Dogs Eating Local and the Last of the SoJos

Recently I had a chance to buy some mutton/lamb from a local friend processed from cull ewes and a wether who decided that dog training was just not for him. That wether may have made a bad choice! But it was a good one for my dogs. Processed by a local butcher, it was a chance to get nice clean food for the dogs. We got one-third ground meat, one-third chunked up meat, and one-third bones. I mixed the last of the grain-free SoJos samples with the first package of the ground meat that I thawed. This made a lot of food for the dogs so I am parceling it out over a few days. Needless to say, they love it. It's nice to be able to mix in some fresh food with their kibble even if that doesn't happen all the time. I am still a believer in fresh food for the dogs and if the day comes when I can source enough of it at the right price again, I will go back to it. Meanwhile I feel the dogs are doing okay on their kibble, plus all the other variety that gets thrown in from time to time. I'm still mixing Fromm Gold with NutriSource grain free. All the dogs look good and seem healthy, crossing fingers and paws! :)

My friend made an interesting point about her cull ewes. If she sells them on, then someone else will no doubt try to breed them, even though they shouldn't be bred for various reasons. Either they had trouble lambing, or they were poor mothers, or they couldn't raise a lamb due to a damaged udder, or something. It is not good stockmanship to put that ewe into that situation just because we don't own her any more. By having them made into dog food, she takes the ultimate responsibility for their outcome. It was a viewpoint that made for a lot of thought on my part. That said we bought cull ewes from her years ago, for dog training, and they were some of the best dog training sheep we ever had! :) But then I think she knew that we were not in the lamb-raising business and did not intend to be.

 

 

Coal says thanks for the great meals; Yum!

The days are getting longer as we slide into the second half of May. This makes for more dog training time in the evenings, although we are also sliding into that dreaded time of Foxtail Danger. As always, it's a mixed bag!