Update: Shortly after writing this article I was introduced to a great raw pet food source that I wanted to share: Raw Pet Food Delivery Market. They are located in Springfield, TN but can ship throughout the US. They have lots of educational material on their website if you want to learn more about raising your pet on raw meat products.

I am writing this article in memory of our dog Puck, who died after being hit by a car the day before Thanksgiving last year. Raising him was a labor of love. I wanted to share what I learned about raising a healthy dog based on my research, what I learned from friends, and our experience during the short time he was part of our family.

Both my parents grew up on a farm and dogs were considered working animals, not pets. So no dogs in our family growing up. Only gold fish, which we usually won at our church fair every summer. 🙂

So getting a dog as an adult for our family was a big deal. Our son wanted one for years, but it seemed overwhelming, never having had one before. Like many other families, the time finally came when the quarantine hit in 2020. We ended up getting a 6-week-old mini-schnauzer. He stole our hearts, including mine.

However, there was a big learning curve. Continue reading →