K9 Savvy Girl

I thought I would take a moment to write about who I am, and my experiences with our canine friends and why I know what I know!

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I am 23 years old, born and raised in the Sunshine State Florida. I am a new mother, and of course, a canine enthusiast. 

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Where did my interest in dogs start? Well, from the time I could crawl I was pretending I was a dog. I refused to eat unless my food was in a bowl.. On the floor. I bit people, and I even slept in the sun curled up outside. You could say I was weird, but for me.. I just wanted to be a dog.

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Once I started Kindergarten (5yrs old), we were allowed to go to the library in school and check out books. Which books did I run to every single time? Books about dogs, and books about wolves. And when I was done reading them all.. I read them all again. I remember specifically a day where it was "nap time" and I was up reading the book I had just gotten all about Rottweilers.. Learning that they were bred in Germany as herding dogs.. When my teacher told me to stop because it was nap time! How funny I remember those times..

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In the other elementary grades, I started watching television. Instead of cartoons, I watched Animal Planet shows like the Crocodile Hunter, Breed All About It, K9 to 5, Emergency Vets, and Animal Cops. 

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My love for animals and dogs specifically always led my mom to buying me cute and cuddly puppies, that we would soon rehome for various reasons. It was like as soon as we got through all of the terrible puppy stage of chewing, potty training, etc, something would happen and we would have to give them away. We had all types of dogs. A Boxer/Shar Pei mix named Buddy to a Rat Terrier named Lucky. A Maltese named Bella to an Australian Shepherd named Piper.

 

Piper was the first dog I learned to train using the clicker. My mom bought me two books on Australian Shepherds and I watched videos on how to clicker train them. I was amazed on how quickly I taught her to "Sit", and "Lay Down". She was a special dog to me, because my mom got her for me at the same time my grandmother was dying. I guess to side track me.. But once she passed away we started moving around a lot so we didn't have any pets for a few years.

 

When I did get a dog, I got a beautiful all white Siberian Husky (AKC and Ch. Bloodlines but who's bragging?) that I named Jayden. I read all about Siberian Huskies before making the choice on one of course, and I read that they had very sensitive tummies (sensitivities to soy specifically). So I internet searched what the best dog food was, and I came across Blue Buffalo. I learned how to read dog food bag ingredients, and I decided that Blue was the BEST choice for my Jayden (looking back I'm sure that was a big part of his chronic diarrhea and therefore lack of being crate and house trained). Though this wouldn't be the end of my canine nutrition journey, it is where it all began.

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Fast forward to my 18th birthday and my mom tells me that I should look into doing something for a little extra money. "What about baby sitting?" she asked. I said "Well I don't know about babies, but what about dog sitting?"

 

For the next few years I professionally dog sat and dog trained other peoples' pets and actually helped one owner diagnose her senior pug with diabetes. In the height of my dog sitting career I came across Chocolate Labrador puppies and of course, I had to have one! After I trained him perfectly (people on the street would ask if I was training him for Seeing Eye Dogs for the Blind) I went through multiple brands of dog kibble. I again, internet searched the best dog food but this time, something new came up: A Raw Diet.

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This diet I prepared for my Tank was more of a BARF diet- hamburger meat, veggies, raw egg, etc. AND HE GULPED IT UP. I said "Wow this is really something different". Of course I wound up having to rehome him, but I told myself that the next dog I got I would feed him a Raw Diet.

 

The next two years I researched Raw Diets for Dogs like it was my job. I used my wolf knowledge and dog knowledge and geared it towards nutrition and I came up with my own belief system of what I feel is best for all dogs. Others agree with me of course, but some don't and that's ok. 

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So, at 21 years old when I finally got another dog, I named him Hank after my lab Tank, and he has been the first dog I have successfully fed a Raw Diet to (he is now 2 years old and thriving). When he was a puppy I worked at a grocery store in Upstate New York, and through that job I met some really incredible people who also had pit bulls and fed them a Raw Diet. They became what I call my "Raw Mentors" and they really helped my solidify my thoughts and opinions about the Raw Diet. 

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With all this being said, through all these trials and tribulations, I have seen many MANY kibble fed dogs, and I have came across Raw Fed dogs. And I have seen the significant change in my own dog on a Raw Diet and on a kibble diet. Seeing these changes has lit a fire in my soul to help EVERY dog and dog owner that I can learn the TRUTH about what they are feeding their pets.

 

This is why (with the help with family) I started the K9SavvyGirl Facebook Page & Website. Though my canine knowledge reaches far beyond nutrition and I can help dog owners with any question they have; My focus and goal in life is Raw Feeding for our Carnivorous pets.

 

I am currently finishing up my pre-requisites and then heading on to Vet Tech school and then if everything works out, Veterinary school. 

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I hope this note, though somewhat lengthy, is a look inside who I am, why I do what I do, and how I got here. 

As always, if you have ANY dog related question, you can contact me.

Thank you,
K9SavvyGirl
Originally Written 09/25/2015