Ludington Michigan for absolutely Cosmic Dog Treats

Back when the wind had started to get a little chillier, the sun was going down a little sooner, and the fall colors were just about to peak, I took a ride to Ludington, Michigan where I ran into a wonderful woman, Rochelle, and her Cosmic Canine Creations. 

Normally I would take Trumpet with me on adventures but I was delivering a singing telegram, so I was not able to bring him along. But, as usual I made the effort to include him nonetheless.

I was so excited when I saw the storefront, because since moving to Western Michigan I had not found a healthy dog store where we could get some raw bones and other yummy healthy treats.

I excitedly entered the store and started asking questions to Rochelle, who was incredible at informing me about her business. She told me about her amazing dogs which she had rescued and their successes with raw food, and her special treats. She makes the treats in her “Barkery” (love that), herself with human grade ingredients and she is even getting certified by the USDA. She does not use corn, wheat or soy, and tries to use as many organic ingredients as possible.

I bought two different types of treats.  Punkin Snaps and S’Mittens. I love her use of healthy ingredients but also flavors that I know Trumpet adores.

It was true! Trumpet loves Cosmic Canine Creations treats! They are fresh, so need to be refrigerated so they will stay tasty and healthy for your pup.

By the way, the store is part of an organization supporting local Michigan small businesses. The Michigan Marketplace is a boutique shopping area downtown in Ludington. There are a number of small Michigan businesses that one can support by stopping in.

If you haven’t seen Ludington anyway, Trumpet and I highly recommend a trip to see Lake Michigan but also make sure to visit Rochelle’s store.  When you speak with her she will tell you many wonderful stories as well.  As a small business owner myself, I appreciate the hard work people put into their dreams and trying to make life work on their terms. Cheers to you Rochelle! It was truly a pleasure meeting you. Next time Trumpet and I will stop in and try some new flavors, and maybe grab one of your other great dog products made by other dog lovers! Thank you!

And in case there was any question, Trumpet could not wait to gobble up his new treats!

Trumpets got Michigan on the nose!

Well it’s been awhile…..

Wow the last year has been a challenge for not only us, but the fact that our mom hasn’t gotten out as much as she would hope! Mom got in a car accident and was afraid that anything (any-thing) on social media could have been used against her while in litigation. Her car was totaled while she was minding her own business driving to the dealership to get service..luckily we were not in the car. But, she was hurt pretty badly and saw many doctors over one year and a half as she healed and tried to get back to her awesome self emotionally and physically, so we , the pups, missed out a little on our fun.

But…. now mom is better and we went on a hike!

We went to the Rachel Carson Greenway in Montgomery County, MD.  It has 10 miles of trails, although we just did a short stint because we are getting our legs back.  Not too many people on a Sunday morning and we even realized there’s another trail on the other side of the river that we missed so we are definitely coming back!

This is a very convenient place right off of the 29 in Silver Spring. We highly recommend it!

We thank you for following our blog. We hope to have many more entries this year as we travel and go on adventures! Please tell your friends to follow us we are excited to be back up and running around 😃

Trumpet’s first car ride

Trumpet was one week old, maybe ten days old when I took him away from an uninterested mother.  She was rejecting the puppies, unable to feed them while the owners were on a camping trip in the middle of the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania.  I was told by a friend that the puppies were there and in need of homes.

After about four days and lots of formula, Trumpet was a little stronger and living in a hammock that wrapped around me and kept him close to my heart. My camping buddy was a 70 year old amazing man who was sick and could not pack his stuff out to the car.  So, Trumpet and I went together up for 2 miles, down for 2 miles, up for 2 miles, down for 2 miles, until the work was done.  We came back to get our buddy and the other car-poolers and started back toward Michigan.

All seemed to be going great on a hot summer day, on the highways and turnpikes winding around mountains, crops and forests, when the car started to overheat. I think we had made it to Ohio. Trumpet was being held by the passenger in the front seat with water ready for whenever he might want some, and formula.  He was fine as long as he was on someone’s lap.  When we stopped to let the car cool down, we let him wander around the grass.  His eyes were not opened yet so he did not go very far.

The worst part of the trip was that we had to have the heat on in the car in order to help the engine let us get from gas station to gas station for breaks. It was about 90 degrees outside, and probably 110 inside the car.  We were all suffering. Trumpet was the luckiest one with a moist cloth around him to keep him from overheating.

Stay tuned for more Trumpet stories

Trumpet the wonder dog as a 10 day old pup

Traveling with the pups – possible issues

I’m going to post something short today, because I have been a little focused on getting my new business website finished. If you would like to check it out, it’s at http://www.beebeeclown.com.  My “day job” is being an entertainer for kids and adults.

So what can go wrong when traveling with the pooches?  The first issue I would bring up is the throwing up issue.  My first dog Max threw up so badly when he was in the car that at the time I bought a Jeep Wrangler and told the dealership not to have any carpet in the car, and not to have any embellishments simply for the reason that they would be quickly ruined by stomach acid and bile. Max never really improved. I learned, however that not feeding him too close to travel time did help.

Trumpet had his first travel experience when he was two weeks old and I drove him 10 hours to get him home.  He was in a cardboard box, with fluffy fabric, on someone’s lap while the car overheated, and we had to stop about every 20 minutes to let the car cool down, and when we did drive it was with the heat on in 90 degree weather.  Amazingly, Trumpet has an amazing stomach. He loves car rides and has only thrown up once or twice in all the of the travel we have done over the span of his four years.

Trombone cannot be fed near the time of travel because the kibble he just finished will end up right back up in his crate.  He is pretty happy in the crate while traveling as long as he can see me. But not if his tummy is full. He will silently leave me a little package of goodness all over the crate if I don’t pay attention.

So for the sake of the car, the noses of passengers, the other dog, the comfort level of the dog, it is definitely best not to feed the dog too close to travel time. I highly suggest treating it like swimming. Wait an hour or so before getting in the car after meals.

Trumpet was two weeks old when I rescued him