Scratch-and-sniff isn’t just for kids anymore

Did you ever use a scratch-and-sniff book as a child? They are a lot of fun! So fun in fact, that companies that manufacture cleaning supplies, candles and fragrances continue to use scratch-and-sniff samples in their advertisements for adults. A dog’s sense of smell overpowers ours by 10,000 to 100,000 times, so it would seem that a scratch-and-sniff book specifically for canines would make a lot of sense. That’s the basis for a new advertising campaign from pet food giant The Honest Kitchen.

It is hard to fathom what a sense of smell 10,000 times stronger than our own would be like. A dog-cognition researcher at Barnard College, Alexandra Horowitz, made a great analogy in her book Inside of a Dog. She writes that humans may be able to detect a spoonful of sugar added to their cup of coffee, but a dog could detect a spoonful of sugar added to a million gallons of water simply by smelling it. That’s two Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water.

With a sense of smell that strong, it’s a wonder that no company has created a smell-based product for dogs before this. The Honest Kitchen is known for their high-quality, healthy dog food.

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They distinguish themselves from their competitors by billing their dog food as human grade, meaning the products are good enough for human consumption. Now the company has partnered with ad agency Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners to launch Is That My Dinner?, a picture book about a puppy who is looking for a good meal.

The story follows a hopeful puppy, scratching and sniffing his way through a holiday party looking for a proper holiday dinner. As you read the book to your dog, you’ll be taken through an assortment of scratch-and-sniff scents that include peppermint candy canes and pumpkin pie.

This charming tale comes complete with two tasty samples of dog food from The Honest Kitchen (Love and Embark). It also comes with coupons that are redeemable in stores only.

On The Honest Kitchen’s website, you can find a list of stores near you that supply shoppers with a free copy of the book. Steve O’Connell, partner and executive creative director at Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners says:

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“We were looking for an interesting way to talk about how The Honest Kitchen’s pet food is made from human-grade whole foods, and we thought it would be fun to tell a story that owners and pets could actually enjoy together. A scratch-and-sniff book makes for the perfect vehicle – something for humans and canine friends alike.”

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Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners even brought canine sniff testers into to check out the first samples of the book. O’Connell says the dogs loved just about every smell in the book. They didn’t seem to be drawn to any smell in particular. He says that if the book is well received, the company would certainly consider making another one to explore a different holiday.

The release of Is That My Dinner? is being accompanied by a #HonestHolidayDinner campaign on social media. Pet parents who share a picture of their pets chowing down on a holiday meal via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram along with the campaign’s hashtag will have the chance to win a number of seasonal-themed prizes from The Honest Kitchen.

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I was kind of bummed to learn that there isn’t a participating pet store in my area that is giving out free copies of the book, but I do live in a very rural area in Maine so I can’t say that I’m surprised. If you’re in the same boat I am and you’d like a copy to share with your furry friend, you can also order a copy of the book on the company’s website for just $1.

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