Livin' the good life

Chicken.... mmmm....

No photos, please!!

Maggie, you forgot to put your tongue back!

Going Raw

We decided to jump on the bandwagon here and start Maggie on a raw diet. It took us a while to read up on it and research before coming to the conclusion that dogs do very well on raw food. I know it sounds dangerous at first, but if you follow the proper handling procedures and make sure to balance out each meal you will find that the benefits outweigh the risks! Their overall health and appearance will improve and potty time will be much more pleasant for both of you.

What we do is we just buy one of these frozen ground meat and supplement mix at the pet store and mix the two and voila!

Chicken tartare a la minute.

What are your thoughts on feeding your dog raw?

Drumroll please...

Maggie might be a purebred Shiba Inu! I totally forgot to post the results of Maggie's DNA analysis back in June. Oops. The real reason why I forgot was because I was disappointed by the result. According to the company, this is how they determine each 'level' and make an analysis:

• Level 1: Over 75% of the DNA found in your dog is from the breed listed.
  Note: Most mixed breed dogs will not show any breeds listed under Level 1 unless the dog has a purebred parent.
• Level 2: Each breed listed represents between 37-74% of your dog's DNA.
• Level 3: Each breed listed represents between 20-36% of your dog's DNA.
• Level 4: Each breed listed represents between 10-19% of your dog's DNA.
• Level 5: Each breed listed represents less than 10% of your dog's DNA.

Level 1: Nonexsistent. Whatever Maggie is, is not in their database. Shiba Inu was not on their database so it's safe to assume she's purebred?
Level 2: Chow Chow - I can understand because they are an ancient breed like Shiba and can be traced back to Asia.
Level 3: Nonexistent. I don't know why, but there must be breeds in this percentage range similar to Maggie!
Level 4: Greyhound. Really? I guess at this level ALL dogs are related to each other.
Level 4: Labrador Retriever. Hmmm. (why two level 4s?)
Level 5: Akita - This I can agree with. They are close cousins traced back to ancient Japan, but why all the way on level 5?
Level 5: Cocker Spaniel. (another level 5?)

Anyway, I was less than impressed by these results. This could mean she may be a purebreed, but not for 100% sure. I just wanted to find out if she had any other breed in her. I doubt she's part Chow though... tell me something I don't know!

Maggie on the lookout

Maggie often surveys the outside world with her hind legs crossed. Did I mention she's a great watchdog?

All grown up

Puppies grow up so fast.... I remember Maggie coming to our house like it was yesterday. Now, it's been 6 months and she is playing with the big dogs! (she still plays with puppies too)

Fooled you~! This above photo isn't Maggie of course, but a fellow Shiba that we met at the dog park. Love his little white tipped tail!

Begging for some chicken.