Exciting Times

Could things get any more exciting around here?? Well, yes, they could, but that's beside the point. Tomorrow I'm doing an 8-minute infomercial for a radio talk show that focuses on pets. It will air two weeks later, and I'll provide a link where you can listen (once I have it). You might be wondering, "What in hell does she have to talk about?" Well, lots, actually.

There have been so many recent incidents that have had to do with the "all-natural" vs. "natural" aspect of the pet shampoo business. For the record, I have yet to find an "all-natural" shampoo - meaning, one without any synthetic ingredients. There are at least two synthetics that all shampoos need: One is used to create lather. Americans refuse to buy shampoos or bath gels that don't lather, and there are no "all-natural" ingredients that produce it. The other synthetic is used for preservative. Without a preservative, shampoos wouldn't last any longer than a month or so on the shelf.

The other part of this is that not all synthetics are bad. There are some that truly serve a purpose, which is the case with these ingredients. We can thank today's marketers for the current confusion, since they're the ones continually telling consumers that "all-natural" products are always better than anything containing synthetics. This is just not true.

On one of the pet industry discussion forums I belong to, I brought up this topic, and I posted that, in my opinion, the "all-natural" category of shampoos is simply a marketing ploy, and that no such product exists. To date, no one has come forward to disagree. (There are at least three shampoo vendors on this board, and they promote their products as being "all-natural" or "holistic.") To me, this is very telling. If their products WERE truly "all-natural" or "holistic," wouldn't you expect them to come out with guns blazing? I would. Where are they?

While shopping online for cosmetics this morning, I came across a brand that was supposedly "100% Pure." I guess my question is, "Pure what?" I read all their ingredient info, and they were anything but. It doesn't matter to me except for one thing: False advertising. They know a lot of consumers will go strictly by the brand name instead of bothering to read the ingredients, so they take advantage of that. OK, so that's business. Money is the bottom line. But wouldn't it be nice if it weren't always??

Furfection, Inc. will probably never be a huge company, mainly because I refuse to play by the established rules. I will not deceive people in order to make a sale. My main motivator has never been money; it's about creating and providing products that I truly believe in and that are good for the pets they're used on. What's so hard to understand about that?

I received a call today from an investment company looking for small pet-related businesses to invest in. Huh? They left a message and I haven't called them back. Tomorrow...after my interview... maybe.

My first reunion case for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is off to a slow start. There's a possibility that the dog I'm supposed to be looking for is currently on petfinder. The problem is that I need the shelter ID to look up the dog, but petfinder is currently having server "issues." Our coordinator will let us know when we can get access to that database. Waiting....

Hmmm...I'm really tired. Must be all the excitement;-)