Feeding the dogs healthy foods

Sleeping peacefully, a faint sound enters my dream; “Argh.” I wake slightly, roll onto my side then briefly re-enter the dream of security guards chasing me crossing the ninth green at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course wearing nothing but boxer-briefs, waving a sand wedge above my head screaming, “God Save the Queen.”

“Arrrrrrrgh, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!” Now fully awake, I shake my head then laugh slightly at the fantasy played out in my sleep. “Arrrrrgh, squeeeeek, ruff, arrrrrrrrrrrgh,”

“Shhhhhh,” I whisper to the dogs as I throw back the quilt from my bed, put on my slippers and glasses then unlock the gate to the dog kennel. Scout and Scarlett run across the room, sit and wait for my numb and sleepy body to open the door then run to the yard.

“What time is it,” my wife asks in her slumber as I peek at my cellphone. “5:15,” I announce then drag my weary soul to the kitchen. The dogs wait for me at the door then sit as I approach, waiting for entrance back into the house.

Now it is time to eat. As I open the door, Scout runs to the kitchen then sits and drools as Scarlett happily accepts back scratches and snuggles as we walk to the refrigerator — Scarlett wants out of the kennel for love, Scout for food.

Now it’s time for me to get to work. Our dogs are not fed a diet of kibble or dog food but are fed a natural diet of whole foods. When my wife approached me with the idea of preparing food from scratch daily for our dogs I thought, this is crazy! Now I am a believer.

Our refrigerator is full of brown rice, blueberries, cooked yams, quinoa, organic peanut butter, Greek yogurt, free-range eggs, roasted chicken and pork shoulder, sardines and salmon. Egg-shells are dried and ground into a powder and sunflower seeds are in the pantry ready to sprinkle over the meal.

Both dogs lay prone on the tile floor patiently watching as I drag groceries from the pantry and icebox. Sardines, yogurt, cantaloupe, blueberries, peanut butter and a banana are added to each bowl and egg-shell powder is sprinkled over the meal.

I ask the dogs to sit and they obey. I place a bowl under each pup’s nose then release them to eat. Both dogs eagerly engulf each meal then head outside to play, sniff and digest their breakfast.

Before undertaking the task of feeding our dogs whole-foods, my wife researched the benefits and downfalls of a natural diet. The positives outweigh the negatives. The greatest positive is our dogs are healthy — their teeth are brilliantly white, they seldom fart, their coats are shiny and soft and their bodies are muscular.

A few downfalls include cost and time. Cooking rice, cutting cantaloupe, drying and grinding eggshells and making stock to flavor the rice all take time and cost more than traditional dog food.

One benefit that outweighs all negatives — the dog food can be consumed by the maker of the food. Having seasoned brown rice, roasted chicken and fresh peas in the refrigerator supplies the ingredients for a quick and tasty stir fry when sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar are added to the wok.

Yams salted then cut into fries and baked on high heat create a nutritional side-dish addition for a black bean or bison burger. Try to make a delicious meal out of Purina Dog Chow — not sure the result will be the same.

Do your research. “Feed Your Best Friend Better,” “The Dog-Gone Good Cookbook” and “The Healthy Hound Cookbook,” are good resources to start your journey into healthy, homemade dog food.

It is important to know what is unhealthy for your hound. Fruit seeds, chocolate, grapes, onions and garlic, avocado and the skin of most fruits and vegetables might disagree with your pup’s tummy. Do your research, pet your pup and celebrate how your dog might eat naturally. I don’t remember seeing a tree growing kibble or a bush growing canned dog food. Processed, commercialized food is unnatural.

Dogs are predisposed to eat like wolves. If your dog is exceptionally flatulent, unhealthy, lethargic, aggressive or passive, try a natural diet. The change might create a pet who celebrates the world with joy, exuberance and has an exceptionally waggy tail.

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Send comments or other suggestions to William Rutherford at bprutherford@hotmail.com or visit pensiveparenting.com.