Category: Photography

20 Best Dry Dog Foods

Once again it’s time for this review.

This was the email that I received yesterday.

Dear Fellow Dog Lover,

You’re getting this alert because you signed up on our website and asked to be notified. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this message.

After posting 2 recalls in 4 weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now warning consumers to avoid buying or feeding ALL pig ears pet treats.

The outbreak of human Salmonella caused by exposure to the contaminated treats has now spread to 33 states.

To learn which states are included in the outbreak, please visit the following link: FDA: Do Not Buy or Feed ANY Pig Ears Pet Treats

Updated: Best Dry Dog Foods

The Dog Food Advisor has updated its Best Dry Dog Foods page. The list includes BOTH grain-free and grain-inclusive brands.
Check out our 20 Best Dry Dog Foods for August 2019

Please be sure to share the news of this alert with other pet owners.

Mike Sagman, Editor
The Dog Food Advisor
Saving Good Dogs from Bad Dog Food

Do really note that link from the FDA about not feeding any pig ears pet treats.

Please note that not all of the data for each dry dog food can be brought across. I recommend that any products of deep interest are researched online and the information is primary and this page is secondary.

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On to the August 2019 list of best dry dog foods.

Best Dry Dog Foods 2019

The best dry dog foods listed below have been selected by The Dog Food Advisor because of their exceptional ingredient quality, nutritious design, and the superior safety practices of their manufacturers.

In addition, the labels of these products reveal…

Above-average meat content
Safe fat-to-protein ratio
Moderate carb levels
No high-risk ingredients
No anonymous meat

Tip: Please don’t overlook our 4-star selections. Many are made by some of the best companies in the industry. They also offer exceptional value for those on a budget.

The Best Dry Dog Foods
August 2019

Here are The Dog Food Advisor’s top 20 best dry dog foods for August 2019.

Dr. Tim’s Pursuit Active Dog Formula

Rating: *****

Dr. Tim’s Pursuit Active Dog Formula is one of 8 recipes included in our review of Dr. Tim’s dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, chicken fat, whole oat groats, dried beet pulp
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and small/medium breed puppies
See all 8 available recipes

Dr. Tim’s Pursuit Active Dog Formula derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 22% fat and 36% estimated carbs… creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.

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Instinct Original with Real Beef Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Instinct Original with Real Beef is one of 6 recipes included in our review of Instinct Original dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Beef, chicken meal, white fish meal, peas, chicken fat
Type: Grain-free
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and puppies
See all 6 available recipes

Instinct Original with Real Beef derives most of its animal protein from beef, chicken meal and fish meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 40% protein, 21% fat and 31% estimated carbs… producing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 53%.

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Victor Hi-Pro Plus Formula Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Victor Hi-Pro Plus is one of 4 recipes included in our review of Victor Classic dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Beef meal, grain sorghum, chicken fat, pork meal, chicken meal
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and small/medium breed puppies
See all 4 available recipes

Victor Hi-Pro Plus derives the majority of its animal protein from beef meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 22% fat and 37% estimated carbs… which results in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.

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Annamaet Ultra Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Annamaet Ultra is one of 7 recipes included in our review of Annamaet dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, chicken fat, whole dry eggs, herring meal,
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and puppies
See all 7 available recipes

Annamaet Ultra derives most of its animal protein from chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 36% protein, 22% fat and 34% estimated carbs… yielding a fat-to-protein ratio of about 63%.

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Canidae Pure Real Salmon and Sweet Potato

Rating: *****

Canidae Pure Real Salmon and Sweet Potato is one of 11 recipes included in our review of Canidae Grain-Free Pure dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Salmon, salmon meal, menhaden fish meal, sweet potatoes, peas
Type: Grain-free
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 11 available recipes

Canidae Pure Real Salmon and Sweet Potato derives the bulk of its animal protein from salmon. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 36% protein, 20% fat and 36% estimated carbs… resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 56%.

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Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Dog Food

Rating: ****

Wellness Complete Health Adult is one of 14 recipes included in our review of Wellness Complete Health dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, ground barley, peas
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 14 available recipes

Wellness Complete Health Adult derives most of its animal protein from chicken. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 27% protein, 13% fat and 52% estimated carbs… which yields a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

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Orijen Original Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Orijen Original is one of 8 recipes included in our review of Orijen dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, deboned turkey, Atlantic ﬂounder, cage-free eggs, whole Atlantic mackerel
Type: Grain-free
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and puppies
See all 8 available recipes

Orijen Original derives the majority of its animal protein from deboned poultry and Atlantic fish. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 43% protein, 21% fat and 28% estimated carbs… which produces a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

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Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete

Rating: *****

Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete is one of 12 recipes included in our review of Diamond Naturals dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, chicken, ground white rice, chicken fat, cracked pearled barley
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 12 available recipes

Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 36% protein, 28% fat and 29% estimated carbs… resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 78%.

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Nature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast

Rating: *****

Nature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast is one of 9 recipes included in our review of Nature’s Logic dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, millet, chicken fat, pumpkin seed, yeast culture
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and puppies
See all 9 available recipes

Nature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast derives most of its animal protein from chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 40% protein, 17% fat and 36% estimated carbs… which creates a fat-to-protein ratio of about 42%.

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Nulo Freestyle Adult Turkey and Sweet Potato

Rating: *****

Nulo Freestyle Turkey and Sweet Potato is one of 8 recipes included in our review of Nulo Freestyle dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Deboned turkey, turkey meal, salmon meal, chickpeas, chicken fat
Type: Grain-free
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 8 available recipes

Nulo Freestyle Turkey and Sweet Potato derives the bulk of its animal protein from poultry meal and salmon meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 37% protein, 20% fat and 35% estimated carbs… creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 55%.

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Nutro Ultra Adult Dry Dog Food

Rating: ****

Nutro Ultra Adult is one of 10 recipes included in our review of Nutro Ultra dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole brown rice, brewers rice, rice bran
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 10 available recipes

Nutro Ultra Adult derives most of its animal protein from chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 28% protein, 16% fat and 49% estimated carbs… producing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 56%.

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Go! Solutions Carnivore Chicken, Turkey and Duck

Rating: **** and a half star!

Go! Solutions Carnivore Chicken, Turkey and Duck is one of 5 recipes included in our review of Go! Solutions Carnivore dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, de-boned chicken, de-boned turkey
Type: Grain-free
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 5 available recipes

Go! Solutions Carnivore Chicken, Turkey and Duck derives the majority of its animal protein from poultry meal, salmon meal and deboned poultry. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 38% protein, 18% fat and 36% estimated carbs… yielding a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

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Eagle Pack Power Adult Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Eagle Pack Power Adult is one of 7 recipes included in our review of Eagle Pack dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, pork meal, ground brown rice, peas, chicken fat
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 7 available recipes

Eagle Pack Power Adult derives most of its animal protein from chicken meal and pork meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 21% fat and 38% estimated carbs… resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 63%.

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Wellness Core Original Formula Dry Dog Food

Rating: *****

Wellness Core Original is one of 12 recipes included in our review of Wellness Core dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Deboned turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal, peas, potatoes
Type: Grain-free
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 12 available recipes

Wellness Core Original derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 38% protein, 18% fat and 36% estimated carbs… which produces a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

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Whole Earth Farms Adult Recipe

Rating: ****

Whole Earth Farms Adult Recipe is one of 2 recipes included in our review of Whole Earth Farms dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See both available recipes

Whole Earth Farms Adult Recipe derives the majority of its animal protein from poultry meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 29% protein, 15% fat and 48% estimated carbs… resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

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Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Brown Rice

Rating: ****

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Brown Rice is one of 23 recipes included in our review of Blue Buffalo Life Protection dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 23 available recipes

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Brown Rice derives the majority of its animal protein from deboned chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 27% protein, 16% fat and 50% estimated carbs… which creates a fat-to-protein ratio of about 58%.

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Holistic Select Grain-Free Adult and Puppy Health

Rating: **** and a half star.

Holistic Select Grain-Free Adult and Puppy Health is one of 10 recipes included in our review of Holistic Select Grain-Free dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Salmon, anchovy and sardine meal, potatoes, peas, menhaden fish meal
Type: Grain-free
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and small/medium breed puppies
See all 10 available recipes

Holistic Select Grain-Free Adult and Puppy Health derives most of its animal protein from salmon and fish meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 32% protein, 16% fat and 44% estimated carbs… producing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.

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Blackwood 3000 All Life Stages Everyday Diet Dry Dog Food

Rating: ****

Blackwood 3000 All Life Stages Everyday Diet is one of 5 recipes included in our review of Blackwood Everyday Recipes.

First 5 ingredients: Lamb meal, brown rice, oat groats, millet, chicken meal
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: All life stages
Best For: All adults and puppies
See all 5 available recipes

Blackwood 3000 All Life Stages Everyday Diet derives the majority of its animal protein from lamb meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 27% protein, 16% fat and 50% estimated carbs… creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 58%.

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Sport Dog Food Active Series Tracking Dog

Rating: **** and a half star.

Sport Dog Food Active Series Tracking Dog is one of 5 recipes included in our review of Sport Dog Active Series dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Buffalo meal, oatmeal, dried sweet potato, pork meal, coconut oil
Type: Grain-inclusive (contains grain)
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)
See all 5 available recipes

Sport Dog Active Series Tracking Dog derives most of its animal protein from buffalo meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 22% fat and 37% estimated carbs… yielding a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.

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Natural Balance Synergy Dry Dog Food

Rating: **** and a half star.

This sole recipe is included in our review of Natural Balance Synergy dog food.

First 5 ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, chicken fat, dried beet pulp,
Type: Grain-inclusive
Profile: Maintenance
Best For: Adults only (not for puppies)

Natural Balance Synergy derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 31% protein, 18% fat and 43% estimated carbs… which results in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.

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Phew!

That was quite a ‘copy and paste’.

This is some mother dog!

A share of a story from more than a month ago.

From my file of stories that I keep for Learning from Dogs comes this one about a mother dog that raised a kitten.

It’s a delightful article and I have great pleasure in sharing it with you.

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Dog Mom Raises Tiniest Kitten As One Of Her Puppies

“She was trying to tell us, ‘This little creature belongs in my family.’”
BY LILY FEINN
PUBLISHED ON 06/12/2019

Nala was just a newborn when she was abandoned alone in a dirt alley. A kind neighbor heard the tiny tabby’s cries and brought her to the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) in Spokane, Washington.

The little kitten had never known a mother’s love, but soon, two unusual moms would step forward to help her grow up strong.

Found at such a young age, Nala had to be placed with a foster family to have the best chance of survival. When Jamie Myers saw a plea for help on Facebook, she jumped at the chance to take in the kitten. She was fostering a cat who had recently lost a number of her babies and knew Nala would fit right into the little family.

“She was about a week and a half younger than my group, so I said, ‘My mama is pretty wonderful. She’s been very accepting so let’s see if she can’t nurse,'” Myers told The Dodo. “Nala nursed straight away and mama took her in instantly. She started licking her, and grooming her and showing her acceptance and love.”

By the time the mama cat and her babies were ready to be adopted, Nala still wasn’t quite big enough to find her forever home. “She did everything later than the rest of the group,” Myers said. “When they all opened their eyes, she still had her eyes closed, and when they started toddling about, she was still latched onto Mama nursing.”

Nala was alone once again — but not for long. Myers had taken in a dog named Izzy who had recently had puppies. Izzy’s paws were full nursing her own litter, but she was still determined to adopt the lone kitten.

“The mama dog kept trying to get Nala and pick her up and put her in with the rest of her babies,” Myers said. “She just thought one of the babies was out and missing — she kept trying to put it back and put it back.”

Izzy became more and more insistent that Nala belonged with her, so eventually, Myers decided to take a chance. “The kitten could not walk across the floor without Izzy getting up from nursing to hunt her down,” Myers said. “She was trying to tell us, ‘This little creature belongs in my family.’”

To help the mama dog settle down, Myers placed Nala in Izzy’s pen and supervised their interactions. A remarkable change occurred as soon as Nala joined the group, and Myers knew that she had done the right thing for both dog and kitten.

“As soon as we put Nala in with her babies, she settled and was happy and all was right in her world again,” Myers said. “And Nala just all the sudden had all these little warm bodies for snuggles and love, and a new fur mama to care for her, and she just fit in with her second foster family.”

Nala quickly adjusted to her new routine with her dog family: “She would get in and out of [the pen] on her own. So when she was done snuggling, she’d get out and go eat her kitten food and play for a little while, and then she’d go right back in,” Myers said. “Whenever she wanted to sleep, she was always in there sleeping with them.”

With the love and care of her three foster families — dog, cat and human — Nala grew bigger and was finally ready for adoption.
But for Izzy, Nala finally leaving the house was bittersweet. Luckily, Myers knew just what to do to settle Izzy down again.

She agreed to foster a bonded pair of kitten sisters desperately in need of some love and attention. And Izzy couldn’t be happier, Myers noted: “Now Izzy has two more kittens she’s loving on.”

Izzy proves a mother’s love knows no bounds — no matter the species.

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This is an interesting tale. The last statement: “no matter the species.”, is almost certainly not true. But this dog has shown that this kitten is to be loved.

I’m not sure that a mother elephant would be able to raise a baby snake, for example, but it doesn’t take anything away from the story!

The reluctant dog!

A delightful way to start a new week.

My long-term friend, Richard, is partner to Julie.

Julie sent me the following picture of their dog, Murphy, with the description:

It’s a rainy morning in Elsenham and the first day of normal summer temps after some excruciatingly hot days this week of 37 degrees.

We normally go for an early walk for ablutions and then back for breakfast.

Not this morning … Murphy just sat at the top of the stairs ignoring my enthusiastic “walkies Murphy”. Even more hysterical was after I took his photo he turned away and walked into our spare room and sat on the bed !

Elsenham is in South-East England near Bishop’s Stortford and west of Colchester.

Picture Parade Two Hundred and Ninety-Eight

These were first shown in February, 2017. They deserve another outing.

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Everybody always needs a friend!

(With many thanks to dear neighbour Dordie who passed these on to me to share with you all.)

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These are just as precious as they were in February, 2017!

Is there no end to their companionship!

A recent item in The Guardian suggests there isn’t!

I hang on to emails and files about dogs and dog stories for a very long time. For one reason that they make brilliant blog post topics. Such as this item that was published in The Guardian recently.

Have a read of it now and then see my closing comment.

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Experience: my dog is a champion surfer

By Judy Fridono

Fri 19th July, 2019

Judy Fridono and her dog Ricochet, who has won nine gold medals. Photograph: John Francis Peters/The Guardian

The dogs have 10 minutes to catch as many waves as they can. Judges look at length of ride, whether they make it back to shore, and how many tricks they do.

When my golden retriever, Ricochet, was born, on 20 January 2008, she took her first breath in my hands. I had launched a non-profit organisation called Puppy Prodigies, to train service dogs for people with disabilities, and I supported her mother while she had her litter. Ricochet was the ninth of 10.

She was a brilliant puppy – high energy and lots of fun; she got her name because she was literally bouncing off the walls. She began service dog training at a few days old and started off well, but at 16 weeks she began to shut down; she was more interested in chasing birds. Luckily she found something else to do.

We live in San Diego, California, half an hour from the ocean. I never planned to raise a surf dog, but she had been in a kids’ pool at eight weeks old and showed great balance on a boogie board. We progressed to a bigger pool, then the bay, then the ocean.

I got her a 6ft foam board and a pink lifejacket. I don’t surf so, as she improved, she got a water handler. Surf dog contests were becoming popular in southern California and someone suggested she take part in one, at Ocean Beach in San Diego. Ricochet was placed third of about 15 dogs. I felt so proud – not because she had a medal but because she had shown what she was capable of.

Typically in contests, the dogs have 10 minutes to catch as many waves as they can. Judges look at the length of the ride, whether they make it back to shore, and how many tricks or turns they do, such as riding a wave backwards. A big wave scores higher in the judging stakes. Breeds with shorter legs, such as bulldogs or corgis, tend to do well because they have lower centres of gravity, but all sorts of dogs have won. It all comes down to balance. There’s always a crowd of spectators on the beach.

On the board, she looks pretty serious and focused. Dogs wag their tails on the sand, but not so much on the water, where they need them for balance. She’s 11 years old now and has taken part in about 20 contests. She has nine gold medals and has been placed second or third in most of the others.

Soon after she started surfing, Ricochet started doing something more meaningful with her talent. She began to accompany children with disabilities for surf therapy, and we have used her profile to fundraise for them, working first with Patrick, a 14-year-old quadriplegic boy. Patrick enjoyed the independence and Ricochet was joyful when they shared a board.

In 2009, a video of Patrick and Ricochet went viral. It’s had more than 6.5m views. She now has 230,000 Facebook followers and 100,000 on Instagram. We get messages every week from people wanting to work with or meet her. One teenage boy with a brain tumour asked to surf with her for his Make A Wish. She’s now raised more than $500,000 for humans and animals in need.

She is a certified therapy dog, and also works with service members and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She connects with people on an extremely deep level and helps them express their feelings. Recently, she placed herself up against a wall to demonstrate how a naval officer she was working with was struggling inside. There is something about her that makes her excel.

Ricochet is one of only three competitive surf dogs from the original circuit still alive, but she doesn’t compete any more. Her last contest was at Imperial Beach in 2014, and she won first place. These days, competitions happen all over the world and up to 100 dogs compete for medals and bragging rights. Some dogs are sponsored, but there’s usually a charity element.

She’s in the last quarter of her life now and doesn’t have the energy for long rides on the board; but she still surfs for fun and does surf therapy work. Judges think it’s her ability to ride a wave that qualifies her as a winner. But, to me, it is her healing power that makes Ricochet a champion.

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Firstly, I want to thank The Guardian, well the online version, for making their content reusable.

Secondly, this article shows yet another example of the bonding that can take place between a dog and their ‘owner’. I have no doubt that there will be many more.

Finally, dogs in the main are the perfect companions to us humans. It’s such a shame that so many are homeless, humans as well as dogs!

Those puppy eyes

A revisit to the science of the evolution of dogs’ eyes.

I presented a fairly long explanation of how dogs evolved in a recent post Those Eyes. It was based on an article in The Atlantic magazine.

The AAAS magazine Science, 12th July 2019, VOL 365 Issue 6449, also had an item.

It is reproduced below and I hope it sufficiently clear that you can read the text.

If the text is not clear let me know and I will amend this post by including the above text as a typed addition.

My Corgi

This is wonderful!

I have been a subscriber to Ugly Hedgehog, a photographic forum, for a little while.

Recently Vicki posted a couple of photographs of her Corgi. They are fabulous and Vicki was kind enough to give me permission to republish them.

First Vicki in her own words:

The morning light backlit my Corgi, Lexi, as she enjoyed the sunny warmth on the back deck, and the house acted as a very large reflector. No fill flash was needed. The catchlights clearly reflect the windows of the house and may or may not be appealing.

I simplified the background with a layer mask in the second shot.

So this is Lexi!

And this is number two!

A brilliant two photographs!

Picture Parade Two Hundred and Ninety-Seven

A reprint of the second picture parade.

This was published on the August 3rd, 2013. Nothing to do with dogs but some great photographs nonetheless.

More photographs courtesy of Neil Kelly, Devon.

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Is it a bird? A man? — Is it a bird? A woman? Take your guess!

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Aren’t these terrific!

OK, next week it’s back to normal!

Another wonderful example of dog nurturing!

I take my hat off to The Dodo.

It’s a brilliant site and one that has reams of good stories about dogs.

Plus it’s OK to republish them which makes a huge difference to so many of you. For I get the impression that you love what they publish as much as I do.

Take this latest example of a dog nurturing an infant.

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Dog Gets Up During The Night To Help Put Crying Toddler Back To Sleep

“When he walks in the room, we know she is in good paws and we can all get some more rest.”

By STEPHEN MESSENGER

PUBLISHED ON 07/12/2019

Almost 2 years ago, the lives of Sara Lebwohl and her husband Zach changed forever. That was when the first-time parents welcomed into the world their newborn daughter Halle.

But as the couple embarked on the journey of parenthood, they soon discovered there was someone eager to help them along the way.

That someone, of course, was their adorable dog Prince.

Even before Halle was born, Prince seemed to understand their family was about to grow. In fact, he rarely left Sara’s side, already devoted to the little one on the way.

Then the big day arrived.

“When she first came home, he went right up to her and sniffed her,” Sara told The Dodo. “He knew she was little and fragile. But he always stayed close and kept a very close eye on her. He was truly a nanny dog from the first day.”

Since then, Prince’s dedication to Halle has only grown deeper.

The two of them are simply inseparable — but although they always have a great time together, Prince still clearly sees himself as both playful companion and caretaker.
And it shows.

Halle is now nearly 2 years old, and has begun sleeping in her own room. But, as is often the case for youngsters her age, she still requires some comfort and reassurance in the early morning.

Prince, who usually sleeps in Mom and Dad’s room, has always been the first to notice when Halle is seemingly restless. And, without fail, he’d accompany whichever of them got up to attend to Halle during those inconvenient wake-up calls.

Recently, however, Sara and her husband had an idea: What if they left both their bedroom door and Halle’s open throughout the night? Would Prince put a fussy Halle back to sleep on his own?

Yes, is the answer — and here’s some sweet video to prove it:

“Surprisingly it has worked out well,” Sara said. “We crack the door open for him when she gets up, and he walks in to greet her. He has a little routine he does, including rolling around on the ground. Then he will look at her and lay down. The amazing thing is that this calms her, and she goes back to sleep.”

The dog’s stellar nannying skills have made life better for Halle — and her parents, too.

“Prince has been an unexpected savior, allowing us a bit more precious minutes to hours of sleep. When he walks in the room, we know she is in good paws and we can all get some more rest,” Sara said.

Now, everyone’s morning is that much happier.

This is just one of the ways that Prince has made life better. Every waking moment is improved by having him around, a faithful companion to those who love him the most. And as Halle grows, there’s no doubt he’ll continue to share in the joys and challenges that lie ahead.

His favorite little girl wouldn’t have it any other way.

“He takes his job as protective big brother very seriously,” Sara said. “Our family feels so fortunate to have a dog that is so loving and good-hearted. We are also thankful that Halle adores Prince.”

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See what I mean!

It’s a beautiful story of Prince being so attentive to the needs of Halle and Halle in turn adoring Prince.

Long after Prince has died, indeed for the rest of Halle’s days, she will love dogs.

Revisiting an earlier post about Pharaoh

Another post from many years back.

From June 4th, 2013 to be exact.

Continuing the theme of revisiting earlier posts this week!

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More on Pharaoh’s life

What a wonderful relationship it has been.

Years ago if I was ever to own a dog, it had to be one breed and one breed only: a German Shepherd Dog.

The reason for this was that back in 1955 my father and mother looked after a German Shepherd dog called Boy. Boy belonged to a lovely couple, Maurice and Marie Davies. They were in the process of taking over a new Public House (Pub); the Jack & Jill in Coulsdon, Surrey. My father had been the architect of the Jack & Jill.

Jack & Jill, Longlands Avenue, Coulsdon, Surrey

As publicans have a tough time taking holidays, it was agreed that the move from their old pub to the Jack & Jill represented a brilliant opportunity to have that vacation. My parents offered to look after Boy for the 6 weeks that Maurice and Marie were going to be away.

Boy was the most gentle loveable dog one could imagine and I quickly became devoted to him; I was 11 years old at the time. So when years later it seemed the right time to have a dog, there was no question about the breed. Boy’s memory lived on all those years, and, as this post reveals, still does!

Pharaoh was born June 3rd, 2003 at Jutone Kennels up at Bovey Tracy, Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor. As the home page of the Jutone website pronounces,

The Kennel was established in 1964 and it has always been the aim to breed the best German Shepherd Dogs for type and temperament. To this end the very finest German bloodlines are used to continue a modern breeding programme.

and elsewhere on that website one learns:

Jutone was established by Tony Trant who was joined by Sandra Tucker in 1976. Sandra continues to run Jutone since Tony passed away in 2004. Both Tony and Sandra qualified as Championship Show judges and Sandra continues to judge regularly. Sandra is the Secretary and a Life Member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Devon.

93ac7d454b15519effff8014ffffffd3 — Tony Trant

Turning to Pharaoh, here are a few more pictures over the years.

oooOOOooo

The next picture of Pharaoh requires a little background information.

For many years I was a private pilot and in later days had the pleasure, the huge pleasure, of flying a Piper Super Cub, a group-owned aircraft based at Watchford Farm in South Devon. The aircraft, a Piper PA-18-135 Super Cub, was originally supplied to the Dutch Air Force in 1954 and was permitted by the British CAA to carry her original military markings including her Dutch military registration, R-151, although there was a British registration, G-BIYR, ‘underneath’ the Dutch R-151. (I wrote more fully about the history of the aircraft on Learning from Dogs back in August 2009.)

Anyway, every time I went to the airfield with Pharaoh he always tried to climb into the cockpit. So one day, I decided to see if he would sit in the rear seat and be strapped in. Absolutely no problem with that!

Come on Dad, let's get this thing off the ground! — Come on Dad, let’s get this thing off the ground!

My idea had been to fly a gentle circuit in the aircraft. First I did some taxying around the large grass airfield that is Watchford to see how Pharaoh reacted. He was perfectly behaved.

Then I thought long and hard about taking Pharaoh for a flight. In the Cub there is no autopilot so if Pharaoh struggled or worse it would have been almost impossible to fly the aircraft and cope with Pharaoh. So, in the end, I abandoned taking him for a flight. The chances are that it would have been fine. But if something had gone wrong, the outcome just didn’t bear thinking about.

So we ended up motoring for 30 minutes all around the airfield which, as the next picture shows, met with doggie approval. The date was July 2006.

What a dear dog he has been over all the years and, thankfully, still is!

As if to reinforce the fabulous dog he still is, yesterday it was almost as though he knew he had to show how youthful he still was.

Because, when I took his group of dogs out around 7.30am armed with my camera, Pharaoh was brimming over with energy.

First up was a swim in the pond.

Then in a way he has not done before, Pharaoh wanted to play ‘King of my Island’, which is in the middle of the pond.

ooo

Then a while later, when back on dry land, so to speak, it was time to dry off in the morning sunshine.

Actually, this isn't a bad life! — Actually, this isn’t a bad life!

Long may he have an enjoyable and comfortable life.

ooOOoo

Pharaoh died of old age on June 19th, 2017. He was 14!

Despite the fact that we have six wonderful dogs including Cleo there is still a twinge of sadness when Pharaoh is mentioned. And now you know the origins of Pharaoh!

Let me close by sharing a photograph of Cleo.

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