What the Purina One 28 Day Challenge Means for our Family

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Purina One, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ONEDifference  my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

If you’ve been around these parts for a while now, you know that our family is big. Not just big, but blended and spans across many different ages. What you may not have noticed, unless you’ve read my Family Life tab, is that we also have two dogs who are very much a part of our family. If you follow me on Instagram or know me personally then you may know our dogs a little more intimately, but otherwise this may be new news.

All my life I had pets, growing up I had dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even a rabbit. I was also an only child, so having all these pets helped make me responsible for another life. I would help feed and bathe our animals and ever since I was little I was always a dog person. When my parents split up when I was a teenager, we moved from our house to an apartment and suddenly I didn’t have any more pets. For many years I didn’t, even after becoming an adult and a mother with my own kids. I remember missing it so much, having a dog around and when Big G and I got together we both really wanted that for our kids. We eventually moved to the suburbs, away from apartment living and got married and our family began to grow. I remember researching pets and deciding on so many different breeds of dogs. We stopped by shelters and looked through the pet foster care photos looking for a furry baby to adopt, and it just never panned out for us. Until I was about 8 months pregnant with D-Man and Big G’s old friend from high school said he still had a dog from his last litter. It was a boy, and he was 7 months old. He sent us photos and he was beautiful, but we were also nervous! Big G went to go meet him, and he warmed right up to him. A week later he went back to get him and bring him home to us, and I just remember how nervous we all were.

Chopper came in, and he was such a good dog. He loved the kids, loved hugs, and loved to sleep just outside of our bedroom door, right by the stairs. A month and a half later when D-Man was born, Big Mama stayed at our house to help take care of him and our older kids, and he never left her side. He is a gentle soul, mostly serious but sometimes he gets rambunctious and runs through the yard like he’s a puppy again. He fit right in with our family. When D-Man was born, he’d lay right next to his swing and watch him. As D-Man has grown up, Chopper has too. They have always been best of friends.

A few months after RoRo was born, almost 3 years ago, one of my high school friends’ dogs had puppies. I remember going to her house, and seeing one of the puppies with a big brown spot over one eye and I fell in love with her. She was too cute! We’d talked about getting a second dog so Chopper could have a buddy, but never really decided on anything. A few months after meeting that cute little pup, Big Mama passed away. Our family was hurting, and my friend was ready to part with the last of the puppies. We decided to go pick her up and her and Chopper have been inseparable since. They cuddle and lick each others wounds, she’s a bit younger so sometimes she’ll get on his nerves when he just wants to sunbathe, but he’s lost without her. I love their closeness!

Chynna is a little more energetic, she always has a big smile on her face and loves getting belly rubs. She thinks she’s a lap dog and if you so much as look at her for more than 10 seconds she’s your best friend and she wants to climb in your lap. They’re both very close to our kids, but it’s become apparent who they think their owners are. Chopper is Big G’s shadow. He follows and goes everywhere that Big G goes. I remember before D-Man was born, though, when the kids were at school and it was just Chopper and I all day every day. We were close, him and I. He’d come and wake me up by laying his head on my bed and scratching my leg. When we got Chynna, RiRi took to her quickly and Chynna follows her everywhere.

The Purina One 28 Day Challenge and what it means for our family

Our dogs are a huge part of our family life, and they mean the world to us. In the last few years, Chopper has developed a strange skin condition where he loses hair and his skin gets raw and scabby. We only fed them one food for a long time, and it was like suddenly overnight his body didn’t like it anymore. We tried a few types and got recommendations by our vet. We’re selective with the types of food we feed him, and for a while it was slowly clearing up but it was still there. Then we read about the Purina One 28 Day Challenge. We looked at the ingredients, and they are incredibly nutritious and natural. We decided to try it out, and the first thing we noticed was how much they both loved their food! They scarfed it down, and they seemed full and happy.

We also started noticing that Chopper seemed a bit more energetic, not as sluggish and tired as normal. His skin started to heal and clear up, and his coat seemed shinier.  Both of them seemed happier overall and they really love their food. That’s important to us, because we want to help them stay healthy and feeling their best as long as possible. You can read more about the Purina One 28 Day Challenge, and also sign up  to start the challenge with your own best buddy. In the process you’ll receive a coupon for $3 off a Purina One bag of dog food.

Do you have any pets? Tell me about them!