So what is a TrickDog, you might ask? Two things. At the turn of the century, there were cast iron mechanical banks created with the name "Trick Dog" on the front, with a clown and a little dog who would jump through a hoop when you put a coin in. When I was just starting my dog treat company a year ago, I was looking for a name and I just happened to have one of those antique banks on my mantle. So that is how TrickDog Treats became the name of my company.
But in order to know the heart and soul from which TrickDog Treats started, you have to first meet Sophie, who is both my dog and the company mascot. We adopted her in April 2010, and 1 week later adopted her sister Sadie, and then a year later, her other sister Penny.
Sophie is our second French Bulldog. Our first, Lucy, was a faithful and loving member of our family for 10 years. I still miss her every day. It makes me smile to think that she knows that it took 3 dogs to help us heal from her loss.
Sophie was advertised on eBay, like a used piece of machinery. Her "family" had bought her to breed, then decided not to, probably because they realized how expensive it would be (artificial insemination and c-section). She was 16 months old and had never lived in a house, gone for a walk, and did not even have a name. She was so weathered from living outdoors that our vet initially thought that she was at least 9 years old. She was not even a year and a half old at that point. She had demodex (mange), a staph infection, ear infection, and eye infection. She was overweight and under socialized. She was so afraid that all she would do is crawl on the ground, like she was trying to disappear. We were determined to give her the life that she deserved, not as a "thing", but as a dog, and a member of our family.
I spent hours, weeks, and months letting her get to know and trust me, and teaching her basics, like housebreaking and how to walk on a leash. Everything was frightening to her. We decided that another dog would be comforting to her as she went through the learning process, and as soon as we adopted Sadie (her story to follow in a later post), they were best friends.
Six months later, when I decided to start a dog treat company, I knew that Sophie was going to be my logo. Her sweet nature, her determination, and her unfailing loyalty to me are all of the things that I cherish in her. Even her sometimes sneaky and lazy ways, which are so typical of a Frenchie. Somehow they make even the worst traits endearing (and those traits are really not so bad).
Here she is on my packaging as it looks today, standing confidently and proudly, the picture of strength. No longer the crawling-on-the-ground dog. That's my Sophie.
