Thursday, January 13, 2011

They are what they eat

Shadow is just one bag away from graduating to adult dog food. Before choosing his newest culinary experience, however, I wanted to share a tool that was invaluable in choosing his current brand (Wellness Super5 Mix for large breed puppies).

For the first few months, we were feeding him something that sounded great but, upon further inspection, was providing him with almost no real meat. His digestion was iffy (I won't go into detail), but we weren't sure what to change.

Then I stumbled upon DogFoodAnalysis.com. The site breaks hundreds of brands down by ingredient, providing reviews and analysis. It's amazing how many of the big brands I found out are... well... neither very good nor very honest.

Dog owners can't completely control the health of their pets, but being diligent about what they eat is probably as close as any of us are going to get. So check it out. You might discover something critical.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

I Spy A Doggie

Maybe his color is closer to tree bark than silver?

Monday, January 3, 2011

I Call it Puppy Love

My husband would disagree, but this is how my overly active imagination saw the events of New Year's weekend in Maine:

Once upon a time, Shadow the Silver Labrador loved the freedom that came with visiting his extended family in Maine.
(Click here for more info about his first visit.)
The fresh mountain air and lack of artificial boundaries made Shadow feel alive and full of adventure.
But like many a bachelor, Shadow was happily following his instincts when the unexpected crossed his path.
In his case, the unexpected came in the form of a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Zula.
He didn't know what was happening, but suddenly Shadow was floating on air.
For three days, he and Zula played with each other,
looked out for each other,
and even began to look like each other.
Like all couples, they fought...
but they always made up.
Alas, as is so often the case with young love, the time came for the puppies to part ways.
But as Shadow was summoned to the car, he gave his Zula a final glance and a promise that he would return.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

A Snow Dog at Heart


Last weekend's blizzard wasn't the best for many humans, but Shadow was in heaven. Frolicking in the snow for barely an hour knocked him out for the rest of the afternoon, but he had a blast. Doesn't it look like he's in his natural habitat.