We just returned from the Life's Abundance annual convention. It was a great conference. It was on the Carnival Dream ship - what a way to play and do business at the same time! We learned so much about nutrition for our animals. While most families who get a puppy from us continue with Life's Abundance products we do have some who do not. I have never tracked why they aren't continuing and what they are using instead. We feel it is important to start asking questions.

I emailed a few of our customers the last few days and asked why they had chosen not to continue with Life's Abundance and what they were using. Most of the feedback has been in regard to price and shipping. In pricing it really is important to compare apples to apples. You have to look at how much you are feeding with the other dog food in comparison to the quantity of Life's Abundance. Some dog foods are cheaper, but require you feed more. If you use the auto-ship benefit, the shipping and the cost of the food, treats, supplements etc. are reduced.

While we have always been great supporters of Life's Abundance products we learned so much about their formula, ingredients, and why they have a superior product. They only use organic, human-grade products, and have been using the same manufacturers for over 12 years. They have never had any of their products recalled. They have strict guidelines and quality control on how the product is shipped from the manufacturer to the warehouse. It continues with how much inventory they keep on hand, as well as continually improving the delivery time from their warehouse to the customer. I was impressed with their well thought out protocol and system to ensure the highest quality product be delivered to your door.

Let's face it - there are many high quality premium pet foods on the market, but most of them, have had their products recalled because of contamination of their products. Some are cheaper than Life's Abundance and some are more expensive.

We talked to several breeders, dog and cat, and show breeders who have been using Life's Abundance products for years. Most of them will not sell or guarantee the health of one of their puppies if the family chooses not continue with Life's Abundance pet food products. Wow, that is really believing in your products!

Listening to Dr. Jane (www.lifesabundance.com/General/DrJane.aspx?realname=20001849&cat=0&hdr=&Ath=False) and her passion for healthy pets and providing quality products was very inspirational. It also brought up so many questions for us as breeders. If a family chooses to feed a dog food that does not have the quality of nutrition or reputation that Life's Abundance provides in the long run, does it save them money? If they choose not to use a dog food we recommend, after we have done tremendous research within the industry, should we have any guarantee at all on the health of the puppy? We are exploring the cost vs. the benefits, as well as what our responsibility as a breeder needs to be in regard to guarantee for health when families choose to feed less quality food.

We put so much nutrition and care while raising our puppies here at Wisteria Goldens and would like to learn why some families choose the food and treat products they do.

I had one family tell me they were continuing on Life's Abundance because they felt like they had just purchased the Lamborghini of Goldens and they were not going to put in cheap gas! LOL I love that.

While Life's Abundance "seems" expensive upfront, is it really in the long run?

Please send me your questions and concerns about using our products. I would love to ask to Dr. Jane and the company these questions in order to help me educate our families on the importance of nutrition for our "furry family members."

This is a new avenue for us and we would love to help provide information to our families to support and increase optimal health of their puppies, as well as into adulthood increasing the longevity of their life!