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Susan Getgood's personal blog

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Chow Hounds

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Cash and Penny

 

 

 

This is a sponsored review by
BlogHer and Purina.

My dogs will eat just about anything. And when they are puppies, that “anything” extends to all sorts of things that you wouldn’t really expect a dog to chew. Rocks. Siding. Trees. The plastic indoor dog potty I got for the old dog so she wouldn’t have so many accidents.

Feet and shoes are a special treat, especially my feet, which apparently taste better than a filet (and always have for my nearly 7 year old female Reva). And my son’s sneakers, one of which we regularly find in the custody of 7-month old Penny because he forgets to put his shoes away after school. We used to have a boot tray by the front door but we had to pick it up, because it was more like the puppy’s toy chest.

When we started the two-week trial feeding of the new Purina Pro Plan Selects dry food, I was fairly certain they’d like the food well enough. Usually, their only problem with their food is that they don’t think they get ENOUGH.

Sure enough, they liked it just fine. So fine in fact that one evening when the baby sitter didn’t put the lid on the food bin tight enough, I found the scoop in the middle of the floor and the bag tilted “just so” that the puppy could snack right out of the bag. Lest you think I am blaming the puppy for everything, be assured that she is the only one with the flexibility to get into the bag, although I am certain she had plenty of assistance getting the lid all the way off!

Reva watches Westminster (2007)

A few comments about dog food. I usually feed my dogs premium dry food and highly recommend taking a long hard look at the label of any pet food you buy, wherever you buy it. Understanding how your pet’s food is made and from what can be very useful in maintaining her overall health. While none of my dogs is allergic to wheat, they really don’t need a lot of it (and other additives) in their diet, so I recently had begun feeding a wheat-free dry food. Pro Plan Selects has no corn, wheat or soy, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, so it fit my requirements just fine. The dogs like salmon, and I like the nutrients that fish provides them, so during the trial, I fed them the Purina Pro Plan Selects Salmon and Brown Rice flavor. If you want to learn  more about the ingredients in the food, check out the ingredient selector on the Selects web site.

I’ve owned Scottish Terriers since 1996, when I got my first dog as an adult, Sabrina Fair. I started showing them in 1997, when I got my first show dog, Nick. You can read the tribute posts I wrote for them when they passed away here and here. Warning: hankies will be needed if you read those posts.

Doug with Reva, Cash and Music, January 2010

Currently I have four dogs, although we’ve had many more in and out of the house over the years – dogs we’ve bred and even shown a bit before we placed them with a long-term owner. The three older ones at the house – Music, who just turned 13, her daughter Reva (7 in June) and Reva’s son Cash (4 in June) — are all finished champions. I also have been privileged to be the co-owner of a number of other champions, including Carly, GCH Blueberry’s Attitude Dancing, a Music daughter that was the top Scottie in the country in 2004 and 2005. You can read some of my memories of the year Carly went to Westminster on BlogHer.

When finances permit, I’ll place Penny with a handler who will show her for me. I wish I had the time to practice handling and grooming sufficiently to be competitive in the ring, but I just don’t. I can pet groom the older dogs, but know my limitations when it comes to prepping a dog for show.

It’s an expensive hobby, but it’s also a very rewarding one. Showing dogs is the only hobby I know that will greet you at the door when you come home with a bark and wagging tail.  In the simplest terms, I love my hobby and it loves me back!

If you have never been to a dog show, and you love dogs, it’s a great family activity, especially in the late spring and early fall, when the shows in most parts of the country are held outdoors and the weather is just right. Do yourself, and your own dog, a favor though. Leave him at home. You’ll enjoy the dog show much more without having to worry about how your dog will react to all the other dogs on the grounds. Instead, buy him a new toy or some treats at one of the many vendor stalls.

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Want to try Purina Pro Plan Selects? Or more accurately, do you want your dog to try it? Get a coupon for $3 off from Purina. Remember — you won’t find this brand at the supermarket. You’ll have to go to a pet store like Petsmart or Petco. Don’t forget to stock up on treats for your best friend while you are there!

To help you pay for those treats, I’m giving away (courtesy of BlogHer) a $100 VISA gift card to one lucky reader of this post. Tell me why you like to feed your dog premium dry food, or why you think you might like to, in the comments. And for additional chances to win a gift card, read more posts about Purina Pro Plan Selects from other BlogHer dog lovers; you can find all the posts listed on  the round-up page on BlogHer.com.

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Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

  • Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  • Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
  • Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
  • For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here.

 

Comments

  1. because my vet recommends it for their health. I wouldn’t want to eat cruddy food, so why would they?

  2. I feed KC only premium dog because she is so special. We want her
    to have a happy and healthy life. She is our little girl.

  3. We feed him premium organic wet food, actually, and we do that because he simply won’t eat anything else 🙂 We also feed him scraps from the table 🙂

    Please feel free to contact me at:

    allrightyes at gmail dot com

  10. Not gross at all. It is definitely easier to manage your dog’s weight when feeding a premium food. Less filler means she gets what she needs nutritionally with fewer empty calories.

  12. We only give our dogs a little taste of wet food with their meal. I split a small can among 4 dogs. The dry is better for their teeth, and they can’t snarf it down as fast, which helps with the tummy upset issue 🙂

  13. if we try to feed ourselves healthy, organic food, why not our dogs too?
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

  15. I feed my dog premium dry food because it is nutritionally better for him.
    MCantu1019 at aol dot com

  21. We don’t have a dog, but our dear friend always bring his when he comes to visit. He spoils him rotten and I know he would prefer to feed him a premium dog food. It’s his baby and takes the best care of him.

  26. I have a cat and he gets only the best, so a dog would be no different. I feel premium foods are so important for optimal health in pets.

  31. I would like to try Purina Pro Plan Select dog food because my dog is getting older and I would like to make sure she has the best food for the rest of our time together.

  32. We don’t use premium food now simply because we’re not sure which is best. He seems to be so fincky and set in his ways about what he will eat, too.

  33. I like to feed my dog premium dry dog food because the most important thing to me is his nutrition. I want him to live a long a healthy life. It’s really that simple.

    tammigirl at gmail dot com

  36. We feed our cats high quality cat food because we know it’s good for them, it helps their coat and their digestion, and in the six years we’ve been feeding it to them, they’ve never had dental problems. Totally worth it.

  37. I read that the energy content of the diet generally limits the amount of food an animal will consume. Reputable pet food manufacturers take this into account when formulating complete and balanced pet foods. I worry that Baby, 150 mastiff gets what she needs and not a bunch of fillers in her food. I am so willing to try this.

    gmissycat at yahoo dot com

  39. My dog is almost 9 and I want her to live as long as possible, so I feed her premium food!

  40. I like to feed my pet premium dog food because I love them like family and only want the best for our pets.

  41. I do my best to feed higher quality dog food to my 3 German Shepherd “sons” and ProPlan varieties are almost always on the menu.

  42. I already feed my dogs Purina Pro and we’ve had zero problems with it. We keep them on strict consumption, exercise them and keep them up to date on shots. We love what we’ve got going on!

  43. We like to feed our dog and cats premium food because we love and care about them and want the best for them, just like ourselves. Thank you.

  44. I prefer to feed her premium food because I love her! I wouldn’t feed my daughter garbage, so why would I feed my dog less than the best?

  45. I’d fed good dog foods to all of my previous dogs because my vets always told me that it was better for them and more absorbable. It wasn’t until I adopted Annabel and Petey that I realized what a difference each food and its ingredients can make. They were babies and they had a hard time digesting almost anything. Annabel was a fussy eater too, and it wasn’t until I discovered Pro Plan Selects puppy food that we were all finally happy.

  46. I once knew a dog who lost the use of his rear legs because of being fed only a very inferior dog food. I’m fortunate enough to have learned to do the best by my pets: PREMIUM PURINA ONLY!!!