Roll Like a Puppy, Pounce Like a Cat
Years before CCNH even whiffed the grassroots of a certificate program in holistic care for companion animals, a retired engineer and business guru named Steven Tsengas was busily hunting rabbits and burying bones for a new Ohio-based company that now designs and markets hundreds of pet behavioral products.
To mark OurPet’s 10th anniversary and also the birth of our newest certificate program, Holistic Times caught up with CCNH graduate Steven Tsengas to sniff out the essence of mind/body care for our beloved pets.
This self-described chronic entrepreneur says he embarked on doctoral studies in natural health soon after unleashing his seventh company—and tails have been wagging ever since.
“OurPet’s ultimate customers are dogs, cats and birds, and our premise is that their elder years should be Golden Years. Americans tend to disenfranchise our animals by ‘retiring’ them when they still want to play and provide side-by-side companionship. Their natural animal instincts include a lifelong desire to hunt, play and sing. They have a keen sense of hearing and are very eager to please. When humans actively engage with our animals throughout the pet’s life, everybody benefits.”
The most fun part of his job, says Tsengas, is learning how to think like a dog or a cat in order to learn their highest motivations and more deeply appreciate the richness they bring to our lives.
“Our companion animals share an energetic, intuitive, organic connection with nature. Just as we teach them, they certainly teach us lessons in love. The oneness we can share with non-human creatures is an enrichment opportunity unlike any other. Within this care bond, both give and both receive. Healing our animals, we naturally heal a part of ourselves.”
Helping these loved ones stay physically active, mentally stimulated and emotionally secure should be as high a priority as giving them good food and fresh water, he adds.
OurPet’s very first design was a relatively primitive elevated feeding bowl for big dogs. Without having to crane their necks and suck against gravity, Flexo Feeders enable dogs to chew more thoroughly and retain more nutrients.
These days, the products are as sophisticated as a flavored throwing-stick that contains its own food reward, non-toxic flea and tick products, and a grand array of “puzzle feeders” that require pets to work for their food.
Dozens of his company’s proprietary projects are patented or trademarked, many more are patent-pending. While Tsengas often works with “freelance inventors,” his own voracious reading often helps inspire collaborative ideas and innovations.
Case in point: in dialogue with TCM and Ayurvedic doctors and herbalists, Tsengas says he has spent hundreds of hours studying insects’ nervous systems. “Through hyper hydration, in which the body absorbs ALL fluids, the elderly pet’s immune system can become just about as vulnerable to toxic pesticides as an insect’s. All-natural herbals support skin and coat, while physical exercise supports the immune system by enhancing circulation.”
Of course while pets share our physical space with all its mold, dust, artificial chemicals and other pollutants, they also share our emotional connections— for good or for bad. For Rex or Tiger’s mind/body companionship needs, OurPet’s offers a diverse line of stimulating and educational toys for dogs, cats and birds.
Whether you’ve gone down the street or left for vacation, interactive toys allow you to “talk with the animals” for hours on end. For example, if your parrot chatters at his Mirror Mate™ his efforts are rewarded when he hears an answer from his master’s voice. The sounds you record can be as personal as a song, with soft, reassuring whispers or a chirpy go-get-em tone. Dogs enjoy a “sound reward”—recorded by their humans—when they jump around and paw at their soft, plush toys. Cats can spend their days stalking a toy mouse that squeaks and plays hide and seek, keeping the felines mentally alert, physically fit, and pleasantly entertained for hours.
“The idea is to keep our animals alert, challenged and busy,” says Tsengas. “If you don’t want your pets’ agility, muscle strength and cognitive skills to Dr. Steve Tsengas, photo by David M. Baio “Their natural animal instincts include a lifelong desire to hunt, play and sing. They have a keen sense of hearing and are very eager to please. When humans actively engage with our animals throughout the pet’s life, everybody benefits.” atrophy because they just sleep all day, if you don’t want your dog to chew your shoes because of separation anxiety, or your cat to claw the couch out of boredom, interactive toys can happily engage our pets’ sense of play with the motivation of their master’s voice and the tangible reward of food.
Pet behavior specialists know that an adult dog’s attention span (and concept of memory) is similar to that of a toddler. Sadly, most animals brought to shelters aren’t strays; they were acquired as pets and “things just didn’t work out.” Up to one-third of canine deaths result from euthanasia in shelters. “Just as with idle teenagers with too much time on their hands, boredom can also lead our pets to big trouble.”
Conversely, “dog days” that are filled with activity and plenty of interaction create stronger and more positive ‘chemistry’ between humans and our beloved pets. Animals can easily intuit our tenderness toward them as well as our displeasure if they misbehave.
For humans and for pets, simply taking more time to eat is always a good thing. Puzzles for dogs require persistent exercise as the animal nudges and nibbles. Slowly eating a controlled amount of food also helps pets avoid regurgitation and is especially important in allowing older animals to properly assimilate essential nutrients. Cats get the benefits of hunting when they chase after a ball that rewards them with food treats—in carefully controlled amounts.
Of course, Fido and Fluffy need a cool drink in between feedings, and OurPet’s carries a line of automated filtered water dispensers that remove chlorine, heavy metals and suspended impurities as well as unpleasant tastes and odors from tap water. These filters meet the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) standard for water purification.
“There are substances in tap water that people can break down easier than small animals can,” he notes. “Processing these tap water impurities puts added strain on a pet’s liver and kidneys as well as the gastrointestinal tract, where tap water chemicals can disrupt the good bacteria population. Our product is an economical alternative to bottled water.”
OurPet’s unique products are available in all 50 states through a variety of major pet supply and discount stores. In addition, OurPet’s is a publicly owned company, listed with NASDAQ. Over the years, Tsengas’ contributions to holistic pet care continue reaping all kinds of “attaboys.” This natural inventor has been praised by the Akron, Ohio Pet Owners Hall of Fame, and given Cat Fancy magazine’s Best New Product of the Year Award.
Mary Grace McCord, with Krista Leamon, N.D.
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