Bully Sticks

In light of the election being less than a month away, I thought it prudent to look at the history of some of the most beloved inhabitants of the White House – the Presidential Dogs. While living the life of luxury in DC has its perks (lots of space to run around in and dog treats that are checked by the Secret Service), there is a certain dignity and air of sophistication that a Presidential Pooch must project. Here's a look back at the First Dogs since our country began.

George Washington

As our first President, George Washington was also the first to have a First Pet. While his dogs didn't get to live in the White House, one can assume they had plenty of time to run around. George Washington had seven dogs – three Staghounds (Sweet Lips, Scentwell, and Vulcan), and four Black and Tan Coonhounds (Taster, Tipler, Tipsy, and Drunkard). It's safe to assume that his Coonhounds liked to get into the Presidential liquor.

John Adams

Continuing the tradition of the First Dog, John Adams only had two dogs while President, though they were the first to stay in the White House. While the breeds have been lost to time, we're sure that he loved his two dogs (Juno and Satan) despite their naming.

Thomas Jefferson

We know that Thomas Jefferson had two Briards, and while one's name has been lost to time, the other, Buzzy, probably got to enjoy his time at Monticello.

James Monroe

Picking up where Thomas Jefferson left off, James Monroe Read more

Conscientious Dog Treat and Chew Picks

When we started our company a few years ago we knew that we wanted to make sure we were confident and happy knowing that everything we offered for sale was something that we could be proud in and something that was healthy and rewarding for dogs.  We have to be honest it is tempting to sell popular dog treats like rawhide, or stuff packed with wheat and gluten; but we have learned over time that this is just simply not healthy and refuse to offer it.  Pretty packaging does not take the place of good nutrition, dog treats with ingredients you can't understand or pronounce are probably not healthy, and treats shaped like little steaks that smell like plastic just don't cut it!  Our commitment to you is to continue to scour the earth to find the unique, natural and healthy dog treats and chews like bully sticks you have come to know us for.

We must say that in the beginning we were "casual" dog owners and did not understand that it was important to really look at what we were feeding our dogs, how often they eat, how often they excersise etc.; but as our knowledge of the pet industry has grown, so has our knowledge of our own pet's health.  We hope that you find our selection as rewarding as we do as we routinely use all of the products which we sell.

Simply Put, We promise to:

• Offer healthy unique treats chews and other items that will not harm your dog
• We will keep our everyday prices as low as possible to make our selection available and accessible to the greatest number of owners and dogs possible
• We will continue to bring on new manufacturers that are committed to healthy pets and enriching the lives of our dogs
• We will listen to you and your feedback and adapt accordingly
• We will price match anyone on the internet or in a retail store for any of the products we sell (as long as they are of comparable quality) to make sure we stay competitive
  

Please follow the blog, over the next couple of weeks we will be launching not only several new chews and treats that are unique and extremely healthy, but we will also be adding TWO new categories of products and a supplement/food that is simply amazing!

As always, thank you for your continued patronage and support and if you find something you feel like should be here please let us know!!!

Supervising Your Dog

We wanted to put a quick post out on the blog reminding everyone to supervise your dog when giving any dog treat or chew!  Even if you are feeding a bully stick, we highly recommend watching your dog(s) to see how they react and make sure you take any chew away when it gets to about 2" left.  While everything we sell is digestible, we still think that it is important to monitor for super aggressive behavior and make sure that they don't try to swallow anything over 2" in length.

If you are currently feeding 6" bully sticks and your dog is going through it very quickly 15-30 minutes we would suggest going up in size to the 12" bully stick.  Alternatively, if you have a large breed or giant breed dog please consider our 12" braided bully sticks, dog bones, or knotted bully stick bones.

Make sure to check out our every growing catalog of dog chews and treats, and soon several new lines of all natural dog items!

Recent Feedback from our customers.  Thank you Trish P and Marjory for taking the time out to write these are your gracious testimony and compliments.  We love the opportunity to share the best all natural dog chews and treats with all of you!

Wow! Best bully sticks is by far the best thing I have found for my puppy! I have a VERY energetic 13 week old brittany who has the attention span of a knat, except when it comes to best bully sticks! So far she has tried the beef tracheas and the 6 inch bully sticks and she loves them! They keep her busy when I don't have time to keep an eye on her. No tummy upsets from either of these products, fast shipping, and GREAT prices! You have a lifelong customer!

-Trish P

WOW!  My order arrived so quickly and my 2 Giant Schnauzers are just loving the tracheas.  No more supplements for them, now they get their glucosamine in the best way possible and the joy they show when I give them one is my feedback from my best friends.
We're planning our next order now.

-Marjory 

You can share your personal experience about our dog treat products by leaving a comment(s) below!

The growing trend in dog ownership is the purchase or adoption of designer dogs – those dogs that have been deliberately bred from two purebred dogs with an expected result.  While I would never discourage the adoption of any dog, designer or otherwise, there are certain pros and cons that come with giving a home to a Designer Dog.

Pros

The pros to giving a home to a Designer Dog (besides the obvious good karma of giving a home to a dog in need) typically relate to the health of the dog in question.  While many purebred dogs are prone to health problems related to the lack of genetic difference between one generation and the next, Designer Dogs, much like mutts, bypass many of the health problems that purebreds are known for.  The difference between the Designer Dog and the mutt is that while a mutts heritage isn't know, Designer Dogs often have papers stating what their heritage is, including the breeds and history of both parents.

Along with avoiding many of the health issues associated with purebred dogs, Designer Dogs are often bred to combine favored traits of two breeds, such as a lack of shedding and the size of one dog with the playful nature and affection of another.  The hope with Designer Dogs is that the penchant that one of the breeds may have for chewing on your shoes will be countered by the penchant the other breed has for eating dog treats from your hands.

Cons

The cons to bringing home any dog of mixed parentage is that you never really know what to expect.  You can breed two of the most affectionate, loving dogs, and at the end of the day you might still get a Designer Dog that sees your slippers and thinks chew toy.  Temperament and size are very hard to judge with Designer Dogs, especially those that come from two dogs of largely varying sizes (you might end up with a Labrador/Dachshund mix that is either the size of the Dachshund, the Labrador, or somewhere in the middle).  Poodle Designer Dogs are known to exhibit many of the Poodle's often aggressive nature, in spite of being bred with a more docile breed.  While giving you hope having a Boxer mixed with a Chihuahua will curb its need to chew on things better than giving it bully sticks, at the end of the day, you can't know what you will get from the dog until you've spent time with it and tried to train it.

Don't Go in With Any Expectations

When bringing home your Designer Dog, remember not to have any expectations.  You may bring home the most perfect puppy that will be easy to train, have all the best traits of both their breeds, and be a ray of sunshine in you and your family's lives.  Or you may bring home a little terror that will drive you all insane…just like any other puppy.  Don't assume that the new trend in Designer Dogs means that you don't have to put in the time to properly train your dog.  Good genes are no replacement for proper training and love.

About the Author

Avrum Elmakis is the owner of Best Bully Sticks, a leading provider of dog treats, bully sticks, and lamb treats for dogs.  They can be found online at:  http://www.bestbullysticks.com .