So this is our first blog post...hmmm, not sure where to start as I've never written a blog before, let's just start from the beginning...
We are a family of four, living in the beautiful Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. There is my wife Nancy, our son Tyler, our daughter Brooke and myself, Brian. We have always loved animals and have had pets all of our lives. We currently have three amazing Boxers, Tyson (8 years), Mya (2 years) and Sophie (8 months), we also have a cat, Ariel (15 years) and a sweet little Conure parrot, Kiwi (1 year). Needless to say we have a pretty full house that is not always spotless or quiet, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
In the past we have had three other dogs, all Dobermans. Two of them we purchased from a breeder and one we rescued from a shelter in Dallas, TX. They were all great dogs, but were not all healthy. We lost Linkin at 4 1/2 years old due to spleen and liver issues despite putting him through two surgeries within 12 hours (one was an emergency surgery). We lost Dakota at 10 years old from cancer, and Diesel at 6 years old after he suffered a heart attack. We were devastated at the loss of each, but especially the two that were sudden (and very young dogs). To make matters worse, Tyson was diagnosed in December 2015 with Pleural Effusion (water on the lungs), as well as a tumor in his lung and was given only months to live. Things were not looking well at the beginning, he dropped about 20% of his weight very quickly and was not eating much. Happily, with daily meds, he has stabilized and seems to be doing very well, even playing with Mya and Sophie like he's still a puppy!
After having so many dogs with health issues, we started to question what may have contributed to their conditions. It didn't take long to figure out that the pet supply industry is largely unregulated and that a very large amount of pet products contain cancer causing materials and ingredients. We have researched pet food meticulously since losing Linkin, as that was around the same time as the pet food scandals, but never even thought about researching their toys. Think about it...dog's put their mouths on everything, toys included. If your dog is chewing on toys that contain lead, chemicals or pesticides he is probably ingesting these poisons as well. This is where BoxerTUFF Pet Products was born...
We legally started BoxerTUFF Pet Products in March 2016, but the idea had formed long before that. We wanted to start a company that cares about animals, their health, and their well being. We struggled at the beginning as to what we could do to contribute to the pet industry that would not only set us apart, but also help other animals in need. We first decided on our Original Rescue Rope, a simple knotted rope made of healthy, all natural hemp. We quickly realized that there was a market for healthy pet toys, and have since added organic cotton ropes, as well as natural rubber dental balls that clean and massage your dog's teeth and gums while they play. As mentioned earlier, we absolutely LOVE animals, so we wanted to also incorporate a charity aspect into our business plan. We decided to donate a portion of all sales to non-profit animal rescues and shelters. We also participate in, and promote numerous local fundraiser events to give back as much as we can.
We are excited to grow as quickly as we have, and thank all of our customers and supporters for our continued success!
Until next time...
