Mello & Genie
It started as a 2-week dog sitting for our friend who had to travel out of country, which turned into a life-time commitment as she was not able to come back and take Genie with her. We are actually Genie's third family as she has been abandoned once before when she was a puppy. Maybe this is all meant to be, as we bonded so closely and we just can't imagine the life without her.
When we first got her, she was a very picky eater. She would go days without eating anything if we only offered her kibbles. She would just starve until she is so hungry and will eat a few. I had to disguise kibbles with eggs or some other toppers to make her eat. A year went past and Genie was underweight, her coat was shaggy, she had tear stains all the way down her cheeks. Then we learned about raw food diet for dogs from our friend. At first, it seemed like a crazy idea to feed dogs with raw food, but more I researched it made sense. We have not turned back since. The picky eater is long gone, she has a big appetite now and is always super excited for her meal time. And I must mention, her tear stains have completely disappeared! She is 8 years old but you would probably think she is a puppy when you see her with so much energy and her coat is so fluffy and soft. We are so happy to have made that decision and able to feed her what she is supposed to eat.
Last year we wanted to add another furry family member and were looking at shelters and rescues but things didn't work out. Then we ran into a blog post from a goldendoodle breeder in South Korea who couldn't find a home for this puppy because he was already a fully grown in size. We decided to adopt him, went to Korea and flew back with Mello. Mello (his well-deserved name is derived from both mellow and marshmallow), because of his size, we at first kept him on kibbles as we thought it would be too expensive to feed him raw. However, his diarrhea wouldn't stop for weeks and we made the decision to try raw food diet. Guess what? His issue has stopped almost immediately. Then we learned about bulk purchases from Wild At Heart and the great rewards system which helped our budget. With his coat being so much smoother and seeing the difference in his build and energy, we know we have made the right decision. I know many people are concerned about the cost factor when switching to raw diet. With the right amount of effort and research, there are ways to keep it under your budget but still feeding your dogs healthy food they deserve. Mello is a healthy and happy boy as you can see in the photo!
Mello and Genie run, play, sleep, and get into mischief together now.
Thank you for the opportunity to share the stories of Genie and Mello! Follow them on Instagram @genie.mello