“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.”

—James Cromwell, Actor

Have you ever stared into your pet’s eyes? It is nearly impossible to do so without realizing those glimmering dark orbs (or in some cases teal or green) harbor a soul as loving and deep as any on earth.   These creatures, as actor James Cromwell so eloquently stated, do in fact put us on notice that as caretakers of this planet and its inhabitants, us two-leggeds have an obligation to nurture and preserve all life—whether it’s a shepherd, calico, paint, orca, red robin or whitetail deer.

Not only are our pets becoming more abundant, 65 percent of all U.S. households now owning a pet—but they are in fact becoming more humanized. I still remember back in 1995, when my boys and I adopted our first pup—a black lab they appropriately named Blackberry. Having just moved into a new home (nicknamed the McPonderosa) with six acres of wetlands and daily visits from local deer and coyote, I knew we would be providing Blackberry with a safe haven, far off the beaten track and away from the dangers of highway traffic (when I was a child, we lost many a dog to car accidents and it was so horribly traumatic).

Though we loved that pup immediately, there was no discussion or debate—Blackberry was designated an “outside” dog on day one. Though soon housetrained, she still ended up most of her days and nights in the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, come rain or shine. A few blankets under the cover of a breezeway served as her humble hovel. After all, ours was a relatively new house with expensive woodwork and carpeting, which we needed to protect from claws, puppy teeth and the occasional accident.

I’m certain Blackberry today—may she rest in peace—as she looks down upon our home, has to be saying, “What the heck?!?”

Because she would see our three dogs, two German shepherds and a golden doodle, snoring (yes, dogs do snore) at night in the comfort of our home, upon an opulent king-sized bed, as my wife and I attempt to cajole our canines to move this way or that so we can secure a few precious feet of real estate. And if they decide to give us our space, there’s always three massive dog beds with soft curbs aside our bed awaiting them.

Beyond this luxurious (dry, warm and cuddly) chamber of slumber, Blackberry would likely also find it a bit prejudicial that these pampered souls are surrounded by a cornucopia of dog treats, toys and scientifically designed dog food to address palate, weight and hip issues—while she typically ate whatever was on sale that week at the local grocery store or was scraped from the boys’ dinner plates. But despite my ‘humanizing’ headline, the truth of the matter is we are not in reality humanizing anything. Rather, we are simply catching up to our own animal instinct for cross-species compassion—which in turn allows us to come into better relationship with our own humanity.

I know for a fact this isn’t limited to just my house and many of you reading this can relate. Our pets are becoming family. Not just in North America, but throughout the globe including Europe and China. In doing so, we now treat them in a more humane and loving fashion than ever before—and they in turn reflect that loving behavior back at us. What a fanciful barter (in spite of the scratched woodwork)!

And close to my heart, I’m now blessed with the opportunity to bring the amazing and scientifically proven MicrocynAH family of animal healthcare products to the world.   These original hypoclorous acid-based formulations are available for the treatment of wounds, lacerations, rashes, hot spots, rain rot, pink eye and much more. It provides me unparalleled joy when a customer calls or writes me to say, “Nothing else would work…and I used your MicrocynAH and she was back on her feet in just days.” I know for a certainty these products, with 15 FDA clearances, 30-plus clinical studies and over 50 patents worldwide, absolutely work miracles because I use them with my girls and boy whenever an ailment hits—and MicrocynAH hasn’t failed us yet!

If you have a “success story” to share, maybe with a before and after photo, I’ll be happy to reward your pet with a gift of MicrocynAH and also share your story on our web site. Please send to my email below!

Dan McFadden
VP of Animal Wellness
Sonoma Pharmaceuticals
dmcfadden@sonomapharma.com

 

The McPonderosa Clan: (Left to right) Sasha the bear, Sir Finnegan Finegerski, and Rogue (Rogurt Yogurt)