Ellen Galvin's Blog, page 9

Pet Breath and the Power of Persistence: An Interview with the Founders of Greenies

Just a few days ago I wrote a blog post about doughnuts (yum) and dog breath (yuck). Well, today is the first day of February which means that National Pet Dental Health Month has arrived.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dog breath is nothing to laugh at (they offer tips for improving the dental health of your pets). I think that my breath is quite nice—but unfortunately, my Mom disagrees. She's decided to be more vigilant about brushing my teeth and has been chasing me around the house all week with a toothbrush in her hand.

At first, I decided to resist. I thought to myself: "She'll get tired of this game." But I underestimated her dogged determination. That woman does not give up! My only choice has been to suck it up and pretend that the chicken-flavored toothpaste tastes like, well, chicken.

Still, I have to admire my Mom's persistence. She's not unlike Joe and Judy Roetheli, the founders of Greenies. I interviewed Joe and Judy for my book, and here's their story:

Ivan the Samoyed lived with Joe and Judy Roetheli in Kansas City, Mo. Ivan was a loyal member of the family, but he had horrible breath—so bad that Judy asked her husband, Dr. Joe Roetheli, to do something about it. He tinkered in the kitchen and came up with the formula for Greenies, a digestible dental chew in the shape of a green toothbrush. Joe quit his steady job as an agricultural economist, and he and Judy threw themselves into the business full time.

For three years, the Roethelis had virtually no income. They racked up $200,000 in credit card debt and talked family and friends into investing in the business to keep afloat. They went to dozens of banks to ask for a loan and got rejected every single time. Fortunately, the Roethelis were like their dog Ivan (and every other dog in the world). They didn't take the rejection personally. They didn't hold grudges when people said their idea was crazy. They simply refused to give up. They held on to their dream like it was a rope toy in the ultimate game of tug-of-war.

What started as a homemade breath-freshening treat eventually expanded to a packaged product carried in all 50 states and exported to more than 60 countries. When the Roethelis sold the company to Mars Inc. in 2006, they had shipped more than 750 million Greenies and theirs was the eighth-largest pet food/treat company in the world. Today, Joe is the CEO of eight different entrepreneurial ventures. He and Judy launched the Roetheli Lil' Red Foundation, a nonprofit that builds villages in the impoverished country of Guyana.

Excerpted from Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success

What's the lesson? Never, ever give up. With persistence and determination, you can overcome anything….even a case of dog breath.

How have YOU persevered?

A Tribute to Jack LaLanne, Dog Lover and Happiness Guru

Earlier this week I tweeted a quote from fitness guru Jack LaLanne who passed away at the age of 96. He asked, "Would you give your dog a cigarette and a doughnut for breakfast every morning?"

The idea of a cigarette-smoking dog made me giggle. I mean, dog breath is one thing—but cigarette breath, too? Ugh. A doughnut, on the other hand, now that's something worth exploring…

Anyway, Jack LaLanne's death made me curious to learn more about his life. Over at Julia Szabo's Living With Dogs blog, I learned that Jack was a huge dog lover. In fact, Jack and his white shepherd, Happy, encouraged kids to wake their mothers and drag them in front of the television set to exercise.

Watch this video of Jack and Happy to see what a great team they were:

 

I love the fact that Jack credits Happy for teaching him something new every day.

In my book, I talk about making happiness happen. I also compare living a life of purpose and passion to having a case of the "zoomies" (you know, that crazy burst of energy that makes your dog zip around the living room like a rocket). I'd say that Jack LaLanne exemplified these ideas, while proving that we are as happy as we choose to be.

Lastly, as an author, blogger and dogpreneur, I enjoyed reading marketing expert and author Seth Godin's Eight Lessons from the Life and Work of Jack LaLanne. In a nutshell? Jack started small, stuck with his brand, and lived the story.

Good principles to live by, don't you think? WOOF!

Working Dog Wednesday: Meet HoneyBuzz!

This week's working dog interview is with HoneyBuzz. She and I have a lot in common. For example, she, too, has a blog. We both hate squirrels. We are both "full of da impish happiness," as HoneyBuzz likes to call our natural exuberance. And we both have awesome job titles: I am a Director of Goodwill, and HoneyBuzz is a Morale Coordinator. I'll let her tell you more about her job:

Bella: For starters, I love your name. How did you get it?
HoneyBuzz: I was first named after an Italian handbag designer. It was the name that was given to me by the person who didn't want me anymore and took me to the animal shelter. My Mom hated the name because she said I wasn't just some trendy and disposable accessory. She wasn't sure what name I should have, so she just called me Honey for lack of anything else. But as my personality began to emerge, she said I zipped around like a busy buzzing bee. Thus I was crowned, HoneyBuzz.

***

Bella: I hear that you have a nickname, too. What is it?
HoneyBuzz: My Mom calls me 'Bettie the Yeti' because my silver and blacks furs are in winter mode and she says I have the look of Nick Nolte's mug shot after a weekend bender! Hmph!

 ***

Bella: Well, I don't think you look anything like Nick Nolte. Maybe a bit like my Mom when she wakes up in the morning and hasn't had her coffee…. Uh, oh. I think I'm in the dog house for that comment…

 ***

Bella: Okay, okay. Back to business. How long have you been a working dog, HoneyBuzz?
HoneyBuzz: I've been going to work with my Mom every day since she adopted me in August 2010. We work in a musical instrument store in the busy (and sometimes harried) city of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area. My Mom is the company bean counter, and I hold the esteemed position of Morale Coordinator.

 ***

Bella: Sounds exciting! But what exactly does a 'Morale Coordinator' do?
HoneyBuzz: Well, my job is to dispense daily encouragement and make sure everyone is centered and balanced. If this isn't happening, I will invite my co-workers to participate in one-on-one counseling sessions where we explore the therapeutic properties of squeaky toys and stuffies. I also permit them to lavish a great deal of attention on me. This allows them to forget about the horrors awaiting them on the sales floor. Have you ever had to listen to beginning musicians trying out instruments all day long?! Oh the pain! The pain!

 ***

Bella: I hope you are adequately compensated, HoneyBuzz. What are some of your other tasks?
HoneyBuzz: My other main responsibility is to get my Mom out of the office at lunchtime for an invigorating stroll where I can also share my skills as a Morale Coordinator with the friends I have made in our work neighborhood. I am a ray of sunshine.

***
Bella: What do you like to do when you're not working?
HoneyBuzz: A most excellent question Bella. When I'm not at work, I like to do the usual: eat foodables, play at the park, and nap. However, I think the most important thing I do outside of work is to support my Mom when she does her volunteer work for Berkeley Animal Care Services. She gets the sadness because she says there's never an end in sight. There's always more and more homeless cats and dogs that need help. When she is feeling blue because of this, I like to snuggle real close to her and show her my happy face. Then she works even harder to help find homes for all the waiting animals 'cuz she says everyone deserves to be loved as much as I am!

Thanks, HoneyBuzz. You are right, too. Everyone deserves to be loved as much as you and I are.

For more of HoneyBuzz's wit and wisdom, check out her blog. And, be sure to "Like" Berkeley Animal Care Services on Facebook. There are lots of wonderful, well-deserving animals looking for their forever homes.

Working Dog Wednesday: Yours Truly

Seeing that I'm a bit behind on my own 'Working Dog Wednesday' interviews, I was more than happy to sit on the other side of the table and answer Sayeh Pezeshki's questions. Sayeh, a.ka. The Office Stylist, is on top of everything you need to know to live well at work — from the best snacks to keep at your desk to stylish ways to transform your workspace to why dogs make the best co-workers!

This week, The Office Stylist launched a new series called Pets at Work and interviewed me (and my mom) on our collaborative work habits. You can read the full interview here.

C'est stylish, n'est-ce pas?

Breathe Like a Dog and Transform Your Life

Ahh, Monday morning. Need a little motivation and inspiration? Subscribe to Bruno Gideon's weekly One Minute Email. It's always positive and it's always short...good for busy working dogs and their harried humans.

Last week, Bruno (an author, businessman and dog lover) asked his 20,000 readers a simple question: "Are you breathing right now?" Silly question, right? Wrong!

Like Bruno, Al Lee is also interested in how we breathe. The co-author of Perfect Breathing: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time, Al is an expert in the use of breathing techniques to reduce stress and improve health, performance and emotional well-being. I interviewed him for my book, in which he offers readers lots of wise advice for 'breathing like a dog.'

Al says that dogs are always breathing just the way they need to be, taking full, deep and energizing breaths. Humans, on the other hand, take short and shallow chest breaths. This is natural in times of great anxiety or immediate danger, like when your boss is yelling at you or a gang of angry Chihuahuas is chasing you down a dark alley. But on an ongoing basis, shallow and rapid breathing can contribute to chronic stress and fatigue. It can leave you feeling tense and grumpy, which is no fun for anyone (especially your four-legged friends).

A relaxed dog, on the other hand, takes long, deep breaths. Unlike humans, we dogs aren't worried about sucking in our stomachs, either. When you breathe from your diaphragm like you are supposed to, your stomach naturally inflates and deflates…which is another reason to ditch the super-tight skinny jeans. (Besides, how are you going to take your dog on a nice long walk if you don't have any feeling in your legs? And while I'm on my canine soapbox, stop hunching over your laptops and stop slumping on sofa watching drivel like Real Housewives of New Jersey. Take us out to play instead!).

Okay, okay, I get it. Life is stressful and we need distractions. Yet thanks to modern lifestyles, most humans have forgotten how to breathe properly. Fortunately, 'breathing like a dog' is relatively easy to do with a little practice. Here's an exercise to get started:

Close your eyes

Inhale from your belly for three seconds and pause briefly

Exhale from your belly for three seconds and pause briefly

Repeat as necessary

Want to make it a habit? Take a cue from your four-legged friend: Every time he or she lets out a satisfied sigh, straighten your posture and focus on your breathing. Soon it will be a natural part of your daily routine.

To read Bruno's email about proper breathing, click here. Visit Al Lee's website for even more breathing exercises. And if you want other digestible tips on achieving work/life success, check out my book Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success.

So, are you breathing?

Secrets of a Working Dog: The Book Trailer is Here!

 

Working Dog Wednesday: Two Cavaliers (and a Cat!)

Well, after a bit of a hiatus I'm back to interviewing cool working dogs. And by "working," I mean any dog because, hey, don't we all work hard to teach our humans how to live successful, well-balanced lives?

This week my interviewees, Murphy and Alki, decided to bring along their entire entourage: Grace the Cat, and Robyn M Fritz (she's the talented, two-legged editor who helped turn my book into the chef d'oeuvre that it is). Together, they are the multi-species team behind the Seattle-based company Alchemy West Inc.

Bella: Welcome gang!
Robyn: Hi Bella, I'm glad you liked my help with your book. You have wonderful things to tell all of us about leading balanced lives and you were fabulous to work with. I can't wait to see what you write next.
Grace the Cat: What, a dog writing a book? How does that happen?
Murphy and Alki: Well, boxers are cool...especially Bella. She's talented, wise and funny! But we could write a book, too. Cavaliers are known for exceptional clarity of thought and devotion to duty (okay, cookies and fun times…we're toy dogs so it's our job to play and look cute!)

***

Bella: Tell me about Alchemy West. What do you do?
Robyn: We're all about storytelling. Telling stories creates good will, good humor, and great communities, so I tell my stories and help visionary writers tell theirs..whether it's through individual book development services or group writing seminars. And because I'm also an intuitive communicator, I help people speak with the beings in their life. A healthy, balanced world starts with an intuitive, heart-based connection between humans and the beings they most treasure, from their writing projects to their animal companions, homes, businesses, and the land around them.

***

***
Bella: I understand that the Dog Writers Association of America has nominated your latest book, Bridging Species, as a 2010 Best Book (Humor). It was also nominated for the 2010 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award. What does it feel like to be famous?!
Grace the Cat: We're famous?
Murphy and Alki: Well, we are! We get all the attention at book signings and public events because we're the cover dogs. People actually stop when they drive by and see us on the street (even when Robyn is outside in her pajamas).
Grace the Cat: I may not be famous, but I'm the only one here with fashion sense. Those are NOT pajamas. And the dogs—they wear raincoats outside! I prefer to go au naturel.
Murphy and Alki and Robyn: Ahem. We noticed.

***

Bella: What other projects are in store for 2011?
Murphy and Alki and Grace the Cat: Robyn is busy writing Murphy's Tales. It tells how Murphy's chronic illness inspired our family's journey to wellness and sparked Robyn's intuitive abilities. And how Murphy taught Robyn street smarts—and saved them both from an earthquake before it happened!
Robyn: Yes, all things that made me wonder what was going on in animal minds, and how I could find out. This year I'm also doing a lot of writing coaching and teaching events, to help people focus and tell their stories efficiently and well and get them out into the world.
Murphy and Alki and Grace the Cat: We're also writing an online magazine, Bridging the Paradigms, full of stories about creating community with all life. And Robyn is doing intuitive work with our newest family member, a crystal, Fallon. It's intense, but we're never too busy to play, eat, and power nap!

***

Bella: So, Robyn, it sounds like Murphy and Alki and Grace the Cat are your creative muses?
Robyn: In many ways, yes. They help me explore a new normal for a family: that multi-species families are families first, and species second, and what matters is that we've chosen to live our lives together. When I look at my family I see thinking, intelligent, resourceful, loving, intriguing souls who just happen to be in animal bodies. Their lives are worthwhile, and ours are together. They accept my limitations with far more diplomacy and patience than I do theirs.
Grace the Cat: Yes, dogs can be a trial. That's why I trained mine well.
Murphy and Alki: What?
Robyn: Grace, that's a secret of a working cat.… Seriously, my family makes me think about what the world can be like if we accept the diversity of all life. If we can create loving relationships within a multi-species family, how hard can it really be for humans to get along?

***

Bella: I have to ask: What does a typical workday look like for your multi-species team?
Grace the Cat: Alki snoozes all day on his dog bed and Murphy holds down the recliner, so I clearly have to supervise them and watch for intruders from my windowsill perch. When I decide the work day is done, I sit by the keyboard, push all the pens off the desk, and, if that doesn't work, I climb on Robyn's shoulder and put my tail in her face.
Murphy and Alki: We taught Grace how to shut the laptop.
Robyn: That trick I could do without...
Murphy and Alki: Plus we take Robyn for walks, fetch sticks, lobby for cookie breaks, make people laugh at our cute grins, run errands, greet visiting writers, take Grace for car rides, and feed Robyn one-liners. We're on duty all day unless a sunspot shows up or we need to snoop on the neighborhood.

***

Bella: Any last bit of advice for other working dogs (er, cats, too!)?
Murphy and Alki and Grace the Cat: We like being part of the new families people are creating with us. Teach your humans how to laugh, take breaks, and play and exercise with us, and keep imagining new ways for all of us to be together in one big community. Take your jobs as family members and office mates seriously.

 

Sharing My Tips for Success: Event on 1/19/11

For a busy boxer like me, it pays to employ staff members whom you can rely on. (Who or whom? I always have trouble with that one! For a quick and dirty tip, click here.)




Back to the issue of staff... Next Wednesday, my spokesperson Patrick Galvin will be sharing tips from my book, Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success at the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce's Successful Business University event. (I prefer to speak to audiences that are 100% canine. When there are humans in attendance, I give the lick of approval to my co-author Patrick Galvin who is a talented presenter with years of experience).



Specifically, Patrick will share how you can learn from dogs to:



Make happiness happen

Keep your focus in a multitasking environment

Use simple yet effective techniques to connect with customers

Shake off setbacks and pursue your dreams

Show appreciation that builds long-lasting relationships



The event is on Wednesday, January 19, from 8:00-9:15 AM at the Quality Inn Conference Center at 30800 SW Parkway Avenue in Wilsonville, Oregon.

Need more info? Contact Brandi Hereford, Membership & Events Director, 503-682-0411 or visit the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce's website.

(The event is free for Wilsonville Chamber Members who register before 5:00 pm on Monday, January 17th. It's $10.00 for non-members and members registering after the 17th.)

Fidos and Fiduciaries, Or Why You Need a Faithful Boxer and a Good Investment Advisor

Humans have a lot of about popular pet names. One name that is not on this year's "Top 10" list is Fido, which probably explains why I've never personally nudged noses with a Fido. (Veterinary Pet Insurance says that it insures nearly half a million pets and of that, only 13 were named Fido in 2010.)

Here's some more fun Fido trivia: As part of the research for my book, I learned that Abraham Lincoln had a "floppy-eared, rough-coated, yellowish dog of uncertain ancestry" named Fido who followed Lincoln around the town of Springfield, Illinois. You can read more about Lincoln and his four-legged friend at the Abraham Lincoln Research Site.

Because I'm curious (hey, I'm a dog), I decided to track down more information about the name Fido which comes from the Latin word fidelis, or faithful. According to my two-legged friend Daniel Jakobovits, the word fiduciary comes from the same Latin root. He should know, because he is one. Daniel works with MillenniuM Investment & Retirement Advisors in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spends a lot of time trying to explain to clients what a fiduciary is. Most people nod politely, but they don't fully understand until Daniel shows them this:

 

This is a picture of Daniel's daughter Katie with her faithful dog, Rose. Rose was an emaciated and lost 1-year old boxer when she found Daniel and his family. Gentle with children and adults, she was an excellent therapy dog and was very attached to Katie. According to Daniel, "There's a reason dogs are known as Fido. They have an unconflicted, pure duty to put our interests first…even to their own detriment. Rose would have laid down her life to protect Katie. Now THAT is a fiduciary!"

So there you have it, a fiduciary is someone whose sole obligation is to act faithfully in the interest of another. For the most part, boxers are great fiduciaries. I'm not sure that you'd want to trust us with your hard-earned money, though. We might drive to the nearest pet store and spend it all on liver snaps and squeaky toys. Instead, look for an investment advisor who will take true fiduciary responsibility (as opposed to someone who calls him or herself a financial "advisor" but doesn't have any fiduciary duty).

Okay, so one last question. Daniel says that nobody ever names their cat Fido. Is that true? Are there any feline Fidos out there? Enquiring boxer minds need to know…