I have not watched Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) in a while but this time I started watching late in the season.  I love the Osbournes and routed for Kelly the whole way.  Until I watched Donnie Osmond’s first dance on Monday night.  Well I fell in love.  He won, Kelly came in third.  I am happy and well I will see how it goes with Season 10…  Watch or not to watch that is the question!?

Went to see New Moon this past week-end…  Not impressed.  I loved the book it was my fave of all four I read it in one day at the cottage.  The movie just didn’t do it justice!  Jake all the way for me peeps!  Not contest in my mind!  Love me some werewolves! 

Have been skimming through blog roll here some really good blogs and writing you should do the same when you have some time.

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat if you haven’t got a penny a ha’penny will do if you haven’t got a ha’penny then god bless you!  Picture Miss Piggy and John Denver!  I love it.  Gotta break out the CD!!!!  I am so very excited, I am sure it is going to be a good year for us!  I have done most of the shopping only about two more to go! 

Work have been good nothing too much to report.  I for the first time actually enjoy coming to work. 

 Cell phone is busted.  Every timeJames calls it hangs up on him!  LOL!  I think it’s hilarious and it just really ticks him off!  Oh and I busted my Parking break in my car and with a manual trannie it ain’t a good thing!

 Love, happy to be in it! 

Was going to do a pic of the day but found this on YouTube instead!  And they say dogs are dumb!

Here’s a quick recipe too!  They have a new Budget wise section on Kraftfoods.com and a big Potluck section for Christmas and US thanksgiving coming!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chicken-parmesan-bundles-107338.aspx

So, I am going to the One of a Kind show with  my Mother-in-law and Grandmother this Sunday!  I have not been in years, should be fun! 

Along with the One of a Kind we used to go to the Sugar Plum Fair every year at Casa Loma, it was the National Ballet of Canada’s major fundraiser.  Kinda miss it.  We always got these chocolate and caramel covered apples from a place called Treemendous apples.  I don’t know if they still exist!

I am really very sad that  Eastwick has been cancelled it was really the only new show this season that I liked. 

Jon and Kate plus Eight signed off on Monday night!  I am really sad!  I am going to miss that show quite a bit.  STOOPIT  Jon.  Criminal Minds and Vampire Diaries have moved into my fave show category although I am really leaning towards Table for 12 as a replacement and in the end I still have 18 (soon to be 19) Kids and Counting! 

It’s kinda funny that this season I didn’t watch too much of the reality TV, I have not watched Survivor, missed a few of the Hell’s Kitchen, got board with ANTM to the point I PVR’d it and skipped to the end every week so I could just see who got kicked off!  I am getting back to the dramas except when it comes to TLC.  Oh who am  I fooling, still watching the Housewives and Tori and Dean.  Still watching Canada’s Worst Driver!  I love it!  My newly discovered Rescue Ink is GREAT too!

Had lunch with an old friend and her puppy last Friday!  It was nice!  This time of the year is always good to reconnect!  

I miss my best friend we don’t see nearly enough of each other.  Lives are too busy!

A shout of Sympathy to my long time friend MAB.  You have an angel watching down over you know.  Just know that Snoopy is with Tiny and Mowhawk now!  You will always have him in your memory! 

The loss of a loved and cherished pet is devastating especially when they are nearing their 20s.  Here is a website that helps with this…  http://www.pet-loss.net/index.shtml However you need to remember that you have to go through the stages or grief the same as you would with a Human being!  Don’t let anyone tell you any differently!  http://www.petloss.com/rainbowbridge.htm

Well that is me done!  Going to sign off now!  Have a good one!  I won’t leave it so long in between next time! 

I nearly fell off my chair when i found a website doing Beef Casserole Dog Food. This is the creme de la creme of dog food and it seems it is proving very popular indeed.

I contacted someone at the company supposedly making the ‘best dog food’, Burgess,  and they told me that the Beef Casserole dry dog food has been flying off the shelves! It seems dog owners really do want the best dog food for their pets, and in this case, there is nothing that can top Beef Casserole. It does sound tasty, i must admit.

So, anyway, i bought some and my dog absolutely loves it! The gravy granules can be heated up to give its consistency and it just smells divine.  My labrador ate it all and i dont think it even touched the sides!

So, for something completely different, give the Burgess Beef Casserole dog food a go – i reckon this is the best dog food out there.

Best Dog Food

You can buy this here: Best Dog Food

So you’ve got a new dog and you’re wondering what to feed him. There are two popular types of dog food – raw meat and commercial brands. Naturally, you want to make sure you get the best dog food for your pet, so it is useful to know which route to head down.

Firstly, remember that dogs are omnivores and therefore they require a certain level of meat and fibre in their diets. Every dog has its own nutritional requirements, and the vet will be able to advise about what is best for your pet.

If you choose to feed your dog a commercial based diet, it is very important to choose the best dog food around. Keep your eyes peeled for dog food that contains good quality ingredients like chicken and lamb. An important tip is to refrain from purchasing high grain foods as these will inevitably contain many preservatives.

Some pet owners avoid commercial products altogether and just feed their pets raw food. Typically, the raw food diet contains raw animal bones and offal, as well as eggs. People claim this works wonders for their pets, but this isn’t always the case with every dog, since every pet is different.

The Following Are Some Pros And Cons Of Both Diets:

Remember that people want their dog to be healthy so many trust in the ability of top dog food brands to create the perfect recipe for their pet. In comparison to the raw food diet, there are many reasons why the commercial food is more popular in the UK and the main one is due to ease of preparation, which the raw food diet can be difficult to source and prepare.

Proponents of commercial dog food say that as dogs are omnivores, it is only natural that they require the nutritional benefits of grains. They feel that people who feed raw food are depriving their dogs with essential nutrients.

In contrast to this, other pet owners believe that cooking dog food isn’t good for the immune system of the dog, but to be honest this isn’t a particularly shared view across the pond.

Those that feel that commercial food is the way to go, claim that there is no difference between cooking the animal’s food and cooking human food. All of the nutrients are still active in cooked food providing healthy meals for animals.

Whether you choose to feed your dog the raw meat diet or go commercial by choosing the best dog food brand, it is important to be educated on what a dog’s nutritional requirements are. Always seek veterinary advice if you’re unsure about which diet to choose.

Here’s a post for all you pet owners out there who live in or around or are considering the West Wash Park neighborhood your new home base.   To make things a bit easier for you to find the right service or store for your pets needs, I’ve gathered together a number of links or contact info (see below)  to many of the services available in the WWP neighborhood or very close vicinity.   From pet food to grooming to pet sitting services to veterinary care, etc.  you need it, the WWP or immediate vicinity has got it for your pet!  Here are the links and contact info for the pet services I found in close proximity to WWP:

BATHING SERVICES:

• Colorado Pet Fitters
• Heavenly Dog

GROOMING FACILITIES:

• Pet Wash Park- 303-777-7371  799 S. Pearl St.
• Heavenly Dog
• Kevin and Friends
• Gidget’s Grooming

PET SUPPLIES/FOOD

• Pet Wash Park- 303-777-7371
• Colorado Pet Fitters
• Whole Cat and Dogs Too! - 303-871-0443  1540 S. Pearl St.

BOARDING/DAYCARE FACILITIES:

• Dog-Topia
• City Bark

PET WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES:

• Pet Scoop Services
• Pet Butler

VETERINARIANS:

• Washington Park Veterinary Clinic
• Denver Animal Hospital

PET SITTING/ WALKING SERVICES:

• Life’s Ruff Pet Sitting
• Fitter Critter – 303-744-0831

Please email me or post a comment if there is a shop or service for pets in or close to the West Wash Park neighborhood that you feel I should add to this list.

Kirk Hartshorn  720-244-5454  RIDE ON!

www.perryandco.com       www.khartshorn@perryandco.com

Photographs by Don Ipock for The New York Times

DONATION Gloria Harris, a manager at the pet food pantry at Spay and Neuter Kansas City. More Photos >

• By CARLA BARANAUCKAS

Published: November 11, 2009

ANIMAL shelters have reported a steep rise in the number of cats and dogs being surrendered as owners face unemployment, home foreclosures, evictions and other financial hardships. But animal welfare groups and even churches are stepping up with bags of kibble and containers of cat litter to help owners keep their pets and to prevent more from being sent to shelters, and sometimes death.

Slide Show

Pet Food Pantry

No national network coordinates pet food assistance. Instead, efforts have sprung up at a grass-roots level as individuals and groups have recognized the problem. The means of offering aid to pet owners varies with each organization. The Humane Society of the United States keeps a long list of programs on its Web site headlined “Having Trouble Affording Your Pet?” And the society acknowledges that there are probably many more programs the organization is not aware of.

The Tree House Humane Society in Chicago, which focuses on cats, has provided food assistance for more than 30 years, said Ollie Davidson, the society’s programs manager.

The society, which also provides food for dogs, has seen demand almost double over the last year, giving out more than 44,000 pounds of pet food this year, Mr. Davidson said. About 20 percent of the food distributed was for dogs and about 80 percent for cats. If current trends continue, the organization expects the number of those receiving pet food assistance to grow to 200 next year, from 157.

“Most of our food is coming from donations of people,” Mr. Davidson said, but with the sharp increase in demand the organization is applying for grants to help cover the costs.

Mr. Davidson said the grant applications emphasize that the food aid program is about much more than feeding hungry animals. “We’re helping people,” he said. “In times of stress, it’s always good to keep people with their pets.”

Jennifer Fulton, president of the Northland Pet Food Pantry in Kansas City, Mo., said the demand was huge. “We started giving out food in May of this year, and the response has been incredible,” she said. “We had people feeding their pets before they were feeding themselves.” But now 155 families with pets are being helped.

PAWS Chicago, a no-kill animal shelter, started a crisis-care program and a food bank last year, “when we saw the whole real estate thing happening and people were losing their homes,” said Paula Fasseas, who founded the organization in 1997. The organization provides temporary foster care for pet owners who are struggling because of the economy. In addition, the shelter has worked with the Petco Foundation, providing dog or cat food and litter for up to three months, said Rochelle Michalek, executive director of the shelter.

Sandra Jauga, a maintenance worker in Chicago who said she had been out of work since falling off a ladder this year, turned to PAWS Chicago for help when her workers’ compensation claim was denied. Ms. Jauga, a single mother of four, said Roxy, her beagle-pit bull, would not be able to eat without the aid. “I’m really grateful for the help,” she said. “If you have to get rid of the dog, what’s going to happen with the dog? Where is it going to go?”

With a mission of making Chicago a no-kill city, the shelter visits Chicago’s animal pounds regularly to rescue animals that have not been reclaimed or adopted. By providing pet food to people facing financial hardship, the organization is trying to keep more animals from being surrendered to the pounds.

For its part, the Petco Foundation has been involved with pet-food banks since it began in 1999, said Paul Jolly, the executive director. “We have always been involved in the food bank concept simply because it keeps people with their animals.”

Mr. Jolly said that Hurricane Katrina was a drastic lesson for the country about how strong the bond between people and their pets can be. “Katrina pointed out that pets are part of the family, too,” he said.

The Petco Foundation, based in San Diego, has partnerships for pet-food assistance with about 75 organizations across the country. In January, the foundation is introducing a program with Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity whose members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year.

Under the program, “We Are Families Too,” 750 Petco stores will have bins where customers can donate pet food, Mr. Jolly said. In addition, the foundation will supplement the donations with food from Petco and other vendors. Distributors will often donate food approaching its expiration date.

Help is also available from tiny, grass-roots organizations in smaller towns.

The Young at Heart pet rescue of Palatine, Ill., which focuses on finding homes for cats and dogs over age 5, established Nina’s Pet Food Pantry with a donation from Steve and Laurie Weiner of Buffalo Grove, Ill., in memory of their Portuguese water dog, Nina. The pantry collects donated kibble from individuals and pet-food distributors, mixes the various brands and types of food and repackages it in plastic zip-top bags for distribution at two human food banks, said Karen Ortolano, a spokeswoman for the organization. (Combining the food assures a uniform quality and makes it easier for the animal to make the transition to what the group calls its “rescue mix.”)

After Nina died about a year ago, Mr. Weiner said he could understand the pain of separating from a family pet. “I’m thrilled that dozens of pets don’t know how close they came to having their lives changed,” he said, adding that a relationship with a pet is a 24/7 commitment for the life of the pet. “You don’t move away from them or they don’t go off to college,” he said. His family continues to help with the pantry program, staying involved in the rebagging of the food. “Just last week I was knee-deep in pet food with latex gloves on, sifting and sorting,” he said.

Some of the food-pantry programs encourage or even require pet owners to spay or neuter their pets. Spay and Neuter Kansas City is one group that makes pet altering a requirement. Gloria Harris, pet outreach program manager, said the organization provides low-cost spaying and neutering services for low-income pet owners. If there is not enough money to feed a pet, there probably is not enough for a litter of puppies or kittens, she said.

In October, the organization held its “doggy food raiser,” collecting 12,000 pounds of the 20,000 pounds of food it will distribute this year, Ms. Harris said.

Part of the campaign was tied to the Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles National Football League game this season. Fans were asked to pledge a bag of dog food every time the Chiefs sacked Philadelphia’s quarterback, Michael Vick. Although the quarterback was sacked only once, 500 pounds of food was collected.

But the pet-food banks are not simply the work of animal welfare groups. Northeast Community Lutheran Church in the urban core of Minneapolis serves about 300 people a month at its Little Kitchen Food Shelf, according to its Web site. But the church, which also provides vaccines for companion animals, found that people struggling financially also needed food for their pets. Now people are also offered food for their pets.

“We know that pets being dropped off at humane societies tend to be on the rise in this current economy, so its obvious that pets are suffering,” said the Rev. Craig Pederson, the pastor.

Jennifer Schultz, coordinator of the Little Kitchen, said she knew the demand was great because the church had received calls from people who live in the suburbs and needed help feeding pets.

Dwayne Pough, a Chicago cook who has been out of work for several months, said help from PAWS Chicago made a big difference for his American Staffordshire, Malachi. “Man, it was crucial because he’s a big dog and he eats a lot,” Mr. Pough said. “I get food stamps, and you can’t buy dog food with food stamps. Actually, I was down to my last bag with maybe two more feedings when they came through. It was a life-saver, really.”

Posted: Just One More Pet

Related:

Is Your Pet a Voiceless Victim of the Tanking Economy?

Adopt Just One More Pet… MV Shelter Reduces Cat and Kitten Adoption Fees …

Where there is a will…

Homeless With Pets… Choosing Pets Over Shelter

Serving Valley animal lovers for more than 50 years, Red Barn’s staff bring their hands-on experience to you. No one works on commission! If you have questions just ask and we’ll help you find the best product for you and your pets.

If you don’t have time, let Red Barn deliver your animal food and products to your door!

Not only can you use your Scooble coupons here, but visit their website for a $5 off coupon. Red Barn remains a leader in low prices!

Another way to save is with their weekly shot clinics. Check online or call the store near you for the schedule and more information.

With the most complete feed and pet product selection, come out and visit Red Barn today!

Locations:
Red Barn Feed and Saddlery
18601 Oxnard Street
Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 345-2510
Hours M-F: 9-6 Sat: 9-5 Sun: 11-4

Red Barn Feed Too
8393 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
West Hills, CA 91304
(818) 887-7388
Hours M-F: 10-8 Sat: 10-6 Sun: 10-5

Red Barn Feed Also
10142 Balboa Blvd.
Granada Hills, CA 91343
(818) 832-0110
Hours M-F: 10-8 Sat: 10-6 Sun: 10-5

Website: http://www.redbarnfeed.net/
Email: redbarnfeed@sbcglobal.net

Do you know how to keep your pet healthy, heal your pet naturally at home, and help your dog (or cat) live longer?

Dr. Andrew Jones will be revealing some of his veterinary secrets, while at the same time releasing his Complete Home Study Multimedia Course Version2.1, and I’m inviting you to a free VIP teleseminar training call that he will be conducting this Thursday. In addition to all of this, you’ll find out how to heal your pet at home with his top natural remedies.

Date: Thursday Nov 19 at 6PM Pacific ( 9PM Eastern)

Click HERE to register!

On this 90-min. teleseminar, you’ll discover not only how to treat your pet at home, you will also learn . . .

• Natural alternatives for Heartworm prevention.
• What you can give for flea and ticks that won’t harm your dog or cat.
• The TRUTH behind vaccines — how to avoid the disastrous side effects, and the exact vaccine regimen Dr. Jones advises for your dog or cat.
• The TOP ways to prevent disease. This is must-know material if your pet is to stay healthy and live a long and fulfilled life.
• The best diets for your pet.  Dr. Jones can show you what to feed, how to choose a quality pet food, which  supplements to give, and the safe treats to use.

There are only 500 lines available, so register early to claim your spot.

Please remember to print out the Study Guide available to you after you register for the teleseminar.

The seminar will take 90 minutes out of your day (Thurs, Nov 19th), but what you’ll learn may make a BIG difference in the health of your dog or cat.

Dr. Jones has also put up a new video on his blog. It’s a small clip from his workshop in which pet owners were shown how to use his natural healing techniques. You can see that HERE.

Dr. Jones also has a new report available for free. Dr Jones’ TOP 10 Veterinary Secrets for Keeping Your Pet Healthy, Healing Your Pet At Home, and Helping Your Dog or Cat Live Longer

Bomguy papinha canina

A Bomguy apresenta essa novidade. “Baby Food” consiste em uma “papinha para nenês” caninos. Promete ser uma solução para o desmame dos animais com uma boa suplementação nutricional.

Aqui em casa tenho cinco cães (de todos os tamanhos, pesos, raças e idades), quatro gatos (uma mãe e três filhotes com um mês de vida) e um papagaio.

Posso dizer que o alimento não agradou, nem aos bebezinhos pets, caninos ou felinos, nem aos maiores e mais esfomeados. Nenhum dos animais quis comer a tal papinha, por mais que insistísse-mos.

Aliás, houve apenas uma excessão…apenas quem gostou do conteúdo inovador foi o Papagaio, comeu bastante (umas duas colheres de sopa). A consistência é a de um pudim de leite moça, mas o cheiro é ruim. Pena também o tempo de conservação ser pouco, apesar da excelente embalagem com tampinha plástica.

Quem sabe o seu Pet não tenha mais sorte do que os meus?!

I saw an article the other day in the Star Tribune that featured the Thousand Hills Cattle Co., which sells its locally grown, grass-fed beef to my school’s cafeteria. Naturally, I was interested. But the story wasn’t quite what I expected. Apparently, along with selling grass-fed beef to humans, Thousand Hills has started producing and selling dog food.

Are we spoiling our pets?

Yes, dog food. The product is a blend of grass-fed raw beef and sprouted grains, plus vitamins and minerals. This concoction is supposedly healthier for your dog — since raw meat is what they evolved to eat — and is supposed to keep down veterinary bills in the long term. But at $5 a pound in some stores, this dog food isn’t exactly cheap when compared to standard Purina brand dog food, which costs between $1 and $2 per pound.

Now I want to make it clear: I love dogs. I love most animals, for that matter. And I greatly admire the Thousand Hills Cattle Co. for their amazing efforts to produce beef in a sustainable fashion. But I question whether such a specialized farm should be spending time, effort, and money on creating pet food.

From 1994 to 2004, the amount of money Americans spent on pet food rose from $17 billion to $34.2 billion, according to 2006 article from CNN. (Also check out this website for “Pet Bistro”: They specialize in organic, gourmet “pet cuisine.”) Instead of spending that money on pet food, consumers could have supported local and organic food markets for humans. But consumers chose to buy massive quantities of pet food while supporting cheap, processed food for themselves — inevitably unhealthier for them and the planet, as journalist Michael Pollan has argued — leaving the harmful practices of industrial agriculture to continue at will.

I don’t think that we should let our pets starve. And I think that we have the right to worry about what we put in our pets’ bodies. But I do believe that maybe we should think twice about spending our money on pricey pet food, and what it is actually benefiting — especially now that companies like the Thousand Hills Cattle Co. have entered the game, throwing a whole new loop in the justice of the food market. Just think: How many human mouths could that extra money feed?

Let me know what you think. Should Americans be lavishing their pets with such luxuries? What is your pet worth?

The UK’s first Halal cat food has been developed by GA partners for Halal Pet Products Ltd. The pet food, called “Muezza pure” which is based on Halal chicken, is due to be launched later this month.

There has been a severe lack of Halal pet food on the market and until now, there has been no specific Halal food for cats.  “Meuzza pure is a result of extensive research with muslim pet owners” said Musa Bhayat, of Halal Pet Products. “aproximatly 30% of Muslims own own cats and feeding a halal cat food prevents any cross contamination within the home and feeding ensures that a cats saliva  is clean and free from haram foodstuffs.

Luxury Pet Department has been selling designer dog beds online since 2006. We will be selling Halal cat food online from early 2010.

Animals Like People Benefit From Live Foods

Veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker, dispels the long-held myth that “table food” is bad for your pets.

Human, edible foods can be very healthy for your pets. Throw away the concept of “cat” food and “dog” food, and just think “food” — food that grows in the ground or comes from animal products.

A whole generation of pet owners is afraid to feed anything but over processed rendered food to their pets. But there’s no way you can create abundant health in an animal by providing only the minimum nutrients it needs for survival. Dogs and cats have a living food requirement, just like you do.

The food you feed your pet should be biologically suited to meet your dog’s or cat’s needs. Dog and cat chow may be nutritionally “complete,” but it is akin to your drinking a meal replacement shake three times a day for the rest of your life … or giving them to your kids in lieu of fresh foods.

Yet, many veterinarians will often recommend you feed your pets kibble or canned food for the rest of their lives. Some will go so far as to say that feeding your pet anything that doesn’t come from a bag or can will be harming your pet!

This is a paradigm problem, and one that can be very confusing for pet owners.

In reality, there’s no way you can give your pet the food it needs to thrive if you do not feed it a biologically appropriate diet that includes a variety of fresh foods.

In fact, a growing number of holistic-minded veterinarians state that processed pet food (kibbled and canned food) is the number one cause of illness and premature death in modern dogs and cats.

So how did conventional veterinary nutrition positions get so skewed?

Well, major dog and cat food manufacturers provide much of the veterinary nutrition information to veterinary students. It becomes engrained in many new vets’ minds that it’s wrong to feed pets “living” fresh foods.

This is a myth!

Your Pets Need Living Foods

Veterinarians tell you to never offer living foods to your pet. But your pets need living foods on a consistent basis to achieve optimal health.

So, yes, you can and should offer your pets some of the very same foods that you enjoy. And since those foods are at a much higher grade nutritionally than typical dog or cat foods, they may be the healthiest foods your pets have ever consumed.

As you know, I recommend you feed your dogs and cats an all raw, nutritionally balanced living food diet. In my opinion, the only viable excuse to not to feed your pets a species appropriate diet is cost. Feeding raw food cost more than dry food .However, raw fed animals have fewer health problems, which mean lower vet bills over a lifetime. If you cannot afford to feed your pet an all raw diet, don’t deny your pet’s access to living foods throughout the day, in the form of treats. Remember, treats (even really healthy treats) should not constitute more than 15 percent of your pet’s daily food intake.

Berries are one of the best treats you can offer. Bite size and packed with antioxidants. Many cats enjoy zucchini and cantaloupe. . My favorite training treats for dogs include peas, raw nuts (remember, the only nuts you should never feed your pets are macadamia nuts).

A salad without dressing, but with plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, is also good for your cats — your pets are chewing on your houseplants for a reason, after all.

Avoid giving your carnivorous companions biologically inappropriate foods, including grains, such as oats, soy, millet, , wheat, or rice. Dogs and cats do not have a carbohydrate requirement and feeding your pets these pro-inflammatory foods creates unnecessary metabolic roadblocks to health.

Furthermore, there are certainly some foods that are toxic to feed to dogs and cats such as grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts and onions. Never feed your pets these foods.

The Optimal Choice to Feed Your Pets

I highly recommend you give your dog or cat an opportunity to experience living raw foods like fruits and veggies as treats, and feed them a biologically appropriate, balanced raw diet the rest of the time.

Remember, your pet is resilient and can eat a variety of suboptimal, metabolically stressful foods on occasion and be fine, but because it’s my goal to provide a diet that most closely fits your companion’s biological requirements, I don’t recommend a lifetime of kibble or other “dead” over-processed food.

The goal is to provide a diet that mimics your pet’s biological nutritional requirements as closely as possible … in this case it means rethinking the “lifetime of dry food” or “canned food” theory.

If you are unable or unwilling to feed your pet a species-appropriate, nutritionally balanced, raw food diet, then I strongly recommend you compromise with the next best choice: USDA-approved canned foods (and supplement with raw)

My last choice would be a dry food (kibble), made from human-grade ingredients with little to no grains, and LOTS OF WATER.

But no matter which option you choose, remember that you can treat your dog and cat to berries, leafy greens, raw nuts and many other fresh fruits, veggies and meats on a regular basis.

I hope this insight will help you feel more confident offering foods and treats to your pets that are unadulterated and fresh. They deserve the same benefit of living foods that you get, and there’s no better way to start than by sharing some of these raw healthy foods with your dog or cat today.

We have always cooked for our pets, so always find it amazing, if not horrifying, that there really are pets who never get live food and who are doomed to eat the same dry food every day and that there really are pet owners who think that would be okay!!  This myth created by the pet food industry and perpetuated by pet stores who just want to sell animals, regardless of whether the potential purchasers should be pet parents and then accepted by the “ME” generation, is another one of those practices like keeping your pets in a crate all day or all night, or shock collars, electric fences and collars with spikes etc that defy all common sense and really fall into a category of pet abuse or neglect, perhaps pet abuse light… but unacceptable pet parenting to be sure!!

Would you want to eat the same packaged food everyday?  Would you want to be locked in a cage all day or all night?  Would you want to have to wait to go to the bathroom all night or most of the day, until some lets you out and says it is okay?  Would you want to receive an electric shock when you tried to talk or walk across a boundary area… or have spikes dig into you?  Would you do these things to your kids?

When making decisions for your fur-babies, you should ask yourself, “Would I want to be treated this way?  And would I make these choices for my human children?”, and then act accordingly!!  As Dr. Laura would say… Use common sense and compassion and “then go do the right thing!”.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Related:

Beef Verses Bison for Dogs

Teach Dogs Impulse Control – Not Just Submission

Excessive Barking A Common Behavior Problem

Dog Training – Train Your Dog From Barking

Dogs Left Home Alone – With Anxiety

Crate “Training” – Blessing or Abuse

Our 2-Year-Old German Shepherd Has Started Biting

Company Will Start Building “the World’s Most Pet Friendly House(s)” – But Here Are Some Hints For All Pet Parents

Dogs Left Home Alone – With Anxiety

Crate “Training” – Blessing or Abuse

How Safe Is Invisible Fencing?

Shock Collars, Crate Training, And Needing to Control

Pet Parties – The Latest Craze

This morning, the West Coast’s largest open call for bulldogs took place in Los Angeles, Natural Balance Pet Foods claims. They were looking for a bulldog with a special talent: snowboarding.

Tillman, the Guinness Book of World Records-acknowledged fastest skateboarding dog, will display his talents at the Tournament of Roses Parade, which will be held Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif.

The best bulldogs from today’s talent search will be trained and two will snowboard on the world’s longest float (112 feet), featuring a snow-covered ramp, with Tillman.

Here’s video of Tillman doing his thing:

Lets start with a few pics of my favourite dog ever!

And move onto some useful and funny websites!

Dear Labby the blog for Pet Sitters

Ask Dear Labby! Funny!

Now some dog related items…  I am so getting this!!!!

Some quotes that were never more true!

Here are top ten animated (cartoon) dogs

How to draw a dog

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If you have a new dog and you’re spending your time working out which dog food suppliers to buy from, it is important that you make the right decision for the sake of your pet’s health. You will always want the best food for your pet, but this also has to fall into your dog food budget. Also remember that some dog food suppliers don’t always make the food for the dog’s benefit. Take a look at the advice below for deciding between dog food suppliers.

1) Pet Love – check that the dog food supplier cares about dogs as much as you do, as this means they will put more care and attention into the food they make. Anyone involved with making dog food should have a passion for animals. Unfortunately, there are some brands out there that are just in it for making money, but these are few and far between. Generally, the dog food is wholesome, packed full of nutrients and really tasty.

2) Pushing The Boundaries – look for the dog food suppliers that push the boundaries and keep producing an innovative product range. A brand that introduces new and exciting products to their range shows that they are successful and want the best for the dogs in this world.

3) Buy In Bulk – Buy in bulk and get a good price from the best dog food supplier. Pets can be choosy just like humans though, so always test products out on your pets with the suppliers who offer free samples. Remember, chopping and changing your dog’s pet food is not advisable, so a few samples is a good idea to start off with.

In order to sift out the good dog food suppliers from the bad, professionalism is important. Also, something so simple as a website should give a good indication to what the brand is like before you buy, so do some thorough research.