EVERY SINGLE DETAIL IS IMPORTANT.

The best way to prove how seriously we take the details is to show you.

INTRODUCING:

• the farmers who grow the materials for most of our toys on their heavenly organic farm, harvest the materials by hand using no machinery, then create each toy by hand.
• the veterinarian who goes in to the rainforests and jungles to find amzing plants, allowing us to use nature's own miracles in our foods and supplements.

Why go to such lengths?

Because everything your animal chews, eats, inhales, stands on, or comes in contact with has to be totally safe. We also make sure your animal gets all the possible nutrients from our products.  

It's called bio-availability, and it means we aim for ingredients in thier natural form. Nutrition is delivered in the manner your animal's system expects it and can make highest and best use of it. Nature provides the perfect system of tiny building blocks that help any living thing use nutrients. When we isolate, for intance, vitamins, things don't work right. Nutrients don't get absorbed correctly. The nutrient isn't used by the body properly.  

We think bio-availability is a huge key to great health, so we do all we can to keep nutrients in their natural, whole form. And we also make sure those ingredients are clean and safe, and grown so no pollution happens. From seed to sprout to harvest, we pay attention

THE FARMERS

Wait a minute. We're talking about the farm that makes our toys. Why are we talking about nutrition and toys? Because our toys DO have nuttritional value! All that rye and buckwheat...all those grasses...they contain vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. Makes sense, right? Natural grasses are healthy! And toys are worthy of a lot of attention to detail.

One of our favorite places to be is this farm in Virginia. The land is breathtaking, sure. But the real magic is the way these folks live with the land. Not on, but WITH.

THE VETERINARIAN

We choose to work with Dr. Gary Pusillo for our formulations, including pellets, parasite control, and remedies. Our philosophies align. And...he does amazing trips all over the world to discover plants not native to the US. He has dedicated over 30 years to researching plant-based nutrition for animals, especially herbivores. He has developed processes to amplify specific benefits, while keeping all the effectiveness of that plant nutrient vital and usable.  

In Dr. Gary's words (slightly edited for length):

The hunter gathering societies of the Amazon Rainforest have for centuries lived in a controlled harmony with the ecosystem surrounding their lives.

Tribal resilience is characterized by the ability

1. to constantly evolve within the cycles of nature,

2. to readjust traditional practices to adapt to nontraditional stressors,

3. to implement strategies to take advantage of individual and family strengths,

4. to continually adapt to the current situation and

5. protecting traditional practices that have remained essential for quality of life issues

The ability to extract a living from the world which engulfed them gave a living history of forest lore that has continued unbroken for thousands of years. Today’s indigenous people of the Brazilian Rainforest have accumulated the most complete understanding of living in harmony in one of the most complex ecosystems in the world. Surprise interactions with creatures, plants and natural phenomena are unavoidable and the timing and length of crises cannot always be predicted. Thus, people that intend to stay around need to be able to cope with surprises and adapt to stressors with their intelligence and resourcefulness.  

From food to medicine to magic, the ancient people of the rainforest have adopted a non-destructive approach to obtaining what they need. Animals, plants and the very land itself are allowed to regenerate soon after the tribes gather their share of the habitat. Small-scale disturbances in the forests ecosystem caused by the needs for daily life are monitored by the elder members and the leaders to be certain that harmony in the forest is maintained. Environmental management among forest people has been passed down by their descendants through the generations. Today, the few traditional forest people who remain may hold the secrets to healing common diseases and injuries.

Learning about the ancient treasures the forest people have gathered, has enabled the introduction of “gentle,” efficacious, and sensible, products for the consumers that include traditional style plant extracts from suppliers with ecological compassion and respect for ancient ways of life.  Our products represent a small contribution to the preservation of the ancient knowledge that maintained life in harmony with nature for centuries.

The “gentle “ traditional products we are introducing from the Amazon Rain Forest in no way weaken the indiginous people's identity or culture. The ingredients we purchase help to maintain a community’s dignity, freedom and future.

Over forty percent of modern day prescribed drugs have a mainly tropical plant origin. Many of the drug-yielding plants were only “discovered’ because of their place in traditional medicine. From the adventurous, curious experimenters of the ancestors has arisen a generation skilled in the individual properties of thousands of plants. We have begun to translate the language of the traditional healer into a scientifically consistent and convenient method of delivering active plant derivatives. At the same time our staff of professionals is documenting the knowledge and skills of the people of the Brazilian Rainforest.

Modern day ultra refining of plant derivatives has failed to keep intact the multitude of components in proper balance. Science can easily isolate a plant bioactive component but modern science often fails to extract other compounds that enhance the activity and allow the ingredients to be effective.            

Our products are unique because we provide the full potential of the ingredients, rather than just one refined, component of a plant.

Loving one or more pets is the first step in becoming concerned about nature, wild animals and preserving the complex ecosystems of the Rain Forest. Purchasing products you know are derived from ingredients that do not exploit, destroy and harm the ecosystem not only helps your animal, but becomes part of a much larger effort to support the people and plants of the Amazon.