I’m a nana blogger and a grandmother of six precious grandchildren. At this stage of my life, it never occurred to me that I would be starting a new business but life is full of surprises and we just never know what is around the bend. My latest adventure came about because of my love for animals, specifically dogs and it started a very long time ago.
Your First Pet
Everyone remembers their first pet. Mine was a black Cocker Spaniel named SoupHound. My grandfather named him, not me. I probably would have picked something much tamer, like Blackie. Grandpa took one look at him and said, “That looks like a soup hound to me,” and that was that. I was about six years old when SoupHound came into my life and I fell head over heels in love. My brother and I entered him in the county dog show every year and he always won for the shortest tail.
I’ve had a thing for dogs ever since and I passed my love of dogs on to my children and grandchildren. At the present time my husband and I have seven canines:
- Roxy the German Shepherd who is always the first one to the food bowl.
- A rescue dog named Sam.
- Buddy, a stray that showed up one day, decided this was a good place to be and never left.
- 2 Brittany Spaniels who are brothers
- Bella, a CockAPoo and the baby of them all.
- A Golden-Doodle named Kash who belongs to my son’s girlfriend but stays here 90% of the time so I claim him.
Yes, that’s a lot of dogs but we live on a big farm and we take good care of them. In return, they love us unconditionally and provide joy and entertainment. If you are not a dog lover, you may not understand my devotion to dogs. That’s okay; not everyone was meant to fall in love with every dog they ever meet like I do. I can’t visit shelters or friends whose dogs have puppies because if I do, we’ll have more than 7 dogs.
Dog Treats
Our dogs are similar to our grandchildren in that we love to spoil them. I have given our dogs treats for years and never thought much about what was in them. Then one day I read the ingredients on the back of the package and I couldn’t believe what was in them. They were full of additives and preservatives and words I couldn’t pronounce. I knew immediately that they weren’t healthy and I threw the rest of the treats in the garbage.
Dogs don’t live nearly as long as people do and I want to make sure mine live as long as possible. I decided to start making my own dog treats. We own a blueberry farm and I’m well aware that one of the top 10 superfoods for people is blueberries. That made me wonder if they were also good for dogs. After some research, I learned that blueberries are good for dogs. The same antioxidants that help protect people from diseases also benefit dogs.
Cooking Up a Treat
I experimented with lots of different all-natural ingredients and finally came up with a vegetarian recipe that is healthy and pooch approved. When available, I use blueberries from our farm. I named my treats Bellview Blueberry Bones after our farm BellviewBlueberries. Every batch of Bellview Blueberry Bones is homemade in my kitchen with love. Often when I’m baking them I have an audience of furry friends sitting at my feet, waiting patiently for their treats.
My son came up with our slogan, “Bellview Blueberry Treats…The healthiest treat your dog will ever eat.”
If we can make a dog happy and keep them healthier longer, then that’s a good thing and something I’m proud of.
To learn more about our treats or to order some, visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BellviewBlueberryBones/
Lovely “tail” about dogs and your special treats. I had special dogs in my life, too. Thank you!
I just published my first children’s book “Daycare Advice from Haley” (my 5-year-old granddaughter) and started blogging. I’d like to follow your blogs. Lots to learn.