Easter with the kids

Easter Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day here in Palm Springs; I woke up early to the sound of birds twittering, chatting away to each other about something or other. I had my morning tea and watched the early sun reflect on the mountains. It was a perfect Spring morning. I was grateful that I had already decided to attend the 11:00 am Easter service; the 7 and 9 am options seemed unnecessarily early for my taste. By the time I was heading to church, the sun was beaming and it was quite warm. Despite eventually getting up into the 90's it never felt too hot, although I was careful to keep my chocolate bunnies out of the sun! I am a bit traditional and made sure I had an Easter photo taken with the kids. Here I am (above) with Koshimi, my older boy. I love this photo, he was licking his lips, having just wolfed-down an Organix dog cookie. (Anything to get the pose).above: I was about to bite the ears off of my chocolate Easter rabbit but it was time for Owen's photo. He wasn't very cooperative so I just snatched him up with one hand and made him pose with the chocolate bunny. Despite the expression on his face, Owen LOVES to be picked up and held. I was so happy to get these photos taken and out of the way before the day got away from me. Later in the day, I treated both Shimi and Owen to their own Easter dinners, Halo "Spot's Stew" Lamb, which they both ate hungrily, as if they hadn't been fed in weeks. You can only imagine, that me being in the pet industry I spoil my kids to the very best there is. Believe me, they eat better than some people I know, but they are worth it! Anyway that was our Easter Sunday. Hope you have a good week.
-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Most Interesting New Pet Products

Please note: This post is NOT a paid advertisement.
As you may have noticed by yesterday's post, I am very excited about a line of pet products that have just been re-launched with the help of Ellen DeGeneres. Before I go any further, please remember that I am writing from my personal opinion, with no affiliation to my employer. And no one has asked me to write this or given me anything either. Halo, Purely for Pets is a reputable company that has made holistic pet products for well over 20 years and has been a quiet but quality player in the pet industry. Back in 1999 I met the founder of Halo, a woman named Andi Brown, who had a passion for helping animals live healthier lives. I helped bring the Halo line into some of our stores and online. It's an interesting company that I've gotten to know quite well over the years. I've been working on the re-launch of the Halo line at PETCO for many months and am excited that it is finally here and I can talk about it. This brings me to another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Most Interesting New Pet Products. Since I know this post will be picked up by people who are not familiar with my blog, I want to say: "Howdy, and welcome to my blog". The Saturday Seven is a weekly feature about 7 things around a common theme or topic. It is usually light-hearted fun stuff but this week I am so energized by what I am doing at work I decided to break my own rule and dedicate a Saturday Seven post to Halo. I am doing this not as an advertisement, or to pitch for my own company but I really think this is an interesting collection of products that will help animals live longer, healthier lives. If you have a pet, check out these items. So there you have it, and if this does seem like a shameless plug, I sincerely apologize. Do I hope people buy some? well yes of course! Now onto The Saturday Seven: Most Interesting New Pet Products
#1 Dream Coat- It's simply pure, natural oils that supply all the essential fatty acids to give your dog or cat a full, shiny coat, smooth skin and a strong immune system.

#2 Spot's Stew Dry Food- It's natural. It's holistic. It's made with butcher-quality chicken and feeds really well. Oh and it doesn't have any by-products or other things picky pet people don't want in their pet food.

#3 Spot's Stew Canned Food- This is human grade food that humans can eat. It's made with fresh human-grade quality ingredients in a USDA kitchen, with USDA-approved chicken, carrots, zucchini, squash, green beans and celery. Honestly, you can eat this. And it's pretty good too! All sorts of flavors like Chicken, Lamb, Beef and Salmon. Have a finicky cat or fussy dog? Trust me they will LOVE this canned food.

#4 Liv-A-Littles- As Ellen says, they should be called Live a Lot, they are so good. It's just freeze dried chicken, lamb, beef or salmon. Both Shimi and Owen love them as a snack.

#5 Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo- It's hypoallergenic & biodegradable. It has an infusion of botanical oils and extracts, yet gentle and safe for all types of pets.

#6 Dinner Party- This is such a fun item. It's a protein sprinkle that will help a fussy dog or cat eat. It's made from either beef, chicken or salmon, with vegetables and herbs.

#7 Cloud Nine Herbal Ear Wash- Sometimes my dog's ears smell funny. This stuff is a liquid made from natural herbs, to reduce earwax and will clean a dog or cat's ears gently to keep them healthy.

So there you have it, the seven most interesting items for pets that I've seen lately. There are other products from Halo but these are distinctive and a great way to provide holistic care for your dog or cat. I hope this didn't come across like a sales pitch. But after all this is what I do for a living...bring brands to market. I just don't usually get excited enough to put them on my blog. Now, just to keep everyone happy, here is the fine print (literally): This site is about my personal opinions, experiences and stuff I am interested in. From time to time I express a personal opinion about natural, holistic and organic dog and cat food brands. As the author, I am writing this with no affiliation to my employer, although I am a dog food merchandise manager and have an excellent knowledge of pet foods. There are many kinds of natural, holistic, organic and super premium dog and cat foods available. When looking for a natural, holistic or organic pet food it is important to first consider the needs of your pet. What are you feeding now? Are there any issues that your pet is having? How is your pet's skin and coat? healthy? Shiny? Does you pet have any digestion issues? Always consult your vet if you notice any serious problems. In my personal opinion, if you want some of the best natural and holistic pet foods available, try brands such as Halo, Natural Balance, Natural Ultramix , Organix, and Pet Promise.
-Rick Rockhill

A Visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Yesterday I had a pleasant surprise. I was in LA for the day for business. During the day I had a meeting planned with one of my vendors who surprised me with a ticket to join them to attend a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I already well understood the connection of my vendor to Ellen. For the past eight months or so I've been secretly working on a project I'm particularly proud of. Before I go any further, please remember that I am writing from my personal opinion, with no affiliation to my employer. That being said, there is a terrific line of all-natural, holistic pet food called Spot's Stew, made by Halo, Purely for Pets. Recently, Ellen became part owner of Halo because she feeds the food to her own pets. I've had to keep it absolutely quiet until now. We've been working with Ellen's team to re-launch the Halo brand at PETCO stores nationwide starting this weekend.

Anyway, so I was pleasantly surprised by the invitation to join my vendor to attend the taping of The Ellen Show. I had loads of fun! Of course, many of you know I've met Ellen several times before and she is absolutely delightful. In fact during one of the breaks, she saw me from the set and walked over to my seat and gave me a hug and a kiss. If you watch her show you probably know that she loves to dance. They warm up the audience before the show by having everyone dancing like crazy. Guests were Janet Jackson, lifestyle guru Dr Wayne Dyer, and Adam the guy who won a million dollars on the Price is Right show. The show airs today, Friday February 29th 2008. I was sitting in the front row, so you may see photos of me in the audience. Of course no cameras were allowed in the studio, so I found these photos from The Ellen Show website to help provide you with the visual:

I found the following announcement directly from Ellen's website today: "Today Ellen announced that she has become a part owner of what she believes to be the best pet food on the market. It's called Halo Purely For Pets ...although Ellen says she finds it delicious too. Ellen has been feeding it to her pets for years and hopes that you let your pets try some".
CLICK HERE TO SEE ELLEN TALK ABOUT HALO PET FOOD
Outside the Studio:

above: the only photos I was able to take: driving into the lot of NBC TV, and The Ellen Show sign on the outside of the NBC studio building.
And finally, click here to see a very funny video of Ellen talking about Spot's Stew.
And because I don't want to get people all agitated, here is the fine print:
This site is about my personal opinions, experiences and stuff I am interested in. From time to time I express a personal opinion about natural, holistic and organic dog and cat food brands. As the author, I am writing this with no affiliation to my employer, although I am a dog food merchandise manager and have an excellent knowledge of pet foods. There are many kinds of natural, holistic, organic and super premium dog and cat foods available. When looking for a natural, holistic or organic pet food it is important to first consider the needs of your pet. What are you feeding now? Are there any issues that your pet is having? How is your pet's skin and coat? healthy? Shiny? Does you pet have any digestion issues? Always consult your vet if you notice any serious problems. In my personal opinion, if you want some of the best natural and holistic pet foods available, try brands such as Halo, Natural Balance, Natural Ultramix , Organix, and Pet Promise.
-Rick Rockhill