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Recently a lot of people have been asking me how they can make their own dog food at home. Here is the recipe that I use. Its very easy, healthy and actually costs less than store bought, mass produced dog food. This diet is based on the BARF diet.


I’ve been the lucky and proud mom to a Bichon Frise named Winston that I rescued from Happy Tails Dog Rescue about 5 years ago. Since then its been a match made in heaven and I’ve enjoyed every minute of having him.

Strangely, around the time of the pet food recall back in 2007 Winston went off of eating his dog food. At the time I was buying him the best food I could buy but it was made by Menu foods (like most dog foods) and I don’t know if there was something wrong with it… but after several days of not eating I got scared and decided to start making my own dog food. I read a lot of web-sites and books about what I can and can’t feed my dog and finally came up with a diet that suits his needs and palette.

Recently a lot of people have been asking me how they can make their own dog food at home.  Here is the recipe that I use. Its very easy, healthy and actually costs less than store bought, mass produced dog food. This diet is based on the BARF diet.

One of the deciding factors that this diet was healthy for Winston in general was the fact that he had started to develop a small tumour under his left leg (in the arm pit area) and after a few months of feeding him his new diet the tumour completely disappeared! His health also improved as did his energy level. He seemed like a much happier dog overall.

Some people have commented that their dog tends to beg a lot now that they make his own food. I’ve never had that issue with Winston. He is eager to eat and often sits with me while I put together his food.

Hint – if you feed your dog 1 cup of dog food kibble, the equivalent is to feed him/her 1 cup of fresh food packed down.

Recipe: (makes about 14+ portions of food based on feeding Winston 1.5 cups of food a day, divided into 2 meals)

In a large slow cooker pot set to Low to cook overnight combine the following:

1kg of frozen mixed vegetables (contains peas, carrots, corn, beans, etc.)
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup ground flax seeds (also called flax seed meal)
1 3/4 – 2 cups of Brown California Rice
1 apple cored and sliced (be sure to remove all of the core as it is poisonous to dogs)
1 can of pure pumpkin
1 tin of Bean Medley (thoroughly washed and drained)
2 fresh carrots sliced and chopped thinly
6-8 small potatoes sliced and chopped
2 cups of chicken or beef broth

Mix together in the slow cooker bowl all of the above until all ingredients are spread evenly throughout for cooking.

Add 1-2 cups of water poured over the top to ensure adequate moisture
Add 2 chicken legs (with backs attached) to the top of the above ingredients

Cover with lid and cook overnight (approx 6-8 hours on low)

When the food is done cooking remove 2 cooked chicken legs from the top of the meal (using tongs or a fork) and de-bone them (be sure to get the small bones too).  Add chicken meat back to food and discard bones.
Take 1 pound of lean ground beef and brown it in a frying pan. Drain excess grease. Add browned ground beef to the rest of the food and mix together.
Allow food to cool and done!

From here we usually portion out the entire batch into several small plastic containers with 1 days worth of portioned food in each. We then freeze them all and remove from freezer to fridge 1 day in advance (to thaw) as needed. I usually put the food in the microwave for about 40-60 seconds to warm before serving. Be careful it is not too hot for your pet to eat to avoid burning his/her mouth.

Winston loves it! He gave it 4 paws up!

If you have any questions – don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.

Here are also some handy lists of foods not to feed your dog:
Foods to Avoid Feeding Y0ur Dog
Dangerous and Toxic foods to Dogs
25 Human Foods Toxic to Dogs




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Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. I recently left my job at E1 Entertainment and have moved on to a new position as New Media and Marketing Associate at Roy Thomson Hall.

Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. I recently left my job at E1 Entertainment and have moved on to a new position as New Media and Marketing Associate at Roy Thomson Hall. Everything has been going great and I love my new job and lucky for me – it is right up the street from where I live.

I’ll try to start posting more often now that things have settled down a little and I promise to include more videos and photos.

🙂




Blog,Internet,Links,Music

Today’s musicians, both mainstream and indie, are using social media to connect with fans, build anticipation, and generate revenue in new and unique ways. The products range from singles to mix tapes to digital six-packs, even oddly shaped USB sticks, vinyl, and the occasional traditional album. But how are these artists reaching their new fan bases online through social channels? Much like the business world, social media promotion for musicians is still a very new game, with no exact recipe for platinum success. There are however, some innovations being put forth, and a new connection is being formed between artists and fans — a connection that empowers both to give each other what they are looking for.

mixing board imageGreg Rollett runs a music marketing company from his laptop in Orlando, FL. He is an advocate of the New Music Economy and very hopeful that artists can still live the rock star lifestyle in the digital age. Connect with Greg on Twitter, @g_ro.

Today’s musicians, both mainstream and indie, are using social media to connect with fans, build anticipation, and generate revenue in new and unique ways. The products range from singles to mix tapes to digital six-packs, even oddly shaped USB sticks, vinyl, and the occasional traditional album.

But how are these artists reaching their new fan bases online through social channels? Much like the business world, social media promotion for musicians is still a very new game, with no exact recipe for platinum success.

There are however, some innovations being put forth, and a new connection is being formed between artists and fans — a connection that empowers both to give each other what they are looking for.


Fan-Funded Projects


Kickstarter Image

We have all heard about the success of micro lending organizations like Kiva, which use multiple small payments to contribute to a larger goal. The same process is being applied to creating an album or a music-based project.

One such project is the Washington D.C.-based indie hip-hop group Panacea. The producer/MC duo listed their project on Kickstater, a funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers, and others.

The project was posted on the morning of February 26th. According to Jeremy Calvery, the group’s Director of Digital Media and Promotion, “We were at $1,000 before the end of the first day. We had to increase the number of $200 packages from three to five over the weekend because people were e-mailing and literally begging for the chance to ‘buy’ the whole back catalog. Less than five full days from the first e-mail to the list, we had reached the funding goal of $3,800, which was set to be just a bit more than what the minimum press of 250 vinyl copies was going to cost.”

Another hip-hop outfit, the Get Busy Committee, also launched a project on Kickstarter. In their drive to raise $3,218, they included one premium pledge level at $1,000 — an investment that netted the donor a song about him or herself to be included on the record, as well as a platinum plaque. They sold this spot within 24 hours.


Using Video to Create Buzz


Another approach musicians are taking is the use of web video series. Indie pop artist Mike Posner has been telling his story over the course of a video series titled “One Foot Out The Door.” Daniel Weisman, Mike’s manager, stated that he was attempting to create an income stream for Mike while he was finishing college and working on his debut album.

Daniel and his management company Elitaste were approached by the shoe company Puma about integrated artist campaigns. Puma ended up sponsoring Mike’s last semester in college, and provided a camera crew to follow him from classes, to the studio, to shows all over the country.

Daniel wanted to do something special for the Mashable (Mashable) readers when I reached out to him, so fresh off the upload, here is the premier of Episode #10 of “One Foot Out The Door.”

Live streaming has also been worthwhile for big announcements. Underground artists the Kottonmouth Kings turned to Ustream to tell their fans all about their new album and when they could expect it in local stores.

The video was watched live and formatted like a press conference, with fans getting the chance to ask questions and share their feedback. It was a smart way to bring their fans into the experience and give back to the community that has supported them for 10+ years.


Creativity From the Fans


Mulba 2.0 ImageRob And Kal are a pop/rock act from the UK who are taking fans inside their studio and the music creation process. They call it Mubla 2.0, which Rob defined as “our interactive recording project where we come up with song ideas and you help us develop them with your comments, suggestions and musicianship.”

So far they have five songs in progress with fans like Adam saying, “I just feel the intro has a little too much going on and 2.33 to 2.56 I almost want the piano to play and pull at the heart strings.” Another commenter named Russell gave tips like, “Think drums and a bit more of heavier guitar would go down nicely particularly near end.”

This concept empowers fans and gives them a product they feel responsible for and connected to. The project can only strengthen the bond between fans and artists, and result in an easier sale when the time comes to release an album.


Reaching Out to Non-Music Bloggers


Glasses Malone ImageGlasses Malone, a new artist signed with Cash Money Records, is turning to bloggers to get the word out about his new album “Beach Cruiser.” What makes his campaign unique is that unlike traditional artists who look to get their tracks on highly trafficked MP3 blogs and review sites, Glasses and his team are focused on adding value to bloggers whose primary focus is not on music.

A marketing rep for Glasses told me, “These bloggers are more open to running contests and integrated campaigns than traditional music bloggers because they are not accustomed to being pitched by a major label artist. We have found blogs that love unique and fresh content that will separate them from their peers and competition, and it is working out very well for us so far.”

Armed with a research team, they have been targeting biking blogs, college blogs, beach lifestyle sites and more, all with the hope of driving new traffic to Glasses’ site and generating some pre-album buzz.


Conclusion


No matter what the labels and corporations are doing, musicians are taking it upon themselves to use social channels to connect with fans, offer value, and create relationship. This has ultimately led to new business models and revenue streams from sponsorships, touring and live appearances, custom products, and social monetization through advertising.




Blog,Internet

Found another great article on Mashable that I thought I’d pass along. It’s common sense but I’ve found recently that just hosting contests and giving away free items isn’t really a great way to retain customers. It’s nice to know that thinking outside of the box and providing them with exclusives they can’t get anywhere else than by following us and participating with us on social media is a better way to go.

online shopping image


There are many times or reasons that a small business will receive an influx of new customers — such as around the holidays for retail stores, during a new product or service launch or after a local advertising campaign. While new customers are great, returning customers are even better. Social media offers a number of opportunities to turn your new and existing customers into repeat customers and fans.


Hook New Customers on Social Media


The first thing you should do is direct new customers to your social media accounts. A good way to do that is to incentivize that act of becoming your friend, fan, or follower. Offer those who have just made a purchase a discount on future business in the form of a coupon, but tie it to your social media presence. For example, retailers could let customers know at point of sale that if they become a fan of your business on Facebook, they’ll receive exclusive offers for discounts on future purchases. Or customers could be given instructions to tweet out a special hashtag with a message about your store after they follow your Twitter account, and once that’s done you could send them a direct message with a special offer.

This is not unlike the common practice of taking down e-mail or mailing addresses for mailing lists, but social media puts the user more in control since, when properly used, it is a two-way medium. That’s actually an advantage to small business owners because active, engaged customers will be more likely to give you their attention.


Concentrate on Building a Community


online community imageOnce you have users signed up to follow you on social media sites, the trick to retaining them as customers is to keep them wanting to come back. That means constantly engaging them with new content, exclusive offers and information they can’t get elsewhere. The best way to grow your community is to consistently offer them quality content. That means forgoing the sales pitch most of the time.

Customers join communities because of the quality of information and because they want to be privy to news about sales, coupons, deals, new products, or changes to your business (e.g., new hours, changed location or updated menu items). But that doesn’t mean they want to receive constant sales come-ons. Delivering quality, helpful tips and information to your customers will make them more likely to want to do business with you and help build your online community.

Restaurants could share recipes or tips for properly reheating leftovers, for example, while plumbers could offer instructions for simple home fixes. Retailers could offer honest reviews of new products, and doctors could offer alerts about the latest medical research or health care policy updates. Get creative — what sorts of information can you provide your customer community? This type of content will help to build your social media community and turn new buyers into return customers.


Play Favorites


Social media is a great place to promote your general sales and events, but you should also consider offering your social media fans exclusive deals that cannot be had elsewhere. Online-only offers will keep fans returning for more and it will help to build a community around your store, service or brand, which is what social media is all about.

It’s certainly true that you should treat all of your customers well, but it doesn’t mean you should treat them all the same. Those customers that have taken the time to sign up as your fan, friend or follower have shown a heightened interest in your brand that should be recognized. By plying your social media followers with occasional exclusive deals or discounts, you can help turn customers into fans that will evangelize your business to others. That way, you can turn new customers into return customers, who in turn attract more new customers for you. That’s the type of cycle that social media, when put to work properly, can help you create.




Advertising,Blog,Music

Living on Toronto’s waterfront definitely has its advantages. Aside from the beautiful views, amazing walking trails and nice people, there is also the Harbourfront Centre. This weekend this hub of the arts is hosting a free performance by Cirque Du Soleil!  They started setting up the stage last week inside of the Natrel Pond (the ice rink in the winter) and this week have been practising on it. It all looks pretty amazing and I’m so excited to see the final show. From the description on Harbourfrontcentre.com it sounds like it’s going to be something to experience!

Beginning Friday night, two “communities” will form on the Toronto central waterfront: one representing the natural world in which we have our instinctual roots and the urban community, the world we have constructed around ourselves. They’ll make their homes at opposite ends of the site, each in an environment antithetical to their respective world-view.

What will happen as the weekend unfolds and the two communities encounter and interact with each other? You’ll have to join in the festivities to find out – but expect to be amazed!

Here are the schedule and details for everything that’s going to go down.. (which also apparently includes closing Queens Quay!)

I’ll post photos this weekend! 🙂




AUTHOR

  • profileLisa Bassett is a Digital Marketing and Social Media professional from Toronto, Canada.