I was invited again this year to attend the Nestlé-Purina Better with Pets Summit in New York. I had such a great experience last year, I jumped at the chance to go. This is the same event that brought Gretel and I to New York for the first time last year where she had her first subway experience and explored almost all of Central Park. Unfortunately, because of the way my travel schedule … [Read more...]

In the world of environmentally-friendly products, there is a term called "greenwashing". Greenwashing is the practice of using deceptive marketing or labeling to imply that a product is environmentally friendly when that feature is marginal or missing all together. When companies saw that people wanted "green" products, some adjusted their marketing to put a green spin on their product or created … [Read more...]

I often get asked what Chester and Gretel eat. It's been a series of transitions for us but I settled on a diet of raw food for them. Did you miss the posts on why and how Chester and Gretel transitioned their food from junk kibble? You can catch up here: Our Food Journey Pt. 1 – My Dogs Eat Better Than I Do Our Food Journey Pt. 2 – The Transition from Junk Kibble to Grain Free Dog Food Our Food … [Read more...]

My adventure down the Cannabidiol, aka. CBD, knowledge road started when I visited my first recreational marijuana store a few months ago. I live in Washington State where recreational pot is legal now, which is still feels really strange to me, so I thought I might as well see what a "pot store" looks like on the inside. I snooped around in the store a bit and discovered some CBD dog treats. I … [Read more...]

Chester and Gretel are active dogs so it makes sense that they need really good nutrition to keep them going. However, there are many reasons to improve your pet's diet from less vet bills to helping them live longer. I felt pretty good about myself for changing Chester and Gretel's food to grain free kibble. I knew it was an improvement in the quality of their diet and one small step toward … [Read more...]

If you haven't already, you will probably start hearing about Cannabidiol, or CBD, treats for dogs soon. One of your first questions might be, is CBD safe for my dog? Next, you are probably wondering if it's legal to buy and posses in your state. Before I'd heard of them, I discovered "weed cookies" in a local marijuana dispensary (it's legal here so I decided to check one out). Ok, … [Read more...]

Chester was my first and only Dachshund until I adopted Gretel. I knew a little about the breed but we basically lived in a vacuum. We didn't know any other Dachshunds, or dogs for that matter, so I didn't have anything to compare him too. Originally, he was my roommate's dog. I just took care of him when she was out of town for work... which was often. I had wanted a dog desperately in college … [Read more...]

This year is my year to finally get healthy again.... or at least health-ier. What you put in your body - what you eat - is a super important part of being healthy. I have been keenly aware over the last few months that what I put in Chester and Gretel's body is way better than what I put in my own. People often ask me what I feed Chester and Gretel. I have largely dodged that question. Well, … [Read more...]

I previously wrote an article about the anesthesia-free teeth cleaning that Chester gets. My vet says that his teeth look great for his age and there are no signs that he should have a full dental cleaning under anesthesia. Due to his age (13) I prefer to not put him under anesthesia unless my vet deems it medically necessary. I don't brush his teeth though. I've written about this before too. … [Read more...]

Do you love to run with your dog? If so, this list of dog freindly running races in the Seattle area is for you. UPTATED: April 3, 2022 Note: There were originally over 40 dog friendly races on this list but the pandemic really changed things. Many of the races have been discontinued. Dogs make great running partners. Even small dogs can run with you! Every dog, no matter the size, … [Read more...]

I am not afraid to admit that I wasn't a very educated dog owner in the beginning. I tell people that "I made very mistake in the book" with Chester and I am not kidding. Although I consider myself a pretty educated pet parent now, I admit I still have a lot of learning to do. There are new things that pop up every day that make me wonder if I am doing the right things for Chester and … [Read more...]

"Just because a Doxie is small does not mean they can't do epic shit." ~ Catra Corbett You know am 100% behind that statement. I always tell people, the size of the dog doesn't necessarily determine what it can and can't do. Catra's mini Dachshund, TruMan, runs with her all of the time. He recently ran a 26.2 mile marathon to help a Doxie named Sunshine that was abandoned in the cold and snow … [Read more...]

Honestly, I didn't know a lot about Purina last month. I knew they make some generic-quality, affordable dog foods, they make some dog foods that canine athletes and show-ring dogs eat, that several of you, our readers, feed your dogs Purina foods and your dogs are happy and healthy, and that there is a lot of controversy swirling around online about Purina. Nestle Purina recently gave me the … [Read more...]