Have you ever looked at the ingredients that make up the foods and snacks you feed your beloved animal?
Longtime dog owner Paul Jeffs said he grew up trusting dog food manufacturers, just as his dogs trusted they would be fed every day. That is, until one day he and his wife, Michelle, looked at the label on the back of the products they were purchasing for their dog, Libby (short for Liberty Bell), a black lab and Australian cattle herder mix.
“Some of the ingredients, you cannot pronounce what they are,” Jeffs said. “You Google them and find out they are things that are not allowed for human consumption. We love our pets, we treat them like members of our family, but then we willingly buy them stuff that cannot be consumed by humans. We got to a point where some of the dog food manufacturers lost sight of the fact that dogs and animals are human companions and are considered family members.”
Appalled by their findings, Jeffs, a British Canadian who became an entrepreneur and spent about 15 years working as a food and beverage manager at four- and five-star hotels in Asia, and his wife, Michelle, who worked in the banking industry, decided to combine their backgrounds and start their own company in Michelle’s hometown of Lewiston, N.Y.
“There is a really big emphasis and a big shift on the importance of human-grade dog food and treats. We decided to make something that is 100 percent natural, made of plant-based ingredients,” Jeffs said during a phone interview. “There is also an emphasis on ‘Made in America.’ There is a larger accountability factor with American and Canadian suppliers, so we are trying to keep to our epicenter as much as possible.”
With “Made in America” in mind, the pair searched for merchants from which to obtain their ingredients, as well as to assist with packaging and labeling. Their all-natural dog biscuits are made of hemp seeds and seaweed (from the Bay of Fundy in Canada) and are available in six flavors: original, cranberry, mango, carrot, apple, and pumpkin. They also sell tick and flea spray made with pure essential oils, and a 100 percent plant-based healing hemp balm for dogs’ paws. Hemp has amazing health benefits for animals, Jeffs said, adding that the oil is a natural preservative.
The product line was ready to go, but the couple needed to find a name for their business. The Cheeky Wolf Company seemed to fit the bill, because it combined a British term, cheeky, with the wild counterpart of the canines they serve.
The Cheeky Wolf Company officially began selling its products on Dec. 1, 2017, through its website and select “top-shelf” retailers and per-service outlets. The couple is looking to expand their business and are open to suggestions for new products and improvements to existing ones--except when it comes to their recipes. “There, we are perfect!”
Editor's Note: Since this article has been published, the Cheeky Wolf Company has expanded its pet health and wellness product line; visit the website for more information.