For Farley
The Story behind our logo
Why we do what we do
This logo and the work we do is in honour of these boys.
Jasper
The boy who ignited my original interest and obsession.
A gorgeous little bundle of fluff, Jasper, an 8 week old Golden Retriever, joined my family when I was 8 years old. He changed my life, he was the catalyst that sparked my interest with and love of dogs. Jasper was loyal, friendly, and girl’s best friend. He was such a good boy, we had so many adventures and created lasting and cherished memories. Although he was with us for only 13 years, he will be with me forever. He was everything a child could want in a best friend.
Farley
My Journey into the world of natural health was fuelled by my Farley.
Farley first joined me when he was training to be an Assistance Dog. He had me from the start and I knew, if for whatever reason, he couldn’t be placed with a family, that he would stay. As fate would have it, after he was placed he had to come back due to allergies. Under vet recommendation he became an Ambassador for the organisation, and with that decision he became a permanent addition to my family.
Farley was a typical energetic, life loving, ball obsessed Labrador. He was also an amazing ambassador and he loved it; attending fairs, markets, training days, media and corporate events, spreading awareness about the wonderful work these dogs can do. Everyone absolutely adored him.
Whenever he was at the park, if there was a ball to be found, he would sniff it out. He loved the water, he was fit and he was healthy. You don’t know what you don’t know, and at the time his care included, what is believed conventionally, to be the best practice. He was on a super premium dry dog food, and he was up to date with all his vaccinations and pest prevention.
One afternoon, when Farley was 3, he became very unwell; a vet visit found that he had eaten rocks and needed surgery to have them removed. This was very out of character for him. At the time, the locum vet noted that he was due for his vaccination and heartworm prevention; none the wiser, I agreed for him to receive them whilst there (I now know you never vaccinate a compromised animal, let alone one that has just had major abdominal surgery).
Farley got better, we rock-proofed the yard, life continued and I thought all was fine. However, within 6 months, he became unwell again; I assumed it was a little stomach bug that a vet visit would fix and all would be well again. At worst maybe somehow he had eaten more rocks.
How wrong could I be. After many diagnostic tests were done, Farley was found to be anaemic and was not making any new white blood cells. Although he put on a brave face, the news from the vet and specialist was grim. Farley was diagnosed with Acute Leukaemia, a very aggressive cancer in dogs, and we were not given long for him. I will never forget the moment I received that news, but I wanted to stay positive, and knew he was a fighter. I researched all the anti-cancer options available, but unfortunately for Farley, it was too late. We decided quality of life was the most important thing, and as he declined quickly, we came to the decision to end his suffering. Within 2 weeks from when he first showed he wasn’t well, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful big boofer.
As you all know, it is heartbreaking to lose any family member. But to lose a young, bouncy and bright dog in their prime, within the blink of an eye, is gutting. I didn’t know our recent sunrise beach visit would be our last together. Farley would not get to chase any more balls, or snooze in the sun; he wouldn’t get to grow that regal grey mask that comes with senior life.
Farley took a huge piece of me with him that day, and that moment and those following became soul defining for me. Through grieving I needed to know more. I needed to know what I could have done differently to save him and what changes I could make to protect my other dogs.
It is on that journey that I learned how conventional practices had not set Farley up for success. I learned that his food was causing inflammation and introducing harmful substances into his body. I learned that the chemical preventatives he had been on, had previously been recalled in the US due to side effects (including being linked with bone and blood cancers), before being deemed ‘safe’ to be released again. Coincidence or not, the choices I had believed to be the best for him, had ripped Farley away too young, too soon.
I now know if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. I now know full well, the importance of providing your dog’s body with the right fuel to help maintain optimum health. That path of knowledge and understanding has led me to where I am today, and while my Farley is no longer physically with me, he is forever in my heart. His memory will continue to drive me forward.
‘Here for a good time, not a long time’; for Farley, his passing was not in vain, for his legacy is helping others enjoy health, vitality and longevity.
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole"
To Chelsea (Chelly), Lucky (Dobey), Xylo, Jester, Triksie, Bailey, Paws, Frankie, Holly & all the dogs I have had the opportunity to laugh with, to learn from & to love.
