David G. Wellock - Health and Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: A Guide for Pet Parents

Foreword

Hi! Im Jim Walker, President of Global Pet Foods, is how Ive addressed radio listeners in Canada and the United States for almost a decade now, so its an appropriate introduction here. Years ago, Global Pet Foods purchased a small pet food chain out of bankruptcy. The first franchisee we brought on board following the purchase was Dave Wellock, and Ive had the pleasure of working with Dave ever since he started in the specialty pet food industry.

Daves book, which Im very pleased to introduce, chronicles his adventures along the way. It may seem odd to call the small retail shopkeeper learning process an adventure, but once you get into this book youll understand what I mean. Dave started in the industry when, from a pet nutrition standpoint, it was really the wild west. I love the detail of some of the ingredient lists that Dave comments on from the early days. Like me, Im sure youll get a few laughs with his funny little quips, such as the protein in some of these foods could quite possibly physically include his Auntie!

Daves just that kind of guy who calls em as he sees emand what a tale (mind the pun) it is. Over the years hes witnessed the wonderful evolution in pet foods as theyve progressed toward more human grade, wholesome, and some might say natural ingredients; an evolution that has nutritionally benefited countless pets. Watch your phraseology though, as Dave will quickly point out that descriptive words like natural can be used to describe ingredients that few in their right minds would ever consider as having come from nature!

This book describes other deceptive practices, such as manufacturers splitting an ingredient into component parts to make it seem as if theres less of that ingredient in the diet. For example, back when Dave first started out, we carried a product that touted itself as the first fresh chicken diet in the marketplace. Unfortunately, fresh meat doesnt mix well with other dry components and wont form a kibble unless the water is reduced. When you add several forms of corn (all listed as separate items) youll quickly come to realize that the diet really should have come to market as Lots of Corn and a bit of Chicken Diet. While some manufacturers still get away with such deceptions, Daves book will instruct concerned pet parents in avoiding these pitfalls.

Thanks to owner/operators like Dave, pet parents (or as Dave calls them, paropets) now have a fighting chance to feed their furry friends some of the best-prepared foods weve ever had the good fortune of selling! Daves book is written in terms that will help you walk in his shoes as he goes from someone whos never been in the business to a true pet food professional. I have one final piece of advice. For any pet parent interested in identifying nutritious diets for their cat or dogand learning how good nutrition influences overall pet healthread this book. It may be the only book on this subject youll ever require.

I would like to thank Dave for his years of support and contribution to the education of not only his customers but also of fellow franchisees and friends like me who have had the good fortune to have him as a part of our team!

Jim Walker

President

Global Pet Foods

Acknowledgments

It would be impossible to write a book such as this without support and guidance from others. First, I wish to thank my wife, Penny, for the patience, perseverance, and encouragement that saw us through this project and innumerable other endeavors during the course of our lives together. Without her, many things would not have been possible. Credit also goes to my daughter, Heather. By skillfully taking on the management of our business, she provided me with the time needed to write this book.

My wonderful friend Jill Dennis, the Princess of Punctuation and Goddess of Grammar, reviewed every page for grammar/punctuation errors and readability, providing suggestions and remarks that kept me grounded and often generated a smile. She also makes killer peach jam. Jill, I promise to do all the cooking when next visiting.

Dr. Gary Pusillo, MS, PhD, PAS, ACAN diplomat, board-certified animal nutritionist, who was an acquaintance and is now a friend, took time from his very busy schedule to review much of the book for factuality, thus making this book better and more meaningful than it would have been otherwise. Remaining errors are mine alone. Every pet owner should hope Dr. Gary will write his own book... soon. Gary, IOU one fishing trip.

A thank you also goes to Jim Walker and the senior management team at Global Pet Foods. Your wisdom in allowing franchisees an opportunity to grow their own business, and importantly, enjoy personal grow within their own business, made this work possible in a very real sense. While change is always necessary, I hope you never lose that special vision that has made our expanding franchisee family so unique.

Having received several rejections from literary agents, it was exciting when Anne Devlin responded to my email with a request for additional information. Thank you, Anne, for seeing that which your peers missed, and for finding a publisher. A similar grateful thank you goes to senior editor Suzanne Staszik-Silva and the team of Elaine McGarraugh, Desiree Reid, and Kathryn Knigge at Rowman & Littlefield. They have been supportive, efficient, and professional at each step of the publishing process.

Finally, I owe a heartfelt thank you to my customers. Ours has been an interesting relationship. Sometimes my customers have been the teacher and I the student. Other times I have been the teacher, they the students. Without you, and your interest in the nutritional health of your furry family members, this book would never have happened.