I’m AJ, and this is Chase (RIP Nov2024). Chase had been with me over 18 ½   years, and while on the job as international humanitarian during the day, not only was he the best part of coming home from my journeys abroad, he was an inspiration to me in adding a canine lens to my poverty alleviation work across the developing world for these same 18 ½  years. So I thought after years of empowering healthy choices in communities all around the globe, what can I do to empower my own community right back here in New York?  I am convinced that 18 ½  years of canine life for a 30lb dog should not be “amazing,” it should be the new standard we strive to achieve. I hope to contribute to this by empowering fellow puppy parents to make healthy choices for their furry loved ones.

A dog is a dog is a dog….living a dog’s life. Chase was my family, he was my dog, he was our dog, he was our family, we were all one big happy family around one big hearth. So I guess, we were all living a dog’s life…around a dog’s hearth. Suffice it to say Chase was with us for over 18 years, and was happy and healthy throughout almost all of it. The number one reason why?, TLC, of course!, the number two reason, and healthy home-cooked diet of everyday food, made from scratch in our kitchen since 2006. Everyday food, I mean actual people-food. Hey, we could literally share a meal at times!

As it became second nature to me, I found that fellow pet parents and families thought it out-of-the ordinary, burdensome and/or even unhealthy (especially since kibble had all the “nutritional needs” for a dog). As Chase aged in years, but not vitality, his diet became an inspired point of discussion, even with the veterinarians that he met with throughout his 18+ years. As he received clean bills of health, passing age 8, 10, 12… year after year, I’d hear the same advice, “keep doing what you’re doing”

And so I did, and we were graced with Chase’s amazing presence for another 6.5 years! I miss him, will always miss him.  As a small token of his memory I began sharing his simple menu of lamb, rice, frozen veggies and spinach with my furry friends and neighbors, and before you knew it, here I am!