People Chow!

Introducing...

 

Now you'll never have to worry about cooking again!  Simply pour yourself a bowl of new complete and balanced People Chow, and enjoy!  People Chow has been formulated by top nutritionists and physicians to meet all the nutritional requirements your body needs!  Wholesome whole grains, sweet fruits, crunchy vegetables, dairy, and meat...mmm!  Plus added vitamins and minerals!  And it's all been baked into savory, convenient nuggets!  Want a little extra flavor?  Simply add a half cup warm water to one cup People Chow, let sit for five easy minutes, and watch as People Chow makes its own delicious gravy! 

People Chow!  You'll never need anything else!   

...

I hope you found that utterly disgusting.  I don't know about you, but the thought of eating a bowl of the same stuff every day, from a bag, with no fresh foods...well...it grosses me out to say the least.  And so what if it has been formulated by top nutritionists and physicians?  Science is constantly changing, learning, and growing.  There are things we thought were wonder products 50 years ago that we now know are carcinogens.  If you know anything about nutrition, you know that nutrients are best absorbed from whole, fresh foods, not processed junk preserved in a bag. 

Clearly, such an idea is preposterous, and would never take hold in society.  The doctors or nutritionists who formulated such garbage would be laughed out of their industry. 

So then why do we do it...to our pets?

I'll let you ponder that for a second.  Now I want you to think about your own animal, who probably eats the same thing, day after day, year after year.  And you wonder why dogs beg for scraps.  Luckily, there are alternative ways to feed your dog.  My method of choice is to feed my dogs a prey-model raw diet.  Dogs are descendants of wolves, and despite thousands of years of domestication, they are still just as much carnivores as their ancestors.  A quick look into your dog's (or cat's) mouth will reveal large dagger-like canines, sharp premolars, and carnassial teeth capable of shearing flesh from bone, and then crunching that bone into digestible bits.  Other less obvious research will show you that dogs (and cats) have a digestive system built for processing raw meat and bones.  A short intestinal tract, an undeveloped cecum, and the lack of production of certain enzymes such as amylase in their saliva are all huge red flags that should tell you, dogs are carnivores.  And because they are carnivores and because they have such short intestinal tracts, they can safely eat raw food without a significant risk of food poisoning because the food simply moves through the system faster than the bacteria has a chance to proliferate.  

I switched my own dogs over to the raw diet in February this past year.  I must say, it has truly worked wonders for my dogs.  Raw meat, meaty bones, and organs provide them with all the nutrition they need.  They get a variety: chicken, pork, beef, turkey; basically whatever I find for a reasonable price at the grocery store, they can eat.  I won't go into all the details here of correct amounts and weights and everything, but I will say there are plenty of great resources out there if you know where to look.  In my opinion some of the best resources are Dr. Tom Lonsdale's book Work Wonders (I also recently found a free PDF version of it here), his website as well, the Raw Feeding Yahoo! group, and this wonderful webpage that lists and provides references to disprove all the myths associated with feeding raw food. 

Do your research.  Examine your pets for what they are, not for what pet food companies have made them out to be.  Ditch the bag, and give your dog (and your self) some wholesome, fresh food.

So until next time...

For the Love of a Dog

The saying goes that dog is man's best friend.  Today I think that was certainly true.  A little after 7 p.m. today I had a knock on the door.  A look out of the peep hole showed a young guy in a T-shirt and shorts, looking normal and happy.  I answered the door, and he introduced himself as a neighbor from the apartment complex.  My dog Toby stood right by myself barking initially, and continuing to growl.  After his brief introduction the guy launched into this sales pitch about selling magazine subscriptions.  I told him right now was not a good time, but maybe he might have a flyer that I could contact him by; I asked what apartment number he lived in.  He said quickly that he was from a unit in Building A (which does not exist in my complex), and that maybe he'd stop by again next week.  He then hurried away.  My dog Toby stood right by my side, growling quietly, the entire time.

I had heard of scams like this before.  In fact in the few months before I moved I had heard of quite a few incidences.  I questioned the man about his apartment number not because I was really interested, but because I thought he might be lying about his residence here.  As it turns out I was right.  A quick call to 911 ensured that someone came out to the complex to make sure he had left the premises and was not bothering more tenants.  The problem is that these salesman have a history of becoming violent and attacking the people they're "selling" to.  Robbery, assault, rape, and murder have all been committed by so-called door-to-door salesmen. 

Living by myself like I do, it's a very scary thing to think about.  I'm so proud of and thankful for Toby, who knew that there was something about this guy that he didn't like.  He may be small, but he's got a big voice.  He might not be able to save me from an attacker, but I'm confident that he wouldn't stand by quietly.

So for anyone who's reading this right now, take a moment to appreciate your dog.  Maybe they haven't always been the best; I mean sure there's been carpet stains, chewed up shoes, and muddy paws.  But if your dog is anything like mine, he's loyal, he's loving, and he would put himself in harm's way to protect the people he loves.   

So until next time...thanks, Toby.