09/29/2026
Meet Champ and Mic.
These two are both under two years old and are just starting to figure out their jobs helping us with cattle on the mountain. They have a lot of miles ahead of them—and hopefully a lot of years of doing what they love.
So, I’m staying on my dog food soapbox.
We talk a lot about nutrition when something is already wrong. Joint problems? There’s a diet for that. Overweight? Change the food. Health problem? Sometimes nutrition becomes part of the treatment plan.
But good nutrition is also one of our best tools before there’s a problem.
All of our puppies are fed Science Diet Puppy for the first year of their lives. There are other well-researched foods we trust, but this is what I choose to feed my own dogs.
One of the big reasons is the research behind the food.
There’s a difference between creating a recipe that looks good on an ingredient list and actually studying how that food nourishes a growing dog. Hill’s employs veterinarians, nutritionists and food scientists who research pet nutrition, and Science Diet Puppy has been put through AAFCO feeding trials. That means they don't just formulate the food on paper to contain the right nutrients—they actually feed it to dogs and evaluate how those dogs do on it.
That matters to me. Puppies are building bones, joints, muscles, brains and immune systems that we hope will carry them through a long life. I don't want to choose their food based on which bag has the prettiest ingredients or which diet is popular right now. I want some science behind it.
And then comes the other half of the equation: keeping them lean.
That’s especially important for dogs like Champ and Mic. Their joints are going to work hard. They’ll run up and down mountains, cover rough country and probably make some questionable decisions while chasing cows. Keeping extra weight off those joints is one of the easiest things I can do to help them stay sound and active.
Good nutrition can support healthy growth and long-term health, while avoiding food trends—like choosing grain-free diets when there isn't a medical reason for one—can help us avoid unnecessary risks.
Will feeding a great diet guarantee Champ and Mic never develop arthritis, diabetes, heart disease or another health problem? Of course not.
But I can give them a good foundation.
Feed a well-researched, complete and balanced diet. Keep them at a healthy weight. Start when they're young—not after there's already a problem.
Preventive medicine doesn't always come in a vaccine or a pill. Sometimes it comes in a food bowl.
