"Meat" the Bandsaw by Mandy
/Cutting meat is one task out of the large ocean of tasks required to keep a race kennel running smoothly and happily. But it’s a fun one!! At least to this handler. The job has two goals: meat blocks used for dog breakfast and meat snacks for long runs.
Starting with a 50lb block of frozen beef, it gets cut down into five pieces. One piece will thaw inside for about 24 hours before hot water is added, creating meat soup that will be served for dog breakfast. How many buckets it takes to feed 45 dogs depends on the amount of mileage they are averaging. The higher the distance, the more meat soup they get. Currently, Ryno Kennel is at 30lbs per day!
Meat snacks are the extra fun ones to cut! They can come from the frozen 50lb beef/chicken blocks, whole salmon, bundles of smelt, and so forth. The blocks are more straightforward: cut into thin 1/2 inch strips that are breakable. Frozen whole fish are cut into slightly thicker length-wise strips. Don’t forgot to cut off the head and tail first!! The fish head can be used as a push block... meaning, it can push the fish against the blade when there’s not much left to cut (protects your fingers from the blade). The long strips are then cut in half or thirds for more manageable eating size.
At Ryno Kennel, we use a bandsaw machine to cut the meat. It’s set up outside under a Shelter Logic tent and runs off a generator. The tent is the same temperature as the outside air (cold), which is good because it keeps the frozen meat frozen. No one wants raw meat to start melting and clogging up the blade. Ew!
The meat snacks are stored in empty dog food bags while the meat blocks are stacked under a tarp. The entire setup (uncut and cut meat, bandsaw, and tent) is surrounded by a fence to keep the Assistant Coaches/ off-leash dogs from eating all the goodies. Don’t tell Ryne, but if Cartel sneaks in with me I always give her a bite of frozen meat before kicking her out. After all, it is hard work to be so cute!
