I want to start by saying that I’m a cat person. I’ve always owned cats. But lately my house has gone to the dogs. It started with my mum’s Corgi, Zoé. I would pick her up from my mum’s apartment and take her to the park, and decided I might want a dog after all.

I fell in love with Shiba Inus and Akitas when visiting Japan, and became slightly obsessed with these “dogs that act like cats.” I got Kitsuné as a tiny puppy, and then a year later we rescued Katami when she was 7 months. It has been a wild ride ever since.

LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE

Our dogs, like their humans, are wheat/gluten/corn/soy free, and mostly grain-free. We feed them a mixture that we change every time the bag gets empty. Our one ongoing staple is Ziwipeak. I love their ingredients - Green Mussels is hard to find in dog food!

We also supplement both dogs (and cats) with raw feeding: meat, bones, pumpkin, chia seeds, rice, eggs, and even tiny bits of cheese. They also get salmon oil about 3 times a week.

For treats, the dogs get cooked beef, lamb, or pork bones.

DO NOT feed dogs cooked chicken bones!!!

Cooked poultry bones will splinter and possibly kill your dog. My mum gives them raw chicken bones with the meat cut off, but I don’t recommend it unless your dogs are used to it. We also give them bully sticks and chicken chips.

RUB A DUB DUB

The dogs and cat share this boar bristle brush and the dogs use this rake for their undercoat. They get brushed about 3-5x a week.

The dogs get a bath about 4 times a year (or more if they roll in something or after a road trip). We fill up a kiddie pool with warm water, and a bucket next to it with a (clean) yoghurt container to pour over them. They get soaped up with Alaffia Shampoo, and rinsed with the water in the pool. Next is a small amount of Alaffia Conditioner and a dab of coconut milk, and then they get rinsed with the clean water from the bucket. In the desert, they can air dry, but if you live in a humid climate you’re going to want to get your dogs used to a hair dryer on a low setting.

SICK AS A DOG*

Your pet will get hurt or sick at some point. Whether travelling on the road, hiking on the trail, or even at home, you should have a First Aid Kit for your pet. You can make your own based on this list from the ASPCA.

In my kit, I also have Colloidal Silver for minor cuts/scrapes. I also add silver to their water when we travel, or spray in their mouth after they’ve picked up something nasty from the ground (a random ball, something dead, etc). If your dog has loose stools, you can try slippery elm and chia seeds mixed into their food or a treat. If it persists for more than a day, please consult your vet!

We don’t need to put flea / tick treatment in the desert, but when we lived in San Diego we had to put it on the dogs almost more than once a month! To stretch out the treatments, I would put Diatomaceous Earth on the dogs and around the house.

If your dog has a chewing problem on your furniture, or themselves, you can use this Apple Bitter Spray. The spray can also be used to stop aggression, but please consult with a behaviourist before incorporating it into your plan.

*Always talk to your vet first!