Gourmet Dog Food

Willoughby is an itchy dog. He chews on his paws and rubs his chin everywhere. Sometimes he goes into a scratching trance where he starts scratching, then starts growling at the itch, and then scratches so hard he turns on his foot to attack it for scratching so hard. The dog trainer suggested he may have food allergies, and if I switch his food to something more palatable, the itching may subside.

The world of gourmet doggie food is complicated, vast, and growing quickly. Petco has an entire section of "healthy options" for your pet, and this section set apart in the corner of the store and modeled with a rustic, on the Napa Valley farm type vibe. Clearly, I should be buying my dog's food from this fancier section. I approached with the trainer's suggestion in mind- no corn, no beef. I floated towards the pretty blue bags with their photos of happy, healthy pets.

And then I saw the price sticker.

FIFTY DOLLARS. Fifty dollars for a large bag of dog food. A bag of Beneful that size would cost $19.99 at Target. So I switched tactics. My wish list of healthy food items was no longer priority. Instead I looked for the cheapest damn bag of dog food in the healthy dog food section. I left with a pretty blue bag, complete with a photo of a happy, healthy pup, of a medium size. It cost me $15.99, with my 20% off coupon. It cost the same amount of money as a jar of protein powder. Much more than the salmon I like to buy, much more than the Ben and Jerry's I try to forego, and much more than the same size bag of Beneful I was used to buying for my pup.

The itching hasn't really stopped, but Willoughby can't wait to get to his food bowl every morning. Clearly, this food suites his refined tastes. Filet mignon on a ground chuck budget. Someone has to sacrifice, and it's obviously not going to be the dog. Goodbye Ben, goodbye Jerry.

Character Assessment

Willoughby makes friends everywhere he goes. Which is odd, because he's not one of those ridiculously friendly dogs. He prefers to stare at people, from a distance, until they are deemed safe and he can move on with his business. I think it's the staring that does it. Every time we walk down the street, Willoughby looks somebody in the eyes, digging right down deep into their soul, and is inevitably met with "OHHHH MY GOSH! LOOK AT THAT DOG!! LOOK! HE'S LOOKING RIGHT AT ME! HE LIKES ME! OHHH, HI PUPPY!!!" They then go in for the pet, hand on top of the head, and are shocked and insulted when Willoughby jumps backwards and takes a snap at their fingers. Decidedly, this person is not a good egg. Now, were that person to bend down to his level, let him smell them up, and offer scratches under the chin all while staring reverently at Willougby's feet, they would probably be deemed worthy and would be allowed to get on with their walk. As of yet, I do not have these instructions condenced to the fifteen second explanation window I have between "OH MY GOSH!" exclamation and Willoughby's alligator impression. Perhaps I could have a t-shirt made for him- 'I'm assessing your character, please stand by for approval before touching me." I'm sure it's doable. I'm just not sure Willoughby would deem it appropriate atire.

Photo shoot results!

I'm so excited with how these pictures for Bark for Babes turned out! Check out one photo of Willoughby and I on the beach, soaking up the Laguna sunshine!!!

Accessorize!

I bought Willoughby a memory foam bed yesterday. I don't even have a memory foam bed. I bought it because it a) was cheaper than the $130 bed I really wanted and b) it somewhat matches the decor of my house. Thankfully for my wallet, he loves it, and is curled up on it as we chat. Last night was the first night since he came to live with me that he did not sleep in my bed. While I missed my morning pile-drive and snuggle, I have to say, it was pretty darn nice to also wake up and find myself stretched across the bed instead of curled up in a corner with the dog stretched out across the middle of the bed.

The rain is coming again and I never got our doggie rain coat. Do you think Willoughby will be on board with using a trash can poncho??

First day of school!!

Like a nervous, proud mama, I walked Willoughby to his first day of "school" on Sunday. Of course, I think he was the smartest dog in the class, but I'm biased. We worked on attention, on sit and down. We even had a pop quiz, a tail "wag-off" where we had 30 seconds using only voice inflection and jibberish words to get as many tail wags out of our dogs as possible. Willoughby doesn't have a tail, so needless to say, we were at a disadvantage.

I did get a great tip for keeping Willoughby occupied while I'm away from him. She told me to lock him in a smaller area and give him a Kong ball stuffed with peanut butter and FROZEN. Apparently it lasts longer. Only give him the treat when I'm gone, pick it up as soon as I come inso that he knows it's only for when mom's gone, and that it's his very very special toy. The spoiled dog thing comes in when I went to our local boutique pet store to buy a Kong and found they don't sell them because they're too tough on the dog's teeth. They do sell slightly more expensive toys along the same premise, and so we left with a gummish globe ball with a hole in the middle for stuffing. So far it's a big hit. Apparently with this dog, the extra dollars make a difference.