“Although the last several weeks have brought some awesome adoptions of our long timers Honna Lee, Eddie, Mr Chompers and Blue, overall our adoption rates have been down and so have donations. Needless to say, money is tight around here and we could use a little help. But alas, their lack of thumbs make it challenging to find decent work…”

Family Dogs does critical work in our community, and I cant begin to tell you what excellent care they give the dogs (or the grueling hours that entails). We know times are tight, and maybe you want to make a donation, but then it would be a choice between helping shelter dogs or buying biscuits for your own pooch. We have a solution! Make a contribution of $25 or more to them and we will ship you a FREE bag of biscuits, so you can have your treats, and donate too!

Just email you donation confirmation, and we will give you the deets on free treats!

Thanks So Much For Your Support!

Our New BioBags, better in every way!

So now we are experimenting with cellulose bags that fit very nicely in the little Flat Rate boxes, and don’t have a negative impact on the planet.

We would love your feedback: for example, the bags are designed to be closed with a twist-tie, but could be heat sealed (which would eliminate the reclosable feature).  We know you have opinions, chime in and let us know what you think: one lucky commenter will receive a FREE bag of biscuits!

I’ll be the first to admit that I have ridiculously high standards for the farms who provide the meat for our biscuits, but after an exhaustive search I happened upon  the Deck Family Farm, who have no trouble at all meeting those standards, because they share the values behind them.

The Deck family insists on proper stewardship of the land and their animals, putting ethics ahead of profit margin means the meat they produce costs twice as much the feedlot version.   The lives that sustain us, those of the beasts and those of the farmers, have honor and value and dignity; and they deserve our respect. The way farmers work and live on the land ultimately effects all of us: in pesticide run off, or it’s absence; soil erosion, or the lack of it; the nutritional content and quality of the meat, or lack there of. The Deck family does not compromise on these critical issues, which is why we feel so privileged to be working with them!

Their goal is to produce the healthiest and most nutritious meat possible, with an emphasis on animal health and welfare. Their animals have access to green pasture and open sky 365 days a year. The Deck family steward their animals through every cycle, from start to finish, which means babies will are nursed until an appropriate age of weaning and finished on the same pasture where they were born. There is absolutely no use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics.
The Decks have set up a pasture-based system with the goal of giving their animals a happy and healthy life. But their goals extend further than this. They go to great lengths to ameliorate the impact on the land, surrounding wilderness ~and even to extend the amount of wilderness on their land.

They have spent over 6 years on the Turnbow Creek CREP Project, which will protect 3500′ of Turnbow Creek (a tributary to the Long Tom River) from grazing animals, provide wildlife habitat, enable  better grazing for their animals, and provide a foundation for our nutrient management program. Thanks to a convergence of environmental organizations,  and the intrepid efforts of the Deck Kids, the world got a little better and a little greener.

Last fall they put a tremendous amount of work  into slowing the velocity of water through through  their culvert on Owen’s Creek, which was impacting trout during spawning season. No one made them do it, there was no profit in it for them, they did it because it was the right thing to do.

Ultimately, the Deck Family would like to create community around agriculture while taking back the distribution and marketing aspects of the food system so that family farmers can once again make a viable living off the land. Their vision includes creating a cooperative of meat producers in the Willamette Valley that can distribute and market products under one brand name, much like Organically Grown Company does with vegetables.

Leo and I have always brought uncompromising standards to the ingredients we use.When we first started this company, I made the observation that there were plenty of cheaper dog biscuits out there, Leo didn’t miss a beat:  “It’s not about cheap, mom: it’s about quality.” Quality, and doing things right.

Deck Family Farm raises 100% Grassfed Heritage Galloway Beef, Heritage Red Wattle Pork, Heritage La Belle Rouge Chickens,White Turkeys, Heritage Turkeys,  Hens Eggs, Duck Eggs, Lamb and  Goat.  And once you have tried their offerings, I think you will agree that they are worth every cent and more!

You can find Deck Family Farm products at the Alberta Co-op,  the PSU Farmers Market, Hollywood Farmers Market, and St. John’s Farmers Markets in Portland;  the Eugene Saturday Market, the Friendly Street Markets in Eugene, and the Astoria Cooperative in Astoria.

The Deck Family Farm

Located in a coastal mountain range of Oregon near the small town of Tidewater, the sanctuary covers 60 acres, 50 acres of which are completely fenced and isolated for the protection of the Arctic wolves: these white wolves are not in cages, but instead run as freely as possible in a natural habitat (within 50 fenced acres of natural habitat) which includes ponds, shelters, trees and meadows.

We were excited to learn about their program, and Leo is planning to visit the sanctuary this summer as part of  his Xploregon service work.  Join us in supporting them by buying a bag of biscuits this weekend, or with a direct donation

Boomer is an awesome dog looking for an awesome home, with help from the good folks at Family Dogs New Life Shelter.  Nearly a year old, Boomer is a Border Collie/Pointer mix, just like our girl Scout, so you know he’s smart as a whip and ready for adventure! You can also count on him to have a heart of gold and the energy of a Duracell Bunny!  Planning to get out and enjoy Frisbee, running on the beach, hiking, and all those other great outdoorsy activities Oregon has to offer? Boomer is the perfect companion for active sports and adventure!

Look at that handsome face and tell me you aren’t in love! He’s crate trained and quick to learn new tricks; just keep in mind that he is still just a pup: he will need a home with patience, consistency, and positive training. He loves to run and play with other dogs, almost as much as he likes to playing active games with people, and he does well with respectful kids age 10 and over.
If you are looking for a fun, happy, lovable friend, he is your guy!

10-12 months old,  adoption fee: $200 and includes; neuter, microchip,  free veterinary exam, 1 month pet health insurance, leash/collar, food sample, reduced-cost Training Class, toy & treat packet.

And remember: your adoption certificate, from any shelter, anywhere in the US, works as a gift certificate for a 1 year ‘biscuit subscription’ from us, to help you build a healthy relationship with your new pooch!

Join us for Milepost 5′s Grand Opening Weekend! Bring the kids, bring yer dogs, it’s not to be missed! Activities include guided tours, workshops in Small Metal Sculpture, and Creative Writing ~and of course the unbelievably wonderful yumminess of E.A.T., come on down!

Snow and freakishly cold temperatures have descended on Portland, and let me tell you: smart dogs get board fast!  We recently adopted Scout, a whip smart Border Collie/Pointer mix, from a rescue group.  Scout inherited her energy, exuberance and brains-in-spades from the Border Collie side, along with a Pointer’s lovely, short coat.  Pointers where not bred for sub arctic conditions, and Boarder Collies are incapable of being couch potatoes, even for a short time.  What to do?

Food Puzzles:
One option is food puzzles: these are great canine brain teasers that can engage your dog anytime they are home alone, or don’t have you to entertain them.  Several versions are available from dog shops, but you can also make your own using boxes, cardboard tubes, PVC pipe or even milk crates.

101 Things To Do With A Box
Being stranded indoors offers a great opportunity to introduce your dog to clicker training, which can be a lot of fun for both of you.  One favorite way to do this is the game Karen Pryor calls 101 Things To Do with a Box.  It is open ended fun that can lead to your dog learning a wide variety of great tricks

Step one

Take an ordinary cardboard box, any size. Cut the sides down to about three inches, and put the box on the floor. Click the dog for looking at the box. Treat. If the dog goes near or past the box, even by accident, click. Next, after you click, toss the treat near or in the box. If the dog steps toward the box to get the treat, click the step and toss another treat. If he steps into the box, great, click again, even if he is eating his previous treats, and offer him another treat in your hand.

Sometimes you can cook up a lot of “box action” in a hurry this way: click for stepping toward or into the box. Alternately toss the treat in the box and hold the treat out in your hand so the dog has to come back to you. If the dog is reluctant to step into the box, and so doesn’t eat that treat, it doesn’t matter: he knows he got it. If treats accumulate in the box, fine. When he does step into the box, he’ll get a jackpot. If you decide to stop the session before that happens, fine. Pick up the treats i

n the box, and put them away for a later session. Remember, never treat without clicking first, and always click for a reason: for some action of the dog’s.

If you need more behavior to click, you can move yourself to different parts of the room so the box is between you and the dog, increasing the likelihood of steps in the direction of the box. Don’t call the dog, don’t pat the box, don’t chat, don’t encourage the dog, and don’t “help” him. All of that stuff may just make him more suspicious. Click foot movements toward the box, never mind from how far away, and then treat. If you get in five or six good clicks, for moving in the direction or near or past the box, and then the dog “loses interest” and goes away, fine. You can always play “box” again later. In between sessions, the reinforcements you did get in will do their work for you; each little session will make things livelier the next time.

You are, after all, teaching your dog new rules to a new game. If you have already trained your dog by conventional methods, the dog may be respecting the general rule, “Wait to be told what to do.” So the first rule of this new game, “Do something on your own, and I will click,” is a toughie. In that case, the box game is especially valuable, and the first tiny steps are especially exciting—although they would be invisible to an onlooker, and may right now seem invisible to you.

End the first session with a “click for nothing” and a jackpot consisting of either a handful of treats, or a free grab at the whole bowl. Hmm. That’ll get him thinking. The next time that cardboard box comes out, he will be alert to new possibilities. Clicks. Treats. Jackpots.

“That cardboard box makes my person behave strangely, but on the whole, I like this new strangeness. Box? Something I can do, myself? With that box?”

Those are new ideas, but they will come.

If your dog is very suspicious, you may need to do the first exercise over again once, or twice, or several times, until he “believes” something a human might phrase thus: “All that is going on here is that the click sound means my person gives me delicious food. And the box is not a trap, the box is a signal that click and treat time is here, if I can just find out how to make my person click.”

Step two

Whether these things occur in the same session or several sessions later, here are some behaviors to click. Click the dog for stepping in the box, for pushing the box, pawing the box, mouthing the box, smelling the box, dragging the box, picking up the box, thumping the box—in short, for anything the dog does with the box.

Remember to click WHILE the behavior is going on, not after the dog stops. As soon as you click, the dog will stop, of course, to get his treat. But because the click marked the behavior, the dog will do that behavior again, or some version of it, to try to get you to click again. You do not lose the behavior by interrupting it with a click.

You may end up in a wild flurry of box-related behavior. GREAT! Your dog is already learning to problem-solve in a creative way. If you get swamped, and can’t decide which thing to click, just jackpot and end the session. Now YOU have something to think about between sessions.

On the other hand, you may get a mo

re methodical, slow, careful testing by the dog: the dog carefully repeats just what was clicked before. One paw in the box, say. Fine—but right away YOU need to become flexible about what you click, or you will end up as a matched pair of behavioral bookends. Paw, click. Paw, click. Paw, click. That is not the way to win this game.

So, when the dog begins to offer the behavior the same way, repeatedly, withhold your click. He puts the paw out, you wait. Your behavior has changed; the dog’s behavior will change, too. The dog might keep the paw there longer; fine, that’s something new to click. He might pull it out; you could click that, once or twice. He might put the other paw in, too—fine, click that. Now he may try something new.

And? Where do we go from here? Well, once your dog has discovered that messing around with the box is apparently the point of this game, you will have enough behavior to select from, so that you can now begin to click only for certain behaviors, behaviors that aim toward a plan. It’s as if you have a whole box of Scrabble letters, and you are going to start selecting letters that spell a word. This process is part of “shaping.”

Step three

Variations and final products: What could you shape from cardboard box behaviors?

Get in the box and stay there

Initial behavior: Dog puts paw in box. Click, toss treats. Then don’t click, just wait and see. Maybe you’ll get two paws in box. Click. Now get four paws in box. Get dog in box. Options: Sitting or lying in box; staying in box until clicked; staying in box until called, then clicked for coming.

Uses: Put the dog to bed. Put the dog in its crate. Let children amuse themselves and make friends with the dog by clicking the dog for hopping into a box and out again (works with cats, too). One third-grade teacher takes her papillon to school on special events days, in a picnic basket. When the basket is opened, the dog hops out, plays with the children, and then hops back in again.

Behavior: Carry the box

Initial behavior: Dog grabs the edge of the box in its teeth and lifts it off the floor.

Uses: Millions. Carry a box. Carry a basket. Put things away: magazines back on the pile, toys in the toy box. A dog that has learned the generalized or generic rule, “Lifting things in my mouth is reinforceable,” can learn many additional skills.

Have fun, and stay warm out there

The evening will offer access to the studios of some of this city’s most talented artists, a documentary screening in EAT’s performance space at 6pm, followed by rad music at 7pm. EAT will be serving up their diabolically delectable cocktails and related yummys; and of course we will have biscuits for your four-legged art lover!

MP5 consistently offers incomparable First Friday events, and EAT creates fare with a uniquely Portland flare, you are not going to want to miss it!