PET FRIENDLY

We have always been a "pet friendly" family. Our household has always had room for the four-footed. My first pet was a part collie, part wolf pup that my Dad brought back from the moose hunting camp. His Indian guide talked him into taking one of the puppies and he thought it would make a great surprise for 5-year-old me. My mother was not thrilled. Because the dog was part wolf, she would not let anyone from outside of the family even into the yard!

The first present that I bought Roy after we got married was a German Shepherd puppy. We gave him the grand name of Yosimite Samuel Beauregard--Sam for short. We lived in married housing in Alpine, Texas, while Roy attended college at Sul Ross State University. Times were lean, but we always had enough to feed our big friend, Sam. He was a great dog, although he did have a penchant for chasing the neighbor's chickens--as he did come home with feathers in his fur a time or two. 

Germand Shephards have always been Roy's favorite dog. So, naturally when a rambunctious puppy ran out and grabbed him by the leg one day at a service station, he just had to have him. A hundred bucks later and the Bandit was on his way home. Who could have known that little puppy would grow to be 120 pounds and could stand on his hind legs and put his front legs on Roy's shoulders and kiss him. Bandit had quite the sense of humor. He had a spot under the back steps where he would sleep and keep watch. He loved to let someone who didn't know he was there get to about the third step and then let out a huge growly bark and watch the unsuspecting visitor run down the steps while Bandit peeked out all the while sporting a big tongue-hanging smile on his face. Our family loved that dog so much, that we dressed to match him for a family picture! (The girls hate this picture because they think that were at their "ugly ducking" ages.)

Our daughters have always thought that pets were a necessary part of life. Tina rescued a border collie/Jack Russel terrier mix puppy when she bought her for $5.00 at a farmer's market in Lincoln, Nebraska while attending UNL. She named her Murphy Brown after the TV show. That particular mix of breeds creates a very stubborn, smart and extremely tenacious dog. She literally ate Tina's apartment. The parents had to make an emergency trip to Lincoln to repair the apartment and to adopt Murphy and bring her back to the ranch. Roy and Murphy became the best of friends--they even began to look alike!! When Murphy developed a heart condition, her passing left a hole in Roy's heart as well.

Now our little girls have taken up the tradition. They love both dogs and cats. And, of course, we have our beloved Bay, who is the name sake for Nature Bay.

                     We now know pets need to eat raw food, not corn or cereal based kibble. When we had Bandit, he had terrible digestive problems. I now know that if I had fed him the kind of raw dog food that Nature Bay offers, he would have been a much healthier dog. My mother-in-law has a very spoiled dachshund appropiately named Princess, which she hand feeds "people" food. The dog rarely eats what is offered--that is until we placed a plate of Nature Bay in front of her. She gobbled it up and carried the plate around the house looking for more! Why is it so important for dogs to eat raw food? To answer this question, I went to my expert, my daughter Christine, owner of Nature Bay.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RAW DOG FOOD:

Our animal companions are natural hunters and carnivores; just look at their ancestry. The dog at your feet (or on your sofa) has evolved from the wolf, and it’s digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication.. They have very short intestinal tracts geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods. Dogs are considered "omnivores" as they eat a variety of grasses, berries and vegetables in addition to prey. The cat on your lap is a true or "obligate" carnivore (meat only diet) and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds.. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best.

Fresh food is teaming with life. It contains natural enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals in their most natural state making them more digestible and more easily assimilated. Heat is the number one enemy of nutrients in food. The fresher the food, the more bioavailable the nutrients in that food will be. This means that the antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables listed in the ingredients will be far more likely to be intact and digestible in raw food than dry kibble or canned food, (which are processed at high temperatures).