Life With Old Dogs Podcast
Hi, I’m Dawn.
I’m the creator of Life With Old Dogs and the founder of Woody’s Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary.
For years, my life has revolved around caring for aging dogs — especially senior German Shepherds who needed safety, stability, compassion, and a place to simply grow old in peace.
What started as a deep love for older dogs eventually became something much bigger.
Life With Old Dogs was created as a space to share the real-life experiences, lessons, heartbreaks, humor, and meaningful moments that come with loving and caring for senior dogs.
Because life with old dogs isn’t always polished or perfect.
It’s muddy paws, medications, mobility issues, reusable diapers, special diets, grief, laughter, exhaustion, loyalty, and unconditional love — often all at the same time.
I’m also a Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, and nutrition plays a major role in my care philosophy for senior dogs. I believe food can be a powerful tool in supporting comfort, mobility, digestion, energy, and overall quality of life as dogs age.
A large part of my daily life involves preparing home-cooked meals, toppers, and supportive nutrition for the dogs in my care, using simple, practical approaches people can realistically incorporate into their everyday lives.
Through blogs, podcasts, videos, courses, and storytelling, I share what I’ve learned from living alongside aging dogs and navigating the emotional and physical realities of senior dog care.
My goal is simple:
to help people give their older dogs the happiest, healthiest, safest, and most comfortable life possible.
I believe senior dogs still deserve adventure.
They still deserve joy.
They still deserve dignity.
And they still deserve to be deeply loved.
When I’m not creating content for Life With Old Dogs, I’m caring for the residents of Woody’s Place, working behind the scenes on sanctuary life, and continuing to build a peaceful life surrounded by animals and nature here in Pennsylvania.
Thank you for being here and for loving old dogs, too.
— Dawn
You can listen to the #Lifewitholddogs podcast at
https://www.wpsgss.org/lifewitholddogspodcast and on all podcast platforms.
#LifeWithOldDogs media supports Woody's Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary.
Life With Old Dogs Podcast
Whole Food Diet for Older German Shepherds
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Food is the building block of our bodies, and it's no different for your older German Shepherd. And we will eventually get sick if we pack our bodies with heavily processed, sugar-laden, carby junk. And it's the same for our dogs.
Kibble is like cereal, and we don't eat at every meal thinking we will be healthy as a result, so why do we think that our older German Shepherd is gonna have all of his nutritional needs met by eating the same bag of kibble day after day, year after year?
He's not! And eventually, he will get sick with disease.
Did your dog ever get sick? Did the vet put him on a bland diet of ground beef and rice or pumpkin?
Did I hear a "Yes?"
So real food comes to the rescue.
THEN WHY ARE WE WAITING FOR OUR DOGS TO GET SICK TO PUT THEM ON REAL FOOD?!
I have another question for you.
Did you ever see a dog "begging" for your food?
Some folks get mad over this act and scold the poor dog because he IS actually begging and in our eyes, that's undesirable behavior. But the reality is that he's begging for REAL food because he knows what he needs.
He needs REAL meat, fats, fiber, and nutrients, all of which come from REAL human-grade whole foods he NEVER gets.
What a crying shame.
Here at Woody's Place, our residents get mostly human-grade whole foods, and as a result, many have transformed into younger-looking, healthier older German Shepherds that probably feel the best in years because their bodies are getting the REAL fuel it needs to run the best it can in an advanced stage of life.
In this podcast, I give an overview of the Woody's Place resident's diet and how human-grade whole foods play a big part in it.
I also discuss using raw goat milk as an enhancer to the resident's diet and would encourage you to do the same if you want to add probiotics, DHA, taurine, and other goodies to your fur friend's diet. It's also an excellent way to keep them hydrated, which can be a challenge as our dogs age.
Don't have goats as we do?? Not sure where you would even get it in your area. Not a problem. We don't always have goat milk either, so when we need it, we use Boss Dog Goat milk, which is sold frozen in many pet food stores.
To learn more & find a store near you:
https://bossnationbrands.com/
If I could encourage you to do one thing today to help extend the life of your dog, it would be to add a little cooked meat to his kibble in his very next feeding.
Start with something basic, like cooked chicken breast or ground beef. (Just be sure to drain the fat and no cooked bones, please.)
Then stand back and watch your old fur friend devour his food and feel good knowing that he's finally getting the real nutrition his body needs.
You can find Woody's Place Senior German Shepherd Sanctuary online at:
www.wpsgss.org
https://www.facebook.com/woodysplacesgss
https://www.instagram.com/wpsgss/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Tb1hKnOWEamQstkqAxEyg
We would LOVE it if you could leave a thumbs-up or comment! Please and Thank you!
You can support our podcast by going to http://www.patreon.com/LifeWithOldDogs
Every little bit helps, and your support is what keeps the #Lifewitholddogs podcast going.