Nutrition is very important to us. We feed only the best foods available because, first and foremost, our dogs are members of our family and we care as much about what goes into their little bodies as we do about what goes into ours. We do not feed our dogs commercial foods with "food items" that we would not consume. Many commercial dog foods contain ingredients that are simply distasteful and some ingredients that are likely even harmful!

Many commercial foods are created to appeal to human buyers and to make those buyers think they are providing a better food for their dogs, when in actuality, the things that make humans believe it's a better food are really making that food a poorer food choice. Brands that have multiple colors and shapes are a prime example. Red and tan "beef and chicken" bits. Orange, yellow and green "vegetable bits". The food dyes used to create these colors may not be harmful to your pet, but they are completely unnecessary and do not need to be in your pets system. Each "bit" contains the exact same ingredients, other than food dyes. The "bits" are not made red, tan, orange, yellow or green by meats and vegetables - they are made that color by liberal use of food dyes! Dogs are color blind and have no need for a colorful presentation in their food bowls.

A second example, and one that is potentially harmful, is the addition of soy to dog foods in order to appeal to the "health conscious" pet owner. Soy may be a very good human food but many (if not most) dogs are allergic to soy! Soy's main reaction is itchy, flakey skin, increased risk of ear infection and foot chewing. No wild dog EVER ate a soy bean! The same can be said for wheat. "Whole wheat, wheat bran, wheat berries, etc" sound great to the health conscious human and whole wheat can be an excellent human food, but many dogs are allergic to wheat causing itchy flakey skin, yeast based ear infections and foot chewing.

Corn is the main first ingredient in many, if not MOST, commercial dog foods and is even often the first ingredient in some "premium" brand pet foods. Corn can be present in dog foods in many forms - the grand majority of commercial foods containing several different corn products in a single formula of food. Dogs can no  more digest corn than you can. Corn is a cheap ingredient with little nutritional value and is present even in the "expensive" foods. Many dogs are allergic to corn. When was the last time you saw the farmer’s dog grazing happily in a corn field or a pack of wild dogs forgoing that farmers livestock for a juicy ear of corn? Does it really make sense that it would be used in commercial foods as a nutritive item? NO - ITS CHEAP FILLER!!

Poultry By-Products are one of the most common ingredients in even "high-grade" or "premium" pet foods. By-products are items that are considered non-consumable by humans. "By-product" is simply another word for "waste". By products are the scraps that would otherwise go in the trash bin - feet, beaks, feathers, heads, intestines. Would you eat these things? No? Then why would you feed this garbage to your pets? I don't.

"Meat and bone meal" is found in many commercial and store brand dog foods, even "reputable" brands like Purina's "Pedigree" and "Dog Chow" - where it is the first ingredient! In commonly used store brands like Wal-Mart's "Old-Roy" it also the first ingredient. Notice it is a non-specific term; "meat" instead of chicken, beef, lamb fish, etc. "Meat and Bone Meal" is the ground meat and bones of an animal (often the ENTIRE animal!) This can and does include slaughter house carcasses not fit for human consumption, roadkill and the bodies of euthanized pets. AAFCO limits the content of euthanized pets used in dog foods to 4.5% - that’s 4.5% too much for me!!!

We feed our dogs the best foods available. Foods without these and other ingredients that are distasteful or even harmful to our pets. We require our buyers to choose the food they decide to feed the puppy they purchase from us from a list of approved foods that we provide to every new puppy parent. Feeding one of these high quality foods will greatly reduce your pet’s risk of developing allergies, dietary deficiencies and cancer. In the LINKS section of this website, you can find more information on quality foods and the contents of commercial foods that we find to be unacceptable. Each one of the following foods has been researched and is known to be free of corn, wheat, soy, poultry and/ or animal by product meal and meat and bone meal. The grand majority of these foods are also organic/ holistic.

 APPROVED FOODS

Natural, meat based dog foods with no corn, wheat, soy, poultry/ animal by-product meal or "meat and bone meal". The majority of the listed foods are also organic (no chemicals, pesticides, hormones or antibiotics present in the items used to make the food) We do require all of our puppy buyers to choose a food from this list to feed to their dog. Exceptions are only made for other dog foods IF they are comparable to the foods on this list. We also recommend and support a home made, balanced B.A.R.F. (Bones And Raw Food) diet.

Raw Advantage

Bil Jac Frozen

Raw Basics

Steve's Real Food

Canidae

Canine Caviar

Solid Gold

Wellness

Wysong

Evolve

Newman's Own

Natures Variety

Honest Kitchen

Innova

California Natural

Chicken Soup For The Pet Lovers Soul

Healthwise

Life's Abundance

Azmira's Holistic

Kirkland Natural