THE NEW STORE IS OPEN!

Hello Ben's Friends!

After eight straight days of working until after midnight every day, and our only off day to attend our oldest son's wedding, we have opened our new store!

It was a tremendous amount of work, yet worth the effort. On our very first day every one of our customers that came by raved about the new location and the ease of the PARKING! We think you will agree.

We are at the east end of the shopping center between the Sharp Bicycle Shop and the Top this Yogurt Shop in Suite #180.

Thank you for your patience and now that we are fully operational we are looking forward to seeing you soon!

To Our Loyal Customers:

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during what was to have been an easy transition to our new location, months ago and the lack of entries to our blog as a result.

After more than 10 months, the location that we previously had identified at Sunset Blvd & Highway 65 unfortunately did not work out for us. The original March timeline has obviously expired.

It’s easy to see that we have out grown our old location and the parking continues to be a nightmare. Never the less our lease expired on June 1st, and our current landlord has been unyielding even in these trying economic times.

Our family thanks you, our customers, for being a constant through this troublesome economy. We hope that our family’s commitment to your pet’s and the business of feeding ALL dogs and cats a healthy and nutritious food have helped to see us through. No matter the size or shape - Maine Coon, Chihuahua or Great Dane - we spend the time to consult each animal companion to insure their pet’s optimal health!

We are very excited to inform you that we have confirmed our new LOCATION! It’s a short drive from our previous store and YES, it has plenty of parking too! It “will be” twice the size and has super easy freeway access. Due to our already expired lease and the lack of progress on the previously identified building, we found ourselves scrambling for a new store location at the last minute.

This new location will afford us the growth needed for our business and a much larger selection of healthy and fun products our customers have come to expect from Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro! We will be adding many new lines of healthy foods, as well as new collars, leashes, toys and treats!

Although, our new store is still under construction and it will take about 90 days to complete the “real” store, the landlord has afforded us a temporary location in the same building until ours is completed. Therefore all of the current products and a few new ones will be available during the relocation.

We will now be located in the Nugget Plaza at Pleasant Grove Blvd. and Fairway Drive, just off of Highway 65 in Roseville. Our “temporary” store will be right between “Top this Yogurt” and “Sharp Bicycles.” So please excuse our lack of décor for the next couple of months while the permanent store is finished.

To complete our transition to the new center we will be closing the last week of July, with our soft opening in the temporary space on Monday, August 2nd 2010. So please stock up on food so you don’t run out. We will have our GRAND OPENING celebration as soon as the permanent store is finished!

Although our location has changed, our commitment to you and your pets has not! Please remember:

"The single largest contribution you can make to your pet’s health and longevity is the quality of food you provide for them!"

From our family to yours, thank you for your trust, your patience and understanding. We look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Here’s To the Health of Your Dog and Cat!

The Romero’s - Sally, Brad, Ryan, Chance & Dante’

BULLY STICKS

Bully Sticks for dogs are also called pizzle sticks. They're made from bull penises, though they're often marketed as dried muscles or tendons. They come in various styles, lengths and widths to suit any dog's chew toy needs, and since they contain 100% beef, they're safe and healthy for your dog to eat. Bully Sticks last a long time and will not break or splinter.

How Bully Sticks for Dogs Are Made

Bully sticks for dogs are made of dried bull penises. All natural bully sticks contain only pure beef, and they make a great chewy dog treat.
Manufacturers make bully sticks by removing the bull penis, cleaning it and then hanging it upside down, it may be stretched to make a larger chew, and it may be twisted or braided. Once the penis has been stretched and shaped, it's smoked or dried to make a long lasting, safe dog chew toy.
Bully sticks are available in a number of different sizes. Dogs of all sizes can enjoy bully sticks.

Benefits of Bully Sticks for Dogs

Bully sticks are safer for dogs than rawhide and other treats, because they're all natural and free of dyes, chemicals and pesticides. They're easy for your dog to digest, and their manufacture is monitored by the USDA, to ensure the quality of the ingredients.

Bully sticks are a great way to help maintain your dog's oral hygiene and health. They can prevent the buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth, and help to stop the formation of cavities. Bully stick chew toys for dogs can help prevent periodontal disease and gingivitis, both of which can cause not only oral pain, inflammation and tooth decay, but can also lead to chronic and life threatening disease in the heart, liver, kidney and joints when bacteria spread from the mouth throughout the rest of the body.

Bully sticks are also a great way to help your dog relieve stress by chewing. Bully sticks last longer than other chews, and they have a long shelf life.

Why You Should Choose Bully Stick Dog Treats for Your Dog

Bully sticks are high in protein, but low in fat, so they make a great treat for overweight dogs. They're also high in vitamins and minerals, like calcium and magnesium, which your dog needs for good health.

Traditional rawhide chew toys present a choking hazard for many dogs, especially larger dogs, since they're capable of breaking the rawhide into small pieces which could lodge themselves in your dog's windpipe and cause him to choke.

Ben, our mascot, once started to bloat due to a raw hide being lodged in the back of his stomach. He would have died in about 5 hours, but a $2,100 surgery and six weeks of down time saved his life.

Bully sticks, however, are far less hazardous, since it's much more difficult for your dog to break the bully stick into smaller pieces. However, you might want to protect your dog by taking away the bully stick when it becomes very small, and replacing it with a new one.

THE DIETARY NEEDS OF DOGS AND CATS

The dog is, by all scientific standards and by evolutionary history, a domesticated wolf. We illustrated the anatomical features of dogs and cats that classify them as carnivores, and explained how these features adapt dogs and cats for digesting proteins and fats from animal flesh, – not carbohydrates from plants.

This raises the question of which foods are appropriate for their carnivorous anatomy, and which are not?

As the dog's internal physiology does not differ from the wolf, dogs have the same physiological and nutritional needs as their wild predator cousins, whose diets are almost exclusively proteins and fats.

Modern dogs of all breeds are not only capable of eating the food of their wild ancestors, but actually require it for maximum health. This is because their basic physiology has changed very little with domestication—despite the obvious differences in their physical appearances.

ANIMAL SOURCE PROTEINS

Protein is the staff of life for dogs and cats – essential to basic body functions, including cellular regeneration, tissue maintenance, hormone and enzyme production, and the provision of energy.

Although protein is essential, not all proteins function equally, with protein qualities varying enormously between various sources.

Three factors effecting protein quality include:

1. PROTEIN SOURCE

2. AMINO ACID COMPOSITION

3. DIGESTIBILITY

PROTEIN SOURCE
Due to the different amino acid profiles contained in animal and plant proteins, ANIMAL PROTEINS are considered ‘complete proteins’ for dogs and cats, while PLANT PROTEINS are considered ‘incomplete proteins’.

AMINO ACID COMPOSITION
ANIMAL PROTEINS contain all of the amino acids essential to dogs and cats in quantities that match the requirements needed for their overall health, maintenance and growth.

PLANT PROTEINS such as corn gluten, soybean meal or plant protein isolates, do not contain all of the amino acids in the right proportions that a dog or cat needs, even though a vast majority of recognizable dog and cat foods contain these inferior ingredients. Unsuspecting companions unknowingly feed these inferior foods daily to their pets. Amino acids essential to dogs and cats often missing in plant proteins, include arginine, taurine, methionine, lysine and tryptophan.

PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY
Protein digestibility is a key quality measure. After all, what good is it to have a food made with a higher quality protein if it’s not also easy to digest? A food with high protein digestibility is one that can be broken down into smaller easy-to-absorb components easier and quicker than others. In the short digestive systems of dogs and cats, plant proteins are far less digestible than meat proteins. Animal source protein is the best choice - it is easily digested and contains the amino acids essential for dogs and cats.

THE ANATOMICAL DIFFERENCES OF HERBIVORES, OMNIVORES & CARNIVORES

To understand the nutritional needs of dogs and cats, it is useful to begin with a basic understanding of their anatomical features, and how they differ from herbivores and omnivores.

By understanding which anatomical features are associated with each kind of diet, we are able to classify an animal as:

1. CARNIVORE (meat eaters),

2. HERBIVORE (plant-eaters), or
3. OMNIVORE (both meat and plant eaters)

This classification helps understand which foods the animal is actually adapted to eat.

HERBIVORES (cows, sheep)
Herbivores eat plants, not meat. So it’s no surprise that their anatomical features are adapted to process carbohydrates and other nutrients produced by plants. Anatomical features common to herbivores confirm their adaption for a plant-based diet.

1. LONG DIGESTIVE TRACTS up to 10 times their body length are needed due to the relative difficulty with which plant foods are broken down. Herbivores have significantly longer and much more elaborate guts than do carnivores.

2. SQUARE & FLAT MOLARS provide an ideal grinding surface to crush and grind plants (but not meats). A lower jaw with a pronounced sideways motion facilitates the grinding motion needed to chew plants.

3. CARBOHYDRATE-DIGESTING ENZYMES IN SALIVA. AMYLASE is a digestive enzyme in saliva that helps in digesting carbohydrates. Herbivores methodically chew their food to ensure the thorough mixing with amylase.

OMNIVORES (pigs, bears, humans)
Omnivores (from Latin: omne all, everything; vorare to devour) are evolved to eat both plants
and animals. As general feeders, omnivores are not specifically adapted to eat meat or plant material exclusively. Anatomical features common to omnivores include:

1. MEDIUM LENGTH DIGESTIVE TRACTS that provide the flexibility to digest both vegetation and animal proteins.

2. FLAT MOLARS AND SHARP TEETH developed for some grinding and some tearing.

3. SALIVA CONTAINS CARBOHYDRATEDIGESTING ENZYME AMYLASE which is responsible for the majority of starch digestion.

CARNIVORES (wolves, dogs, cats)
Carnivore means 'meat eater' (Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour') and classifies animals whose diets consist mainly of meat – such as dogs and cats.

The anatomical features of carnivores are:

1. SHORT, SIMPLE & ACIDIC DIGESTIVE TRACTS. Protein and fat from animal source are quickly and easily digested – hence the short digestive system of dogs and cats. The ability of dogs and cats to secrete hydrochloric acid is also exceptional. To facilitate protein breakdown and kill the bacteria found in decaying meats, dogs and cats are able to keep their gastric pH around 1-2.

2. SHARP TEETH (designed for slicing meat, not grinding plants). Carnivores have elongated teeth designed for tearing and killing prey. Their molars are triangular with jagged edges that function like serrated-edged blades that give a smooth cutting motion like the blades on a pair of shears.

3. JAWS MOVE VERTICALLY unlike herbivores and omnivores that grind their food by side to side chewing, the jaws of dogs and cats operate vertically to provide a smooth cutting motion, and open widely to swallow large chunks of meat.

4. NO AMYLASE IN SALIVA. Amylase in saliva is something omnivorous and herbivorous animals possess, but not carnivorous animals like dogs or cats. As amylase is not present in saliva, the burden is entirely on the pancreas to produce the amylase needed to digest carbohydrates. Feeding dogs as though they were omnivores or herbivores makes the pancreas work harder in order to digest the carbohydrate-filled foods (instead of just producing normal amounts of the enzymes needed to digest proteins and fats)

CONCLUSIONS | CATS & DOGS ARE DESIGNED FOR AN ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY MEAT-BASED DIET

Several key anatomical features separate dogs and cats from omnivores and herbivores, while clearly classifying them as carnivores with an adaptation for an almost exclusively meat based diet.

STOMACH TYPE & LENGTH
• Dogs & cats posses a short, simple gastro-intestinal tract. Because meat is easily digested (relative to plants) their small intestines are short.

A high concentration of stomach acid helps quickly break down proteins(Carnivores have a stomach acidity of about pH 1 - compared to humans at pH 4 to 5).

TEETH & JAWS
• A large mouth opening with a single hinge joint adapted for swallowing whole chunks of meat.

• Short and pointed teeth designed for grasping, ripping and shredding meat(not grinding grains).

• Teeth and jaws designed to swallow food whole(not for chewing or crushing plants).

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
• Adapted to break down protein and fat from meat (not plants or grains), the saliva of dogs and cats does not contain the digestive enzyme amylase.

• Carnivores don’t chew their food. Unlike carbohydrate-digesting enzymes,protein-digesting enzymes cannot be released in the mouth due to the potential of damaging the oral cavity (auto digestion).

• Therefore, carnivores do not mix their food with saliva—they simply bite off huge chunks of meat and swallow them whole.

THE ANATOMY OF EATING

As a faithful companion to humans for some 10,000 years, the trend to humanize our companion dogs comes as no surprise.

Yet despite his long and close association with humans, the dog remains closest genetically to the gray wolf, with whom he shares over 99% of his mitochondrial DNA. The close genetic relationship between dog and wolf led the Smithsonian Institution to reclassify the dog from its previous separate species designation of Canis familiaris to Canis lupus familiaris. In other words, the Timber wolf, the Tundra wolf, and our beloved companion dog, all fall under the genetic umbrella of the gray wolf: Canis lupus.

Just like wolves, all dogs are evolved as carnivores, with anatomical features that clearly adapt them for meat-based diets. Understanding the anatomical differences between carnivores, omnivores and herbivores helps understand why dogs and cats are classified as carnivores and what foods best match their anatomy.

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Dogs must be fed a proper diet that supplies all 36 of their essential nutrients in the correct quantities and portions in order to maintain optimal health throughout all of their life stages. The primary goal of feeding dogs include maintaining optimal health, allowing a normal (but not excessive) growth rate, supporting gestation and lactation, and contributing to high-quality performance. Proper feeding throughout the dog’s life also contributes to its long-term health, vitality and longevity.

All dogs require an adequate intake of nutrients every day to maintain their essential health. Requirements for energy and certain nutrients can vary significantly during the lifetime of an individual dog. Increased demands occur during growth, reproduction and physical work. A decreased requirement of some nutrients and energy occurs as dogs attain adulthood and as they age. In addition to these changing needs within their life cycle, the nutritional requirements of individual dogs also can vary considerably.

For example, the energy needs of a 65 pound Basset Hound will be significantly lower than that of a working dog of the same weight.

It's imperative to provide your dog with the best nutrition available to insure his vitality and longevity. Remember, a 75 lb. dog can be fed an excellent food for about 85 cents per day. Less than a cup of coffee! If they could I am sure they would buy you a cup too!