I was unable to go to the canine cruise because I had personal obligations, a friend had a bridal shower and because it was a surprise I didn't want to mention it here until after the event just in case she were to come over and read my blog. My friends do that on occasion and they read stuff then call me about it. That would have been a surprise spoiler for sure.
I did hear from my brother, Geoff, the official cruise videographer, that it was a fun time all around, lots of dogs got to enjoy our treats and it was a huge success. Congratulations to Rece Reid, the cruise organizer for doing something spectacular. Dogs from as far as North Carolina were here just to attend this event. It was the first NYC canine cruise and I think it will be one of many to come.
What did we serve? Here's our sign:
Get treats here!
Compliments of
The Honeybark Bakery
Gourmet Dog Treats & Pawty Cakes!
“The Canine Cruise Collection!”
A delectable collection of our treasured treats!
Ruffy Road “Riverboats”
Peanut butter & carob, two flavors that rock the boat!
Banana Bliss “Dreamboats”
It’s simply banana nirvana.
Peanut Butterfly “Powerboats”
No peanut butter lover can resist it’s power!
&
Granny’s Apple Pie Mini Bones
Our bestselling treat and a huge hit at Zoomies!
So all around, I think it was a big hit because I've gotten some great response from people who were on the cruise and said they really liked the treats we served.
PARTY!
Yes, there are a lot of party dogs out there. Birthday cakes are so cool and I'm actually doing a party tonight out in Freeport, NY. It's called Barkin' by the Bay and it's a little gathering of people called "The Party Animals" and we will be socializing and sharing treats. It's all good fun.
I've baked cakes for the party and I put my little cruiser boats on top. It's all very cute. I'm frosting them with my incredibly delicious creamy creamy cheese cinnamon/vanilla/honey frosting. It is absolutely "de-lick-ious!" Ask Katie. She licks all the frosting til it is all gone, then she eats the cake. I gave her one the other day because I did a sweet little individual sized birthday cake and she was waiting for me when I finished boxing the cake. She had the, "Where's MINE?!" look on her face so I gave her a mini one. She doesn't get cake every day. It's just on special occasions. That day was the, "I haven't had cake in a week," day. Ha. I do not kid you. She gets cake once a week at most. I bake cake every week for the weekend parties so she gets whatever is left over from that. Except on her birthday or a holiday. I also donate the cake that is left over from an order to shelters. I've done it a few times and it's a real feel good type thing for me. I've brought two tiered cakes over and it looks really cool for the shelter dogs to get a yummy cake like that. I think they like it. It's peanut butter so why wouldn't they?
I'm developing two new cake flavors but I think that for now peanut butter is the hit. I wish more people would try the carob cake and see that it is pretty yummy. I might bake that for tonight just to give people a taste of carob cake. Hmm...
I've noticed something interesting. People say stuff about being organic. I don't make any huge claims about my product. I tell people that I use organic ingredients. That's it. I don't use any additives or chemicals or preservatives. Why? It's just the fact that I bake the same stuff, the same treats that I developed just for Katie. These are wholesome goodies. It's the truth.
I came across some websites that say they are entirely organic or that they are members of ORGANIC ASSOCIATIONS. Um...sorry to be technical but, ANYONE can be a member of this just by paying dues. You receive newsletters and pay an annual membership fee. Just try it yourself and you will see this is true. I get a little disappointed by these treat makers that make these huge claims about their product. Why don't they just say their stuff is just good and leave it at that? I think that my product is the most amazing treat your dog will ever try. That's my deal. It's simple. Our treats appeal to people because they look good, cute, kind of adorable even. They smell good. There is cinnamon and nutmeg and fresh fruits, apples, bananas and real peanut butter. Real peanuts, carob chips and I use fresh meats, eggs, cheese. It's everything that a person wants to eat for themselves and I bake it all into my treats. It's good stuff. I designed them to look appealing because I think that you just need to feel good about what you eat and what you feed your dog. Some people say, "eh, I just give my dog a ----bone and he's fine." Okay. Let's just think back to the good days of our childhood....school cafeteria lunches. Remember those? Remember how they used to send us home with a calendar for our parents to see what we were eating each day? I remember it well...pizza on Monday, meatloaf on Tuesdays, spaghetti on Wednesdays, chicken cutlets or meatball heros on Thursdays and Fish sticks on Fridays. They would mix it up a little bit each week but basically it was the same, all year. After a while you wonder if there is anything else out there. Kids would have food fights with the food or just dump it. It gets boring. If you remember this, this is why I created Honeybark treats. You need to shake it up once in a while. Giving your dog something different and a real treat, a reward is a nice thing to do. It isn't a meal replacement. It's a treat. Treats are good. You like your occasional box of chocolate right? That's what Honeybark is about. Give your dog some Granny's Apple Pie, Peanut Butterfly treats, Banana Bliss pies or Ruffy Road (that's my carob chip/peanut butter treat) and watch your dog stop and sniff it. They need to investigate it first then they will try it. It's a totally new experience. It's like trying sushi for the first time. Sometimes people are skeptical. They sniff it. They wrinkle their noses. They look at it, examine it and then watch other people eat it. Then they try it, and they love it. They are hooked. But you don't eat sushi every day. Not even in Japan do they eat sushi every day. But it's a treat. Same concept, only your dog deserves a treat. You gotta take some home and let your dog try some on his own terms. Then you will really see how much they enjoy it. That's my two cents.
Junk mail rant
I'm getting a lot of junk mail since I started Honeybark. People find me. I've got a whole bunch of pet products just loading up my junk box. Wow. I know occasionally my email gets directed the wrong way so I check it for occasional customer questions and whatnot. I've found out that there is a guy out there who knows how to virtually rob banks. I don't know why he isn't in jail. Or maybe he IS in jail and he is emailing people telling them how to rob banks. Geez. Isn't THAT ironic. Then there are the people who tell me I've won stuff. Oh boy. I've won a lot of stuff according to these folks. I've won trips, homes, free dinners and all I have to do is answer five zillion questions. Then I get to sign up for a new credit card. Like I need another one of those. Watch out for those emails. I've also been approved for many loans. A multitude of people who want to help me with my business needs. I'd be Bill Gates if this were true. I have free Hoodia samples waiting for me and people in Africa who want me to earn thousands of dollars in a week just by depositing their checks for them and sending them a smaller amount. It's a wonderful service called a BIG LOAD OF SCAM! I cannot believe these people. They tell you how you can earn so much money by sending them a smaller amount after you deposit their check because they cannot exchange their money in the U.S. from their customers. So you send the money to them and then it turns out to be a scam and you actually have sent them your own money AND you have been penalized a huge amount from the bank for sending a bad check to them. Tsk tsk tsk. Shame on these crooks. Oh how I long for the happy days of ignorant bliss where you can trust everyone and doubt few. That reversal of opinion seems to be what growing old is all about. Am I jaded? Yes.
The check is in the mail.
Doing business has taught me that this is such a funny statement. Now, we have direct deposit from our computers and we no longer need to use the USPS for such things. We can send a payment at midnight to someone anywhere. No need for postage. So there is just no excuse anymore. Don't even say it. It's a waste of your breath.
Katie come!
Katie has learned a new trick. She has learned that she can get my parents to say, "Katie COME! about fifty times before she actually has to do it and she STILL will get a treat. This makes me laugh because my mother will hang out the back door calling, "Katie? Come!" like twenty or so odd times until Katie comes jingling around the corner from our yard. It's about 50 feet but she can run it in like 8 seconds if she smells something she wants. I find the peanut butterfly to hold the record of like 7 seconds actually and Granny's apple pie sadly is 8 seconds consistently. So who is teaching who? I picked up Andrea Arden's pamphlet the other day and was reading her tips. I like how she teaches and I am really anxious to meet her one day soon. She seems really knowledgeable and I just want to learn from her.
Food food food!
THPG is another website I've visited recently and I have a packet of her stuff in my freezer for Katie to try this week. I'm happy to say it looks delicious.
Advertising
I've talked with so many advertisers and gotten the same message. What I cannot believe is how slick some of these people are. They try to get you to pay these exorbitant sums to put your ad out there. So if you really want to know the scoop on how much advertising costs, just try it yourself. You will see what I mean. It is expensive. I understand why a lot of people just do not go into business. I've been very lucky to be able to do this for my bakery. Watch for us in the upcoming dog magazines. We will be out there with a modest display but like I said, our treats really do speak for themselves. No pitch needed. It's simple and good. Cute too. Did I forget to say cute?
I feel I've ranted enough. Back to the baking;)
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