A group in Pittsburgh has a very unique way of managing the issue of security of their pet food. They cook for their pets. The way that it is arranged is a tribute to community enterprise. In the area, there are nine families involved in this project.

This means that each family has the responsibility of cooking on the ninth or eighteen day of the schedule. A participating family can double up on the cooking and be ahead of the schedule. Only a double portion is allowed to save on storage problems and to keep the meals fresh.

The group started in response to the pet food recall where there was so much confusion as to what was safe to feed to the family pet. It seems that the pets involved in this effort are doing extremely well. Their health and appearance have been enhanced by having food prepared in this manner.

This effort requires planning and co-ordination. However, the expenditure of time and energy pales in comparison to the problems of contaminated pet food. There are two cautions that should be kept in mind:

• the pets in a project such as this should fall generally within the same age range. A diet that a young dog thrives upon may present a problem for a dog who is in its senior years.
• as this group ages, the dog recipes will have to be adjusted to take into account the changing needs.

These two issues do not seem to be a problem for this group. One of the members of this group describes it as having an extended family of dogs. It is an opportunity to connect with other ‘dog-people’ who share a concern about the health and security of their pet.

Kudos to this group for making this terrific idea work.

Catherine Forsythe