This post is in partnership with Merrick Backcountry. Thoughts are my own.
Y’all, it’s Tally’s 9th birthday today! It’s hard to believe I brought Baby Girl home from the shelter 8.75 years ago. I swear, she still acts like a pup! {And I swear, I’m still in my 20s, right?! Haha…not even close.}
Seriously, I can’t believe Tals and I have been together for such a long time. I get all emotional when I think about our fun adventures together: river crossings, 14er summits, trail runs, day hikes, and our upcoming road trip to Canada. We’ve managed to cram a lot into our almost-decade!
All photos by Will Rochfort
I get Tally a treat for her birthday every year, and today is no exception. Only this year, she gets two treats: one from me {in the form of a dog cupcake} and one from Merrick Backcountry. Only, she got like a zillion treats from them!
As part of their new ambassador program, Merrick hooked Tals up with a box of goodness: bags full of their Raw Infused Kibble in the Great Plains Red Meat Recipe flavor and cans of various flavors of their wet foods. I swear, she thought it was like Christmas when I pulled all of the cans out of the box! I don’t typically feed her wet food, so this was a bit of an experiment on my part. Would she like it?
In a word, YES!
We’ve been testing out the wet food on her kibble over the past few weeks and it has been the highlight of her day! I scoop a half of a can onto her dry food for breakfast, and she is *literally* besides herself with joy. It even led to a new phrase in our household: All I have to say is, “Tals, do you want some Beef Stew?!” and it’s game over. She will launch up, run downstairs and stand by her food bowl, prancing and leaping in circles. She even throws a few 360s and a shoulder slide in for good measure. Aside from being the most adorable thing on the planet, it makes me happy that she is enjoying her meal so much!
So, what’s so good about the Merrick Backcountry line? Here are my personal highlights:
- The kibble is a grain-free ancestral diet so Tals doesn’t get stomach problems
- There are big ol’ chunks of raw freeze-dried meat in the mix
- It’s made in the USA
- It’s made with real food, not made-in-a-lab ingredients
What Tals eats has always been important to me, but as she gets older, I find myself focusing on it even more. She means a lot to me and deserves to enjoy her meals! As a result, I’ve honestly found myself purchasing the Merrick canned foods on my own. I love how I can buy a few flavors — her favorites are Beef Stew, Rabbit Stew, and Real Chicken — and give her a variety throughout the week.
And did I mention how adorable she is? How could I deny this freaking cute face anything, especially a tasty snack on her birthday?!
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