Canine Companions: Stories of Love, Joy, and Healing

Have you had a canine pal that played a neat or important role in your life? Perhaps as a companion during a difficult time,  as a jogging buddy or maybe as a service dog providing critical help.

When I was in school, my family had German Shepherds - they were wonderful dogs for us. My favourite activity with Ingo, our dog during my early elementary school years, was playing street hockey. Ingo was tremendously quick in his reaction times, so trying to play 'hog the ball' while stick handling with Ingo really developed those skills. But I also remember the warm August day that Ingo died - perhaps my first exposure to grief, as Ingo was carried away unceremoniously by the people from the Pound. 

We had other wonderful shepherds, although on a couple of occasions of the breed's protective elements were displayed. Once my friend Rod was giving chase while playing touch football, Pax defied his name (Peace in Latin) and tried to change the game to tackle football. The other 'incident' involved Lesley (who became my wife). We were horsing around a pool and I was trying to show off by carrying her into the pool (it may have looked more like dumping). Finito, my parents Shepherd at the time, nipped at Lesley as we entered the pool. Lesley was fortunately not injured beyond a surface scratch.

Years later when Lesley and I had a growing brood (then 2 boys), Lesley and the boys determined our family should get a dog. I agreed to tag along on a trip to the SPCA 'just to look'. Well looking resulted in coming home with Jilly, who looked a little like a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Our next dog was a Bernese Mountain puppy, whom the boys named GI Jane in honour of her low puppy crawl. Jane was really lovely and lived to nearly 14, which is very old for a 'Berner'. 

Oscar is our current dog. He's a handsome tri-colour Springer Spaniel whom we got as sort of a rescue. He was going to be a breeding dog, but when he was just over a year old, the breeder felt Oscar was just too docile for the job. That was perfect for us though! By why a Springer? We decided that if we got another Berner, we really should get a larger car, so a smaller dog was easier, although one with similar colouring to Janey.  Oscar is now an old guy, hard of hearing and maybe of seeing, but still moves well, perhaps thanks to SierraSil®'s Leaps&Bounds™.

Pictured: Janey

As you might suppose, I like dogs. So I'm delighted that at SierraSil, our second generation of canine product (the first was too chalky to be tasty for dogs) has been a joy saver for hundreds of dogs.  A few amazing testimonials follow below and the CEO of a regulatory organization shared with me that the our Leaps&Bounds was, in his experience with rescue Akitas, definitively the most effective product for dogs with sore joints.

SierraSil is introducing a second Leaps&Bounds flavour for Canada and we will explore options for our American customers.  We do take pride in having quality natural ingredients, sourced primarily from the US and Canada, and produced here (including the packaging materials). We also take pride that our retail price is considerably more affordable than competing products and comes with a satisfaction guarantee.  I do hope that you will let us know how your canine pal has done with Leaps&Bounds.

Finally, I just want to share how sad I am for the communities that have been victimized by wildfire this summer.  We have so many friends and customers in some of these areas, particularly Kelowna, the extended Okanagan Valley and the Shuswap region. Our hearts with you and a special thanks to all the fire fighters.

Michael

A few Leaps & Bounds testimonials

• Alex in Yakima, WA: My experience is genuine. For years I have tried dozens of different joint products for my two dogs, from OTC to prescription, but your SierraSil® formula is the only one that we've seen meaningful results with. Very happy to hear that many others have shared my experience with Leaps and Bounds as well.  I believe you are building towards something special, a solution that can fundamentally shift the way pet parents and veterinarians discuss and manage joint health in dogs.

• Judy in Vancouver, BC: My 9 year old dog had arthritis, limping, obviously in pain, stopped wanting long walks, could no longer climb up her stairs to bed. After a month on Leaps and Bounds, her walking was improved, and she was clearly in less pain. After two months she was bounding around like a puppy and runs up her stairs to bed. I've discontinued the injections she was getting from the Vet. Leaps and Bounds has been far more effective.

• Lauren in Napa, CA:  I have told many people about it and the wonders the treats (Leaps&Bounds) have done for Molly.  She was unable to jump into the car anymore, so I started giving her the treats because, well, they’re treats and she loves them.  Within a few days, I noticed an improvement in her walking.  After about a week or so, she was able to jump into the car again.  The ONLY thing that I changed was that I started giving her the treats. It is very uncommon for a supplement to help so drastically, but there really is nothing else that can explain it and I am truly thankful.  I would like to know if they come in larger sizes because they don’t last too long for her as she is 60lbs.  I am giving her 6-7 treats a day.  

• Sloan in Kelowna, BC: I have a miracle to share! I decided to give Benny 4 Leaps & Bounds that night & when he woke up he wasn't walking on it yet but pressing lightly.....so I gave him another 4! By that afternoon he was running and still continues to run!! WOW!! I want to shout this product on the rooftops!

• Courtney in San Francisco, CA: I can’t tell you the difference it makes for Sawyer—he is a new dog!!!  At almost 12 he is back to running, jumping and just has more energy.  If you see an uptick in sales from the SF area, it’s because I tell everyone I know about it!!