by Sandra Murphy

Dogs will enjoy a Seder meal, games and prizes at Nature’s Pet Market, Salem, Oregon, Sunday, April 13 from 1- 3 p.m.
Dogs and Seder? Dogs who keep Kosher? Of course. “When the Jews were slaves of the Egyptians, dogs patrolled and barked if anyone tried to escape,” says Rabbi Avrohom Perlstein, director for the Chabad Jewish Center in Salem. “The night of the Exodus, no dog barked. Allowing dogs to take part in a Seder meal and in Passover, is a reward they’ve earned.”

Each family has its own traditions, including the removal of all leavened products from the home prior to Passover. “It’s okay for your OCD to show itself. Even a crumb should be removed,” he says. “I think Passover was the origin of spring cleaning.” Families can pace themselves to run out of leavened goods before Passover begins, give food away or dispose of it. Some families opt to lock leavened foods in the pantry where it will be inaccessible.

Since many dog foods contain grains and Sparky needs to be fed, his food must be removed from the house. Sparky has to be fed elsewhere by a non-Jewish friend or neighbor. Some families board their dogs. While sharing food is part of any holiday celebration, don’t feed Sparky from the Seder table—the food is too rich and will cause stomach upsets or worse. So what can Sparky do to be part of the holiday without starving?

Evanger’s manufactures food that is endorsed by the Chicago Rabbinical Council as Kosher for Passover for pet food (not for human consumption). According to their website, they want to make feeding your pets simple and convenient during Passover. Products do not combine any meat with dairy products and are chometz-free. For a list of the foods for both dogs and cats, go to evangersdogfood.com/?p=kosher

“Our pets have always been part of our family celebrations, so it was important to us that we could provide other Jewish families a USA-made Kosher pet food,” says Holly Sher, President of Evanger’s.

Founded in 1935, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company is the only privately-held, family-owned and operated pet food cannery in the United States. Dedicated to improving the health, length, and quality of life of pets through wholesome, hand-packed nutrition, Evanger’s has never been involved in a recall, voluntary or mandatory, throughout its 78 year history. Made in the USA, in the kitchen of Evanger’s, each farm-fresh food ingredient is not only made and sourced in the United States, but also hand collected daily from human-grade USDA inspected facilities with 90% of the ingredients sourced within 50 miles of the Illinois plant, and used within 24 hours.

Rabbi Perlstein sees the Seder meal at Nature’s Pet Market as a way to educate the public about Kosher foods available for pets (both dogs and cats) and to let people know where they can meet for a Seder meal. “Jewish networking,” he says. “It allows the dog to stay with his family and be fed healthy food that follows the obligations of the holiday.”

At Nature’s Pet Market, the Seder meal won’t last long as dogs gobble up the food, but the fun and games will continue with a Lamb Bone Hunt and Find the Matza. Like the dogs in Egypt, Sparky’s earned his reward.

You can find more animal rescue, therapy animal, and other pet related articles in our pet section.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster.