A Message from Joanne Fraser
"I was so impressed with the quality and convenience of CANINE LIFE that in 2004 I began producing it in British Columbia, Canada, under the name WEST COAST CANINE LIFE ®. We blend and distribute our product throughout Western Canada and the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. We also ship to customers in the UK, Europe, and Australia".
"With many years of thought and testing already gone into creating such a balanced and nutritious food, one can be assured that all of the high quality ingredients will continue to be human quality, Kosher and organic. As the owner of the company, I work closely with a local family owned and operated facility, here on Vancouver Island, BC to produce our Pre-Mixes and ready to serve muffins.
When I was baking for two large dogs, it would take me approximately 3 hours once a month to bake up a one-month's supply of muffins. I then freeze all of them, and take out a four day supply, which I leave it in the fridge. To serve, simply crumble the muffins into your dog’s bowl, and add a little water.
Joanne's Story
Joanne lives on Vancouver Island, in Yellow Point, BC with her husband Bill and their beloved dog "Stella" Joanne was given her first dog "Ralph" in 1969. He was a small mixed breed who was plagued with skin problems and allergies until Joanne was introduced to an "old school" British Veterinarian. He suggested a home cooked diet consisting of fresh cooked meat, vegetables, brown rice and herbs. It was the first time in this little dog’s life that his skin problems and allergies were significantly reduced. This led Joanne to believe that the ingredients, processing, and additives in the commercial pet food her dog had been fed in the past, had significantly compromised his health and quality of life.
For over 40 years Joanne has loved and owned many Golden Retrievers and in 2011 her first rescue dog "Stella" came into her life. Although she has fed various types of diets to her dogs, including home cooked, commercial brands and raw, she always came back to the whole foods, home cooked approach, as it promoted health and longevity in her dogs. Joanne believes that West Coast Canine Life is a perfectly balanced, whole foods diet that is ideal for most dogs.
"Creating a balanced, home cooked diet from scratch is a big commitment. Before West Coast Canine Life, I never knew whether I was meeting all of my dog's nutritional requirements. You can be assured when feeding West Coast Canine Life that your dog is getting a balanced, whole fresh foods, cooked diet that meets the daily nutritional requirements established by the National Research Council.
"With ongoing pet food recalls and concerns around what really goes into our dogs' food, why wouldn't we find the time to create a whole foods, fresh cooked diet for our own dogs?"
"Maya" and "Abbey", founding Goldens and
original head tasters of West Coast Canine Life
Joanne with
"Stella", and " Maya"
Eco Entrepreneur Award
Congratulations to Joanne Fraser, owner and president of West Coast Canine Life, and winner of the first
women's "Eco Entrepreneur of the Year award in Victoria, BC, Canada on Sept 25, 2008.
Local Women Making a Difference
Eco-Entrepreneur: Joanne Fraser
(Taken in part from the article published on Sep 24, 2008 in the special edition of Saanich News by Black Press, Victoria, BC )
Photo of Joanne and her two Golden Retriever girls Maya and Abbey, courtesy of Don Denton, Vic News.
Congratulations to Joanne Fraser, owner and president of West Coast Canine Life, and winner of the first women's "Eco Entrepreneur of the Year" award in Victoria, BC, Canada.
Boasting a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Joanne Fraser has turned a love of animals and an interest in a holistic approach to their well-being into a thriving business.
"One out of every three dogs, whether pure breed or mixed breed, will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives," says Joanne's mentor, who recommended her for the first Eco Entrepreneur of the Year award. With this in mind, Fraser, who had long fed her own dogs a fresh, non-processed diet, committed "to reach out to pet owners and provide them with a whole foods organic diet that helps support dog's health and longevity".
Fraser explains how the Canine Life recipe was developed over a decade ago, using the National Research Council's daily nutritional requirements for dogs as a base, and combining principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs and homeopathy, to create a unique whole foods diet for dogs. "The recipe was gifted to me, and in exchange a percentage of the proceeds of all West Coast Canine life products is donated to the University of Guelph's Smiling Blue Skies ® Cancer Fund" Fraser says, noting that "diet plays a significant role in our pets' health, and feeding a whole foods, fresh-cooked diet is one positive step we can take towards good health and longevity for our animal companions."
In turn, Fraser is also supporting other local farmers, an Island butcher, and a certified organic and Kosher granary.
During her 20 years experience in the human services field, Fraser founded a support group for parents of children with congenital heart disease, co-founded the Pacific Children's Heart Network through BC Children's Hospital, as well as a support group for parents adopting children from outside North America. These types of experiences have been invaluable in her current work, as is the support of her husband, Bill, she says.
When Joanne sells a West Coast Canine Life Support product to a client, a special journey begins, because lifetime daily support is provided to every person purchasing products from her company. Joanne works closely with clients whose dogs have been diagnosed with chronic and acute illnesses, including allergies, gastrointestinal problems, liver and kidney disease, heart disease and, sadly, but most of all, cancer. Joanne consults experts in a variety of complementary health fields in order to provide the most comprehensive diet plan possible for her special needs clients, and it is interesting to note that most of Joanne's holistic healing practitioners include West Coast Canine Life in their own personal feeding programmes.
Joanne and "Ralph" the first dog Joanne home cooked for, which began in 1969.
A Fresh Whole Foods Diet
for Your Dog's Optimum Health
