We get asked once in awhile why we decided to begin selling our products. Well, there have been a couple of different reasons along the way.
First off, as we began getting deeper into the realm of BBQ, people would ask if they could have some of our rubs and sauce to try on their own. As more and more of our friends and family asked for it, we thought maybe we would try adding some more professional looking packaging and see if we could sell it locally and make a little extra money. It was fun and we were able to basically offset the cost of supplies all while helping spread a little of our own BBQ love to those around us.
But then…….
We gained a couple of wonderful little additions to our family just recently with Phoebe and Festus. Phoebe came to us first in April of 2017 and we were trying to decide if we wanted to get her into something that would be good for all of us and take advantage of some of her natural instincts.
We had another German Shepherd prior and several years ago began training him for Search and Rescue. It was done through a private organization and he ended up not being cut out for it. He was an amazing dog but it just wasn’t his thing; he passed away in early 2017. Shortly after his passing we brought Phoebe home and after a little time had passed, I contacted the person who was in charge of the K9’s from before and found out that the K9 unit was now part of our local Search and Rescue unit which is affiliated with our County Sheriff’s office. I took Phoebe to meet her and began the training process. She fared very well so I applied and was accepted as a member of the Search and Rescue team and we continued to put her through the paces and in June 2018, she earned her first certification as a tracking dog…very cool.
Even though Phoebe was a fun loving and happy creature, for some reason we decided she needed a companion so Festus joined our little troupe in November of 2017. In essence, we had two VERY LARGE puppies on our hands..God help us.
Festus was and still is a handful, full of energy and always moving as fast as he can in whatever direction. We use the phrase that “he lives his life like someone left the gate open” so we decided we would try him in Search and Rescue as well. He has been a little more of a challenge, however, but with his drive and personality we believe he is going to make a great search dog, it is just going to take a little more time. He has an amazing nose and loves to track on a long lead and he pulls like a train, it’s a ton of fun and he has a blast doing it.
So, back to the biggest “why” we are doing what we do.
Our local Search and Rescue organization is completely voluntary and we as members are responsible for purchasing and maintaining all our own equipment. For us in the K9 unit, this also applies to anything to do with our dogs; food, supplies, vet visits, etc., and because they will be dealing with the general public as well as expected to perform in possible harsh situations, their overall health and well being is paramount. It is important to us that they get the highest quality food and care which, as is known and expected, can be fairly costly. That being said, through the sale of our BBQ products we are able to give back to others a large part of what we receive. The majority of the proceeds from selling our products is put back into the care and training of our dogs with the hope that someday, someway, we may be able to give the gift of safety and life to someone else in their time of need.