2020 at K9sOverCoffee, or we’re rapidly approaching the end of this doggone year, so today I’m looking back at 2020!
Are you ready to go down memory lane with me? Here we go!
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2020 At K9sOverCoffee: Raw Dog Food & Blog
In this section, I’ll cover everything that happened that was raw dog food-related.
Got My Raw Dog Food Nutrition Specialist Certification
This one was big for me! I started the course at Dogs Naturally Magazine in November 2019 and graduated in January 2020. That said, I’m now a certified raw dog food nutrition specialist.
If you’re interested in taking the course yourself, you can check out the details here.
Gutted A Deer With The BF
I helped my boyfriend gut a deer on our patio! He usually takes the deer he hunts to a local wildlife processor, but this one was small enough to DIY.
My boyfriend definitely did the vast majority of the work, but I assisted and handed him tools. The most important one to me was a pot that held the cuts of meat Wally would get to eat, ha!
Those were the heart and lung, as well as secreting organs like the liver, spleen, and kidneys.
First Order From My Pet Carnivore
2020 at K9sOverCoffee also included ordering from My Pet Carnivore. I had heard of My Pet Carnivore before but hadn’t ordered with them yet because they were usually out of what I wanted (either rabbit or beaver).
This time around I got lucky though and mainly placed an order for their beaver and beaver tail. The order also included duck hearts and lake trout (fish).
New Protein Sources: Beaver, Camel, Ostrich, and Kangaroo
Wally has quite a few food intolerances, which means that I’m always looking for new protein sources for him.
This year, we added beaver, camel, ostrich, and kangaroo!
I featured all of these protein sources (along with others) in my second e-book about raw dog food recipes for dogs with allergies. I mention it three sections after this one.
New Chest Freezer For Wally’s Raw Dog Food
Halfway through 2020, Wally’s 5.1 cubic feet chest freezer stopped working! That was definitely a YIKES moment, and I had to get a new one pronto because I had just filled the old one with a fresh order of raw dog food. I really didn’t want it to go to waste!
Thankfully, I found a brand new 7 cubic feet chest freezer on Ebay for $450. Shipping was crazy fast and 3 days later, I had a new chest freezer!
Two Giveaways
The two giveaways I hosted on the blog this year were Turkey Necks From Raw Paws Pet Food and Paradigm from Dr. Harvey’s.
Turkey necks are great raw meaty bones that offer joint support and can be fed whole or ground. They’re also great to use in bone broth!
Paradigm is a dehydrated mix of low-carb veggies and herbs. It’s a lot more convenient to add to raw dog food than steaming and chopping up your own veggies, which is why I alternate between the two options!
2 New e-Books: Raw Meal Prep + Allergies
This year, I published two new e-books! The first one was Raw Meal Prep for Dogs: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners.
The second one was 10 Raw Dog Food Recipes & Tips For Dogs With Allergies.
2020 At K9sOverCoffee: Wally & Life Outside Of The Blog
Moving on to everything non-raw dog food related!
Moved In With Boyfriend - Wally's Jealousy Issues
I moved in with my boyfriend this year, and of course Wally tagged along! Well, we had a little adjustment period during which Wally wasn't too happy to have to "share" me with someone else. The way he was letting us know was by marking the walls...but now he's adjusted nicely and loves his cuddle sessions with "Daddy" on the couch, too.
I dedicated an entire blog post to this topic, and you can check it out here if you're interested in more details.
Wally Met New Puppy Friends - Fonzie, Rory and Dexter
I always try to set up doggie playdates for socialization purposes, and this year, Wally met three new friends!
Goldendoodle Rory and Mutt Fonzie are still puppies, and Great Dane Dexter is a senior pup. The puppies are racing around with Wally, and Dexter just hangs out. He's definitely past any puppy shenanigans, lol!
Wally's First Time In A Tent
We tried to make the best of our NC stay-at-home orders earlier this year during Covid, and one of our activities was camping on our patio!
This was Wally's first time in a tent, and he did great! I brought a doggie bed into the tent come sleeping time, and he just curled up on it and slept through the night.
Turkey Thief
We had a funny little anecdote happen with Wally during turkey hunting season! My boyfriend shot and cooked a turkey, portioned some of it out on plates, and left the rest of the bird sitting on the kitchen counter.
Well, we were eating outside and had someone visit. Our friend went back inside to grab a drink and Wally snuck inside with him. On our friend's way back outside, Wally and the bird followed!!
We had a little chase going on for a few minutes, and eventually managed to grab Wally AND take the leftover turkey away from him. I'm glad we did because I definitely wouldn't have wanted him to eat any cooked bones.
That's because cooking changes the density in bones and makes them brittle and sharp, quite unlike raw meaty bones that are soft and pliable.
Progress with Reactivity on Walks - Switched Training Collars
Wally can be a little devil with some dogs we encounter on our walks. On top of that, he goes into prey mode whenever he sees squirrels or cats.
With that in mind, I'm happy to report that we've made quite a bit of progress with his occasional reactivity and hunting attempts.
I now ALWAYS carry a treat pouch on me when we walk, and consistently reward him for making eye contact with me. I personally like to use single-ingredient treats like dehydrated rabbit nibs or green tripe treats.
In addition to that, I also tried out one of Mighty Paw's new dual handle, tactical bungee leashes, and it WORKS SO WELL!!
The big benefit of dual handle leashes is that they feature two handles - one on each end of the leash.
When I need him close by, I simply grab the other handle that's closest to his head. That way, he doesn't have any freedom to act up, and it's just a beautiful solution!
I don't even walk him on his head collar anymore!
Christmas Tree Adventure
On Black Friday, all 3 of us were headed to a local Christmas tree farm to pick up a tree for the holidays.
Wally was well-behaved overall, but of course he tried to pee on the tree, lol! Thankfully, he doesn't do that at home!
Closing My Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Business
I'm ending 2020 with closing my pet sitting and dog walking business that I ran since 2015. Unfortunately, it didn't survive the Covid pandemic since my clients mostly worked from home and didn't travel as usual.
Consequently, they barely needed my services.
However, I look at it as a blessing in disguise. That's because I came very close to experiencing burnout.
Here's the thing: If you want to make a decent living in this service industry, you have to work a lot.
Like A LOT. Early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays A LOT.
I essentially found myself working when other people were off. That was sustainable while I was separated from my now ex-husband and didn't really have a personal life anymore.
However, now that that's changed, I'll be honest and say that I'm no longer interested in working non-stop. I DO want to have a work-life balance again, and closing the business is the right step for me/us.
We'll also be taking a big next step in the first half of 2021 (no, not getting married!), and the business would have been closed at that point anyways.
Stay tuned for an update on our plans!
Looking Back At 2020 At K9sOverCoffee: Bottom Line
As was the case for many others, 2020 was interesting and different from what I expected it to be.
I broadened my raw feeding horizon by adding a few new protein sources to Wally's raw meals like beaver, ostrich, camel and kangaroo, published two new e-books, and got certified as a raw dog food nutrition specialist.
While Covid is the main reason why I'm closing my dog walking and pet sitting business, I'm glad that my crazy work hours are coming to an end.
I'm equally excited for my new journey, both as far as my personal life and my new work are concerned.
To my "old" readers: Thank you for following along on our journey in 2020 at K9sOverCoffee, and to my new readers: Welcome to the K9sOverCoffee Blog and our raw life!
Related Reading:
- How To Safely Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones
- How To Feed Your Dog Wild Raw Venison + 1 Recipe
- Pet Bloggers Journey 2020: The K9sOverCoffee Adventure
- Mighty Paw's Dog Treat Pouch Is Perfect For Walking & Training
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