1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,120 Welcome back pet parents. Today's episode has been a while 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:08,160 in the making and I could not be more excited to introduce you to 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,360 Charlie and Larry Pruden from Padaga. 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:18,400 Padaga is a online holistic and natural pet Wellness store that 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,280 has locations now in the USA as well as Dubai. 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,760 And they ship worldwide, which is incredible for people who 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,240 don't have access to things locally because we don't all 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,440 have access to things locally. And one of the things that's 9 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:39,080 really cool about this is just how much they take the time to 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,480 put into sourcing products that are truly natural and holistic. 11 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:47,640 So let me get Charlie and Larry on the show for you guys. 12 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,440 Thank you both so much for being here and working around your 13 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,240 schedules traveling all over the world. 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,240 I just appreciate you 2 so much. Yeah, thank you so much for 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,320 having us. We're super excited to be here. 16 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,920 Thank you. Yeah, I'm so excited that this 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,800 finally worked out. Yeah, so, OK, Paul Daga, I have 18 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,080 seen you guys online for years and was so interested, but 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,680 honestly, for the longest time I'm like, oh, well, they're in 20 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,120 Dubai. Like I don't what what am I 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:18,440 doing paying attention to this, right? 22 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,800 Yeah, You guys recently opened a location where you're shipping 23 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,120 in the USA now. And I'm just really curious. 24 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:27,360 We're going to talk about a lot today. 25 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:28,760 We're going to talk about Paul Dago. 26 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,320 We're going to talk about how you go about like deciding what 27 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:34,480 products you carry. Of course we're going to talk 28 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,320 about Milka, who everybody, if they follow you guys wants to 29 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:41,520 know about and traveling and all the things. 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,720 But I would just love to hear kind of that origin story, like 31 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,840 why did you guys start Padaga? What inspired you to create this 32 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,480 kind of business, especially one that's focused so heavily on, 33 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,880 you know, fresh food and natural supplements? 34 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,520 Because this is, I mean, it's growing, but it's still pretty 35 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,480 niche. Absolutely. 36 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,200 Yeah. So of course, our dog inspired 37 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:05,200 us. She was the original 38 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,199 inspiration. But as like so many pet parents 39 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:13,200 get into or get interested in holistic health because their 40 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,640 pets at some point were sick, right. 41 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:20,520 So this is what also happened with Milka when she was a puppy. 42 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,080 We had just moved to Dubai and there was a lot of changes for 43 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,760 her and the environment, obviously with food. 44 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,480 And she just kept like being very sick. 45 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,800 She kept throwing up. And I remember there being, she 46 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:38,200 also had a lot of like hot spots and diarrhea and things like 47 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,200 that. So I remember there being like 48 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:46,360 one week where she woke us up in the middle of the night like 49 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,680 five nights in a row just throwing up. 50 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,760 You know, every pet parent wakes up when that sound comes, right. 51 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,400 So yeah. And we just were at a point 52 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,280 where we're like, it's not working what we're doing. 53 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,800 Like we've just been switching from premium kibble to the next. 54 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,120 And, you know, the vets all said they don't know what's wrong 55 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,040 with her. We're feeding great food. 56 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,080 We're doing all the right things. 57 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,000 Like they just didn't couldn't help us. 58 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,200 So at that point, we had a friend who kept telling us about 59 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,640 raw food and we should just try it. 60 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:21,120 And we were very apprehensive at the time because our vets were 61 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,480 telling us not to do it. So at some point we were like, 62 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,640 you know what, what we're doing isn't working, so let's just try 63 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,960 this raw food. So, and we didn't, we, we 64 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,040 switched her kind of from one. Like we did a slow transition, 65 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,920 but it was quite fast for her. And she was just like a 66 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,000 different dog. There was no more throwing up. 67 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,560 There was like slowly all her other issues went away. 68 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,960 The hotspots never came back. And we were just like left 69 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,720 feeling like, holy Molly, like, what just happened? 70 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,040 Like, why? Like why are all the vets 71 00:03:55,040 --> 00:04:00,120 telling us not to do this when this was the thing that made our 72 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,480 dog so much better and reduced all our vet bills? 73 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,600 Because our vet bills were really high back then. 74 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,960 Although we were spending less money on food back then. 75 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,160 We spent all that money on vet bills. 76 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:16,320 And now we're kind of like spending a lot less money in 77 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,839 general because we just don't do a lot of vet visits anymore. 78 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:27,640 And that kick start our journey as to like our interest in 79 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,840 holistic pet health. And from there it just spiraled 80 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:34,040 into like, OK, now let's look into natural flea and take 81 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:35,720 treatment. Let's look into natural 82 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:37,840 shampoos, let's look into supplements. 83 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,320 What's gut health all about? And all these things that just 84 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,920 gradually, yeah, sparked our interest into learning more and 85 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,520 more and more. And we wanted to share all of 86 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,480 that. So from we're always very 87 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,000 interested in sharing things with other people. 88 00:04:54,160 --> 00:05:00,120 And back then it was really just like just this we we just 89 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,720 couldn't believe that. Like nobody was talking about 90 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:04,680 it. It felt like nobody was talking 91 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,040 about it. Exactly. 92 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,120 So we just started sharing Milka's journey on her Instagram 93 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,520 account back then and that again, just spiralled. 94 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,880 And so more and more pet parents, specifically in Dubai 95 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:23,760 and the UAE, asking us for help. And we started, you know, 96 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:28,240 suggesting certain things to them, like get these probiotics 97 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,240 from adored beasts, for example, But nobody would do it because 98 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,160 it's just so far away. And like you have to import the 99 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,360 products into Dubai as a customer and it's quite 100 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,920 expensive. And that just turned into us 101 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,320 realizing, OK, if we actually really want to help other 102 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,360 people, we need to bring these products into the UAE. 103 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,200 And, and that just went into like, we knew that if we were 104 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,440 going to open a Wellness store, we'd want that store to be the 105 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,640 safest place where pet parents can come to. 106 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:04,440 Because at the same time, we were very fed up with going to a 107 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:09,720 pet store and taking like 8 hours or longer to like, you 108 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:11,800 know, just stand there and be like. 109 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,160 Research Ingredients. Searching and we're just not 110 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,680 sure what what's actually safe. It says natural on the front of 111 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,560 the bag, but when you turn it around, you barely understand 112 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,880 any of the ingredients. So we're just like very fed up 113 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:26,600 with that. And we knew that if we were 114 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,680 going to open a pet store, then we would make sure that it's the 115 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,760 safest pet store and pet parents don't have to worry about all of 116 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,480 the ingredients that could potentially harm their pets. 117 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,600 My goodness, I think so many of us are on this journey because 118 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,400 one or more of our pets was sick. 119 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,560 I know. Like that really wasn't even the 120 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,000 case for me. I did have a sick dog, but I 121 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,320 didn't like equate improving her food to improving her health. 122 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,080 I just was like, I think I was just being motherly and like 123 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,360 wanting to do more and started cooking food for her. 124 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,840 And it was just like, one day I looked at my husband and I'm 125 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:09,920 like, my gosh, like, when was the last time Claire had a 126 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,880 seizure? It was amazing to Start learning 127 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,560 these things. But what you were just talking 128 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,440 about Charlie with like the front of the bag says natural. 129 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,120 I, you know, I've recently started talking about this on 130 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:30,160 the live version of the, of the podcast with a couple of 131 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:35,440 different guests greenwashing. And it is happening in every 132 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:39,480 industry of course, but in the pet industry, it just makes it 133 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:45,360 so much harder for pet parents to really find good products. 134 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:51,120 So I am curious, how do you guys go about selecting the products 135 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,120 and the brands that you carry? Like what? 136 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:55,840 And this is a big, big question I know. 137 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,040 But like can you talk about some of the standards that that you 138 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,560 guys have for when you do vet a product to decide are we going 139 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:06,160 to bring this in to to our shop or not? 140 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,000 Yeah. So like one of the first things 141 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,680 that we do is really check for brand credibility. 142 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,680 So we we look at the brands, is it a reputable, is it a 143 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,880 reputable brand? Then we start looking at each 144 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,120 product. Then we look at the ingredients 145 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,640 of those products to see, OK, do they even fit within our store? 146 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,800 And then going beyond that, then we start looking at we ask these 147 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,280 brands, how do they source their products? 148 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,480 Like are they, are there ingredients ethically sourced? 149 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,360 You know, and then we start, then we move beyond that as 150 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,360 well. Then we check for individual 151 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,520 reviews, like what do actual people say about these products? 152 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:49,200 So we, we want people to give their honest feedback so we can 153 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,760 make a decision on whether or not we would stock the product. 154 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,440 So we can also help the people that shop with us as well. 155 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,400 And I just want to add to that, like, the most important thing 156 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:04,480 for us is that it's not just safe for pets to consume, but 157 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:10,240 also like sniff or be exposed to like for with toys, for example, 158 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,600 like it's very important that like just the dogs are going to 159 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,600 sniff the toys. For example, are they going to 160 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,480 inhale toxic chemicals when they sniff the toy? 161 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,440 Like it's it's a product or chew on the toy. 162 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,800 Yeah, it's a product that they don't necessarily consume. 163 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,440 But even with things like that, it's very important to really do 164 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:36,080 a lot of research into what the products are made of and what 165 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:41,200 consequences these ingredients or materials have on our cats 166 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,880 body. Larry kind of tried to really 167 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,000 simplify it, but like this process takes days, if not weeks 168 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,680 sometimes. And we do it for every single 169 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:54,040 product. We don't just say, OK, you know, 170 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,240 this brand is generally safe. So we bring in all of their 171 00:09:57,240 --> 00:09:59,600 products. We actually really look at every 172 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:04,480 single product of a brand because like some brands do have 173 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:08,000 some products that we wouldn't bring in and then we don't bring 174 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,960 them in. So it really depends on a case 175 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:15,640 by case basis on the product. And it's really important for 176 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,480 pet stores to not just read ingredients, but really 177 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:23,240 understand the impact that the ingredients have because we've 178 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,880 like we've hired other pet stores, say things like, Oh 179 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,320 yeah, I read every ingredient before I bring in a product. 180 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,640 But that's not enough. You need to understand that the 181 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,640 ingredient, what it is and what the impact of it is. 182 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:40,920 Well, yeah. And I, you know, I think it's 183 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:45,880 it's one of those things with where, you know, you are, you 184 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,520 have a store and you have to make money to keep that store 185 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,080 open. And so I talked to a lot of 186 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,280 people who have like brick and mortars here in the States and 187 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,800 it's kind of all over the place as to how they choose the 188 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,680 products that they bring into their shop. 189 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:08,040 And some some of them are there like, well, we got to pay the 190 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,560 bills. So we still stock these products 191 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:16,440 that, you know, I maybe they might not even feed to their 192 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:18,840 animals or give to their animals to play with. 193 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,880 And it's like, I mean, I get that you have to keep the doors 194 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,400 open, but also like, I don't, I think that's such a hard. 195 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,640 Things to. Do to make those decisions like 196 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:32,880 there are because there are definitely stores that will not 197 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,080 stock anything that they won't feed their own pets and they can 198 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:39,920 keep their doors open. So it's it there, There's this. 199 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:43,400 I'm very curious like. Your perspective. 200 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:47,760 On on this part of it because they're again, at the end of the 201 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:52,400 day, it's a business, but it's a admission driven business as 202 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,640 well. And so kind of balancing that, 203 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,200 how you guys say that? Man, this is like, this is such 204 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,800 a great question because I think right now, especially as we're 205 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,000 travelling through different countries and we're seeing like 206 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,960 what like income levels of the people and you know, their 207 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,240 wealth and you can see it's, it's so hard because like as you 208 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,440 said, people got to pay their bills, you know. 209 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:22,080 But from our side, I think we have, I don't know, maybe it's 210 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,040 our geographical location of where our businesses are 211 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,520 located. I believe that the people that 212 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,160 shop with us have the ability to afford. 213 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:36,760 The thing about natural products is generally they are more 214 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:41,840 expensive and raw pet food is going to be more expensive than 215 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,440 kibble. I think as a as because your 216 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,200 question is regarding the business owners. 217 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:50,400 So I think first of all, we are very grateful that we're able to 218 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,640 stick stick to our values because it definitely isn't 219 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,920 easy. So I definitely understand. 220 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,640 I think it's a great, if these business owners are honest about 221 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,360 it, what you just said, you know that they're honest about like, 222 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,800 hey, I do have to keep the lights on and I do need to sell 223 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:12,160 some products that I don't maybe necessarily agree with 100%, but 224 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:14,880 I have to do it to keep the lights on to keep my business 225 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,000 running. And that might still be better 226 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:23,000 than, you know, like they're still offering a lot of other 227 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,520 nice natural things to their to their audience. 228 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,680 So that's still better than closing the shop down, right? 229 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,320 Yeah. But at the same time, I think 230 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,560 there are a lot of pet owners that we have seen, especially in 231 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:41,280 in the UAE after we popped up that started using our words. 232 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,760 But they didn't really, they weren't honest about them not 233 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,640 checking. So that's what we were referring 234 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,920 to earlier. So that's like there's a 235 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,560 difference between being honest and your customers knowing what 236 00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:55,560 they're coming for you to your store for. 237 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:58,680 And then there's there's the difference of not being honest, 238 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:03,480 but trying to look like an all natural Allstate store, right? 239 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:04,840 So there's these two differences. 240 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:10,840 But I think when it comes to like really like our store, for 241 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,640 example, for us it has been very important for us to really 242 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,920 continuously educate our audience, which again isn't 243 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,480 easy, but to like just reiterate why people are coming to us 244 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,720 because we're the safe space, because we are. 245 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:29,760 Yeah, we're we're kind of making our own life harder by only 246 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,760 offering completely safe and non-toxic products. 247 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,680 But we're continuously telling our audience about that and they 248 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:38,600 know that when they shop with us. 249 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:44,080 So, yeah, that that's kind of the way that we are able to 250 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:49,720 continue to operate because our audience really appreciates that 251 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:51,920 about us. So yeah. 252 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:54,840 Yeah, that's what I was. Saying add anything to that. 253 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:00,280 No, I, you said it much better than what I was trying to say. 254 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:06,080 Yeah, I think it's, it's, it's just, it is hard, you know, 255 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,000 because I, I don't want to judge anybody out there, you know, 256 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,240 selling, you know, products that I wouldn't necessarily agree 257 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,800 with or sell. But I understand bills got to 258 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:16,960 get paid. And just as you said, you know, 259 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:21,520 it's better to offer some great things than no great things. 260 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,480 Yeah, Yeah. Well, and Charlie, you mentioned 261 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:30,840 where I was going next with the other part of this business. 262 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,480 You're not just providing products, you are educating 263 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:42,040 consumers. And I know so many people get so 264 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,120 overwhelmed with even the tiniest little bit of 265 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:51,960 information coming into this space, whether whether it is for 266 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,440 their pets or even for themselves. 267 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,760 Like when you you try to start educating yourself on more 268 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,800 natural holistic options, you're like, wait a minute that you 269 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,640 know, this is how we've been doing this forever and ever and 270 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,640 ever. And how do we not know about 271 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,320 this all of a sudden in the last 100 years, we've all forgotten 272 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,200 how quickly actually we all forgot about all of it. 273 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,160 But it is a huge part of what you do. 274 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:21,880 How do you guys go about educating people and maybe 275 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:26,160 helping them manage some of that overwhelm, Especially when they 276 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,200 encounter a shop like yours where they may be like none of 277 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,360 this looks familiar to me, where do I start? 278 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,760 Yeah, Yeah. So that's a great question. 279 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,480 We've always been very big on education and raising awareness 280 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:44,600 just because we like from a very beginning, we just were so 281 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,920 passionate about this whole topic. 282 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,360 And we were just like, how could, how could let's not talk 283 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,040 about it? How, how could this be such an 284 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,160 unfamiliar thing to most regular pet parents, right? 285 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,320 Because also we were first time pet parents actually. 286 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:07,440 So yeah, we just right from the start started diving into social 287 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,000 media and just sharing Milkas journey. 288 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,440 But along the way, we've worked with some of the world's most 289 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,800 renowned holistic and integrated fats and health experts. 290 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,319 Yeah, and really amplifying their voices too. 291 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:25,480 Exactly so and now we have the podcast Next Level Pet Parent, 292 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:31,640 which also is just an amazing platform for us to share not 293 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:36,760 just our story and our like Milka's journey, but again, like 294 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,720 interview experts and just share like their journeys as well. 295 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:47,160 And I think it always also comes back to showing pet parents like 296 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,520 just go one step at a time. There's so much information out 297 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,840 there and it's so easy to get overwhelmed. 298 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,520 And we've been there for sure. But it's always important to 299 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:03,760 just prioritize, think about, OK, these are the five things 300 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,880 that I eventually want to implement. 301 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,280 Let me start with one thing and start there. 302 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:13,760 And once I got that going, I start with the other things. 303 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:18,440 And I think something that's very important for me always is 304 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:24,760 to find ways to implement things that are actually going to be 305 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,800 implemented in a way where I can go through with something. 306 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,880 So like I need to somehow find the best way to implement 307 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,480 something in the most convenient ways so that I can actually 308 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,760 manage it on my daily day, daily life, right? 309 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,280 So like, if I know, I don't know if I know I'm going to use 310 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,560 supplements in milk house food, I'm going to put them on my 311 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,800 kitchen counter so that I don't have to take them out of the 312 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,280 drawer every single time I use them because I know I'm going to 313 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,440 forget about it, right? So just little things like that 314 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:03,120 to make it easier to implement the things that we actually want 315 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:05,680 to do. I found that very helpful. 316 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:12,200 How about you? Yeah. 317 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,280 For me, I think it's it's about being practical about about the 318 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,200 stuff that about what we're doing. 319 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:25,000 Yeah, yeah, I that that hits so hard because even, you know, I 320 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,080 know people look to you guys, people look to me and they're 321 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,680 like they've got it all together. 322 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:32,840 They're doing all these wonderful things right. 323 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,440 And I'm over. Here like I don't remember if I 324 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,480 put garlic and my dog's meal tonight. 325 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,240 Like I have no idea did I do? That did I not do that? 326 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,240 Like she needs it. It's spring, you know, it's 327 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,000 getting warm here. I need, I know I need to be 328 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,920 starting it again. I don't know if I did that 329 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:54,240 right, but it is like, how practical can we? 330 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:56,960 Like we really do need to make things as practical. 331 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:01,600 And, and I think that's also part of choosing some of the 332 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,280 supplements that I mean, I don't have a shop, but the supplements 333 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,560 that I recommend, I'm like, OK, what can we? 334 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,080 That is going to like hit as many bases as possible. 335 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:16,440 So we're doing as few steps as possible, adding the least 336 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,400 amount of junk into the food as possible. 337 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,720 I, I just appreciate that so much because that can be hard. 338 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,840 We can definitely, even in the natural space. 339 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,200 I've been talking to people about this recently. 340 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,240 It's like we, I see this really hard and I actually went down 341 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,920 the rabbit hole a little bit myself picking supplements for 342 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,280 myself. It's like everywhere you turn, 343 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,920 somebody has something else to sell you and it's natural and 344 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,160 it's wonderful, but like, do you need it? 345 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,320 You know what I mean? So it can be really, really 346 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:52,720 overwhelming with even in in the space we're in, paring down and 347 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:57,520 picking and choosing like what is actually necessary for that 348 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,440 individual animal in front of you. 349 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,480 So yeah, I just appreciate that so much. 350 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,280 And you guys keep bringing up Milka. 351 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,320 So I think it's time that we talk about her a little bit 352 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,800 more. I know she inspired Paul Dega 353 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,000 and the journey that you've had with her, but I would love to 354 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,640 learn just a little bit more about, like you said, you 355 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,160 switched her to a raw food and that's great and that's 356 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,000 wonderful. But I think we all know that 357 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:29,000 that's not 100% of what changes. Yeah. 358 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,040 So I would just love to hear a little bit more about like 359 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,760 Milka's actual story and journey. 360 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:39,000 Yeah, so like after we transitioned Milka to a raw food 361 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,200 diet and we started listening more to the holistic and 362 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,680 integrative experts, we started looking more into functional 363 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:51,800 supplements and enhancing health, so looking at ways to 364 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,040 help prevent cancer because as you know, nearly one in two dogs 365 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,880 over the age of 10 are being diagnosed with cancer. 366 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,280 So that was a big point for us because we're like, Oh well, we 367 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,040 obviously want our dogs to live as long as possible. 368 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,400 So what are the experts saying about this? 369 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,360 So we looked at all right, incorporating antioxidants, you 370 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:16,320 know, helping her to detox, helping like just so many 371 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,480 different areas to help prevent cancer like such as fighting 372 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:22,960 inflammation in the body. But what else would you say? 373 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:27,000 I just want to add for anyone who maybe isn't familiar with us 374 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,440 or Milka yet. Milka is a French bulldog and 375 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,520 she is now. She's turning 10 years old this 376 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,360 year and she's amazingly healthy. 377 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:40,760 I'm so grateful for it. But we started this journey with 378 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:45,120 her when she was around 1 year old, so or maybe one year and 379 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,400 almost six months. That's when we started our her 380 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,840 Wellness journey. So and back then we very into 381 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,640 cancer prevention because that was a really big topic in the 382 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,080 holistic pet Wellness community back then. 383 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:02,240 And we actually went on one of our trips to America to one of 384 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:06,400 the pet health conferences. We shot a documentary, a little 385 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,640 mini documentary about pet cancer prevention. 386 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:16,520 And it was just so amazing what all of these holistic vets told 387 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:21,440 us about different ways that we can provide pet cancer 388 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:25,400 prevention for our animal. And yeah, that really kick 389 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,840 started again, our interest in all of these topics. 390 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:35,040 But yeah, natural phlegic treatment was a big one as well, 391 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,440 which I think we should talk about a little later because now 392 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,040 that we're travelling around the world, we just came back from an 393 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:48,400 island in Thailand with Milka and yeah, unfortunately there's 394 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:49,240 takes. Yeah. 395 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:54,440 So we had, we had a couple of not so pleasant surprises last 396 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,840 week. But yeah, she's OK. 397 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,640 Yeah, she's OK. Definitely. 398 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,720 It's just it's a journey. I think gut health was a huge 399 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,560 one for us as well, like learning more about gut health, 400 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:11,120 probiotics and things like that with Milka. 401 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,000 Yes. So that actually is the original 402 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,640 topic that I asked you guys to come on about was traveling with 403 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:24,040 Milka because it's my gosh, it's hard enough typical American. 404 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,720 I've barely left our country. I mean, I've, I've been outside 405 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,880 of the country a handful of times, but it's one of those 406 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,880 things that I think people in America at least we say like, 407 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,640 why do Americans never travel to other countries? 408 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,040 And it's like, well, we can travel to other countries by 409 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,000 going to other states almost like we can't. 410 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,560 I mean, the culture is, is very different, but the culture 411 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,520 state, state to state can be very different too here in 412 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,400 America. But it's difficult enough, I 413 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:57,800 guess is what I'm getting at, for me to travel between states 414 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,120 with my dog. And I'm just like, how do people 415 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:04,160 travel internationally with their pets? 416 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:06,960 I don't know. And then they, you know, all 417 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:10,840 these rules and especially the, you know, vaccinations. 418 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,800 And I'm just like, Oh my goodness, like, how, how do you 419 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:15,960 do it? How do you do it? 420 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:19,240 Yeah, it's, it's actually not that hard. 421 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:23,440 I mean, when you search online to say you choose a country that 422 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,040 you want to go to, you can always check the government 423 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:30,320 website for what they require for a dog to enter into the 424 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:31,760 country. And I think now we've traveled 425 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:36,040 to maybe 5 different countries. It's Malka multiple times. 426 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:39,240 So I think we've traveled internationally with her like 10 427 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,440 times. But the documents are actually 428 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,080 they're not. There's not too many documents. 429 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,600 You definitely have to make sure you have them. 430 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,600 And we, we share our some travel experiences actually on our 431 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,360 YouTube channel. So if you were interested in how 432 00:25:56,360 --> 00:26:01,120 to travel from America to Germany or how to travel to the 433 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:06,760 UAE or how to travel Mexico, yeah, Mexico was probably the 434 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,040 easiest country that we that we went into because they required 435 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,560 the least documents, honestly. So, but we post all of this 436 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,680 stuff on our YouTube channel for people to see how to actually do 437 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:19,320 it. And you'd be surprised. 438 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,200 It's not that hard, even though you would think it would be very 439 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,800 difficult. But for us personally, it's it's 440 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:27,560 not hard. Yeah. 441 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,560 But it, it, it's also because we have a small dog. 442 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:34,560 So if you do have a big dog, unless it's a service dog, it's 443 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,840 going to be a lot more complicated because you would 444 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:41,720 have to put them into the cargo. So yeah, they're, it's, you 445 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,120 know, it depends on, on your dog as well. 446 00:26:44,120 --> 00:26:50,280 So I'll say that. So how do you go about feeding 447 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,480 her and getting the supplements if you're in all these different 448 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:54,320 countries? How? 449 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:55,200 How? Does that, Yeah. 450 00:26:55,320 --> 00:27:00,640 That's a really, really, really great question, So. 451 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,680 Sorry, I think also maybe we should mention we are digital 452 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:06,680 nomads. So we're not just like taking 453 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,600 vacations with our dog. So we actually right now don't 454 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,200 have a home base, which is very freeing actually. 455 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,360 It's amazing. We're really enjoying it. 456 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,920 So we're in Thailand right now for six months. 457 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,600 Yeah. So we work remotely in different 458 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,400 countries. So and when we were in Mexico, 459 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,160 we were there I think almost three months. 460 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:30,640 Then we were in America for almost five to six months as 461 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:33,040 well. So we're like we're choosing 462 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,600 different countries and then we're staying there for like 2 463 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:37,480 to six months. Yeah. 464 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,880 So, OK, so how do we feed milk? So it depends on the country 465 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:48,360 that we're going to. So typically America has amazing 466 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,440 raw food out there. So we were feeding grain Juju 467 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:58,320 and solutions pet food and then when we were in Germany we were 468 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:03,360 feeding a a local raw brand was was a really amazing quality 469 00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:04,880 honestly. But then. 470 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,960 But we had all her supplements with us. 471 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,560 Yeah, we. Travelled all her supplements. 472 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,200 So we travelled with a lot of supplements actually and it's 473 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,560 really great because like for example, what just happened last 474 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:20,240 week when we were on the island, on a remote island actually this 475 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,400 happened 2 times because it also happened in Mexico. 476 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,920 She got got a tick, but we had everything to help, you know, 477 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,160 deal with that. You know, pretty much anything 478 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,000 that were were to come up, we have something for it. 479 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,520 It's not convenient like as far as the amount of products we're 480 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,600 traveling with, but for us, it makes us more comfortable to 481 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:44,360 know that we have nearly everything that we would kind of 482 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:48,600 need as far as food, right? So some countries, the raw food 483 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:53,080 scene is not really big or they don't necessarily meet our 484 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,000 particular standards. So. 485 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,040 Such as Thailand. Yeah, such as Thailand for 486 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,520 example. So the really great thing is 487 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:06,240 that we have access to freeze dried raw food, which is like 488 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,800 for those that are not familiar, it is pretty much raw food with 489 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:14,560 just the moisture removed. So it is a dry product and all 490 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,840 that is required from us is to just rehydrate it with water or 491 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:21,560 bomb broth. So that's that's, and that's 492 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,640 been working. So she she loves it. 493 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:27,120 So it's really great. Yeah, so we literally like she 494 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:31,440 has her own suitcase, like a full size suitcase with six 495 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,840 months worth of freeze dried raw food and yeah, all her 496 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:38,480 supplements and everything. Like we, we travel with the 497 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:42,960 national flea and tick shampoo, natural, the intake repellent. 498 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:46,120 What else do we have? We have lots of homeopathics as 499 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,800 first aid, remedy kids. Yeah. 500 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,200 And like obviously when we travel for six months with her, 501 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:58,760 we also need to travel with like, you know, multiple tubs of 502 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,120 her probiotics and things like that. 503 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,480 So we really, we have definitely simplified her health regime a 504 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,280 lot. Now that we're travelling, we're 505 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:14,840 giving her a lot, yeah, a lot more multi company supplements. 506 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,920 So yeah, multifunctional supplements, I guess as much as 507 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,600 possible so that we can just take less. 508 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,440 But yeah, it's she's, she's like a little person. 509 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:31,800 So I mean, yeah, I, you know, it had mentioned that earlier with 510 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:36,520 like trying to find products that have that serve so as many 511 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:39,800 different functions as possible and just simplifying things. 512 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,720 And I think maybe that is something that has evolved with 513 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:48,200 you guys traveling the way you do, just kind of simplifying 514 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,080 things for her. And I would imagine that helps 515 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:55,960 you in the education part of it and in recommendations that she 516 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:01,000 might have for pet parents to really keep things as easy as 517 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,360 possible because we're all in different places, right? 518 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:09,160 Like there are certainly. It was actually, yeah, the inter 519 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:12,560 the interview already aired, my latest interview with Billy 520 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,240 Hookman from Green Juju. And he was talking about how 521 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:21,080 like much he did for Lua, right? And then when he had Maple and 522 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,760 he was like, wait, I literally like, he had this thought where 523 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,800 like, everybody has plenty of time to do all this stuff for 524 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:30,160 their dog. And then he was like, oh, wait, 525 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,840 no, like I'm literally spending all of my time trying to keep 526 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:37,840 this newborn alive. I can't do all of this stuff for 527 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:39,320 my dog anymore. And that was kind of like an 528 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:44,000 epiphany to him to where like not everybody has the time that 529 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,280 I have to put into my. And, and I mean, that's kind of 530 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,800 an extreme case probably. But you know, just an example of 531 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:57,120 how like we're all in different stages and life changes and we 532 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,640 have to be able to adapt. And I, I appreciate that that's 533 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,800 probably changing your education piece quite a bit as well. 534 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:11,920 Yeah, I mean, I, I always like, sorry I lost my train of 535 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:16,600 thought, but I completely understand that because I think 536 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:22,320 people just have to do what like they can actually go through 537 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,520 with. And we're the same. 538 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:28,560 We actually really appreciate like we used to do our own raw 539 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,480 food and we're so grateful that we don't have to do that 540 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,080 anymore. And that's like the first thing 541 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:35,880 we gave up because we're like, we're not about that life. 542 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,320 And there's plenty of people that love that and that's 543 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:42,360 amazing. But we weren't necessarily one 544 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,960 of those people. Also we were like, we just 545 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:49,200 really want to find a really amazing quality pre made raw. 546 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,160 And like we do all of our research to make sure that 547 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,520 that's good. And then we were really happy 548 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,240 being able to feed that. And now it's like that with the 549 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:01,360 freeze dried raw. Like we found a really amazing 550 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:07,080 quality and we're happy feeding that Jamaica and we are very 551 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,920 grateful for that. I completely understand that. 552 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:15,120 So you had mentioned earlier, Larry, about kind of, you know, 553 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:19,880 in your travels, seeing the different income levels, just 554 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:24,240 what people are going through, what they can afford, what you 555 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,480 know, what they're, what we can afford and what we want to be 556 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:30,120 able to give to our pets. They don't always match up 557 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,200 right. And I think you guys are in kind 558 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:38,120 of this really cool and interesting position traveling 559 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:44,080 around the globe. How, how has your views on the 560 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:48,560 pet industry just generally through our pet health and, and, 561 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:53,360 or the pet industry, how it, it's so different between 562 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,600 different countries? Like are there any insights that 563 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:00,440 you guys have have had during your travels so far? 564 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:03,480 Has it changed how you guys think about what you're doing 565 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:06,280 with Podega, what you're doing with the education piece, with 566 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:08,679 your YouTube channel? It's a yeah, it's a really great 567 00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:11,400 question. It's it's so interesting to like 568 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,880 be on the ground, you know, travel to all these different 569 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:19,480 countries and countries like Mexico and Thailand that we've 570 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:26,480 been to recently seeing how like there's so many St. dogs here 571 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,560 and the people, they really do take care of these animals. 572 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:35,800 These dogs live completely different lives than dogs in 573 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,679 America, Canada and most of Europe, right? 574 00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:43,800 And, and, and these countries, dogs are truly domesticated, 575 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:45,760 like they live with their humans. 576 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:51,040 But these dogs in Mexico and and Thailand where we are right now, 577 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:53,560 a lot of these dogs are living on the street. 578 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:57,600 Like they have owners, but the dogs pretty much live on the 579 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,000 streets. And it's such a different type 580 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:04,640 of lifestyle because these dogs also look, in my opinion, so 581 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,920 much happier, right? Like they have that freedom, but 582 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:12,800 the quality of the food that a lot of these dogs eat is very 583 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:14,560 low. A lot of them scavenge. 584 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,120 So they're not they don't even have access to like high quality 585 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,840 nutrition, which is also quite interesting, But I wouldn't 586 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:27,000 necessarily say it changes my view on how, you know, on the 587 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,400 things that we offer because I do truly believe that 588 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:37,560 domesticated dogs do not live like street dogs are free 589 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:42,360 roaming dogs, right? Like so I think interest on high 590 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,640 quality nutrition for domesticated dogs are really 591 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,400 really important because they do not have the freedom to roam 592 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,280 like these free running does. What would you say? 593 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,960 I think we should like really tell you a little more stories 594 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:02,760 because like we've just, we've just been in an Airbnb where it 595 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:06,640 was absolutely beautiful. It was like a little tiny home 596 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:10,520 and it has windows on all four sides basically. 597 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:14,240 So like we can see everything. And this Airbnb was on a 598 00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:16,920 property that's like a plant sanctuary. 599 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:21,280 So this guy, he was like adopting plants that were dying 600 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,480 and trees that were dying and then he plants them in his 601 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,280 property and then they grow again. 602 00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:33,440 And he also adopted 2 St. dogs. And these dogs, they were, it 603 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:36,560 was so amazing seeing them every day. 604 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,720 And actually there was one more. There was three dogs in total, 605 00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:43,000 but one of them wasn't his. But anyway, it was so amazing 606 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,840 watching these three dogs live their life every day. 607 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:53,240 And it was so insane actually to see Milka sitting inside the 608 00:36:53,240 --> 00:36:57,560 house, watching them enjoy their house outside and like they 609 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,600 would come and they would be like, hey, come. 610 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,160 On the window, scratching on the window like hey, come outside. 611 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:06,200 Yeah, and then like milk, I played with them outside plenty. 612 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,000 But I mean, during the day it's really hot. 613 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:13,800 So they would like just go into the lake that's nearby and just 614 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,640 cool off there and then come back and be covered all in mud. 615 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:21,040 And then they play and then they chase a bird and then they do 616 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:24,960 this and that. And it's just, it was so amazing 617 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:29,800 and beautiful to watch these dogs be outside and be so free 618 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:32,400 and be allowed to do what they want to do. 619 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:36,800 But then also to see that they are so aware of their 620 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:40,040 surroundings, like they never really left the property too 621 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,440 far. They would never like run away 622 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,280 or anything like that. And then even, and then even in 623 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,680 the morning time when we take Milka on a walk, like Milka has 624 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,600 her leash that's dragging on the floor behind her and she has her 625 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,640 little tracker on so we can track her at all times because 626 00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:00,920 she's an explorer. She will run away if she gets 627 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:05,560 the chance. So, so, and then these dogs 628 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:08,720 would join us on our morning walk and they would come and in 629 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:12,640 Thailand, the street dogs like the like real St. dogs, they are 630 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:15,840 very territorial. So sometimes we would not be 631 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:19,000 able to actually walk Milka that far because the street dogs 632 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,000 would come and they would bark. And that happened on the first 633 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,840 day, the the dogs from our property, they joined us on our 634 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,320 walk. And then we got to the end of 635 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:33,240 the road and then these other street dogs came and Milka was 636 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:37,280 like, OK, what's happening? And then these other two St. 637 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,840 dogs from our property, they just ran away back to the 638 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:43,640 property. And then the next day we go down 639 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:45,920 that same St. and Milka has no clue. 640 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,480 She has she has no clue of her surroundings. 641 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:52,480 She's like, yeah, I'm just on my walk. 642 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:56,640 And these these two property St. dogs, they're like so aware of 643 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,720 they're like the. Airs go immediately up, they 644 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,520 start walking slower. They look around, they're like, 645 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:05,320 where are these dogs? I'm not in my territory anymore. 646 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:08,440 This is their territory. And it's just so interesting to 647 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:13,080 watch them live, you know, so, and to see really, wow, we've 648 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:16,800 domesticated dogs, They've lived with us for so long. 649 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,760 If Milka sees a snake, she'll go chase it. 650 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,800 If these dogs see a snake, they will not go near that snake, you 651 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,080 know, So some of them might, but they'll learn their lesson very 652 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,480 fast. So it's just so interesting to 653 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:35,000 watch how how these dogs react. But that being said, there's 654 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:40,800 also so many people over here that have even breed dogs, 655 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:43,120 right? Like we've seen Maltese, for 656 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:47,880 example, over here in Thailand and these dogs also are off the 657 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,920 leash the entire day. They don't run away. 658 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,440 So it's just, it's so interesting that that freedom 659 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:59,480 part has been so interesting to us because I wish, like, I love 660 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:03,080 nothing more than to let milk off leash and let her explore. 661 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:06,720 But I know I can't really trust her, even though with all the 662 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:10,360 training that we've done, she has chased camels in the desert 663 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:12,880 of Dubai before. So she just puts herself. 664 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,200 Into these dangerous situations, you know, So, yeah. 665 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:19,840 It's an interesting part of health, you know, that I think a 666 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,360 lot of people don't necessarily think about, you know, like the 667 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:27,920 actual going outside, being off leash and for how long. 668 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,920 I mean, we know, we we hear about, you know, some of the 669 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:35,160 longest living dogs, all of them lived outside, all of them had 670 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:39,920 free access to the outdoors. And if you compare that with 671 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:42,920 great nutrition, I think it would be so much better. 672 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:47,960 But I think for like these two extremes from what we see, like 673 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:51,920 we see domesticated animals for the most part having the best 674 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:56,800 nutrition, but they are free roaming status is quite low over 675 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,480 here. We see the animals for the most 676 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:03,640 part have this really free roaming lifestyle, but the 677 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:07,160 quality of nutrition that they consume is very low. 678 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:09,560 So it's quite interesting to see. 679 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:13,640 I think nutrition is is incredibly important and I will 680 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:18,080 always advocate for high quality nutrition, but it's just so 681 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:22,880 interesting to see how you know these these animals here live 682 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,080 their lives. How so different from the 683 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:26,840 Western world? Yeah. 684 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,920 And also like, I'm, I'm just so grateful that like we get to 685 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:36,280 even talk about supplements for pets because I don't like, if I 686 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:39,360 would go over here to these people and talk to them about 687 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:42,680 supplements for their dogs, they would be like, yeah, OK. 688 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:47,320 So you know, the the fact that like we can all like even be 689 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,640 interested in this whole topic of holistic pet Wellness, that's 690 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,960 just such a big privilege. And I'm very grateful for that. 691 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:59,760 Yeah, yeah. What I was thinking as you were 692 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:05,000 telling that story and like that contrast between those two 693 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:11,640 rescue dogs and and Milka is, you know, we as humans, I mean, 694 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:16,320 I think some of us, we try, we're trying to kind of 695 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:19,760 reconvene with nature and how we should be living. 696 00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:23,720 No, we're not really. We're both sitting on couches 697 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:29,600 inside of four walls. We're still pretty far removed 698 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:35,080 from nature and that is where we have brought our dogs with us is 699 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,840 pretty far removed from nature. And seeing, well, in my mind's 700 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:47,000 eye, seeing those Rescue St. dogs with their hackles up 701 00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:50,920 because they know they're going into another, you know, dense 702 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:54,760 territory versus Milka just like prancing along. 703 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:57,880 And like. That is, that is to me like the 704 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:02,120 epitome of the disconnect that we have with nature, right? 705 00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:04,440 Like that's, I don't know, that's just where I was thinking 706 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:07,480 the whole time you were telling that story is like that right 707 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:09,200 there. That's that line, that's that 708 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:16,040 delineation between how living beings interact and connect with 709 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,440 the natural world around them versus how we've decided to 710 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:21,040 live. Yes, absolutely. 711 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:25,080 And also within the last month since we've been in Thailand 712 00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:31,640 specifically and observing these rescued property dogs, they, 713 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:38,320 it's been, so I have been wondering like, are we just like 714 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,400 helicopter momming, you know, like milk? 715 00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:45,040 I, you know, like, should I just be letting her do her thing and 716 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:47,640 learn by herself a little more often? 717 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,720 But it's so difficult because it's like, I don't want her to 718 00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:54,880 get hurt, you know, So from for example, I think about cats, she 719 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:57,400 has such a fixation with cats, right? 720 00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:02,800 So she chases them and it's very dangerous because they can 721 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,480 scratch her and Frenchies, they have the big eyes. 722 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:10,320 So and you know, one time actually, she did get scratched 723 00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:13,640 by a cat in her face, which wasn't that bad. 724 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:17,520 But I'm just like, how does she, how does she get to learn by 725 00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:20,840 herself that this is dangerous and she should not be doing it? 726 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:25,200 But like, I can't just let her go to the cat because that's 727 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:29,680 dangerous. So it's just such a, yeah, it's 728 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,560 something that I've been thinking more of, like how can 729 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:37,960 we let her do more by herself and learn by herself versus like 730 00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:40,320 not putting her in dangerous situations? 731 00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:43,320 And we do, we do train her a lot. 732 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,600 Like she's very well trained. We do positive reinforcement 733 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:48,440 with her. We do lots of treats. 734 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:52,640 But she's also a friend. She's so she's very stubborn. 735 00:44:52,680 --> 00:44:57,920 So yeah, it's an interesting. It is interesting and literally 736 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,920 just today my dog walked out the door the the garage door was 737 00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:05,880 open and she walked out into the front yard and I'm I'm like 738 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:08,400 running behind her and I literally said to her, I'm like, 739 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:10,400 I don't what do you think you're free range or something like 740 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:13,320 what, what is this? Yeah, yeah, yeah, no. 741 00:45:15,240 --> 00:45:18,680 Exactly. And she's just doing what's 742 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:21,880 natural to her. And I'm like, yeah, no, get back 743 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,320 inside. But you know, I'm over here like 744 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:28,720 I don't run in traffic. Then she's like, let me explore. 745 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:33,040 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is it's it is hard. 746 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:38,640 It really is, especially when cuz again, my dog Kim, she is, I 747 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:42,800 have, I have kind of slacked on her training some lately 748 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:46,360 because, you know, again, with positive reinforcement, but I, 749 00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:51,200 you know, it's something you do have to continue to reinforce 750 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:56,000 throughout their life. And she will do what I asked her 751 00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:58,840 to do most of the time. But if there is another dog, 752 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:02,960 there is no way she and and I just know that about her, right. 753 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:05,680 You know, there is, there's no way I'm going to be able to like 754 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:07,560 her brain is just going to shut down. 755 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:08,880 That's it. Done. 756 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:11,600 It's over. So I, you know, we do have to 757 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:16,160 have those considerations for, I mean, that's it's part of it. 758 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:17,160 It's hard. I get it. 759 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:23,000 Yeah. So OK, it sounds like you guys 760 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,520 are just obviously living the life, having the best time. 761 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:31,920 Milk is having an amazing time, learning and even reconvening 762 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,160 with nature in some ways, which is wonderful. 763 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:39,080 Even though there have been some nasty tick incidents. 764 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:43,480 What do you guys see like happening next for Paul Daga, 765 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,560 you mentioned you've recently started the Next Level Pet 766 00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:51,040 Parenting podcast, which is amazing. 767 00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:55,720 And I know it hasn't been that long since you expanded into the 768 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:58,360 US to begin with. So what's next? 769 00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:02,840 Are you guys just like this is enough for now and we're here 770 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:05,920 for you? I think, yeah, that's a great 771 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,680 question. I mean, now Podaga USA has been 772 00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:12,720 opened for just over a year. Podaga itself has been opened 773 00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:15,440 for almost 5. And I think we just want to keep 774 00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:19,400 continuing, raising awareness with the education and putting 775 00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:23,640 out content across different platforms such as the podcast 776 00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:27,360 and YouTube. And where else do we put content 777 00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:31,880 Instagram and Facebook? I would say just keep raising 778 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:35,720 awareness because we just have to keep the job is never over, 779 00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:37,600 right? There's a lot of animals out 780 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:41,000 there to help and a lot of people need our help and and 781 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,520 your help too, you know, through this podcast, you know, like 782 00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:47,640 they need these avenues of a communication. 783 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:52,360 So I think right now for us is to continue raising awareness 784 00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:57,720 and hopefully pet parents will find us and shop with us and 785 00:47:57,720 --> 00:48:00,040 help improve the health of the animals. 786 00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:04,560 I mean, from my perspective, you guys are doing an amazing job 787 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:07,800 and I love all the content that you put out and I'm really 788 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:12,560 excited that you 2 are able to join me on today's episode. 789 00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:15,840 Where is it? It's just Podega everywhere. 790 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,880 Whatever social media platform they want to find you on. 791 00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:24,040 Yeah, so they can find us everywhere with the name Podega 792 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,360 PAWDEGA. Like Bodega. 793 00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:32,720 Just paw Bodega. Yeah, and at Podega. 794 00:48:34,160 --> 00:48:35,960 Awesome. Well, thank you guys. 795 00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:42,360 So Oh, and the podcast. The podcast is yes, So the 796 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:47,640 podcast is next level pet parent and that's on Spotify, Apple 797 00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,840 podcast, wherever you watch your podcast and then also on 798 00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:55,160 YouTube, it's under our Podega channel. 799 00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:58,480 Awesome. Well, thank you guys again. 800 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:02,280 I really, really appreciate it. You guys are doing such amazing 801 00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:06,720 work and I'm just really grateful that you took the time 802 00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:10,360 to come and talk to me and for everything that you're doing in 803 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:16,240 the space to improve pets lives. So guys, thank you so much for 804 00:49:16,240 --> 00:49:20,240 being here and listening. I know that Charlie and Larry 805 00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:23,680 will second this. I always end by saying please 806 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:25,440 give your pet some extra love for me. 807 00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:29,840 And I know today please give some extra love to your pet from 808 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:33,040 Charlie and Larry with Paul Daga. 809 00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:36,000 And guys, I will talk to you next week. 810 00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:40,600 Thanks so much for being here. Thank you so much for having us.