become a health partner with your pup

People describe so many different reasons why having a dog as a family pet is amazing. We adopted our first Boxer, Jasper, nearly seven years ago and then added a second Boxer, Dexter, to our family a year and a half ago. Sure, their presence in our family alters our ability to just pack-up and do a weekend get-away to some tropical destination, but the positive benefits they’ve brought our family often times outweigh that.

According to the “Milk-Bone Human-Canine Health Study”— a survey of 3,000 U.S. dog parents conducted by Milk-Bone brand dog treats (in conjunction with Learndipity Data Insights) — pet parents who include their pups in family health routines lead healthier lives. In fact, 55% of dog parents say their lives are “full of happiness and joy,” compared to 39% of non-dog parents.

 
Isn’t that interesting? I’ve always acknowledged that our pups certainly do bring happiness to our lives but I’ve never really thought about the “health” aspect of it. Working with Milk-Bone this fall has given me a little more insight and realization as to how true that is!

While our Jasper, the older of two Boxers, is definitely slowing down in life, Dexter, the puppy, still keeps us very active. Often times we find ourselves running around the yard with him in an effort to just tire him out for a bit 🙂 But, think about it…while we’re “just trying to tire him out”, we’re getting lots of great exercise ourselves! And we usually need to take turns between us and the kids because we always tire out before Dexter!

And while exercising Jasper & Dexter are important to us in maintaining their health, we also want to make sure we’re giving them great food and supplements as a part of that health routine.

We’re finding that Milk-Bone’s new Good Morning™ Daily Vitamin Treats are a great way to give them those beneficial nutrients that are not found in their daily dog food.

Available in three different formulas, Good Morning™ Daily Vitamin Treats are a great way to get your pup started in the morning. Jasper is a great candidate for the Healthy Aging treats while Dexter gets the Total Wellness treats. And then we alternate with the Healthy Joints treats, because they can both use that! They line up with the kids in the morning in the kitchen to get their “vitamins”, just like the kids! It’s so funny!

Honestly, the pups just think they are getting treats because they look and taste (or so I assume) just like a treat and not like a vitamin pill or capsule. I really appreciate how easy it is to give them this form of vitamin!!! And it’s really nice that their “treats” are packed with good vitamins for them, not just a treat empty of nutrition.

Now, as the weather turns colder and our pups’ exercise opportunities are a little fewer and far between (they aren’t too fond of the cold and snow), I’m hoping that the Milk-Bone® Good Morning™ Daily Vitamin Treats will help them maintain their health until we are able to get back out into the yard.

For more information on the Good Morning™ Daily Vitamin Treats, be sure to check out bit.ly/MBGood-morning. You can also tweet questions you might have about these new treats to @MilkBone on Twitter.

How does your dog help influence your family’s fitness and health routines? And, I’d LOVE to hear your tips and tricks on getting your pup some exercise during those long, cold winter months? I’m not looking forward to Dexter bouncing off the walls (quite literally) again this Winter!