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Pets – The Single Gal’s REAL Boyfriends
While we’re primarily a food blog around here at The Hungry Dater, the “Dater” part of our name lends itself to a fairly large amount of lifestyle issues. On Fridays we talk about general life issues which usually include wellness, fitness, fashion, and natural living. But one thing I think people overlook a lot regarding those topics is our pets. And for singles, our pets (and more specifically, our dogs) are our children, families, and… our boyfriends. At least, my pets are for me.
My grandparents were regularly horrified when I called my beautiful (female) Bernese Mountain Dog, Flower, my “boyfriend.” I guess it was just a bit too unconventional for them. They sortof stressed between, “But it’s a dog!” and “But she’s a girl!” But my feeling is, one way or another, that dog was the “person” who greeted me when I came home every day, went with me to Friday Happy Hour, and slept with me every night. She was as much a boyfriend as I’ve had in years.
I never really imagined I’d be the “dog girl” or a “cat lady.” And yet, here I am, going on 35 years old with no husband or kids of my own, and I could seriously plan my day or my week around my pets—and, most specifically, my dog.
Benefits of Pet Ownership
As far as single girls go, I have an amazing support system. I have wonderful family, a network of amazing friends, two stellar jobs, and an abundance of people to call on should I ever need anything. But really, let’s be honest, the lack of a “relationship” does sometimes still feel like a “lack.” When all my friends are married with kids and doing things like Mommy and Me classes or having a Date Night with their significant others while I’m at home trying to figure out the best way to make a meal for one; I’ll be honest, it can get lonely.
A dog cuts this loneliness in a huge way. It might seem strange, but the saying “it’s not drinking alone if the dog is home” rings somewhat true. A dog is someone who’s there to be excited you’re home, to listen to your problems, to keep you warm at night (if you’re a terrible person like me and let them sleep in the bed), and to just have someone around so the house doesn’t feel quite so empty.
And it isn’t just singles who benefit from pet ownership. While I would argue that we’re more prone to benefitting since we’re otherwise alone so much of the time, there’s significant research suggesting that pet ownership is great for almost everyone. Pet owners are generally fitter, healthier, have a lower risk of depression, lower cortisol levels, less risk of heart attack, and have calmer demeanors. Now, we all know that the internet “never” lies, so my first instinct is to question which of these things is actually true. However, there are so many publications and websites suggesting the same things, that I have to think there must be some truth to it.
Treating Them Like Family…
So I got to thinking recently: if we think of our pets as family, it’s strange that we sortof ignore their needs when it comes to all the wonderful things we pay attention to for ourselves (i.e., nutrition, wellness, fitness, and natural living).
Admittedly, I’m afraid I came to this realization a bit too late (not that it would have mattered). My beloved Bernese Mountain Dog, Flower, was diagnosed with terminal Cancer earlier this year, and she lost the battle less than six weeks after we found the first tiny tumor on her face. And it was devastating. I immediately started to research dog cancer and pet wellness in general. On a whole, I was SHOCKED at what I found.
I’ve always heard people laugh about the fact that their dogs eat “better than they do.” We spend a lot of money to make sure we’re giving our pets the most high-end, natural, less-ingredient kibble; and we joke that it isn’t cheap. But that’s just the thing. We’re still feeding them kibble.
Is Traditional Dog Food REALLY Safe?
While I did the research on Flower’s condition in hopes to extend her life as comfortably as possible, I learned that the food we give our dogs is a huge cause of so. Many. Diseases. Or, maybe not the cause, but it definitely doesn’t
help. The ingredients, the cooking temperatures, the preparation, and the recalls; are all reasons to be concerned. On top of all that, many pet foods are made out of the country and away from even our limited health restrictions. In the last ____ years, there have been ____ recalls and ___ dog deaths due to tainted dog pet food.
Cancer is responsible for approximately ½ of dog deaths right now. In some breeds, like the Golden Retriever, it’s the cause of approximately 75%! Now, of course, anyone willing to can totally judge me because I had a pure bred dog who would have been prone to cancer anyway. I can’t guarantee that Flower’s life would have been longer had I known what I know now. But even if my beautiful Flower was destined to pass early, I still can’t help but wonder, would I have gotten another year or two out of her had I taken better preventative care? We’ll never know. What I do know now is that going forward, I’m going to do everything I can to try and prevent this.
Even in spite of Flower’s diagnosis, I came to the conclusion that to ignore the health of the rest of my household created a huge gap in my “healthy living” mantra. I’m committed to my OWN “whole health.” If I seriously think of my dog as my boyfriend, why am I not feeding her like one? I initially remember thinking I’d start making Flower’s food for her. But let’s review: My Flower weighed over 100 lbs. She weighed more than my mom. That’s a LOT of extra food to be weighing, measuring, evaluating nutrients for, and cooking every week. (The cooking I actually don’t mind, but the science factor is enough to make this creative lawyer’s head spin…)
More People = More Options
As it turns out, I am not the only person coming to the conclusion that kibble is not a healthy sustainable food for our dogs. There’s a whole slew of people doing the same research I did. And where there’s a group, there’s a movement; and where there’s a movement, there are wonderful people who figure out how to make it easier for the rest of us. I was a little stunned to learn there are several companies who balance, measure, prepare, and ship dog food straight to the homes of health-conscious owners all over, and they are helping improve the lives of our pets.
I found The Farmer’s Dog to be the most cost effective with the highest percentage of real, natural ingredients, and the BEST customer service. I became a customer with Flower and I hope never to go back.
The Industry of (Dog) Food
Now, don’t get me wrong: many many dogs have lived long, happy, healthy lives on kibble to their full life spans. But just as I have come to understand that many humans can live just fine on twinkies and soda, that does not mean that it’s healthy or that it should be attempted. And I think it’s smart for us to remember food is changing. The industry of food is not what it used to be. GMO’s are rampant, allergies are sky-rocketing, and terminal diseases are infecting humans and dogs alike at alarming rates. I just can’t believe that at least part of this isn’t due to our food care, supply, and processing.
All I can say is, maybe it’s crazy and I’ll regret the extra money or I’ll feel the careful attention to my pets livelihoods shouldn’t have been as important to me down the line. But I seriously doubt it. What I do know at this point is because my new baby is bound to take the position of resident canine boyfriend. And this time, for both her health AND for mine, I am going to feed her the way I would feed ANY boyfriend: a whole, real, human-grade diet sometimes delivered to my door in prepackaged portions. 😉 Hey, I never said I was going to spoil her with the “food blogger’s” treatment… Aint nobody got time fo that. Lol.
Your “Whole” Health Includes Your Pets’ Health
My recent experience told me how stupid I’ve been to focus so much on whole health living for myself and nothing or no one else. It never once occurred to me to make sure my pets, my plants, my home, and my environment should also be focused on whole, natural, and clean life.
There is so much research suggesting our “furry boyfriends” improve our lives, not just mentally, but they even improve our physical health! So really, watching out for their health is just another way for us to round out our “whole health” mantra. Our pets commit their lives to us. What better way to pay them back than to make sure they live awesome, happy, and nutritious lives through food? Hey, The Hungry Dater was founded on a belief that food can make lots of things better. Dogs (at least mine) live for food, so I can only assume if good food can improve a bad date, then good food to a dog can make life worth living three times over!
If you want to learn more about my experience with The Farmer’s Dog and how you can order for 50% off your first box, click here.
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