We’ve decided to adopt a new dog, and I’ve done a lot of research on caring for our new family member, including getting him the proper vaccinations and medications, plus leashes, beds, combs and other various products. Now I’m looking into feeding him. The problem is, I don’t want to buy just any popular dog food. After having watched Food, Inc. earlier this year, I’ve become very concerned with living a sustainable lifestyle. I don’t want to compound the agrarian, medical, economic and cultural problems of our world caused by the agribusiness industry. So we’ve been trying to shop at the Farmer’s Market as much as possible, plus buy organic and other more environmentally friendly items. It’s hard getting started, but we’re feeling more confident as time goes on.

But now we’re going to have to consider how to factor a pet into our new eco-minded ways. This will be my first time owning a dog, so I am starting from scratch when it comes to feeding one anyway. Although I guess that could either be a benefit or a curse–a benefit since I have no habits to break, a curse because I have no idea of where to start. I started by looking at some all natural dog food that I saw advertised. But as I researched, I discovered that “all natural” can mean just about whatever the manufacturer chooses it to mean. It’s not in truth regulated, and therefore can’t be trusted as a label. So now I’m looking mostly at organic dog food.

There are a fair number of options available, which surprised me in a very good way. I’m very happy to find that dog owners take their pets into consideration when thinking about eating healthful foods and taking care of the environment. I wonder if pet lovers are more likely to also be environmentally conscious? In any case, now I plan to narrow down the choices by examining the individual companies. I don’t want to start using something that’s technically organic, only to find that they mistreat test animals or commit other major offenses. Someone also mentioned today that lots of people are switching to grain free dog food, since dogs in their natural state don’t really eat grains.

Much food for thought when it comes to choosing pet food these days. Though it’s taking a good amount of time to get all this research done, in the end I’ll feel better knowing my love for my dog is not hurting the environment or his health.