Freya's Journey: Nature's Select of NWA

Freya is my first dog that is really MY dog.  In High School I convinced my mother to get us a Shih Tzu, Phoebe, and in college I was best buds with my Granma's German Shepherds Gaia and Folgen.  But never was I entirely responsible for a dog.

As mentioned before, I found Freya through Petfinder.com and got her from the Centerton Animal Shelter (beautiful new facilities were built a couple months before I adopted her in September 2010).  There are many hoops that one needs to jump through when getting a new pet.  

1. Vet - for Freya we went to All Pets Animal Hospital which was recommended by a friend.  The staff is great, the facility clean and friendly.

2. Dog food 

3. Dog toys & supplies: brush, shampoo, dog bowl, toys, bones, bed, kennel, collar, leash etc. (Many items found at TJMaxx or else later and cheaper on amazon.com)

The dog food was a conundrum.  I wanted to have a healthy and happy puppy, but the options were endless.  I knew my friend loved Blue Buffalo and so I decided to start her out on that.  But it was expensive (a 30 lb. bag at Amazon.com costs 47.99).  

If I bought it from the grocery store I could rarely find Blue Buffalo or other high quality foods, and I was then faced with a very large and heavy bag to carry to and from cars and on and off of shelves, checkout belts, carts, etc.  (How does my grandmother who is almost 80 and has arthritis manage?)  And when I tried PurinaOne I found that Freya got picky about eating and was not thrilled by kibble.

It was then that I met Nature's Select of NWA at a First Friday event put on by the downtown association in Bentonville.  I looked at the ingredients in their products and was happy to see a similar list to the Blue Buffalo and other organic brands.  From their website:

"What we do use are hormone-free meats - the same you or I would eat. We use whole ground rice and flaxseed that are nutrient-rich. We use Vitamins C and E and rosemary extract to naturally preserve our products. We also use complete and easily-absorbed vitamins & minerals.  All of our recipes are formulated to exceed the nutritional levels established by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all stages.  In addition, all our foods are MADE IN THE USA (Texas), which has the MOST STRINGENT pet food guidelines of all 50 states. "

What's more, they deliver all orders over $30 for free to your home!  I ordered online, made a note that they should leave it on the porch, and voila! I would come home to find all dog food waiting for Freya. (I also found out later they send a reminder email about reordering food, very handy as I was getting low!)  

Doug & Danielle Magdych own the NW Arkansas Nature's Select and happily give out samples.  I observed Freya with the PurinaOne food one night, then the Natures Select the other.  Her reaction was completely different, she was much more excited about the Nature's Select!

Let Doug & Danielle know that you heard about Nature's Select from Freya's Keeper and get $5.00 off your order!