Testimonial

I like to pamper my dogs as much as the next person, so I keep a variety of treats on hand. My dogs get treats at noon (a midday snack, since they eat small meals morning and evening), and they get special treats when they come inside after a romp on our 5 acres. (Kind of hard to get a happy dog to come inside after an hour or so of chasing squirrels and rabbits!)

As dogs go, mine are probably no different than anyone else's. Each has her own personality (all girls!). Micha (our pleasantly plump chihuahua, aptly nicknamed "No-Neck Chavez") is an opportunist. She will glom onto just about any edible scrap. Bitsy (our MinPin, aka "Ditzy"--let's just say that's probably what we should have named her to begin with!) can be a bit finicky, but on a good day, she'll rake the fingers off your hands to get a treat. Ribbie (our matriarch Shiba Inu) is the calm, collected, independent type, and she likes hard, chewy treats, but will eat anything offered upon the utterance of the magic word, "treat". Needless to say, I didn't have much trouble pleasing the appetites of my three dogs, until one day...

Bitsy was the first to exhibit signs that something was amiss. She didn't come prancing into the kitchen to eat breakfast. Ribbie and Micha had to literally drag her to her bowl, as they knew no one was going to eat until Bitsy was there. But, Bitsy stood in front of her food bowl, eyes glazed over, head hanging, tail down. She was not interested. Ribbie and Micha ate, but without their usual gusto. Dinner was a repeat of breakfast--no excitement. Bitsy sniffed at her food, Ribbie and Micha ate, but they took their time, and looked up at me every now and then as if to say, "this stuff again?"

For the next few days, nothing seemed to appeal to my girls. I even went so far as to try changing their "usual" food, in the hopes that I would spark some interest. No luck. When I let the girls out to romp, they went out and had a good time, but they weren't elated when they came in for treats. In fact, Bitsy flat out refused her treat, went and plopped herself down on her bed. No mom likes having to deal with a loss of appetite. What to do?

The answer came to me in the most unlikely manner. I was gearing up to head out for my pet sitting visits one day around noon, and I gathered up my last bag of Big Wag treats (a "bonus" that I give my clients from time to time). I didn't realize it till it was too late--the bag was torn. Treats came spilling out all over the floor. Then, an amazing thing happened. My dogs, all three of them, came over and sniffed at the treats. It only took one whiff, and they started downing Chicken and Stars like there was no tomorrow. I stood there, dumbfounded. For days, they'd had absolutely no appetite, now they were inhaling Big Wag treats. They left the floor positively spotless, not a crumb in sight! There was still a handful of treats left in the bag, so I set them aside and left, pondering in amazement how quickly those treats had disappeared off the floor.

That night, when I returned from my pet sitting visits, I got the dogs' food bowls out and started preparing their dinner. Not one of the dogs came running when they heard their bowls on the counter (which is usually all it takes). I made their meals, they came and sniffed at the food, and just stood there. Then I remembered the Big Wag treats. I grabbed a few of them, threw them into the dog food, and stirred. The dogs came back over to see what I'd just done. They sniffed at their food, and started wolfing it down! Curious, I got what was left of the bag of treats, and sniffed at them myself. Whoa! No wonder their appetites were piqued--the treats smelled like fresh cookies, right out of the oven!

Over the course of the next few days, I put the remainder of the bag of Big Wag's Chicken and Stars treats in each of the dogs' food at mealtime. By the time the bag ran out, the dogs' appetites had fully recovered. Not taking any chances, I bought more Chicken and Stars treats when I placed an order for my clients' treats. My dogs love ALL of the Big Wag varieties, but Chicken and Stars are their favorite, and I try to have some on hand for times when they get bored with their ordinary fare. I liken Chicken and Stars treats to chicken soup...when I don't feel well, a bowl of chicken soup makes me feel "all better" again. Apparently, Big Wag's Chicken and Stars has the same effect on my dogs! :)