That's not a dog! That's a monster

by KSP
(Where the wind may take me, the world)

Duke, a White Shepherd, turned a year old last month.

We got him on April 30, 2011. We initially fed him Blue Buffalo, but he started showing allergies. So, I did extensive research and we went to a raw diet to eliminate allergens. After having him on a diet of: ground chicken, beef, deer (donated by a local processor), carrots, kale, mashed pumpkin, and mashed sweet potato, his digestion improved and he started growing... and growing... and growing.

By October 2011, he weighed 75 pounds. In January 2012, we went to a locally produced dry food called Outlaw Feed. It is amazing! Dog waste crumbles after a couple of days and all four of our dogs eat less per day than standard store bought food.

Now, nearly a year on, he weighs 130 pounds and on his hind legs is 5'7". He is officially bigger than me and he is still growing. We take long, brisk walks multiple times a day, so we can direct his energy and burn it off...e specially after dinner. His treats consist of ice cubes, carrots, salmon chips and sometimes zucchini. Yes, he loses his mind for veggies!

We took him and our other German Shepherd (retired Interpol bomb detection dog; weighs about 125) to work so co-workers could see that we weren't exaggerating their sizes. One remarked, "That's not a dog! That's a monster!"