Star Quality
Silas Archer Gustav, featured in the new movie, “The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot.”
Meet Silas Archer Gustav, the canine star of the new film, “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then Bigfoot,” starring Sam Elliot, opening in the US in early 2019.
This hunky canine star is a medical alert dog and companion by day, and a movie star at night! Now, three years old and almost 90 lbs, his owner, Mikhaila Waldman, and her family, realized pretty quickly that Silas was so easy going and intelligent (not to mention, handsome!) that he had what it takes to be a star. He did so well at following commands and performing on cue that everyone deemed him a natural. He has since landed two film roles prior to “Bigfoot” and now has his own IMDB account!
Silas, with his owner Mikhaila, director Robert D. Krzykowski, and Jan Waldman (l-r) at the premiere of “The Man Who Killed Bigfoot and then Hitler.” Photo credit: Carolyn Ross
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Silas - and his work - inspired his owner to study animals and public policy at Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Now, a graduate, Mikhaila has started an animal casting company with her mom, Jan Waldman, a film and commercial actress. Critter Casting is an agency specializing in placing animal actors in films that don’t have the benefit of a big budget.
Silas has recently welcomed a new sibling, a Malinois puppy who will be following in his footsteps as a movie actor. We can’t wait to see more from these two animal actors!
Silas has previously appeared in “Code 13: Unreadable (2018),” and “Lifted” (2018).
“Silas is the first dog who has liked everyone in the family equally. We’ve had other dogs, but they always seem to favor one person.”
B&B Kustom Kennels
As we scrolled through Instagram recently (one of our favorite hobbies), we spotted an ad for the most gorgeous dog kennels we’ve ever seen! So, we DM’d the company and asked if they’d be willing to chat with us for a few minutes and give us the skinny on these unique designs.
Since it’s part of our mission to share superior products with our readers, we knew they fit right in at K&B - especially after we learned the founders are a young couple who discovered a gap in the marketplace and worked dilligently to fill it. As young entrepreneurs, they re-prioritized their life and worked on building a future together based on something they were genuinely passionate about.
Who they are: Bethany and Brody Rathman, founders, B&B Kustom Kennels, based in Larkspur, CO.
The inspiration: In 2015, the couple adopted two 8 month old labradoodles - litter mates who they named Gracie and Pyper. “We realized very quickly that they could not be left out unattended. They ate the drywall.” So, off the couple went in search of crates or kennels that could contain their adorable beasts, AND leave their kitchen cabinets intact!
“Brody had just remodeled our house and after all that work we were upset that we now had these stupid kennels in our kitchen. So, I started looking for a piece of furniture that we could transform into a kennel.”
So, off they went to Home Depot to start improvising. Neither Bethany nor Brody had any professional design or carpentry experience - she was a school teacher and varsity volleyball coach and he had a successful career in healthcare IT. Not exactly the perfect recipe for a dynamic design duo.
But, they knew what they liked. And, they clearly have good taste. The first model was grey with white legs. Bethany’s cousin suggested they share a pic of it online. She recalls that they got somewhere around 200 likes, mostly from locals, and - lo and behold - one of them turned out to be their first customer. With the money from that first sale, they were able to build four more kennels and figured they’d sell one per month and help pay off their student loans.
Going viral: However, when their first happy customer posted her new kennel online, things really blew up. That post went viral and reached over 6 million people.
Coincidentally, all this happened right before the Christmas holidays. Bethany decided to use her holiday break to figure out all the logistics of what was clearly going to be a REAL business. They filed an LLC, built a website and figured out how to ship such hefty packages. By the new year, they were able to start taking orders and were soon selling 30 kennels a month.
“We weren’t afraid of hard work. We’re both college athletes and I think that helped, in the sense that it teaches you life skills.”
Entrepreuners at heart: In the Spring, Brody decided to quit his job and focus on building kennels full time. They acquired two employees - a college buddy and a cousin - and worked out of their 400 sq ft garage. Two and half years later, they have completed construction on a new warehouse, are still making each kennel by hand and have a 16 -18 week wait time. They established a parent company, Rothman & Co. and have recently made deals with both Overstock and Wayfair, who will sell slightly different product versions manufactured in China and shipped flat, ready to be assembled at your home within 3- 5 days.
Bonus tip: B&B is currently hiring. If you’re interested in working for them, go to the Careers section of their website.
Two weeks after we spoke, Bethany delivered their first baby, a boy, Emmitt Jay Rathman. We are so excited for them!
To order you own custom kennel, visit B&B Kustom Kennels.
Follow them on Instagram @bbkustomkennels, on Twitter @BBKustomKennels and Facebook at B&B Kustom Kennels.
Exploring the Alternatives: Eastern Medicine
Last year, we were hit with an unexpected flea infestation. In our nearly 16 years of owning our oldest dog, Finnigan, we’d never dealt with any flea problems before. My husband and I had just moved our family of three humans and two dogs from a 3,000 square foot home in the middle of the woods in northern Maine to a 1,000 square foot space in a Minneapolis suburb, seven minutes from the Mall of America. Somewhere between ME and MN, our dogs got fleas.
Our two terrier mixes were covered in them, and I had red bites all over my legs. My husband started looking for the best prices on flea shampoos, flea collars, and what needed to be sprayed where in order to nip the apartment infestation in the bud, and more importantly, keep it from happening again. I told him to wait… maybe we could try the homeopathic route? He side-eyed me, pointedly looked at my flea-bitten legs, and then reminded me that we had already tried the homeopathic/natural/holistic/Eastern route and that’s why we were in this mess.
I hated to admit it, but he was right. (Do not tell him I said that!) I had been relying on essential oils to prevent and repel fleas on Finnigan and Nibbler, spraying the couches and dogs with diluted homemade flea sprays, and was even using a homemade shampoo for their baths. The holistic and natural route has worked for us and our boys in certain respects - we give them charcoal bones or plain, pureed pumpkin for upset stomachs, plain low-fat yogurt for healthy skin and coats, and stick to grain-free, gluten-free dog foods for optimum health benefits. And at nearly 16, Finnigan is still jumping on and off our bed on his own, enjoys multiple daily walks, and our veterinarian and groomer marvel at how he’s still doing so well, so obviously, we’re doing something right. But this sudden flea infestation meant that natural wasn’t going to cut it.
“Buy what works,” I told him, and he did.
After a run to the stores, my husband arrived home with shampoo, collars, and a flea and tick prevention topical that works for three months for every application. It took two sets of three baths, a week apart, for our boys to be flea-free again. To rid the apartment of the infestation, we called our vet and used products she recommended. Essential oils, she said, might work for certain things, but homeopathy isn’t the answer for everything.
THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN
Dr. Alex Kintz Konneger, graduate of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria and owner of the K. Vet Animal Care practice in Greensburg, PA, agrees. As pet owners, she says, it is in our dogs’ best interests for us to avoid getting stuck in all-or-nothing thinking. Our dogs are healthiest, Konneger says, when we incorporate both Western and Eastern philosophies into canine veterinary care.
Dr. Alex Konneger
“At K. Vet Animal Care we practice integrative veterinary medicine, which means we offer Western and Eastern medicine, chiropractic care, and physical therapy,” Konneger, 42, says. “This gives us more "tools in our toolbox" and the opportunity to select the optimal treatment choices for our patients. Both Eastern and Western medicine have their limitations, yet compliment each other harmoniously when applied correctly.” The most significant difference between Eastern and Western medicine (homeopathic or holistic and traditional, respectively) says Konneger, lies in the philosophies of each approach.
“Western medicine excels at the linear connections between cause and effect. If there is an infection - take your antibiotics. If there is a tumor - cut it out. It offers the opportunity to prevent diseases with vaccinations and certain medications (flea/tick/heartworm preventatives).” Konneger explains. “Yet, we define health basically as the absence of symptoms in Western medicine: "Your diagnostic tests are all normal, there is nothing wrong with you, you must be well."
But that, she adds, isn’t always the case.
“I would not want to practice a day without antibiotics or steroids or the option to perform surgery to save a patient's life,” Konneger says. “Still sometimes in Western medicine we seem to hit a wall and find ourselves without further valid options to improve the patient's quality of life. In Eastern medicine…We are not chasing a diagnosis of disease, we are analyzing patterns leading to the disease.”
Konneger and her staff believe that their integrative approach means choosing the best of both worlds of Eastern and Western Medicine, also incorporating into their core philosophy what is known as The Five Element Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This theory holds that life force, or Qi, must flow freely between all five elements (organ systems). If there is a deficiency - or not enough Qi in one element, the patient will experience imbalance, disease, and potentially pain.
SENIOR SATISFACTION
Julie Katz Baker, the Adoption Coordinator for Shepherd Help & Rescue Effort in Boca Raton, Florida, also is a believer of integrative medicine. Her dogs, a 10-and a-half-year-old golden retriever named Kelsey, and a five-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd named Journey, have both benefitted from utilizing traditional and holistic treatments.
Franzie receiving an acupuncture treatment at his vet
Kesley, says Katz Baker, has had positive results from acupuncture. Her old Golden Retriever, Buttons, Katz Baker adds, had Reiki treatments to treat her arthritis.
“Alternative treatments work” says Katz Baker. “Acupuncture seemed to help release the immediate pain.”
Pam S. of San Fernando Valley, CA, also owns German Shepherds. The 64-year-old says she loves veterinarians, but sometimes it’s necessary to use both Eastern and Western medicine. She also is a believer in the benefits of CBD oil.
“Timber is my shy, timid senior who, when we go to regular vets shakes all over, has to be coerced to go into a room but when we go to the holistic vet for treadmill underwater therapy or massage, laser, or chiropractic she doesn’t shake & she seems to relax,” Pam S. says. “My Franzie, who passed in April, was on all kinds of pain meds in addition to his holistic treatment, but I do believe he would have never lasted two-and-a-half-years after he became disabled if I hadn’t combined both services.”
“Eastern Medicine can help reduce the amount of medications commonly prescribed (like anti-inflammatories) long term, can be practiced with lesser side effects and is certainly less invasive in its approach. Same holds true for chiropractic care and physical therapy - enable the body to heal itself quicker.”
Dr. Konneger notes that it’s important to discuss options with your integrative practitioner whenever in doubt about how to proceed.
“All natural is not always the best or safest approach to any given situation.” Konneger adds that the excessive use of non-diluted essential oils is one example.
Essental oils can have a wide variety of applications for both humans and dogs, including nausea, digestive issues, anxiety, and parasite control.
“When applied topically at full-strength, these highly potent herbal extracts enter the blood stream, where they are metabolized by the liver, potentially resulting in liver stress or elevated liver function enzymes.” Konneger says, also adding that she strongly advises for year-round, regular flea, tick and heartworm preventatives.
“I get to teach at the Chi Institute for TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) in Florida several times a year and I am excited to see hundreds of veterinarians studying to become certified in acupuncture and herbal medicine,” Konneger says. “This makes my heart sing, as our pets are clearly going to benefit from us humans expanding our knowledge. In the long run this will hopefully lead to Eastern medicine not being a last chance hail Mary, but part of an integrative approach to both preventative medicine and disease treatment.”
Editor's note: Kibble & Dribble will be exploring this topic further in the future, as we believe alternative therapies will become an increasingly popular choice for pet owners, when feasible. If you have had a personal experience with trying homeopathic or natural remedies on your pet, please let us know in the comments (or send us an email!) and we might feature your story!
The Dogs of Chile: A Photo Series
When Glenda Suarez, a marketing exec and photographer went on a trip to Chile last year, the last thing she expected was to come back with a camera full of dog pictures. But, almost immediately after arriving, she couldn’t help but notice that there were literally dogs everywhere. As mom to Stewie, Glenda couldn’t help but document the very different “dog’s life” she was witnessing.
“I traveled with my husband to Santiago, Chile for the Thanksgiving holiday last year to visit his best friends, the majority of whom have migrated from Venezuela to Chile due to the current political situation in Venezuela. My husband had not seen his friends since he left Venezuela for the US in September 2014. I must say that traveling all of these miles to see friends is a true act of friendship - most friends in Miami won’t travel 10 minutes to see you!
Prior to arriving I had not planned on shooting dogs per se - I honestly didn’t know what to expect, this was my first trip to South America. Once we arrived, however, and were en route to our AirBnB, I noticed a beautiful dog running across the street, not minding the cars one bit. I couldn’t believe such an adorable dog was roaming the streets alone! When we finally went out to tour the city, I started noticing all these big, fat, hairy dogs - they were strays, but seemed like they came from someone’s house because they were not malnourished in the slightest. I started taking photos, both with my iPhone and my DSLR, and at some point it came to me that this should be a series. I didn’t even take as many photos as I would have wanted - dogs don’t pose and they just run away."
More about Glenda:
I have been interested in photography since I was little; my father was the photographer for the family’s newspaper business in Nicaragua. When my little sister was a toddler I started taking photos of her, dressing her up and making her pose - maybe that’s when I actually started putting more effort into it. I’ve since had the opportunity to photograph weddings, baby showers, engagement and baby bump sessions, as well as editorial shoots. Even though I like photographing people, especially when they’re laughing genuinely, I LOVE photographing food and dogs (I guess those must be my two other passions in life 😀).
Where can people find you?
I’m all over social media - you can go to my website glendasuarezphoto.com or check out my Instagram @glendasuarezphotography. You can also find me on Facebook at Glenda Suarez Photography.
Atomic Dog Apparel
Clothes for people who love dogs
Atomic Dog is one of our favorite lines of apparel (for humans), launched last year, by Sara Laskow who lives in LA with her husband, young daughter and two dogs – Maggie and Salty.
Inspired by a friend who runs t-shirt company Rescue Strong, Sara launched Atomic Dog as a way to be able to support rescue organizations after she had her daughter, Molly, and couldn’t be as hands-on. A portion of all proceeds go to various rescue organizations close to Sara’s heart.
“We donate 50% of all proceeds from the Corgi shirts to Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue. Not only am I obsessed with Corgis, but they really do amazing work and take in dogs with serious issues that don’t have a great chance at adoption. A lot of people purchase Corgis because they’re so cute, but they don’t do their research, and when they end up with a dog with behavioral, or severe medical issues, they dump or surrender them. QBSDR is always there to pick up the pieces; they do such an amazing
job with these dogs and they love them like they are their own." AWWW, who doesn't love Corgi butts?
“I’m a huge “Hamildork” (I love Hamilton, the musical) and when I saw the touring production in LA, I had come to find the person who plays Laurens/Phillip Hamilton. I knew he had a Golden Retriever so I waited for him after the show and gave him a Stay Golden shirt and told him what the company was working towards. He shared it on Instagram and I’ve seen him wearing the shirt on a few of his Insta-stories, which makes
me happy. Lin Manuel Miranda is my next goal!”
Atomic Dog also donates product to online auctions and rescue retail shops, so if you are interested in connecting, drop them a line at atomicdogapparel@gmail.com, or on Instagram and Facebook.
Road Trip!
Who: Glenda Suarez and her husband, and their extended family, including Stewie, a six-year old Schnauzer mix, and Kika, a three-year old Maltese mix who just arrived from Nicaragua early this year.
What?: A family getaway near the theme parks in Orlando, FL.
Where: Residence Inn Orlando at Millenia, an Extended Stay property about a 10 minute drive from Universal Orlando Resort® theme parks, it sits just behind The Mall at Millenia® - a luxury indoor shopping center.
When: Memorial Day Weekend, 2018
How: A four-hour road trip with five adults and two dogs crammed in a Toyota RAV4. Shotgun!
Good to know: "At an average price of $137 USD per night, we fit perfectly in a Queen Suite which offered two queen beds, a sofa bed, a stocked kitchen and view of the pool."
Pet policy: Residence Inn does charge a $100 non-refundable fee when checking in with a pet. However, there are no size/weight restrictions as long as you keep it two dogs per room. Perfect for those of us with bigger breeds!
Kika approves of the milkbones provided at check-in!
“Surrounded by lots of land, there was plenty of grass for the dogs to roam around on. Every day, I was able to walk Stewie and Kika in the area behind the pool where the hotel also offers doggy bags in case you’ve forgotten yours. Across the front entrance of the hotel is a lake with a walking/jogging path that also proved perfect for the pups.
During the days that we spent at the parks, we left Stewie and Kika at the hotel with a sign on the door. Marriott has really thought this through - there is a sign that lets housekeeping know there are four-legged friends inside, so that they don’t knock or enter the room. With the TV on and the window curtains open, Stewie and Kika were safe and calm – and I mention the window because these two love to look out the window!”
