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The Everyday Trainer Podcast
The Everyday Trainer Podcast
Better Food, Happier Dogs: A Conversation on Pet Nutrition with Megan from Pet Power Studio
Welcome back ya'll. In this episode, we dive into the transformative world of dog nutrition with Megan from Pet Power Studio. Discover how proper nourishment can revolutionize the life of your beloved pet from overcoming behavioral challenges to enhancing their overall quality of life. Together, we explore the pitfalls of traditional kibble diets and unveil the powerful, positive changes that raw and fresh feeding can trigger.
Megan’s heartfelt narrative begins with her experience raising Diesel, a once-troubled dog who became a beacon of insight into the world of canine behavior and nutrition. She illustrates the framework of holistic pet care and how nutrition intertwines with behavioral training, enabling dogs to shine as their best selves.
Listeners will gain knowledge about the alarming statistics on pet obesity and the health implications of processed dog foods. You’ll learn practical tips on how to transition dogs to a fresh diet while maintaining a focus on individual needs and preferences. With passion, Megan challenges the conventional wisdom around pet food, urging pet parents to be advocates for their dog’s nutrition and well-being.
We also discuss the significant shifts in consumer awareness and attitudes towards pet diets, including the importance of sourcing high-quality ingredients. The episode invites owners to take an empowering step toward making informed dietary choices for their dogs and understanding their essential dietary needs.
Visit our website here to stay up to date on training, virtual shadow programs, and travel dates.
Visit Pet Power Studio here.
Hello, hello and welcome back to the Everyday Trainer podcast. My name is Meg and I am a dog trainer. Today, I'm joined by another, megan from the Pet Power Studio. It is a dog food store in Encinitas, so she's going to talk to us all about how she got into the pet industry, her experience with her own dog and what you need to know, as far as nutrition goes, to help your dog's behavior and make sure that they live a happy, healthy life. You know the drill Grab yourself a tasty drink and meet us back here a tasty drink and meet us back here.
Speaker 1:Hello, hello, hello. Thanks for having me, thanks for having us in your awesome like store.
Speaker 2:It's so cute. Thank you, it's been a work in progress for sure. This was actually a dental office.
Speaker 1:Oh, no way when.
Speaker 2:I got the keys to it so it was kind of like chopped and screwed and had so many different like little compartments and rooms so it was like not your average retail store. But it's kind of like it's cute that way.
Speaker 1:It's so cute. It's got character. It really does. How long have you had this?
Speaker 2:It's going on. Let's see, november of this year, or like 2024, was three years, oh, wow. And the only reason I know that is because when I got the keys to this place, um, a litter of puppies was dropped here and I ended up keeping one no way. So I don't really care about the store that much, but, like my dog, I know her birthday. So, yeah, yeah. So she turned basically three with the store I love that yeah, so three years in encinitas, my wait like this same day yes, like within two days of getting the keys, there was a litter of puppies here that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Someone thought it was a dog rescue.
Speaker 2:They're like oh, a dog person yeah, that's a story for another day, but I kept one of them and she is the ceo of pet power and she's the shop dog and people will come in here and be like yo, where's luna? I'm like hi, no one cares about me, they're here for the dog.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, I love that. Yeah, and uh like, how did you get into all of this? What made you start this business?
Speaker 2:great question. Um, it's been a long time, so I've been doing this now for, let's see, it's 2025. I maybe got in the industry around 2010. Okay, so like 15 years give or take.
Speaker 1:Oh shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've been doing different facets of the industry, so I haven't been in retail, but I've been in the industry that long. So I actually started um manufacturing CBD dog treats and then I moved into a wholesale distribution business and then the pet store was actually my third endeavor. Um, this has been like the most rewarding one of them all, but they all were very centered around nutrition, holistic pet um, pet approaches and yeah, so it's been a long time coming, and the reason I got involved in this was because I had a dog that was human, aggressive um, and we tried everything under the sun because we wanted to help him.
Speaker 1:Um, he lived to be 17 years old, which is crazy, which is absolutely bonkers. I'm gonna twist your microphone around there you go talking about screwing up. It's okay, everybody does it. See, doesn't it sound nice? Now sounds way better um.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, he was human, aggressive and he was a chow chow mixed with a pity, and he, um, he was a challenging dog and we tried everything conventionally, yeah, so we actually sought out vet behaviorists. We were working with a lot of trainers, and it wasn't until we put him into a program that addressed his nutrition as well as supplementing him with CBD, that we really saw like huge differences in his behavior, lot of strides towards progressing into being like a decent dog, and so I knew at that moment that there was something to be had there, because a lot of people were just kind of, you know, throwing pharmaceuticals at him or telling me I should behavioral euthanize him, and I was considering all of these things, um, but ultimately what ended up helping him was nutrition supplements and a lot of really good trainers.
Speaker 1:And how old were you when you got him?
Speaker 2:I was. Let's see, I was 19.
Speaker 1:Were you prepared to have a human, aggressive dog? Have you ever?
Speaker 2:experienced that before? No, and I actually didn't have any experience with it. So when I into this, I thought what am I gonna do with this dog? And I honestly had no, no guiding light. There's not a guidebook out there, there wasn't anything online. I was like searching the corner like the depths of the internet, could not find anything. And so I thought, am I the only one like with a dog like this?
Speaker 2:And of course, I'm like in college and I have all these other things going on and, um, it was definitely a learning experience for me, but I wouldn't trade it for the world because I learned so much about myself and about dogs in general throughout that experience yeah, and what was kind of like your first like oh shit moment where you realize, like I have to basically become a dog trainer, which you probably have, yeah, you know well, he bit somebody and drew blood, yeah, and this was like when he was only like eight months old so I thought, oh, he's a puppy like yeah, he was such a straw, his jaw was so strong and he was just, he didn't exhibit any warning signs.
Speaker 2:So, like I had no idea that it was about to happen, and then, honestly, I was just like shaking in my boots.
Speaker 1:I had no idea what to do. Worse, it's the worst, it's my adrenaline was like coursing through my veins.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh my God, my dog is going to kill somebody. Yeah, but it's a very serious matter and you should take it very seriously. And had I know what I know now, I would be in a much better place. But yeah, it was an uphill learning curve learning about dealing with an aggressive dog. And yeah, it was an uphill learning curve learning about dealing with an aggressive dog. And what do you know now? I don't know if I know a whole lot more. No, I'm lying. I feel like I learned so much about management of an aggressive dog and I think in learning about that I was able to keep him safe and keep other people safe, and that was the big thing I had to advocate for him. And so in that process I was able to learn boundaries human boundaries and dog boundaries and so I'm forever grateful for that, yeah, and that's huge.
Speaker 1:And I think it's not until you get a dog like that that you actually like realize how to actually communicate with your dog and read their body language and their signs and like fulfill them in the ways that they need. And we were kind of talking a little bit like before we started recording, about how, like you know, there are so many trainers out there that are, you know, claiming to like fix your dog or like, oh, the these methods are gonna like solve all of your problems, and you, I'm sure, tried it all. You know like you go the like positive reinforcement, only this is gonna fix all of your problems. And you're like no, that doesn't really work. And then somehow you stumble upon like well, I think like management is key, key, it's really it. You know like that type of dog is never going to be a dog that you can just like blindly trust. You know like, please, small child, walk up to this dog. You know.
Speaker 2:I think what's interesting is a lot of trainers out there and that you know. This is what the challenging thing is is they will convince you that you could have a dog at the end of the training that might be able to do all the things. So you have this like false hope in a way. I know, and you're sold this narrative that, okay, I came in with like Cujo and I'm gonna walk out with I can't.
Speaker 2:Marley the golden retriever, yeah which is not what was going to happen, for me at least. Yeah, so I just like the expectations were all over the place and certain trainers were honest and upfront and other ones would take your money and kind of run with it yeah, I think I do think that that is just coming from a place of like inexperience because, like I have, um, a like I don't know.
Speaker 1:She's not really human, aggressive, but like she's a pit bull and if she's over aroused and you touch her or put pressure on her, she's going to be like redirect, redirect, whip up the leash. Like she will bite somebody. If an off leash dog rushed up to her, she would grab that dog and she would shake it until it's dead. You know, like that is just how she is and I don't talk about her a lot on like my podcast or social media, because I get people who are like, well, you know, this trainer can fix her and this, and I'm like it's not like, she's like this killer, man eater, you know, and they're like, referring me this trainer that's like, oh, you're just gonna put on a bite suit and like let her bite you I went to one of those trainers yeah, yeah, I guarded everything and she was like very kind of intimidating yeah, because she was trying to get my dog to bite to see what kind of bite style he had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, was he gonna bite and hold on, was he gonna bite, bite, bite?
Speaker 1:but yes, I've been to one of those trainers and it was yeah and so all of these people on the internet like I I made a few posts about her I'm like look, mink is not, like, she's not a safe dog. She's never gonna be a safe dog. That's just how she is. It's not like my training doesn't work or whatever, but like we do not have as much control as we think that we do. And I feel like a lot of new trainers truly believe that they can like fix every dog, and I think I was a little bit of that. You know. I was like oh my gosh, well, you want to have the hope, you just don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 2:That you can fix the dog right, because it's like one thing no one talks about is the guilt and the shame. At least I had around thinking that I did something to like, quote unquote screw the dog up.
Speaker 2:But don't you think that trainers tell you that I think there's a messaging out there like a rhetoric, where it's like it's not the breed, it's the owner, or it's not the dog, it's the owner, and I'm like I actually really disagree with with that sentiment, because I did not do anything wrong. I mean, I love that dog unconditionally. He had all the best food.
Speaker 1:That's just genetics.
Speaker 2:He just had wires crossed, yeah and I like Also a crazy mix Long time Mm-hmm Like Chao chao. Yeah, that's a crazy dog to mix. No, what's that? He had no impulse control and he was also just naturally an asshole. Yeah, and that was, let's just be clear. It wasn't the pit bull, and then that made him the asshole, it was the chow chow, chow, chow was a guard dog crazy, he was a guard dog, yeah yeah and then you mix it with, like the bite strength of a pit bull, oh my god, yeah, yeah wild experience.
Speaker 1:So that went on for 17 years. 17 years, that's impressive. I think he just wanted to prove to me that he's like oh, you're tired, yeah, let's go, let's go, You're tired of this, I mean even in his dying days, like the last year of his life, he was like like barely walking, barely breathing, but he would still bite you.
Speaker 2:Like barely walking, barely breathing, but he would still bite you. Like he was like don't test the waters, oh my gosh. Yeah, but it was a um. It was an interesting experience. I loved him dearly. I always said he was the goodest bad boy that there ever was. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So he's the one who kind of got you into all of this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was the impetus behind me, wanting to go the natural food route, the natural supplement route. Like I said, I had millions of people tell me all kinds of things, from trainers to vets, to friends, to well-intended people and I didn't see any significant changes until I changed his diet. And until I started him on CBD, he was on trazodone, acepromazine, prescription food diets. I mean, there was all e-callers we did which actually that kind of helped him to with his impulse control. So there were other tools. But when I changed his food he became so he just felt lighter yes, I don't know like his brain. It wasn't like he was a prisoner of his brain anymore. It was like, okay, we got out all the toxins from the food and now he was actually able to like think more clearly. And when he thought more clearly, the training was more um, beneficial, more efficient yeah or effective, I guess, is the word.
Speaker 2:So did you get into that with him, and then you discovered, like the nutrition education that you did, yes, so when I first started doing it I was kind of throwing spaghetti at a wall because we were trying everything, mind you, yeah. And when I noticed the positive changes, then I started to dig deeper.
Speaker 1:So I was like what about this food is?
Speaker 2:making him a better dog. And so that's when I started researching. I mean, with humans, we obviously know um, natural nutrition is what helps us to thrive and to be healthy and in our optimal um places, and so the same thing applies to dogs. They're mammals just like people, and so we thrive on fresh food. And when I started digging, I was like, oh, this makes total sense. Like we don't eat processed food, and if we did eat McDonald's every single day, we would be unhealthy, overweight, anxious and all the things Right. So it made sense. The more I looked into it and I just kept going down that path and I uncovered so much about biologically appropriate diets. And how will? Dogs are carnivores and they're wolves, and so they function on a high meat. They function better on a high meat diet, and lower carbohydrates.
Speaker 1:Tell us the things. Yeah, teach us, teach us the things.
Speaker 2:so, traditionally speaking, we've always been kind of drawn to to kibble diets because that's just been what's acceptable, mainstream for a really long time. It's affordable, it's convenient for the owners and we can scoop and serve and be done and not think about anything. But the problem with kibble-based diets are they're really heavy in carbohydrates, and dogs actually do not need carbohydrates at all. They can tolerate small amounts and they can be omnivorous, but they are thriving on carnivore diets. So when you change, when you take kibble away from them and you give them a lot of meat, their whole system is going to be functioning better and more optimal. And if we could understand that one thing that kibble is killing our dogs slowly but surely, nobody would feed it ever again.
Speaker 1:yeah, and this is something that, like, I talk about in the podcast all the time. Um, I kind of experienced something similar to you in that I had I still have her. She's actually in Florida with one of my old trainers, but a German Shepherd like seven bites on record before I got her neurotic mess. I got her, she was super overweight and at the time I was like raw feeding all of our dogs. So I just got her on raw same thing, raw CBD and I was like, holy shit, this is literally a different dog. Like. She was just so much like clearer eating raw that it was like a night and day difference. Um, on kibble her fur was like fluffy, you know, whereas like eating raw it's like silky and shiny and not like dandruffy and the poops are completely different.
Speaker 1:The poops are completely different, but like just her mental state was so different and I have experience working with like exotic animals I worked at like zoos and stuff like that, and we would put the meals together, right, and they're like we have the omnivores and then the herbivores and then the like carnivores and you're feeding big cats and wolves and coyotes like raw meat and like hearts and liver and I'm like what the fuck are we doing with our dogs?
Speaker 2:like it's?
Speaker 1:so crazy that we feed our dogs like we would call them, like omnivore biscuits, and it's like, oh, you cannot give the omnivores that many because, like, they can't have that many carbs. And I'm like staring at it, like we feed our dogs this twice a day, every single day. And a big thing, too, that I saw when I was working with so many dogs is like almost every single dog that came in for training was overweight.
Speaker 2:It's a very common problem and we're also looking at one out of every not even two, but one out of every 1.7, which is more than 50% of dogs are getting cancer under the age of six. I know, but why?
Speaker 1:it's food. And it's so crazy too, because, like, these people love their dogs so much and I'm like, hey, instead of buying them, like all of these dumb toys, like, invest in your dog's food because it's going to make them live longer, you're not going to have to go to the vet all the time. Like, like these dogs were constantly getting sick, constantly in the vet and I'm like when's the last time our dogs have gone to the vet or like needed to. Well, that's the catch 22,.
Speaker 2:Right Is like. We live in a very expensive area and people will often tell me they can't afford to feed fresh, but you're going to pay for it somewhere, so if you don't pay for it up front, with the food.
Speaker 2:You're going to have a sick dog and they're going to be at the vet all the time, and we all know that the vets are not cheap. So you can either pay for it on the front end or you can pay for it on the back end and you're going to, you're going to shell it out somewhere. So you might as well do it in the food, because your dog doesn't like the vet anyways and they're gonna love their food, so like, how rewarding is that?
Speaker 1:yeah, it's tough, it's like a tough sell to get people to switch over from like something that they know they're like no, my dog just like eats cookies all day and like this sort of stuff. And I'm like no, give your dog like a turkey neck instead of like this starchy, disgusting treat.
Speaker 2:That is not good for them one thing that just came to mind, too, is like now I'm not even so. It used to be like five years ago that I would have to switch dogs from kibble to fresh. Mind you, my store has no kibble in it, so that's like. One unique thing about Pet Power is we have stayed away from all canned food which is heavily processed, kibble, synthetics and like any poisons or glyphosate, I didn't even like. We have no kibble in the store. No kibble, no cans. I love that. So we really took a stance and a lot of people told me that this business model wasn't going to work, and I strongly disagree and I've proven that obviously it is. It's a slower burn, but it's way more rewarding and I can go to sleep at night knowing I'm not selling junk to dogs. But the point being is that I'm not really having the kibble to fresh conversation anymore.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm having the oh you're already on fresh and your fresh food actually sucks and you're paying an arm and a leg for it. The fresh food I'm referring referring to is dog. I don't know if I can say that. Oh yeah, for sure. So farmer's dog, you guys I hate your hearts for trying this food.
Speaker 2:They have super bowl commercials. They are spending billions of dollars on marketing, and let me tell you what that means for you. It means that they're not spending it on the ingredients. So what we have now is what I like to refer to as a wet kibble, and it's in the freezers and refrigerators of your grocery store. It's in the freezers and refrigerators of your Petco and PetSmart and it's not good. So it's not enough now to say going into the freezers or the fridge is the up level.
Speaker 2:What you really need to ask are the questions about where are the animals coming from that are going into the food and what is the carbohydrate load. So in kibble, we're looking at about anywhere from like 30% to 45% carbohydrates, depending on the quality of the kibble, and in some of the wet foods, like farmer's dog or fresh pet, we're also looking at about 25% carbohydrates. So we're not doing any better. We are putting something in the fridge and calling it not kibble, which is now all these marketing companies are figuring out. Pet parents don't want to do kibble anymore, but they're basically putting kibble in the fridge. Yeah, so you just need to understand if you're willing to pay that price point Great. That's amazing. It's very expensive, but you could do better and pay less. If you support your independent pet stores and wherever your community is I'm sure there's one local Go in there, ask them about their local fresh food. It's not only going to be a better quality, it's going to be cheaper and you are not supporting a massive conglomerate like Farmer's Dog which is equivalent to Walmart.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're just really good at marketing, very, very, very good at marketing and honestly, I give them a lot of um, I don't want to say props but, like.
Speaker 1:I'm very happy that they introduced mainstream to fresh feeding, so they served a purpose which was um carving that path out and getting the message out, but they're not a good food yeah unfortunately yeah I mean I had a lot of clients that were on that food and the dogs got super sick and I'm like you have to stop I hope we don't get hate mail for this.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna get people coming at me like, ah, farmer's dog is the best. I always get hate mail, you're fine, this is the least controversial thing that I I talk about, for sure, farmer's dog.
Speaker 1:And what's another one?
Speaker 2:Ollie, ollie is um fresh pet, nom nom nom, nom. Don't quote me on this, but either Ollie or nom nom, or maybe both, are owned by Mars, which is the candy bar company that makes Butterfingers, Um and newsflash. They don't care about your dog. Yeah, they care about profit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so you actually, like, went to school for this.
Speaker 2:Yes, I wouldn't. I mean school is like I don't want to say an overstatement but I did take courses after I went to college about canine nutrition. One of my favorite courses is actually a local business here called Real Dog Box and they have a certified professional canine nutrition certification and it's a really intense program and you learn all about. You know nutrition, you learned about digestion, you learned about um cats, dogs, I mean sicknesses that they have. I mean it's very intense and they teach you all about how to help pet parents transition from a heavily processed diet onto fresh food. And so I did do that course and I feel very confident helping pet parents um navigate that challenging decision to switch the food over to um fresh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I love that. And is it your first dog that like got you into actually? Getting kind of like a formal certification for that.
Speaker 2:Totally Um well, diesel passed two Januaries ago. That was my um human aggressive dog, but now I I have two dogs of my own right now. I have a pit bull and a Chihuahua and they've been eating fresh food now for I mean since, since I've had them. Um. So every time I learn something, I obviously apply it with my own dogs first, and then I'm able to see how they interact and engage with it, and then I have just that much more ammo when I'm helping pet parents that come into my doors here.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So what's kind of?
Speaker 1:like your first recommendation that you give most people that walk in.
Speaker 2:I normally ask them what they're currently on, because that's how I gauge where to start with my like with I don't want to say education, but empowering them to make a better decision. If I know what they're on, then I can meet them where they're at. And sometimes for certain people that's just adding some fresh to their kibble, and that's okay. If you only can afford to add in some goat's milk or bone broth to your kibble, you're already doing better. So the common misconception is that you have to change everything and you have to do it now, and that's very overwhelming to some people, and I think it also like makes people feel guilty yeah, and you don't want to do that like yeah, just because I don't carry kibble in the store doesn't mean I'm going to chase you out of here with a broom.
Speaker 2:Get out of here.
Speaker 2:Don't come in my store. No, I'm very accepting of that. Everyone has to start somewhere. I mean, hell, I started with kibble back in the day, like before I knew any better. Like my dog, diesel, was on kibble. And once I knew better, I did better. And I'm here to meet you where you're at, and I don't want to be intimidating or overwhelming. So oftentimes if someone tells me they're on kibble I just say hey, all right, that's great, I can see you love your dog. Can I recommend just adding some moisture into the diet, because it's very heavily processed and it's very hard for them to digest.
Speaker 2:It's like dry cereal yeah nobody wants to eat dry cereal, um, so if I can get them to walk out of here with goat milk or bone broth to add hydration, I feel like that's a win, because their dog's already going to be happier to eat that food. They're already going to be going number two better, um, their poop's going to look more firm and they're going to be excited to eat their food. So now you've piqued the interest of the human, because why are they waiting at the fridge now like for that goat milk to come out? Because they're excited and a lot of dogs are wising up and they're choosing themselves to go away from kibble. So if you put down a plate of kibble and a plate of raw meat, nine times out of 10, the dog is going to go to the raw meat, so they already know that's what they're supposed to be eating.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so to answer your question about how we kind of start a nutrition consult, is I just meet them where they're at, and if they're already on a fresh food diet, then we start talking about how that meat in that diet is sourced. And I know a lot of the fresh food brands out there are using factory farmed meat, like farmer's dog for instance. And at that point you're loading your dog up with glyphosate, heavy metal, steroids, antibiotics all the things you were trying to avoid in kibble. So then we're having the conversation about hey, you're on farmers. We have a comparable brand here, california dog kitchen. They're local boys, they're sourcing organic veggies, they're using ethical farmers. Their price point is actually cheaper than farmer's dog.
Speaker 2:And then it becomes no way, yeah, very easy to make this switch, yeah very easy and all their packaging actually I'm looking at it in my freezer right now um all of their packaging is 100 sustainable. Those bags are at home compostable I love that farmer's dog comes in plastic. And what is this brand that is?
Speaker 2:solutions so solutions. So the is that California dog kitchen's actually a gently cooked food, meaning it's been steamed to like 180 degrees for a couple minutes, and Solutions, which is behind us, is actually a raw diet, so no heat has ever been applied to a raw food diet. However, it is fermented, so that would be what some would refer to as a kill step. Fermentation actually is a very safe process and it keeps all the live enzymes intact, but it will mitigate or completely reduce the invasive bacteria like e coli, salmonella, listeria. So a lot of times people who are against a raw diet it's because they're worried that the bacteria is going to harm their dog. With solutions, you don't have to worry about that, because the good bacteria inoculate the food and outcompete the bad bacteria. Also, kibble gets recalled all the time. Kibble has millions of recalls and people don't realize this but they're like oh, kibble is safe and actually I'd much rather have my child like eat a hunk of raw meat than go into the kibble bag I'm dead ass, serious.
Speaker 1:No, I mean it's like you go on like the recall pages and it's like, oh, every brand of kibble is like constantly getting recalled. Yeah, I like I feel like I'm so deep in the dog world now that, like everybody that I kind of surround myself with, we're on the same page of like. Yeah, we feed raw. Like pretty much everybody that we like train with, work with is on the same page as us. But what like? What is kind of the market for you? Like, do you find that people like this is like completely new and they're turned off by raw like general population?
Speaker 2:um, great question. I think like five years ago yes, yeah, very much so. Um, there were very little raw feeders. Talk about 10 years ago. I think I was the only one doing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're like, you're crazy yeah, five years ago, it was like every other person was kind of like, yeah, I'm into that, or like, oh, my god, what you feed raw food, you don't cook it. That's crazy. Yeah, um, but I feel like, as of this year, almost everybody you talk to has at least heard of it. Yes, so we know that it's trending in that direction. The traction is there and fresh feeding is becoming a really popular choice for many dog parents all over the country. So it's very exciting because I've waited for this moment, like I've been waiting in the wings to celebrate raw feeding with everybody. So I do feel like there is a shift that's happening and I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I agree. I think people are really like coming around and one of the things that I am very passionate about like, yes, I am a dog trainer, but also I think, like as a dog trainer, a huge part of my job is just to teach people and like educate people on like how to own animals, you know.
Speaker 1:So, like I find that a lot of the people that I work with are not necessarily like animal people, but everybody has a dog. Yeah, you know, everybody that you know has a dog, whether they grew up with animals or not. And so part of like being a good dog owner is not just training, but like it's proper nutrition, absolutely, you know, because, like animals in zoos, when they have issues it's because we haven't met their like natural needs, you know. So I think that there has been a huge rise and like the need for dog trainers, because everybody is getting a dog and they don't necessarily know what's best for that dog, not not just in training but nutrition and like making sure that they get outside and, you know, like all of that sort of stuff that goes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like the one thing that always like kind of threw me for a loop was even if you have a Chihuahua or like a Cavalier King Charles, like a tinier dog, it's still going to thrive as if it were a wolf, it's gonna need high quality meat. It still wants to sniff around on the ground. It probably doesn't want to sorry, be in a stroller.
Speaker 2:I know, sorry, I mean your chihuahua wants to be a wolf, okay, your your wiener dog wants to be a wolf like, and that's one thing that's always maddening to me is I see a lot of little dog people and I have a little dog, so I'm not throwing any shade, but they treat them differently and I'm like okay, so your armpit shark is that way because you've created that. Like your chihuahua is biting people because there's a lot of that around here.
Speaker 1:Don't use a stroller, please. I can't stand it, but I want a. Chihuahua is biting people.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of that around here. Don't use a stroller, please. I can't stand it. I want a chihuahua. So bad, you have no idea.
Speaker 1:I'm going to get a chihuahua and I'm going to raise it like a malinois. So it's a little feisty.
Speaker 2:My chihuahua is ratchet. She got the pit bull. Energy yeah, because I let her just be. I energy yeah, yeah, because I let her just be. I love that she's not a yapper. She holds her ground. She's like I gotta be like my brother, I love that.
Speaker 1:No, I want one. So bad he's like so sick of me with like the chihuahua you should get a baja chihuahua yeah the tijuana chihuahuas what does that mean?
Speaker 2:they're. They're just a little scrappier yeah yeah okay yeah, because there's so many. So we're obviously very close to Mexico and the stray dog problem there is is insane, um, and so there's lots of rescues that dedicate their time to going down there and like swooping up the dogs and bringing them back here. Um, not always great because they end up in our shelters and that's kind of frowned upon, but they're some of the best dogs I've ever met because they're like the ultimates yeah like they are signs 57s, but they're mostly chihuahua.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they are amazing, we did a podcast with the animal pad yes, I love them.
Speaker 1:They're the best, so sweet yeah, and I kind of like I felt the same way going into that. I was like I don't know how I feel about like going over and like taking these dogs when, like we have so many dogs in like shelters like we recently got a dog from uh siaka, like in la, and I'm like why are we like going to mexico and like getting these dogs? And then I met with them and I was like I love you guys and I love what you do, and it's like so different when you're in it and you see it, you know, and it's like they see it every day, like they see how mistreated those dogs are and they neglect it. And it's like who am I to say, like, don't go, save those dogs?
Speaker 2:yeah, you know they've tried to like. I can see both sides of it. It's like we obviously have a problem here, yeah, but that doesn't diminish the fact that there's a problem there too. Exactly, it's just like man. Just like man. I wish I could help them all.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:If I had millions of dollars and a lot of land, I would have thousands of dogs.
Speaker 1:We have two vans and we're like right on track for that it would be dangerous.
Speaker 1:It would be very dangerous, no, but I mean we were talking about that too, because, like, I have Minkink, who is not a super safe dog, and I took her out the other day and like every once in a while, we just have a day where I'm like, oh god, like she scares me sometimes, you know, and I'm like an experienced handler, and sometimes she's just like in a state of mind where I'm like, if I step the wrong way, like you're gonna, you're gonna get me, you know. And then what am I gonna do? Like I'm by myself, this dog's gonna bite me, um, and toma's like, well, we'll get a house and you know, then we'll like have a setup for her and I'm like we're gonna be those crazy people like, when we get a house, like we, you're gonna be, yeah, there'll be nothing stopping you.
Speaker 2:Come on, they can come.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a friend who's like trying to pawn off a malinois that like came from the animal pad. She's like come on, guys, take it. I'm like we live in vans. We already have so many dogs we cannot.
Speaker 2:But someday, someday when we have a property, we'll do that I mean, yeah, I mean, all dogs deserve to have a home and that's the sad thing, even the ones that are naughty a little bit I know they're still deserving of a good home. I really struggle with it.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, it's so hard like I'm constantly flipping between. Like you know, behavioral euthanasia is a tough conversation, but it's like a very real thing because very real like we were at a park today and there's like kids and I'm like I don't want to take her out. Yeah, because like what happens if a kid runs past her?
Speaker 2:like she's gonna snap that kid you know when you were talking, not that I was like, okay, I'm thinking about what I'm gonna say next, but I was like having this vivid, visceral, like memory of having my bad, my bad dog I'm using air quotes. He was a good dog, but he was a bad dog and he always had me on edge and the one thing that I learned in having a quote-unquote aggressive dog is people who don't have aggressive dogs or have never had an aggressive dog do not understand the value of leashing crazy and listen. I hate to say this, but I was one of those people prior to having diesel like, oh, my dog's friendly.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm like, yeah, mine's not, lady, my dog's gonna eat your dog, yeah. So like just to reiterate, like we are really good people, like in the fact that we are bringing in these dogs that have problems. We're not trying to be rude to you when we're yelling at you to leash your dog. We are scared for you. Yes, we are scared our dog is going to eat your dog. Yes, so please, for the love of god, leash your dog you live.
Speaker 1:You live in oceanside and I talked I literally your dog I talked about oceanside on my podcast because I was like, yeah, we're gonna go visit oceanside and then, like in the next episode, I was like we cannot stay in oceanside because it everybody has their dogs off leash.
Speaker 1:Like we would literally open the van and there's like an off leash malinois like oh my god, oh my gosh, you know, and it's like my anxiety is bad, like the dogs aren't bad but it's like, bro, if we, if I opened my van door and my dogs were in a crate and, let's say, my dog happened to be right there and your dog passed the door like dog fight, yeah, immediately, you know, and it's like we had his mal out and we're just like crossing the street, like dodging people and like people are coming out of stores with dogs and there's like a little dog like walking down the street with like no owner in sight and you're like what?
Speaker 2:yeah, what is going on. People are very liberated here with their dogs. Yeah, and it's not again. It's not a bad thing because I want to look at them and just like pet them, like, oh, sweet child, they just don't know they have no idea, no idea, zero, and you don't know, until you do get a problem dog. Absolutely you know, because you're like oh my dog, I just have a cupcake dog, like he just wants to say hi, yeah, and you're like no, and you're like he's gonna lose an eyeball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, please back up yeah, we were walking through the park today and we were over by like um north park and there was a woman like walking through the park with like two dogs off leash, literally like 50 feet behind her and we have his like big ass shepherd out and he like gets the dog barking, the lady's like and like runs over and leashes her dogs and we we're like, oh, thank goodness, yes, god, yeah, that's the one thing I will like to go in my soapbox about is everyone has mistakes and like sometimes dogs will get off the leash and we get that, but like just to be to not have your dog on a leash, just for the shit of it.
Speaker 2:Like that's got to change.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:And there's so many dogs here too. So many dogs, we many dogs here, too, so many dogs. We're in a very densely populated area.
Speaker 1:It's just not safe in general.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the retractable leashes I love, I love my retractable leash. Time and time and place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, time and place, I'm not gonna be walking down this busy street with my dog on a retractable leash no, and I'm like, if you're out in the great wilderness or whatever, like yeah, they can go a little further in front of you, but probably don't want to do it on the streets of Antonidas.
Speaker 1:No yeah, it's like it's very yeah it's a very uh like. If you're in the city, you need to have your dog on a short leash absolutely, but people don't they walk down this busy, busy area like that. So that's the, that's the PSA for all the Southern California totally but it's very different from Florida.
Speaker 2:Florida is not like that. What do you mean? People leash their dogs in Florida. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Well, like there's a dog beach and you have to have your dog on leash, I literally dropped my leash for like half a second and I'm like three feet away from my dog. A golf cart pulls up. He's like leash your dog, you're getting a ticket, and I'm. A golf cart pulls up.
Speaker 2:He's like leash your dog, you're getting a ticket, and I'm like yes, sir, leash police, yeah, literally, maybe they should come out here, they should, yeah, send them out please bring the florida leash police out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we were talking about that because I was like it's so crazy that like I'm walking around and it's like there's signs everywhere and like I got into a fight at the park. Uh, a few weeks back, um, a guy had like his dog off leash and I'm doing a lesson and this like dog is reactive, like reactive pit bull, and I'm like hey, can you grab your dog? And he's like I'm allowed to be here and I'm like all right, uh, okay, but like in florida you would get a ticket immediately, like I don't know I kind of think that's how it should be I think that's how it should be too, I know because it it what it does, is it prevents people, other people, from having freedom.
Speaker 1:Yes, there's like a certain level of like entitlement that I think comes from people who are like, oh, I can have my dog off leash and it's like, well, that's not really fair to the people who have behavioral dogs that like want to walk their dogs you know, and then sometimes you sometimes you get the people who are like, well, if your dog is aggressive, they shouldn't be out.
Speaker 2:And it's like, or even worse. I have actually had people tell me that if I had an aggressive dog, that I should kill it. And I'm like that's so intense, you know, not like more than one person, you know like, when I'm like random people, well, um, just people are very opinionated and I think the last time it was said to me I got pretty. I don't want to say hyphy, but like someone with an off-leash dog was running towards my dog aggressive dog and I kind of was like hey, get your dog. And I was speaking in a tone that was obviously not very friendly and she was like why my dog's friendly? And I was like mine is not. And I'm screaming across the parking lot and she's like, well, if it's not, you should kill it. And I'm like, oh my god she was unhinged, like she was an unhinged Karen.
Speaker 1:That's wild but I'm like that's a wild statement.
Speaker 2:How dare you say that to somebody that you have no idea what their background is or like where, what the dog has gone through in its life? I mean, this is a dog that was pulled out of a high kill shelter and had no socialization at this point you know. So I don't even really know if he was going to be like mean or standoffish or like I don't know what was going to happen, but I didn't want to see it happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're like advocating for your dog, yeah and, like gosh, people are just crazy.
Speaker 1:That's wild. I have yet to hear that across the parking lot. The podcast people will love that one. I know it's wild because, like, a lot of the people who listen to the podcast like obviously have found me because they like got into dog training for a reason. Right, they typically have a behavioral dog and it's so isolating. You know, like think about you as like a 19 year old where your dog bit somebody and you're like, oh shit, like what do I do, you know? So that's kind of like why I have this.
Speaker 2:So people love hearing stuff like that well, one thing too was like when I was 19 and wanting to hang out with my friends all the time, like now I'm a little more antisocial, which I would do better with a behavioral dog now, I think. But it was like you said, isolating. That word really resonated with me because all of my friends had dogs at 19 and 20 and we would go camping and do outdoors thing, outdoorsy things, um, and even just like hanging at other friends houses.
Speaker 2:They would all bring their dogs over and I always felt this sense of like well, I can't bring my dog, so I want to stay home, but I want to see my friends, but I don't want to leave my dog, and like it was just this like vacillation in my head all the time where like I really struggled with that because I had to leave my social life kind of behind in a sense to support my dog. Yeah, or he had to stay home in his like kennel while all my other friends were like having fun with their dogs.
Speaker 2:And it's really hard, it's like it was one of the hardest things I think I've done in my lifetime was raise a behavioral dog. Yeah again, though I wouldn't take it back for the world like I'm super glad I did it, but I learned so much about dogs in general and myself in doing it.
Speaker 1:Yeah and I think so many people will resonate with that, because you know so many people have reactive dogs and when you get a dog like you don't have the expectation that like you're not going to enjoy walks with your dog, like you get a dog to do those things. You know, and a common question that I get is like do you think I should take my like aggressive dog or reactive dog like on a camping trip? And it's really like you have to kind of shift your expectations of what you think dog ownership is going to be when you have that type of dog.
Speaker 2:You know yeah, you're definitely not going to the dog park.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you that no dog parks for you, no and you don't get to do the things that, like, the people with the cuppy cake dogs get to do. You know, cuppy cake dogs are boring. I want tiny angry dogs, you know, yeah it's like I I can have the like dog trainer in me fulfilled, but it's like small enough to where. It's like. Okay, if you're being a problem, I'm just gonna pick you up and place you over here.
Speaker 2:It's so much easier to deal with a behavior. A small behavioral dog, yeah like for real, like mink is. She gives me some really hard days sometimes where, like she, she's people aggressive, not dog or both it she's not people aggressive, but like she redirects okay.
Speaker 1:So she's overstimulated and like her big thing is like if the leash gets tangled on her leg.
Speaker 2:She's like and she has a touch of the tism yeah she has the tism.
Speaker 1:She's just like angry she's just like an angry dog and I'm like relax, like I literally taught her like relax, and she's like you're like what happened to you? Deep breaths, like relax, you know, but she's just like, so jacked up, and then sometimes she's just like I'm a cute little baby and I'm like look at this little baby muffin, you know. And then a dog walks by and she's like, and I'm like, oh my gosh have you ever thought about talking to an animal communicator with her?
Speaker 1:uh no, maybe she has some trauma that she needs to really sure she does.
Speaker 2:She came from a shelter like yeah, let's get this girl an animal communicator oh my gosh, she needs to share her feelings do you have an animal?
Speaker 1:I?
Speaker 2:absolutely do. I really. I like, am one of those people that relies on them, maybe too much, yeah, yeah, but she's fabulous and like she'll even get her on the podcast you should. She's a little shy, but I think she would do it. Yeah, yeah, her name's magical mutts michelle shout out, she's amazing.
Speaker 2:I love that she actually owned a pet store, just like this. They didn't sell any cans or kibble. She was very invested in nutrition and then don't quote me on this, but I think she got sick, okay, and then the store just became too much of a burden. Yeah, but she knew that she had this gift and she decided to pursue that because it was easier, because she could just do it in person and not have to be at the store and stock the goods and make the buys and all that stuff. And so she started practicing it and realized it was like, really like something she wanted to lean into. And, man, she has hit the nail on the head more than once when it comes to like tell me, what does she say?
Speaker 2:oh my gosh, there's so many stories, but the point being is that she is magical and you'll have to find out for yourself. Yeah, yeah, because I I won't. If I start talking about it, I won't stop. But she has improved so many dogs lives and their human dog engagements after that, and she, she is the real deal. How does it work? So you can um, she does a lot of her consults virtually, so when you zoom in, you actually can face the camera to your dog and she will use her magical powers to connect with your dog and tell you. She can answer questions about food allergies. She can talk to you about, maybe, things that they're struggling with emotionally. She can deal with grief. She can even help you understand yourself through what your dog's asking.
Speaker 2:So like way I need to do this like have you ever heard that your dog is your mirror, right like whatever you're going through, your dog generally will go through as well. So, like oftentimes, they're just trying to tell you to chill the fuck out because they're anxious because of you. So, like game changer, some people need to hear that, not from me. I have to get her on.
Speaker 1:Yes she would love it. She's amazing. So is it one of those things do you like not tell her anything before you don't have to tell her anything and then she just like knows?
Speaker 2:the stuff.
Speaker 1:She knows the stuff we. We've gotten to like a psychic a few times and the psychic knows the thing. So I mean I don't see, I don't think they're all created equal, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Like, I think there's just like with dog trainers there's a million of them and there's not like a real certification. You can like call yourself a dog trainer and not have any background in it. It's just the same with mediums and intuitives, um, so you do have to be careful about how you spend your money and where you spend it, cause there are people out there that are shady, um, but she is not one of them. She is a real.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to do that. I know let's call her right now.
Speaker 2:Get her on the podcast, michelle. I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, okay. So we talked about your journey, of how you kind of got into dog nutrition. How did you get here with this store?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I was born and raised in Ohio. I then met a gentleman who ended up being my husband for some time. He was a professional athlete and we traveled all over the country, so his career took us to many different states. One of those states we landed in was southern california and I absolutely fell in love with it here, and although our love ended, my love for california did not so. When we separated, I ended up coming back here and kind of building some roots and I don't know how to do anything other than the pet nutrition world Like this is my whole life, this is my everything and this is what I feel comfortable doing. So naturally, I opened a pet store and in doing that I've learned. I've met so many people in the community and they're all rad people. They love their dogs, they love coming in here and buying all the great things for their pets, and so I'm really blessed to be here and to like have this awesome community and the store is like my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And what were your other businesses?
Speaker 2:that you had before this. So the first business was the CBD business, susie's CBD. We were manufacturing all organic CBD dog treats and that's the dog treats that I was feeding my first dog, diesel, and then that transpired into a wholesale business. So I was selling the Susie's CBD biscuits in my distribution company called Wiggle Button Co. And I was helping other independent pet retailers. So, like this store, there's I don't know, let's just say there's 15 of them within a 20 mile radius of us right now. I was actually helping them stock high quality products. So I was going in there and I was saying, hey, it looks like you have some things that could use a little bit of a facelift. I have X, y and Z to upgrade these products. You're going to have happier dogs, happier customers and a better experience. And so I was really just focused on helping other store owners and then I realized I actually wanted a store. A store yourself.
Speaker 2:I didn't feel as impactful because the message was it was harder to communicate through somebody else, right? So I had to rely on somebody else to deliver that message to the consumer and it didn't always transfer well, so in the store I'm able to talk directly to the consumer and I feel more impactful than I was in the wholesale business. Yeah, so I still, I still do all the things I do the CBD. Then I was in the wholesale business. Yeah, so I still. I still do all the things I do the CBD. I'm, um, a silent owner in that company, but I still very much advocate for them and CBD in general. And then the wholesale business is still in existence. I just don't do a whole lot anymore with the day-to-day operations Cause I'm I'm here so much. So I'm pouring a lot of my energy into pet power and hoping that it really um, I want people to live longer, happier, healthier lives with their pets and like, how do you do that? Nutrition supplements, love exercise, good dog trainers yes, I love it. It goes on and on.
Speaker 1:So if someone were to come into your store, what would you direct them to first?
Speaker 2:to your store. What would you direct them to first? Um, well, the one thing I get, the question I get all the time is like well, my, my dog's picky. Or like, what do I, what do I get in here? How do I know what to pick? And I always say to them if it's in here, it's good, because I have dedicated like countless hours to vetting that kneecap. You, you know like I'm looking at the bison kneecap, like I have called that manufacturer. I've asked them what their bison farmer is feeding their bison. Is it grass fed? Is it grass finished? So if it is here and in this store, it is absolutely a hundred percent amazing product for your dog. So you could close your eyes and pick anything.
Speaker 2:Theoretically, this is like truly a boutique yes like you have hand-picked, like every single thing in this store yes, and because it's small, I kind of have to, because there's like not room for riffraff, like I can't sell like a kennel or like I don't know, like a million different colored harnesses yeah because I don't have the space, yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's like it's got to be super intentional and, like I'm a person of like, my intention has to be 100% there for me to like do anything. So if it's not a hell, yeah, it's a no, you know. So everything in here is like gonna be something that your dog will love and it's healthy for them. So I just reassure people whatever you pick and whatever you choose in here, you can feel comfortable knowing that it has gone through like the Megan test, yeah, which is like very rigorous, and this is like your special interest.
Speaker 2:Very special.
Speaker 1:So you have spent like literally your entire life, making sure that, like you are educated and know these products. And know these products that's kind of something that I am a big like advocate for is like find somebody who spends all of their time doing that one thing and learn from them or, you know, like buy from them because, like you're going to be able to dedicate way more time than I'm able to in this specific thing.
Speaker 1:You know, and we were talking before like this is something like when I first met you. I came in here and, if you guys know my dog room in Florida like all of the colors and the designs on the walls, your store literally matches my dog room. And that's like. Toma came in here first and he was like you have to go into this store, like you're gonna, you're gonna die, you're gonna love here first and he was like you have to go into this store, like you're going to, you're going to die, you're going to love it. Because I was like I really want to open a store, like I want to have a store that has, like, all of the dog trainer things, all of the you know foods that, like, I like and recommend, and all of the products that I'm constantly recommending. I'm like I want to like, have a store, have a community, all of that sort of stuff. So he came in here and he was like Meg, this is literally like your store.
Speaker 2:It's Meg, squared Meg and Meg. I know we have the same brain, the same color schemes, the same. It's so perfect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's kind of funny because I kind of fell out of that a little bit, because I'm like, well, that's not really like my niche. You know, like I would need to find somebody like you to be able to do something like this, like you've literally dedicated your entire life to you know, putting all of this together and like who better to buy dog food from than somebody like you. Thank you thank you.
Speaker 2:Well, also, one thing I want to say on that too, just to kind of bring it full circle, is what we don't realize oftentimes as just a normal consumer walking into a grocery store or a pet store is there's a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that you might not know about. And so people do get bought and I mean that in the nicest way but, like manufacturers who are maybe a little bit more unscrupulous, realize they don't have a product that can stand on its own two legs. So they'll buy shelf space in a store or they'll buy. They'll buy, they'll say, hey, I'm going to chip in towards your rent to have my products in your store. And so there is a lot of this undercurrent that happens, and I always tell people I can't be bought.
Speaker 2:Like, no matter how much money you throw at me or what deal you try to make with me or what promotion you attempt to run, it's not worth it for my integrity to compromise myself for money. And so that's a way harder battle, right. Rent's expensive, electric is expensive. It's something that might be easy to bite on if you don't know your core values. And so, like my freezers, I purchased them 100%. I pay for my electric. I pay for all my food up front. Like there are some retailers who are getting bought by brands and doesn't mean they like them or want to sell them to your dog. It's because they are earning money every month to sell these pet food brands that are not good, interesting and I'm not taking a dollar from anybody and it is really
Speaker 2:hard because I get, I get proposed with it all the time. I mean there's, there's. I get phone calls every day like about people wanting to be in this store and it's like okay, are you ready for the 72 questions that I'm about to ask you, because we probably will get two questions in and I'm like nope, oh, you use, you use factory farmed meat. Nope, oh, you like put synthetic ingredients in your food? No, so it's like if you don't stand for something, you this is such a cliche quote you fall for everything. Right, and I don't do that. I love that.
Speaker 1:No, no, and we're all for supporting small businesses, you know, amen, yeah, um, okay, I want to go back to solutions solutions.
Speaker 2:My favorite raw food before we.
Speaker 1:Before we wrap up, because I'm definitely gonna buy some of that for you while we're here yes, it's the best. So why do we like them? Are they local?
Speaker 2:they're regenerative regenerative farming practices out of Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So we import it from Pennsylvania, and what does that mean? So for me it means I buy it by the pallet to make sure that it makes sense to get it here, because obviously we're concerned about carbon footprint and sustainability. So if I don't buy it in volume, then it's just like it doesn't make sense to get a food here from Pennsylvania, right? So I'm buying it by the pallet. It comes on a frozen truck and the reason that I have to do this is because I don't believe there's another food in the market or in the industry, if you will that could hold a candle to its integrity, solutions, integrity. And that's because they're using regenerative farming practices. They are using certified humane animals. They're all GAP3+, which means they're getting pastured, they're grass-fed, grass-finished, they're non-GMO feed.
Speaker 2:Their owner actually made a profound comment to me and it just stuck with me forever and she said their owner actually made a profound comment to me and it just stuck with me forever and she said you can't get healthy food from a sick animal. And so many of our animals are sick, diseased down, dying. Their meat is just as sick as they are, and then we consume it and then we get sick. So if you have healthy animals. You have healthy meat and healthy dogs, and so it's so important to know where your animals came from and how they were raised and what they were eating.
Speaker 2:Were they eating gmo corn their whole lives? Well, what do you think is in their meat that you're going to eat? Yeah, you know. So. Solutions is the only company that I know of in the industry that's using regenerative farming practices all the time, all the time. Very cool. They're raised in, I think it's amish country. So, like the amish farmers are very particular about how they raise their animals, like it is a whole, like it's part of their religion, which, whether you agree with religion or not, they're raising their animals very well and with humane practices.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that was something that I was very focused on whenever I was feeding my dogs raw, like homemade raw is I would go to like a local farm where they were, you know, really taking care of their animals and they weren't feeding them a bunch of like filler and corn and stuff like that. Um, and I've kind of fallen away from it, especially now that we've been in vans, because I'm like, well, you know, we can really only get what's available in the stores, right, like I don't have an address that I can like ship it to raw to.
Speaker 1:So we're kind of left with like the stuff that we find in the stores. But I love like everything about that brand and I'm definitely going to switch. Oh, I almost forgot, they're fermented.
Speaker 2:I didn't even say that part of it, I was like, oh, so hung up on like how they raise the animals. But they're also fermented, which, if you guys know anything about fermentation, it's like really good for your gut health and also your pet's gut health yeah so it can help rebuild you know good gut microbiome.
Speaker 2:it can decrease dysbiosis, which is like a gut that's kind of out of whack. So a lot of these shelter dogs come to us like kind of in a wonky state because they had a rough start to life, and fermented food can help to rebuild their gut health, which also helps to make them healthier and, just overall, more vitality. So the fermentation process is not only good for your gut health but it's also good because it's the safest modality to cleanse the food of harmful bacteria. So when you ferment something you're inoculating it of good bacteria, so you have a safe food that also builds good gut health. So you're kind of killing two birds with one stone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's kind of like the root of everything.
Speaker 2:Everything your gut and your brain are connected. That is proven. And dogs too well, some vets won't tell you that, but it's true yeah, that's like a whole other, a whole other rant. Yeah, that's a whole another hour podcast is about how vets don't condone raw feeding generally. Yeah, sadly, some vets do, some vets are great and some vets are amazing about it, but I feel like they're coming around they're coming around because they're seeing the proof, the proof um and like it's just like, use common sense right like totally.
Speaker 1:What should carnivores be eating absolutely?
Speaker 2:you know, like.
Speaker 1:What are they? What is biologically appropriate for them?
Speaker 2:Or just have the wherewithal to say I went to vet school for 10 years and I know a hell of a lot more than you when it comes to fixing a broken bone, but I actually don't know anything about nutrition because I didn't learn in school. And that's the truth and they'll tell you that. I mean, they go to school for 10 years but they have 24 hours on nutrition, like literally a day of 12 years dedicated. You know who like creates the curriculum? That's probably royal canon and science diet and all the people that sell the shitty kibble. Yeah, they're telling our vets how to feed our dogs, so it's got. No offense, no shade to vets. I really hate when people like throw shade on vets because they're amazing people, but I'm kind of a vet hater. They don't know anything about nutrition they know nothing about nutrition.
Speaker 1:I know I've just like personally had not fun experiences with vets because like I go in and it's like I have my dog on a prong collar and they're like you're abusive, like I've literally had like a vet like rip a prong collar off and call an owner that like a dog that I was training at the time and they're like I'm not giving this dog to this girl because the dog has a prong collar on. He's like give her the dog back that's so ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like stay in your lane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but that's kind of been my experience with vets and so I'm like I'm just gonna stay, I'm gonna stay away from the vets an unfortunate thing, because they can be.
Speaker 2:We need more of them because there are not enough vets in this world to care for all the sick dogs that we have. But again, not to like beat a dead horse, but that wouldn't be happening if we fed our dogs properly. We wouldn't have as many sick dogs as we have, and then maybe vets could take a beat, you know. So where can the people find you? Do you ship? So where can the people find you? Do you ship? I am starting to ship frozen.
Speaker 1:It's not a perfected um system yet so I don't want you to promote like you have. We can ship other things shelf stables easy.
Speaker 2:We can ship that everywhere. We're working on our website as we speak. I just hired a shopify expert, um, so we're going to be working on getting the good things all across the country to well-deserved pets, but right now, I mean my bread and butter is kind of in the store. Like I love to meet people and have in-person conversations, I also do consults, so I can do nutrition consults. You can book them on my website, petpowerstudiocom, and I can help you find a pet store in your area that might have the food that you would need, like that I would recommend. I'm sure there's somebody where you're at where you can pick it up from. That's not really a problem. Or, once we get the shipping dialed in, we'll be able to ship to you.
Speaker 1:I think I think you should do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're gonna dial it yeah, it's a little, it's a lot, it's dicey it's a lot.
Speaker 1:I mean we're putting raw meat on ice and putting it and giving it to the ups man, it's kind of terrifying yeah, I can only imagine like the logistics of yeah all of that totally sweet, and what's your?
Speaker 2:uh like social media. Social media is pet power studio. We do instagram. I don't really delve into tiktok yet, but I'm apparently I'm gonna get there, uh, yeah you need to get on TikTok, oh Lord, one more thing to add to my plate, but yeah, right now social media is Instagram Pet Power Studio and that's pretty much it. Yeah, and come to the store, Please Like. What street are we on? We're on the 101 Coast Highway.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're on the Coast Highway, the coast highway and the cross street is Encinitas Boulevard Easy. Yeah, we're right behind the UPS store.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:That's where I take all my frozen food.
Speaker 1:So if you come to Encinitas, you have to come to Pet Power Studio and say that I sent you and I'm definitely going to get a whole bunch of food from you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we love that.
Speaker 1:Also, I'm going to give you some leashes that you can sell here.
Speaker 2:I you, yeah, we love that. Also. I'm gonna give you some leashes that you can sell here.
Speaker 1:I can't wait we love a slip lead, so I am super stoked on. The colors are gonna match, it's gonna be perfect. We love aesthetics. If you guys come into the store, you'll have to get a slip lead as well.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for having me. It's been so fun, oh my gosh. Thanks for having us.
Speaker 1:This was amazing. We're gonna have to do it again. We're gonna have to get the pet psychic on here as well I love this well. Thank you so much for joining me and thank you all so much for listening. We will see you back here next week.