Alright, listen.

I know that I ramble on a pretty good bit about eating right.

I can't help myself.

When you've spent a couple of decades thinking yourself to be somewhat of a health nut only to discover that half the healthy crap you were eating is just that - crap - it's something you want to share.

I've moved firmly into the "avoid processed food at pretty much all costs" camp.

But this ain't about me.

It's about our Border Collie - Easy.

She's cute.

She's smart.

She listens.

I can walk Easy around town with no leash, she'll sit outside the coffee shop and wait on my meetings without moving, and she pretty much does whatever I tell her to do.

But. . .

She stinks to high hell.

Or, at least, she used to.

I couldn't believe how bad she smelled when we first got her. I thought something was wrong with her and wanted to return her to the breeder.

Of course, the family had fallen in love with her, so that was not an option.

So I started taking her for baths about every three days, which only made her smell worse (once the perfume wore off).

"Baby," I told Julia, "I think we're stuck with a stinky dog."

A couple of months ago, I got sucked into a dog food commercial on Instagram.

"No animal," the narrator said, "should eat processed food for its entire life."

"Take my money!" I replied.

About a week later, our first shipment of frozen dog food showed up.

Easy was unimpressed.

No surprise there—she's never cared much for food. If you put her in her crate with a bowl of food, she'd take an hour's nap before eating.

Maybe a few bites.

Sometimes, the whole bowl.

But usually only part of it.

When I opened a thawed brick of this food, though, two things happened.

1 - I noticed that it looked and smelled like human food. In an emergency, I'd have no problem eating it. You can see what's in it - beef, lamb, or chicken with beans, peas, spinach, and other vegetables.

2 - Easy went nuts. It took her about two seconds to figure out it was for her. I didn't bother putting her in her crate to eat; instead, I put her bowl right by the fridge.

She loved it.

She ate every bite and wanted more. Ten weeks later, she's pacing the floor at about 6:00 every night, waiting for supper.

But this ain't about her eating; it's about her stinking.

Which she doesn't anymore.

Not at all.

It's been about three weeks since she's been to the groomer, and she still smells like she was there yesterday.

Her coat, which used to be greasy and nappy, is smooth and silky.

Plus, she's lost the excess weight she'd gained and is back to being as active and energetic as she was as a puppy.

Real food vs. processed food.

The debate is settled, and real food is the clear winner.

A couple of my friends have already tried it - same results. "It's like I have a whole new dog."

Same.

Wanna try? Farmer's Dog sent me this coupon for a free box of food to share.

https://tm.thefarmersdog.com/.../RgRoAlvdP0UIMTM1MTA2LTBE...