My Dick of the Week this week is a competitor....
I know, I know, we don't normally play those games, but in this case, it was so shocking we had to share this story to make a point and save other families from upset.
About a week ago, a local lady posted on her social media telling folks about how she sent her dog to another (very local to us) boarding facility and the dog was barely fed.
She sent 30 cups of food along with feeding instructions to feed her pup one cup of food three times per day. However, when she picked her up 7 days later, there were only 8 cups of kibble used and the rest was returned to her in the bag.
Some of the comments under the post were rightly showing absolute disgust that the dog was underfed, while some of the kinder comments were explaining that in a new environment, some dogs feel stressed and just do not want to eat, and so that might explain why the dog was not given every portion of her food, if she was refusing to eat.
While the latter is true, we feel that if a dog is too stressed to eat, then there is something wrong with a) the environment or b) the capabilities of the folks taking care of the dog.
If Kris and I were unable to get a dog to eat within 24 hours, let alone 7 days, we would close down, and shut the doors immediately.....cos' sure as $hit we'd have no damn business taking care of dogs!
Folks, food is life. Literally.
For any dog to survive and thrive, it needs good, clean, fresh water and a full spectrum of protein, vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats etc.
Every. Single. Day.
Without ANY nutrition at all, the body fails acutely and instantly, leading to brain damage, organ failure, the lot.
Your dog's body needs fuel to survive...without the fuel of food, metabolic function dwindles and every single system in your dogs' body goes into 'survival mode' doing the absolute bare minimum to preserve energy, and make sure it can just push out a breath.
Is that the kind of vacation she planned for her dog?
Of course not.
As a result of that post, which seems to have gone 'locally viral', Kris and I have fielded multiple calls from prospective new clients with picky eaters all asking the same question....
What do you feed your guests and how do you get them to eat if they don't want to?
Well, as a few of our 'picky eater' dog moms will tell you, we will stop at nothing to get a dog to eat.
We feed every single dog here every day with freshly cooked meat, vegetables, fruit, herbs, and some grains.
Because the food is so delicious, we get very few refusals, but if we have a dog with a medical condition like Cancer or Cushings disease, where their tastebuds are a tad 'off', we will roll out any and every possibility to get them eating, from toast with Kerrygold butter (we don't mess about, it's Irish butter or nothing!) to scrambled eggs with cheese or wild caught salmon. If they are still 'blah', we use thin liverwurst slices to get them started, as few dogs can resist that, and then a delicious casserole with a different meat to fill them up. Of course, we are always willing to make a 'Maccy run' for fresh cheeseburgers with no pickles, no onions and no sauce, or filet of fish, or chicken nuggets. In an emergency, they always work, as nothing beats the big yellow 'M' with its disgustingly effective balance of sugar and salt creating a true 'crave-ability factor'.
Because of our wide education, as well as our huge experience at 'Frankie and Andy's Place' senior dog and hospice sanctuary, we also know that dogs CANNOT eat if they are dehydrated or if they have low blood sugar. If so, we take care of that on site with either glucose applications or even fluids if necessary (and medically appropriate).
You want to see what we feed?
Feast your eyes on this.
Yes, it's made every day, twice a day.
Yes, it is all made from top quality ingredients, purchased from the same place you buy food for your human family.
Yes, we do sometimes eat it for dinner ourselves if we have had a long day amd can't be a$$ed to cook!
Behold, our beautiful Weimaraner working dog, Rita Hayworth, modelling the charcuterie board of regular, every-day menu offerings to the DD Ranch boarding guests.
Clockwise from the top, you have 90% ground beef, 95% ground turkey followed by lean chicken breast. Our dog parents tell us which protein their dogs prefer and we serve accordingly
Protein is incredibly important for strength and brain function, but it needs to be lean as pancreatitis can be a concern with cheaper, fatty cuts.
More expensive? Yes.
Necessary? Absolutely.
For dogs that don't fancy meat, we scramble free-range pasture raised eggs. (Sometimes we add fresh wild caught salmon, if the dog prefers fish.)
At the bottom of the board is mashed sweet potato, a beautiful carb because it is satisfying, fiber-rich, a great serotonin (happy juice) enhancer, and low on the glycaemic index so it doesn't force a sugar rush.
Next up, green beans...easily digested, a fairly innocuous green vegetable that powers the system without scouring it.
Then we have white rice. In very small doses, it is a useful filler that provides carbohydrates for energy, white rice is SUPER EASY to digest and a good 'tummy warmer' providing a satisfying feeling of fullness while also providing a good gut 'insurance policy' against the $hits. Great for dogs that are nervous boarders or who have GI issues regularly.
At the top left you will see blueberries, and in the center you will see whole organic apple sauce. Why? For both antioxidants and a little 'acid' to balance out the alkali of the other foods.
Lastly, fresh parsley because it contains thiamine, iron and is full of vitamin C, and then ground flaxseed for those dogs that need it, to ensure they get enough Omegas. This is particularly important for the medical boarders we care for, some of whom have kidney or liver issues, joint problems, cancer or chronic skin issues.
Because of the balance we carefully administer in the foods we serve, dogs rarely get upset tummies at the DD Ranch, but they ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS eat their meals. And come back for seconds, and then ask for thirds!!!
They eat roughly 1.5 times the amount they would eat at home, and that is because they exercise so much, and also because the
BEST vacations are when you come home fat as a pig with a smile on your face, right?
We have been doing this for almost 20 years so we know a thing or two about boarding dogs and feeding them good food to make them happy and healthy.
We think that only an absolute dick would treat their guests in the way that this poor lady's dog was treated.
So, to that local boarding facility we say, "Ugh, what a bunch of dicks", and "Shame, shame, shame on you!"