If you have a dog, you know how much they feel like a part of the family; and what you may not know is your best friend may also help you live longer and happier. According to the Cleveland Clinic, having a pet can improve mood and reduce stress by boosting serotonin and dopamine. A study published in 2019 found that dog ownership is associated with a 24% reduced risk of all-cause mortality and a 31% lower risk of death due to cardiovascular problems compared to non-owners. Another study from Sweden published in 2017 suggested that dog owners had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and other causes, particularly among those living alone. Go, dogs!
The parents of our Dog of the Month, Scout, have experienced these benefits since getting their Golden Retriever puppy 3 years ago. “From the moment we brought Scout home, he has been a constant source of joy. To say he keeps us active is an understatement: 3 or 4 long walks a day, playing ball or tug-of-war — which 100 lb Scout tends to win. Convinced he is loved by the entire world, he expands our friend group as he must say hi to every dog and human he meets and, bonus, we chat with the fellow dog parents.” More on our Dog of the Month, Scout, later in the article.
With all of these benefits that we get from having our dogs, it only makes sense that we take care of them as best we can so that they can stay vital for as long as possible. This means looking at what we are feeding them. Many commercial dog food brands have some not-so-great ingredients. If you wouldn’t eat it, why would you feed it to your dog?
We set out to find a fresh, human-grade dog food alternative and found Sundays. Sundays is made of 90% meat and 10% superfoods. Nothing weird. We also like that Sundays allows you to customize your dog’s food plan depending on their age, breed, and activity level.
In honor of finding Sundays, we wanted to test it out on our Dog of the Month, Scout. Scout is a 3-year-old Golden Retriever who is extremely active and was the biggest of all his brothers and sisters, weighing over 100 pounds. Some of Scout’s favorite activities include stealing socks, sunbathing, protecting the house from scary delivery trucks, and getting belly rubs — lots and lots of belly rubs.
While Scout is known for putting any and everything in his mouth, he happens to love Sundays. There was no hesitation when his old food was swapped for Sundays, and his bowl was licked clean. If he could talk, we think he would say that he loved his new food, and that he was ready to go play fetch.
Let’s take good care of our furry family members. Try Sundays and receive a 40% discount with code AGEIST.
Have a dog that you’d like to nominate for Dog of the Month? Send your submissions to newsletter@weareageist.com.
