Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Uneek Treats at the Silver Spoon Emmy Buffet

This event was by far Uneek's coolest opportunity yet! The Silver Spoon Emmy Buffet took place on Thurs and Fri last week just before the 58th Annual Emmy Awards. Uneek Treats are the treats to the stars. Green Bag Co. sent green bags down for me to pass out. They start in a pouch and unzip into a full size shopping bag. Tresa of Fashions-n-Moore hand crocheted dog scarves for me to pass out and all of the items on our table were a HUGE hit!












I left the Gift Show on Tues afternoon and went straight to the airport. Of course I rushed as the last flight out was at 7 and the show ended at 4. Aftert all the rushing the plane was delayed so I did not get into LA until very late. Wed was all about setting up.
























It was hard work getting our Uneek table looking good. It was just like a farmers market with more signs and no farmers. The weather was great and the guests were incredible!



























Of course we took the Dugan Foundation with us and I told everyone about our goal of creating Tacoma as a no kill community and building a no kill shelter. The support was overwhelming and we even received an on-the-spot donation from Tony Denison of The Closer! What a kind gentleman! It was amazing to see him in person as I TIVO The Closer every week.
















A junkyard dog called a sitting Beagle showed the scarves by Tresa who can hand crochet anything from a dog scarf to a top, shorts, purse and even a water bottle holder. (If you are interested in a hand crafted item by Tresa, just shoot me an email and I will get connect you to her.)















Uneek Treats were in the hands of Teri Polo, Kathy Griffin, Leeza Gibbons, Kellan Lutz, Randy Jackson, Keira Knightly, Justin Krzyston, Hal Sparks and Samantha Humphrey's, Kristin Alfonso, Alison Sweeney, Jon Abrahams, Rachel Hunter Courtney and Ashley Peldon and many more!

Each person I met was so considerate, supportive, tentative and just plain cool! I just could not get over that. One would think, that if you are told every day how great you are, that perhaps you would lack any humble behavior. Not one person I spoke with was anything but kind!! I felt so lucky to have had that experience. That includes the media. Like Jenna of swagtime. We connected over our devotion to saving animals. Especially dogs. She rescues German Shepherds and gives every weekend to the cause of helping them find good homes.

Of course our biggest Uneek star of all was Chloe a 6 1/2 year old Pit Bull rescue.
































Her Dad, Justin of Flaming Flower Productions, is a true hero. He rescued Chloe over 6 years ago and she loves him more than anything. Even our treats!
















And you can tell how much she loves our treats. Chloe could hear Dad above all else and when they would walk together, you could see how proud she was. Her walk said, this is my Dad! See me with my Dad. Justin was kind enough to let me have Chloe for most of the time and it helped me because I missed Serch and The Zappa so much! Of course she is a total chick, dude magnet. Nobody could resist her!

Thank you so much to everyone and their kindness. It was a great pleasure to meet you all from Lorena, Melissa and the girls of Silver Spoon, Justin and Chloe of Flaming Flower Productions, the great gals of Kirsten Jade the most beautiful dresses I have every seen! Sabrina of Healing Anthropology incredible skin care products (who I found out, bought treats from me at the Ballard Market in Seattle and we are at an exclusive event together in LA, small world!) and all the other people from the event who were there with their products. To the guest of the event. Not only did I get to do something I dreamed of since I was little, I will have the best memories of my time there. I wish you all the most of successes and take great care!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Something Uneek Every Day!

I was sitting at my computer working as normal (if I am not at a market or playing with Serch and The Zappa) and here comes an email with a link. Remember Morengo from the Tacoma Dog Day Afternoon? No, well of course I have added the picture in again because she is so very cute. Morengo's Dad Cole, writes for the thenewstribune.com. He was kind enough to write an article about us and I had to share. Keep your eyes on thenewstribune.com. There may be another article!
















I am so excited as our media attention is gaining. The front page of our site has our KOMO 4 News spot and we were mentioned in many press releases regarding our participation in Malibu Beach House and at the Emmy Buffet in LA. (I just got back.) That blog is up next. In the above link, if you click on the pic of my treats, you can see the article about Uneek. HOW COOL IS ALL OF THIS!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone and their support! It means so much and I could not be doing this without you! You help to create our Uneek Community!! As you can tell I am smiling really big right now!

Monday, August 28, 2006

Uneek Treats at the Seattle Gift Show

Well, we survived The Seattle Gift Show. Our first. Held at the Tradecenter in downtown. Nice place. Very large and chock full of many, many different things. You go on sensory overload after a while. The show was from Saturday August 19th to Tuesday August 22nd. They were 4 long but fun days. Here is the beginning of our display for the show.












Here it is all finished and looking pretty good. Thanks Pete for helping set up and thanks Dad as always, for giving up your weekend!












There was even a fashion show for all the pet products. Here is our display. A video is soon to come. You can see our Charlie Bar soap made by Earthly Delights and the Uneek Cards by our resident awesome photographer Willow!











I really enjoyed the meeting the other vendors like Nope It's Soap! for the prankster in you! The funny soap thought up by Jackie (seen here) and Randy (not seen here). What a great couple and the best of luck to them. Check them out, it will crack you up!














The Sakura Tree from Hawaii. Specializing in dog clothes and all manner of fun items for your pooch, straight from the islands.

















Shauna Morrissey Ltd does fun and amazing designs on furniture. Set in vibrant colors and stylish pieces, you can have your pooch and show it too. She also does cats for the multi pet lover!












Of course our blog is not complete until I add a dog. One would not expect a dog at the gift show so it was a surprise to see Tinkerbell, a cute black and tan Chihuahua. Tinkerbell charmed us while paying a visit.
















There were stores from Canada and Alaska to Eastern Washington and Montana who stopped by. Everyone was so suportive and it was a pleasure to meet them all. Take a look for us to appear all over the country and Canada and of course, we will list the upcoming locations that will be carrying Uneek Treats on our Treats page! Our Uneek Dogs cards and Charlie Bar soap are almost in the shopping cart. We are getting there!

Dog's Day Before Uneek's Big Adventures

Well it has been a long two weeks. I had so much fun and worked really hard. Just before it all exploded, Serch and The Zappa got in some much needed family time. Here is there favorite day of all. A ride in the Jeep to Grandview Offleash Dog Park.













Offleash play and ball running other dogs and no restrictions.














After they had all the fun they could have had, it was home for Uneek Treats.














Offleash dog parks are so important. Dogs are free to socialization with other dogs, sniff mail left by others and run, run, run! Offleash dog parks can go into places you would not think. Please support S.O.D.A and encourage off leash parks in your neighborhood. A healthy and happy dog is the sign of a good owner! We all know how important it is to take care of that which is in our charge! It shows our character!

A special thank you to Willow for her kinds words on her new blog and for her Uneek Dogs cards soon to be available on uneekdogs.com.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Des Moines Market by the Waterfront

Des Moines Market is very small in size but not in support. There is a continuous crowd and everyone has something specific they are coming down for. Today there was nice music and the weather was perfect. The fruits and veggies were organic and the flowers were stunning. Pretzels went like crazy and so did our treats!

We met Caldonia - named after Cab Callaway's tune of the same name. It seems that this little doggie used to bang her head into things a lot, "Caldonia! Caldonia, why is your head so hard?" She is 10 1/2 years young. A Pit/Boxer mix and very gentle. Caldonia looks so much like Zappa. We were so happy when she stopped by and we were able to get her picture.













Then Skipper came by. A 4 1/2 month sweetheart. A Snoodle- Schnauzer/Poodle. In just 5 minutes we went from one end of the spectrum to the other in age and size. Skipper must only weigh about 5 lbs. and so soft!
































Then Rene and his wife Lena from Lentz Spelt Farms stopped by and gave us some samples of grains (Spelt, Emmer Farrow and Einkorn). These are really ancient grains going back to at least 17,000 BC for the Emma. This would be probably the oldest domesticated grain. Einkorn is next at 7000 BC. We also heard about Kamalina which is the parent to flax. Look for us to be using these grains in new recipes!

Bread Wheat didn't come into the picture until 4700 BC. Just a kid. Attributes that were looked for and cultivated were grains that didn't fall over but kept upright so that it could be more easily gathered. Then it needed to keep the hull intact until it was threshed and winnowed. Also plumper and more numerous grains per plant. And grains that will all germinate together to aid in planting and gathering. Our Kamut grain is a direct descendant from these ancient grains.

Can you see them sitting around the campfire, smelling the Mastodon Bar-B-Que just getting ready to eat and the Mrs. sticks a crudely made bowl full of cooked Emma under the nearest male nose and says, 'Try this, it's something new.' I wonder how this came across?

We also ran into Leah of Soy Lights. Candles that are renewable. They contain a product of the soybean industry, as opposed to praffin candles which use a product of the crude oil and animal processing industries.These candles burn beautifully. They burn longer than paraffin candles, and they clean up with soap and water. Way to go Leah and thanks for making a positive difference! (All you guys out there, great gifts for the ladies. Nothing like romance by candle light!)

Thanks Dad for the blog today. Keep checking back in, we have so much going on and the big stuff is coming up!

Our Last Tacoma Market Until September

Tacoma is such a nice market to do. I like seeing the mix of people. Being on a weekday right in the heart of downtown, it makes for a nice break for those who work in the offices. Especially in the summer time with the beautiful weather.

We met Bizmark. Bizmark is the cover dog for French Bulldog Rescue. What a real cutie! She was a huge Beagle Bites fan.













Duke stopped by to have a taste of our Beagle Bites. Have you seen such an adorable pup! Look at those wrinkled legs. Duke is going to grow into a real heart breaker.












Lisa stopped by and picked up some samples of our treats to see how they would be received. Well, we were a hit. I love that Lisa sent us pictures of her Uneek dogs.

Mr Mac the Devil Dog












Casey Dog












Miss Puff












I hope we get a chance to come back in Sept and do the circuit. It is so much fun to meet new friends! I also hope we have lots of sales from the Seattle Gift Show so if you don't see us at the markets, then we are busy getting into stores and you can check our treats page to find out what where we are.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Uneek's Day Off

Well, it was not really a day off but it was a day not working a market. I actually had to go to the market and I have to say, parking is so much easier when you go to one than when you do one.

Just before I left, we got our first reorder. Earth Pet sold out of the major order they bought on our sample day and Dad just delivered our first fax order. I love Earthpet. Our friends are so cool and buy all of their pet needs there because they sell and support Uneek Treats! BIG Thanks to the gang at Earth Pet.

Once at the market I stopped in to visit Sandi, Earthly Delights and we finalized our new soap. Charlie Bar, soap on a rope. Take a look for it online soon and we will have it ready for the Seattle Gift Show August 19-22 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center Show Hours Saturday - Monday 9 - 6, Tues 9 - 4
Pet Styles area booth 1138
. Come check us out!

Pictures of the booth to come soon, so stay tuned!

I also stopped by to see Kim, who is going to create our Uneek Gear. Kim Sun is a master of leather and makes amazing collars, leashes and harnesses for pooches and can match a hair band, belt and bracelet for you. You can also get a collar with your dogs name on it. We are just getting our line started, so look for it on our treats page. Until then send us an email if you are interested and we can always get you in touch with Kim to get something now. She also does puppy slings for the tea cup, minnie or puppy in your life.

After the Kirkland Market (where you can find Kim Sun Designs or Earthly Delights each week) we went out to Dooley's Dog House to visit them and see how they feel about our treats. Well, we were a big hit!













Just as I was on my way out, Benson and his Mom Erna came in. Benson is a 14 month old Healer. At 12 months of age he had had two owners – and Erma rescued him from the King County Shelter booth at the Doggie Days of Kirkland in June. She is his third, and last owner!

Here’s a couple photos of Benson taken at Mystic Mountain Retreat Mom Erna loves sharing his story, as well as that of Cindy at Mystic Mountain. The pictures are part of the stay. They give you photos of your pal. HOW COOL IS THAT!!!

Listening to Mom speak about Benson, you can tell how much she loves this guy. She's so happy, this is the first face shot she has of him. What a great story and I can attest, what a great dog! Benson loves Uneek Treats Pizza Crust too! I almost got to pet him because I fed him the best treats on the planet!!!




























Here is my pictures of Benson. He never left his Moms side.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Woofstock '06

Uneek survived Woofstock 2006!

Serch and The Zappa came with Dad and enjoyed the music, vendors just for dogs and said hi to all of their Woofstock buddies! Uneek and I were even on TV. KOMO 4 was there to capture what we were doing and share the event on the 5 o'clock news. Current coverage was great because the venue did not end until 9 pm. (We are trying to get that footage!)

























It was not about us though. It was for the dogs. There were 34 adoptions, 8 pending at last count. That is a wonderful day. I would love if there were no more dogs in a shelter and Woofstock helped go in that direction.

This was the first Woofstock in Tacoma, WA. A BIG thank you to the Dugan Foundation for bringing us all together. There were many vendors who came and most importantly all the organizations who are doing the most important work. Actually rescueing, treating and finding homes for animals in need.

Bullseye Dog Rescue was a big hit in our hearts. Uneek is partial to Pit Bulls and we find they are an exceptionally needy animal. Not only do they have a stigma of being mean (which is so not true in the majority of cases) they are a breed that does not come out of the shelters. They are in need of foster homes just like big black dogs. It is so hard to imagine but a shelter can find homes for lighter colored smaller dogs verse big black dogs as much as 11 to 1 in shelters around the country.

I have found over the years, Pit Bulls are kind, gentle, loving dogs who are great with children. They generally have even temperaments. Of course, we all know that children are a product of their parents. Good parents make good children and good dogs. It is the owner not the dog that need be held responsible for the misbehaviors of those in their charge.

Please, the next time you want to think a breed is mean, give them a break and put responsibility where it belongs. In the hands of the owner! We all need to be good stewards of the world. Our behavior has a ripple effect and continues in all directions from us. We are all neighbors to someone. Help to reduce breed specific legislation and educate our lawmakers to the real issues.
















Scrappy came by to see us. She is one of many pits at Bulls Eye Dog Rescue. Scrappy was adorable. What a great girl. I know she will find a good home. Just like her friends.













































Dewey, who just got adopted from the Humane Society, is 8 weeks old and look at that face. A Korean Jindu/Beagle mix sitting in his proud Dad's arms. Dewey is on his way home to meet his rescue sibling and we give congratulations to Dewey's new family (Mom is behind the scene smiling so proud also)! Way to give Dewey the winning lottery ticket!

















I went around the adoption area and brought you each rescue organization at Woofstock. I will do my best to get their links in place.

It is so encouraging to see that there are helpful souls, yet so sad that there needs to be. Because I find it so hard to see that these animals don't yet have someone of their own, so I look at what they do have, wonderful organization that will help guide them to one.

We can all help, we can all find the time to ask a friend or neighbor, or even yourself to adjust your life to include a pet. What animals give us, is beyond measure. They help us get out and excercise and enjoy life. Lead us to others like ourselves. Encourage us to begin giving even more. Like building off-leash dog parks. Helping other rescue operations, creating awareness for better nutrition. Whatever aspect of your new relationship that speaks to you. It is truly amazing what you can make happen!

Greyhound Pets of America Greater NW another Greyhound rescue
















Cascade Animal Protection Agency www.volunteersolutions.org














Washington Alaskan Malamut Adoption League www.wamal.com












Gingers Death Row Pet Rescue www.gingerspetrescue.org












Hope For Horses (on our links page too) www.hopeforhorses.net













Kindred Souls Foundation (also on our links page) www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org
















K-9 Unit Department of Corrections












Humane Society Outreach (also on our links page) www.humanesociety.org












Pasado's Safe Haven (also on our links page) www.pasadosafehaven.org












Puyallup Animal Rescue www.petfinder.org
City of Puyallup site










Peninsula Spay and Neuter Project www.psnp.org















Prison Pet Partnership Program a win win for everyone! Please check them out and add your voice of support. We could use many more programs such as this, to help assimilate a loving environment in a hostile one and to give a dog a better shot of winning the doggy lottery. A very Uneek program www.prisonpetpartnership.org










Purrfect Pals cause avery cat matters www.purrfectpals.org















Pig Peace Sanctuary www.pigspeace.org














Foofer', a Shar Pei- Tibetan Temple dog, who is 3 years old and papered who is looking for a home. She was purchased originally for $2000.00 but her owner passed. Sweet nature and loves kids. She has so much skin it looks like she has wrinkled panty hose. Ha! She is with PEDA, see link.















Savvy Dog Boutique is having a GRAND OPENING 8/15, 11 to 7.
2811 Bridgeport Way W., University Place, 98466. 253-566 WOOF.

They are having 10% off on opening day and a pet photographer from Lil' Critters will be there. Be sure to stop in. Stock up on Uneek Treats while your there.
















What a cool contraption! Make bike riding safe and fun for you and your dog! A vendor at Woofstock. Sorry, we did not get the name. I will try though. It is really neat. Everyone can get good safe exercise in our urban world. Plus, what a conversation starter!










































How cool is Buddy in his Doggles! He loved Uneek Treats too! Lucky Dog Outfitters on 1610 6th Ave Tacoma 253.761.4486 was on the scene to provide shades for our K-9 pals!




























Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound provides a safe educational environment that will enhance the partnership of persons with disabilities and their assistance dogs.

HARBOR HOUNDS is having their 4th annual dog walk on September 23 from 10-3. It will be at the Skansie Brothers nad Donkey Creek Parks. For more information visit www.harborhounds.com or write harborhounds@yahoo.com or call 253.241.9403. Thank you Gig Harbor Mid-Day Rotary for hosting this event! Please check out their event and enjoy! Encourage your local stations to make these beneficial events what news is all about!

All Breed Canine Search and Rescue is having their annual Dog Meet 2006 event. A 4 day gethering of canine search and rescue teams. This yearly event provides an opportunity for the SAR Dog community to train together, exchange ideas and refin their skills. They are a necessity and Uneek will be donating treats for their raffle. I am sure they could use help and your interest. Again, our media should be covering this and letting the community know, who is out there for our safety!