Welcome to the first post of our new Pure Earth Pets blog. As part of our efforts to help pet owners – and humans in general – lead a more ecologically friendly lifestyle, this blog will be a fun and informative way of sharing information. You can expect posts about environmental topics, featured products, our favorite pet product manufacturers, and stories of our very own ambassadog Dover and our adventures with him. 

If you’ve read our About Pure Earth Pets page, you might already know that Dover was the inspiration for Pure Earth Pets. After becoming pet parents to a rescue dog, we realized that it was difficult to find eco-friendly options for dog toys and treats. Once we learned that environmentally friendly treats and toys for dogs were available if we looked hard enough, we started Pure Earth Pets in order to get Dover’s favorite products into your own dog’s life.  Since Dover is the inspiration for our business, and an integral part of our team, we thought it would be fun to start off our blog with more about our special boy. 

Dover’s Rescue Story

Like far too many rescued dogs, Dover’s had a very rough start in life. We do not know about his birth or those first weeks of his life, but Dover was saved by a dog rescue in Texas. Dover was found in a tarp with some other dogs, and a good Samaritan contacted the rescue because whoever had the dogs was going to kill them. Thankfully, the rescue volunteer was able to save them. Some of the dogs stayed at the rescue in Texas, and some were transported up to New York through 11th Hour Rescue. If you are not familiar with them, 11th Hour Rescue is an organization that saves dogs who are running out of time in shelters with high kill rates. 

Dover was only 8-10 weeks old when he arrived at 11th Hour Rescue. After some scheduling mix-ups and being put on a waiting list for Dover and another dog, we finally received a call on Mother’s Day that we could meet him. Of course, we fell in love with him and he became part of our family...three weeks before our wedding! 

Dover Joins Our Family

Back then, Dover was not named Dover. His rescue name was Beast, and while that did fit our scruffy, black pup, we realized that since he was probably going to grow up to be a big, fuzzy, potentially intimidating looking dog, that he needed a gentler name. We named him Dover after the town of Dover, New Jersey, which is near where we adopted him. 

Bringing a new puppy into our home during the last few weeks of preparing for our wedding could have been a major challenge. Fortunately, Dover settled into our life easily. He seemed to know instinctively to scratch or bark to go outside to potty, and to this day he has had two accidents in his entire life. He’s been a really good dog his entire life, even as a young pup. 

At three years old, Dover is a huge character. We tested his DNA and learned that he is a mix of Labrador Retriever, German Shephard, Rottweiler, Doberman, Staffordshire Terrier, and Chow Chow. We see the different personality traits come out from each breed at different times. When he is near water, he is 100% Labrador and wants to run straight into the water. When he walks, he is stocky like a pittie. Dover is super smart and loves to go and do things like hiking and swimming.  

Dover, Official Taste Tester and Ambassadog of Pure Earth Pets

True to his Labrador Retriever heritage, Dover loves to eat. He eats everything. Sometimes he doesn’t even stop to chew things, preferring to swallow them whole. Dover loves to eat from forks and spoons, and when we are eating dinner, he brings us his dog bowl as if to say, “Hey, you’re eating, so should I!”

Of course, Dover is the Official Taste Tester of everything that we consider for our Pure Earth Pets boxes. If Dover does not like it, it does not go into the boxes. Period. He plays with every toy, tries every food sample, and helps us make decisions. Unless he puts his paw-stamp of approval on it, we don’t sell it. We love having Dover as an integral part of our life together and a valued member of Pure Earth Pets. He is basically our child, and we love him more and more every day that we get to spend together.