It is a Small World After All

This morning we set the alarm again, this time we had to get to north Gatineau (about 65km away) in order to pick up our meat order. The lady that we used to buy from has been ill and no longer distributes so now we are buying it directly from the another distributor or even perhaps the mfr. He made a run from somewhere the other side of Montreal, along the Quebec side of the Ottawa River to who knows where. We arrived at the meeting point 15 minutes early and already there were several cars and trucks waiting. We all huddled in our vehicles, staying out of the wet snow. Finally a large transport truck backed into the little side road and people started lining up to get their order. We struck up a conversation with the young man in front of us, and wouldn't you know, he lives just a few km away from us, with his parents just a km up the road! We exchanged emails and promises to take turns making the trip. Our turn was up and we got our 160lbs of raw meat mix. The dogs will eat!

You might wonder why we go to all this trouble to get food for the dogs. Firstly, we don't think that dry kibble is the healthiest food - sure it is okay, but I liken it to us eating only processed food - a diet of Kraft dinner might keep you alive for quite a long time, but how healthy will you be? And as you grow older you might have more health problems... So we feed them (mostly) a raw diet. They get a variety of meat - chicken legs with backs attached, pork neck bones, beef bones, pork roasts, beef or pig hearts, liver, whatever we can find on sale and cheap. The main base of their diet though are these raw frozen ground blocks of food. They contain ground chicken (with bones), fish, organ meats - all at the proper ratios (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ). And this stuff is super cheap. We were paying $.80lb but this new arrangement is only $.32lb - what a deal! So it is not only better for them, it is also cheaper than feeding a quality kibble. And the dogs think they are getting filet du beuf au croton! Pretty spoiled pooches.

We finished our trip to Quebec by a quick trip into Costco - what a zoo on a Saturday morning! No whole wheat flour though... isn't that weird?

Even though we were only 65km away from home, being in Quebec feels very different from being in Ontario. The rise in elevation (we were getting into the Gatineau Hills) gives a different feel, but also the architecture is different. And of course there is no English on any of the signs (we aren't really in Canada anymore it seems...). I won't get into a political discussion, but the new premier is wanting to make Quebec even less a part of Canada.

Happy Tails!