Curtis’ Chronicles - The story behind the treats
Curtis loves a dip
If you live in Wicklow Town, chances are you’ve already met Curtis. Maybe at the dog park, maybe walking along the Vartry or you’ve seen him sticking his head out of the back window of the car, enjoying the ride through town. He’s a happy-go-lucky English Bulldog loving life, snoozes, tug of war and funny enough…running! Yep, that’s right, running. This chap is super active and inquisitive, sociable and of course, stubborn to the point where he’s actually training me and not the other way around.
But it wasn’t alway this way
Any pond, any stream, any puddle, anytime
Unfortunately Curtis wasn’t always like that. When he was 18 months old, he became ill and no amount of tests and investigations could figure out what was wrong with him. On one of the trips to the specialty clinic, there was a 23 year old doggy in the waiting room, bunnyhopping around and saying hello to everyone. That little ball of fur was so full of life and energy, it was incredible. Her owner shared her secret: it was all about the food! She also recommended the book that she used as a guide for feeding her dogs, it was “Give your dog a bone” by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. Needless to say, we ordered the book on the same day, it arrived three days later. I have to confess, it was a shock to the system and an eye opener at the same time. Most of the time us humans, living our busy lives usually think of food in terms of “...hmmm, I’m hungry, I need to eat something”, and then we grab something that’s handy and convenient without giving a second thought to the nutritional value or the long term effects on our bodies. Unfortunately that’s something that is mirrored in the way we feed our pets and I have to admit I was guilty of that way of thinking myself.
The benefits of a new diet
After taking in the information in Dr. Billinghurst’s book, we placed Curtis on a new diet and the health benefits followed shortly after. It was amazing, his IBS wasn’t flaring up unless he was too excited, his shedding improved massively (and bulldog hair is almost impossible to get off your clothes). His coat was shinier and softer and his omnipresent ear infection went away like it was never there. Now the only problem was that the treats that he loved so much were full of nasty ingredients and that was a big issue because you can’t do positive reinforcement on praise alone, not to mention the occasional spoiling of the mutt. The only solution to have full control over the ingredients used in the treats was to start making our own.
Inspiring new healthy, natural treats
That decision, made a year and a half ago, sparked the idea of bringing natural treats (made with human food grade ingredients) to the dog treat market. And even though there are so many treats to choose from already, we believe options are good. They give pet owners the opportunity to choose the best treats for their dogs and I hope our treats will be part of that choice.
Obviously, Curtis is at the heart of our brand, since he is the reason behind this venture. It’s his face on the logo and the company is named after him. This also means that you will know who we are if you see us, maybe at the dog park, maybe walking along the Vartry or driving around town so feel free to say hello and chat to us.
All the best,
Curtis and Chip
