GIMME AN E! Please?

Gimme an E!

Sharing space with two cats in our modest ranch-style starter home had its challenges, the most impactful being the olfactory offense. The cat boxes reeked.  All the time.  Even though we were generous to give the cats an ersatz bathroom of their very own, the mixed aroma of perfumed cat litter and fresh litter snickers wafted throughout the house like a vengeful ghost.

Hey, my food . . .HEY LADY!  My food bowl is empty!  Charlie Cat requesting more, please.

Just the cost of doing business with cats, I thought, as I would scoop the boxes with head tipped away to avoid a direct nasal hit. Then one rainy day, I’m impressively multi-tasking by relaxing with a magazine while actively avoiding heavy housework. Was it (ironically) Good Housekeeping?  No, actually I don’t recall the fateful periodical, but I do remember one particular full page ad. It was a collection of colored pencil drawings showing a healthy cat, a litter box and . . .whats this?  Holy Cow, could it be true? An ad for Iams Cat Food claiming smaller and less smelly stool!  With high quality ingredients that metabolize more efficiently . . . what does that even mean? But I don’t care. I’m headin’ for the feed store to get me some of this amazing stuff.

So that was the day I stopped feeding the colorful kibbles that I always had a coupon for and instead paid the extra buck for the plain brown niblets in the bright orange bag. In a short time, the cats looked healthier, smelled better and stopped vomiting hairballs that stained the carpet in fruit loopy colors. And yes, as advertised, their poop was indeed presented in tidy little brown packages nestled atop the sand.

Dang, y’all. Truth in advertising, go fig.

Impressed with this discovery, I look over at Jack the Wonder Dog and we share a hmmm moment. Our huge Labrador-based mutt had the cats trumped in the poop department. The only saving grace was that his recycled dog food was deposited in the fresh suburban air of the backyard. Right, most of the time. This is the same sweet dog that we were told to just take him home and enjoy him by an obedience school. Ok, maybe two obedience schools. His brain got full, bless his little golden heart.

Jack the Wonder Dog. Not a CCI dog. Picture a thought balloon over his head with a question mark in it. And yep, that’s him all over.

But switching the big guy over to that green bag of Iams Chunks made such a remarkable difference in the quality of his coat. And his poo? Indeed smaller and firmer. If ya gotta scoop up the stuff, this is the best you could hope for, I think.

And so began my love affair with The Iams Company, a family owned local business in 1993 when I applied for a job in the plant office. But tragically, I was rejected. The interview feedback was something about thinking I might be too “thin-skinned” (and just what did they mean by THAT!?!) for this rough and tumble plant manager. But no matter, my resume was forwarded to another manager in the R&D facility. And I found my home there.

And here we are, nearly twenty years later. I’m still in love with my job and absolutely passionate about the products we make. I don’t want to get all commercial-like on you, but I feed my beloved furry friends Eukanuba. I’d rather fight than switch, as they say.

Is is possible to be passionate about dog food? I say yes. Yes, it is. Does it make me a great conversationalist? So, how ’bout them nice brown kibbles? Liking that poop?  Ok, maybe not so much. 

So anyway, P&G Pet Care and the Eukanuba brand have been very supportive of Canine Companions for Independence over these past few years. And I’m so proud to have a connection as well. So I’m particularly jazzed about this deal with Eukanuba sponsoring a CCI puppy litter. The upcoming soon-to-be-famous E litter.

I’m especially giddy excited to be chosen to raise one of these little furry canine masterpieces.  The gorgeous Taya will be introducing the E litter to the world on September 15. Well, on or around that date. You know how these things go.  But in the meantime, there’s work to be done y’all.

Taya enjoys a special kinda tummy rub during her ultrasound.

From the Eukanuba Facebook page . . .

The Journey to Extraordinary Starts – Meet Taya! A Canine Companions for Independence Breeder Dog pregnant and due approximately September 15th – Taya will have the “E” Litter and Eukanuba is sponsoring this litter hoping to donate $100,000 to CCI to help provide assistance dogs to those in need of one. You can help us donate by clicking daily on this tab: http://on.fb.me/EukanubaCCI

Oh sure, that’s the easy part, clicking a button to assist Eukanuba’s donation to CCI. Please do that. But there’s some really serious business, too.  Submitting a name suggestion for the pups presents a whole nuther challenge.

Ok, think of a name that starts with the letter E. Now say it out loud a couple of times. Sound ok? Right, now go to your back door and shout it real loud. No, loud. So the neighbors can hear you. Feeling pretty good about it? Is this still a name that a puppy raiser wouldn’t curse you for? Keep in mind we’ll be saying the pup’s name about a gadzillion times over sixteen months. No pressure though.

I would suggest two or three syllable names are lovely. Four syllables are to be avoided. A dirty deed is done before you can finish saying Enceladus.

Smart, beautiful and doesn’t even look pregnant. If she were a person, this would irritate me terribly.

Instructions, including suggestions from CCI, are on Euk’s Facebook. Check ‘er out. And on behalf of fellow puppy raisers, please be kind with the suggestions, of course. You may want to hold back on Eurythmic and Estheticia and such. It’s not becoming to spit when we call the pups.