I sell kibble for a living, yet I feed my own dogs a raw meat diet instead of kibble. I have tried and tried, with very little success, to convert customers to feeding raw. A few customers have tried it and will never go back to kibble. But that’s it, just a few people converted, out of the hundreds that I have talked to about raw. Am I wasting my time? Maybe.
Maybe I’m planting a seed or sparking a little interest that will pop in a dog lover’s head when their dog is facing health issues and a diet change is in order. Maybe that dog lover will choose a raw diet over Science Diet. Now, that would make my day!
If I thought I could convert our entire dog food section to a giant walk-in freezer and people would come flocking, I would be tempted, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. Dog owners have shown me that they prefer kibble. It’s so convenient, just scoop and go, no refrigeration needed.
I take many short cuts in my own life for convenience. However, I have chosen to invest time, effort and money in my dogs’ diet because I am convinced that in the end it will pay off. I am so attached to my dogs and I want them to live a healthy life for as long as possible. I believe through diet and exercise I can extend my dogs’ life and hopefully keep them free of cancer, thyroid problems, kidney disease and all the other dreadful ailments that I see dogs suffering from.
I’m actually not a hypocrite (I looked up the meaning): “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings”. I practice what I preach. Fortunately, it’s still a free world and you get to choose what you feed your own dog. I will offer my opinion to those who seem receptive and they can take it or leave it.
Just let me know when you are ready for that great, big, giant walk-in freezer.