I strive to feed Skylar meat treats that are human grade and healthful and that come from humanely raised animals. With Sky’s elbow issues, salmon and buffalo are great alternatives to chicken and beef because they’re high in fatty acids, which are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. She has some favorite salmon treats (I’ll save those for a future column), but I hadn’t found a buffalo treat she liked — until Beasley’s Buffalo Bites.
Beasley’s uses 100 percent grass-fed wild bison that the company says are “humanely raised from birth to the end of life” (it’s hard to image a humane ending to a livestock animal’s life, but there are certainly less stressful, more humane methods). Ruth Fredrick — whose title is Sales & Marketing Hot Dog — says Beasley’s mission is “to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices,” which is certainly something I support in a big way. On their website, Beasley’s says, “The diligent work of our ranchers has restored the grasslands of North America to their native species and have brought back a great American legend: the buffalo!” I can’t vouch for that, but again, it’s something I support. The grass-fed buffalo are raised without antibiotics, never fed animal by-products, and are free to roam; the meat is cooked, uncured, smoked, and contains no nitrates or nitrites — a far cry from the mystery meat jerky treats made in China that are thought to have sickened or killed thousands of dogs.
Skylar is what I would call a “choosy” dog when it comes to treats, but she loved Beasley’s Buffalo Bites. First, they’re smoked and have a jerky texture, both of which she’s a huge fan of. The bigger surprise in our taste test, however, was Steve’s German shepherd-pit bull mix Blue, whom I refer to as “the pickiest pup on the planet.” I’ve seen Blue turn up her nose at freeze-dried chicken necks and dehydrated pure chicken breast, but she went crazy over Beasley’s Buffalo Bites.
The company also makes baked treats (all of Beasley’s products are made in the USA, of course). Sky liked the all-organic Grr… nola Squares Peanut-Butter Obsession because, well, she’s obsessed with peanut butter (Blue turned her nose up at the baked goods, but that’s no surprise). The squares also come in Monkey Face Coconut Crunch, Yam Good Sweet Potato, and Bodacious Blueberry Bliss.
Beasley’s Bakery treats: Bow Wow Meow (2150 Polk Street) and George (2512 Sacramento Street). You can also purchase them from the company’s website, beasleysbakeryonline.com, $12–$17.