Saturday, May 18, 2013

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Made In Alaska: Balto’s Favorite All-Natural Dog Food
New business promotes all-natural, organic food... for dogs
By Heather Hintze
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ANCHORAGE - When her four-legged friends decided to be finicky eaters, Joy Bunde took to her kitchen to whip up something to please her picky Pekingese.

“I worried about their nutrition so I researched and talked to my vet and started making homemade dog food. Then I told my business partner about it and she really wanted to try some for her dogs and they go nuts over it,” said Bunde.

She’s now expanding her business, Balto’s Favorite All-Natural Dog Food. It’s made with a few simple ingredients like ground beef, rice, peas and eggs.

We use the shells of the eggs as well because there's a lot of nutrients in the shells. So we grind them up really fine and put them in there,” said Bunde.

She and her business partner, Jennifer Perkins, have noticed the difference the food makes for their pets.

“My dogs are 16 and 13 years old and they are like my children. I wasn't blessed to have children, so I really take care of their health and I worry about their longevity. So by feeding them all natural dog food without any preservatives and really good enzymes in there for their digestion, I know they're getting all the vitamins and minerals they need,” said Bunde.

Perkins agreed, adding, “I just notice my smaller dogs, who are two years old, have a lot more energy than they used to. They're running up and down the stairs.”

Bunde said she now cooks more for her dogs than she does for herself, but is happy to be able to spend time with them at home while she’s busy making Balto’s Favorite.

“It's really fun. When I was growing up I never dreamed I'd be selling dog food that's for sure. But I was raised as a dog musher, so grooming and taking care of and feeding and watering a dog lot of 52 dogs for my formative years paid off,” said Bunde.

Her products are scheduled to be in the Once in a Blue Moose gift shop in downtown Anchorage and will soon be hitting shelves at the Demilyn Asian Market.