Being in the forefront of a concept that request consumers to consciously “think” about what they are buying we are constantly bombarded by the fact that there are marketing falsities on an astounding amount of available products.

Here is an example: Take “Natural Greenies” or “Smart Greenies” for instance, the packaging alone labels the purchaser as smart and aware of healthy options. But what IS this item? When we break down the chemistry of the “natural” item the findings are in fact quite contrary to the labeling. It is as if the manufacturer is telling you, the consumer, one thing and selling you another.

“Low fat”, “low carbs”, “all natural”, and of course, the newly popular “organic” wording is practically on everything marketed from toilet paper and shoes, to food items.

As a consumer and a smart one at that, all we simply have to do is take a second and think about the item in question. Ignore all the beautiful packaging and labels and think about what it took to put that item on the shelf. At the very least, question what it takes to sustain that item in it’s container or bag.

The conclusion of your thoughts will no doubt be in conflict with the “wonder ingredients” that is formulated as natural and true. Yes – they were real at one point & then they were changed to what you see now, and of course processed. Hmmmmm

So getting back to “real and basic” it seems that if it were in fact “natural and real” it would rot and break down – real items do. For example, if you leave an apple out on the table over the course of a month it starts to deteriorate. Well of course it does! It is a fresh, real item. And as a smart consumer we don’t need a label to tell us that!

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Miska is helping us organize our house hunting notes.
Did I mention that we saw 25 houses before deciding on the one we wanted to buy?

I’m finally fostering Gretchen, our very special “special needs” dog. Stay tuned for intro, pics, and updates on Gretchie’s progress. Those of you who already know Gretchen know her story, but for those who don’t Gretchen was found inside our shelter gates one morning. She was probably about 8 weeks old and she couldn’t move [...]

We had a funny thought while at the grocery store & thought we would share it with you…. As we walked down the chip & cereal isle we wondered…. Would you think that any number of these crunchy items as a tooth cleaner? Of course not! That would be outrageous!
We [...]

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Sinks are fun apparently.

It’s time to put in a good word for shy dogs.
Taffy, aka Dumpling, has been at the shelter since before she was born. Yeah, her mom was a rescue with us too, so Taffy was born at the shelter. She comes from a line of sweet but shy dogs, and because of this trait she [...]

Did you know that puppy bladder infections are very common? It’s easy to miss a puppy urinary tract infection simply because puppies do tend to piddle a lot. But if you’re having trouble housetraining your puppy, and she can’t seem to hold her urine for more than a few minutes, you should investigate [...]

We’ve had a great time 

getting to know Rover these last ten days. We decided to foster him here in Sewanee so he would be ready for the 4th of July Mutt Show. This English Setter mix has infused us all with his zest for life and his desire to please. As those of you who [...]

The Dog Bowl has found the perfect ball!
We love it so much we put our name on it!
This dog ball floats, it squeaks!
It is the perfect size: 2 5/8″ (65mm) (Size of a tennis ball but it doesn’t come apart at the seams.)
This dog ball is made specifically for “ball loving dogs” [...]

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Miska wanted to help unpack the lovely dishes that my Grandmother sent us as a wedding present.

Rover is one smart cookie. Once a wild man, he is now a much calmer fellow. Rover spent a good deal of his puppyhood at the shelter where he was classified as energetic. When I started working with him he was just that; energetic to a fault. When I decided to really tell him I [...]

“NO WONDER THEY CALL ME A BITCH” by ANN HODGMAN Ann Hodgman is a food critic for Eating Well magazine. Besides playing goalie on a women’s hockey team, she is the author of more than forty children’s books, including My Babysitter Is a Vampire, and several cook­books. For reasons soon to be apparent, however, [...]

After nearly a year’s hiatus, I’m finally back at the shelter. Two eye surgeries kept me out of action since last May. First I have to update you on Pearl, the weimeraner we found last May. She is now ours and what an elegant dog she is. When we interviewed several possible homes, we both [...]

valleyviolet has added a photo to the pool:
Miska wanted to help unpack the lovely dishes that my Grandmother sent us as a wedding present.

Many dog owners don’t know what to do when incontinence in female dogs becomes an issue.  This problems affects many pets, but their owners either ignore it or are too embarrassed about it to take their dogs to the vet.  In this article, we’ll look at causes and treatments for female dog incontinence.
Your Dog Leaks [...]

Gwen and Monk at Lake ChestonThis week many folks around Sewanee noticed a beautiful female weimeraner in the woods off the Breakfield Road near the trail to [...] Continue Reading…

From The Dog Bowl to BARF: “Dear BARF, at The Dog Bowl we feed our pets & highly recommend the BARF Diet to our customers. This statement from one of our clients & we found this to be incorrect comparison of products, as you know we do offer the Nature’s Variety as well. [...]

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After a huskie dog from Texas turned up at the Tullahoma Shelter last week sporting an Id chip enabling the shelter to find the owner who lived a thousand miles away, we couldn’t help but wonder about one of our current guests at Animal Harbor. We’ve been calling him Chase. Chase is a Boykin Spaniel, [...]

The Dog Bowl has two wonderful solutions if you have to walk two dogs at one time! We offer a nylon rolled double dog leash and also a leash coupler (coupler works with your current leash).The Double Dog Leash (shown to the left) is our most popular leash for walking two dogs.The patented SlideLok [...]

This is Sunday AM. As of last night at 9:30, Gretchen is now officially housetrained….three days from her arrival. And they said it couldn’t be done.Details? I’d fallen asleep in front of the TV around 8:30…just a snooze…and she waited till I woke up then asked to go out. She said this like she meant [...]

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Here’s Gretchen when she first appeared at Animal Harbor. Left, an inquisitive spirit. Right: Not able to get out of her bed.

Most pet owners understand how to take proper care of their pet. Many basic grooming procedures consist of brushing, bathing, and getting their hair cut. Some, however, overlook one of the most important tasks in keeping your pet well groomed. This part involves nothing more than keeping your pet’s nails neatly trimmed. Believe it or [...]

The Dog Bowl offers the Leba III dog dental spray – now on sale & offering free shipping (for U.S. destinations)!Leba III Spray is considered the “miracle formula dental spray” in the pet industry. Use the Leba Dental Spray for home pet periodontal cleaning. The Leba Spray actually turns your dog’s teeth white [...]

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Gretchen is now asleep on the sofa in my studio, Monk’s usual place. I would take pics but my camera needs a charge and the charge cord is missing. What else is new? Anyway, I think that this is the most comfortable she has ever been in her entire life. And the cleanest. She was [...]

As of 2009, The American Humane Association says about 7 million animals end up in shelters every year.Seven million was such a shocking number we started to wonder what happens when the shelter pets are not adopted? In doing some research on the subject we came upon this truthfully disturbing article by: Sica, Nicole J.., [...]

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The Dog Bowl offer our new Interactive Puppy Training DVD – Start things right with your new puppy. This Puppy Training Video DVD trains humans to teach their puppies the basics. (Which is really the key to helping your puppy succeed in understanding what you need from him/her!)Renowned Canine Behaviorist, Shannon Holstein gets [...]