There are many excellent companies out there but one of the biggest problems is that they are often Profit driven. We as consumers have the ultimate say by voting with our money. It is our responsibility to speak up for what we truly want. Let me give you some examples in the Dog World:
Red Moon Pet Food is our preferred choice of kibble and it is what we recommend to anyone in search of a better food. Red Moon up until recently was fully customizable. Let’s list the things that will remain top quality in Red Moon:
- Human Grade food ingredients.
- Shipped to your house for free (included in the price of the food).
- No fillers (corn, grains, gluten)
However it used to be even more awesome when it was customizable:
- Supplement Selection – You could select which supplements you wanted (immune system booster, joint reviver, digestion aid, coat health, grass defender {keeps the urine from burning your grass})
- Made fresh the day you ordered it – Since it was made in micro batches it would be made fresh and shipped out that day or the next.
- Protein Selection – Higher for puppies and lower for adult dogs.
- Calorie Selection – High energy or low energy dog.
- Name Your Food – You could call it “Rover’s Food” and the food would show up at your door saying “Rover’s Food” on the side of the bag.
So what changed? Red Moon is an Alberta based company which has also expanded into the United States. There are several States that require pre-approved AAFCO labels. Since Red Moon is customizable there are a couple thousand different combinations which would need to be submitted. Red Moon decided to make a more standardized kibble (non-customizable) so that it could be shipped to all of these different states. This was done to help the company grow and increase profits and margins. It is still a good food and we continue to feed it to our dogs but it is not the super awesome food I once knew.
I have sent the owner several e-mails to help sort this problem out to try and get the best possible kibble back for all of the dogs out there. The owner has been very good at answering my questions and is a very nice person.
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer quality over a cheaper product?
Here is another example:
Vet Food often has some of the highest filler content I have seen in any dog food and it sells for a premium. I was told by a Veterinarian that when they go through Vet School, the company that sponsors their education on Pet Nutrition is Hills which is the same company that sells Science Diet. The Vet food often has specialized ingredients that really help a dog out with different health problems. Some I have seen even create more problems for the dog. So why not make a Vet food with no fillers? The most simple answer is profit.
I myself support top quality products whenever I can. If a company is putting people and nature before profit I always try to support them. The problem is that this can be expensive. When you are making less money you try to go the cheapest route possible. In my first years of Dog Training I know exactly what that is all about. If you have the extra dollars to support these companies I urge you to do so. If you are on a budget you can help spread the word about companies that you want to support.
In our business there are several things I know that I could do to be able to produce more profit for us. The issue is that I know this is not what is best for our clients and their dogs so we do not implement these ideas. People often say we are crazy to offer additional support and coaching as well as any questions answered for the life of the dog. Sure this may take up more of our time but money plays a secondary role. It is true that like everyone else we need to make enough money to be able to allow us to live and continue to help other dogs. However we always ensure dogs are first in any decision we make. Any increase in profit is a bonus.
So my question is: Do you prefer to support companies that put people and nature first or profit? What do you think about Red Moon removing their customization? Would you prefer to see customization back in effect? The more people that do, the better. I will continue to ensure we look out for what is best for dogs. We would be very happy with any support we receive from you. Just voicing your opinion goes a long way.