Personally, I know you as a competitor, a hiker, but also as a business leader... Your dogs take up a big place in your life!
Tell us who Valérie Maumon is and all the hats you wear! (Mom, sportswoman, director of a company...)
I am a happy mum of 3 and married to Xavier, with a number of arrows to my bow. I created a club, I am president of SuperDog, of the Rhône Alpes Auvergne League, I am a municipal councilor in my town of Villard Bonnot, musher on mid-distance races and now pack leader at ELEMENT.vet that I founded in 2016.
What attracted you to this sport?
I have always had animals at home, dogs, cats, injured birds, etc. Besides animals, my 2nd passion is the mountains, this sport is the combination of my two passions, a sporting activity in a fabulous natural environment with my animals !! I like to share feelings with my team and have fun with them. And then there are meetings that mark and that make you want, I'm thinking of Isabelle Travadon from whom I bought my 1st working dog Storm, you, Guy etc.
Why did you want to compete?
I never asked myself the question, for me it's the logical path to any sporting activity, we start we train, we test ourselves! I also love the adrenaline of the starts, hearing the dogs howl, jumping and the ultimate moment when we weigh anchor and let go of the watts! We live very strong moments with our dogs of course but also with the other mushers, the handlers, the organization, the vets etc. Humanly it is very enriching! Last year the Lekkarod was a great moment of complicity and a great adventure.
What is your program this year?
It's a special year, I created my company a year ago and I need to be focused and available for its development. I will redo the classic races, the Lekkarod and the Vercors Quest, if Mother Nature wants to give us a little snow! And then if I can I will go to visit a good friend in Sweden in March!
The well-being of your dogs is one of your priorities, so you had the idea of creating a brand of phyto products for dogs, ELEMENT.vet. Why this choice of natural?
Yes their well-being is my well-being! I live with them 24 hours a day, they are often the first I see in the morning and the last before I go to bed. Caring about their well-being means thinking ahead about what we do with them, how we approach training, etc., and spending time with them to also know how to listen to them, understand them and adapt.
Why phyto?
I have always treated children with naturopathy and then dogs. They are very receptive to homeopathy and phyto. With dogs, we got into the habit, on the advice of my super veterinarian, Céline Vuillermoz, of giving such a supplement in prevention, in competition with another, etc. for years. Not being satisfied with what was on the market, I decided to launch a range completely designed for our working dogs, then the range evolved and is now aimed at dogs/cats. Each period of the year corresponds to a cure that can be given as a preventive measure to your animal (vitamins and zinc before the season, chondroprotectors during and after, an anti-stress supplement to prepare and manage competitions, a detox and probiotic) as well as a range of care products (pad repairing balm, massage gel and rehydration powder).
I am passionate about this adventure, the formulation, the contact with my partner veterinarians who resell our products, research, etc. What I really enjoy is meeting sport dogs that I don't know, discovering new worlds dogs (Agility, Field trial, herding dog, avalanche fire dogs) and to continue to help those who evolve in the disciplines that we know well, practiced within our federation.
Is it really effective?
And you what do you think? I have a section on my site called “you talk about it best”!! I receive many messages, to testify to the benefits of our products and the vets are fans, it's a good omen! And I have a small panel of testers at home!
How to use them?
We've formulated the supplements into breakable, liver-palatable pills, so they can be easily administered either as a treat or in kibble. The phyto is given as a cure for a minimum of one month.
The final word is for you: crush or rage, it's up to you!
Hard hard !! I hope I can continue to have fun with my dogs for a long time because they are the starting point of my whole life. I would also like to thank my loved ones (family and friends) who "support" my project bulimia, my hyperactivity, my high standards, my good character etc... I hope to continue to share moments of friendship with my friends even if some m are giving up this season!! I hope to learn again, progress with my dogs. Committed musher I dream of a united community that could come together around an event with Youkies, flying ears, etc. just to share and develop our sport.
Thank you for your time, and long life to Element.vet (as an Element.vet user for my dogs, I can only recommend this product line: tested and approved!)
Sandrine for the FFST
Find us on our website: ELEMENT.vet on our Facebook page .
