 40 drops) Then shake it up and leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Third, You can Ferment it to add probiotic benefit, and to help to keep it safe longer in the fridge!
Fermentation is a very easy process. You can either add Add 1 Tablespoon of cultured yogurt or kefir per each quart of Goat milk, or with any other probiotic, add at least 2 billion CFU (in a serving) per quart. Pour the probiotics, yogurt or kefir into your bottle of
milk, shake it up and leave it on the counter for 24 hours. That's it! (you can store it in the fridge while you're feeding it.)
Our friend Billy (who was part of the original team at Answers that created and perfected the fermented raw goat's milk products) made a great video explaining these methods. It's short and informative! Check it out here!
NEWSLETTER SPECIAL! Mention this newsletter at the register and take 15% off of ONE bottle of Green JUJU goat's milk before the end of the month! |
| | | This month's specials!
Nature's logic kibble = $10 off large bags!! ends July 31st
Nulo Hydrate Water Enhancers = Buy One Get one Free! Ends 8/31
Nutrisource Pure Vita Cat = $4 off small bags! Ends July 31st
Primal Cat Foods = $3off Complete Diets! Ends Aug 31st
Stella and Chewy's = $5 off select small bags! Ends Aug 31st
Vital Essentials Cat Treats = buy 3 get one Free on Select cat treats! ends July 31st
Want to know the specials at the beginning of the month? Ask at the register to get the lAstro app on your phone. We'll send you the link. Quick, easy, and no spam.
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| | | NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS!
- Local Theaters like The Roseway and The Hollywood Theater have updated their ventilation systems in order to welcome back audiences. We've recently heard that "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On" has a full length movie that the Hollywood Theater will be screening for free! more here
- Unfortunately, the Cully Farmer's Market is closing due to an unsafe environment. More here
- Our neighborhood will soon be given new trash cans by the city of Portland! YAY!! We hope this curbs the number of stinky poops left on our doorstop and in our planters. We worked for years to get a trash cans in our neighborhood, but the Fremont neighborhood couldn't find businesses willing to regularly empty any that we might have installed (understandably). We tried to get one outside the store, but our landlords wouldn't allow it. Having official city trash cans will be a big improvement!
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| | | THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT PARTICIPATED IN OUR DASH FOR DONUTS NEIGHBORHOOD FUN RUN AT THE END OF JUNE! A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL! |
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WALTER SEZ: "THANKS FOR CHOOSING OUR LOCAL, INDEPENDENTLY OWNED PET SUPPLY STORE OVER THE BIG CHAIN STORES!" |
| | | | Located in Beaumont Village 4327 NE Fremont Street, Portland, Oregon 97213
Telephone: 503-528-1800
© 2007 - 2015 Green Dog Pet Supply. Green Dog Pet Supply® is a Registered Trademark. |
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