The Westminster Dog Show just ended a couple a days ago while I was at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. I was trying to follow the competition but I was so busy telling veterinarians from all over the country about PurinaCare® Pet Health Insurance, I missed most of the show.
I was pulling for a Scottish Terrier named Sadie because she came in second last year and she eats Pro Plan® dog food. I'm a Scotsman by birth and the the former Marketing Director for the Pro Plan brand, so I had lot's of skin in this game.
Well,
Sadie won it all this year. Not too surprising, considering that she was the top ranked dog in the country in 2009, winning 112 Best In Show competitions.
Quite an accomplishment for her and for Pro Plan. Can you imagine the stress involved in traveling to 112 dog shows; one every three day, for an entire year? Can you imagine having to look and perform at your best in each and every one of those shows? How about winning them all?
The stress of traveling and competition is huge. You would have to be healthy and fit to handle that and nutrition is a big component of coping with stress. You'd have to have a very strong immune system to deal with all that travel and exposure to other dogs and stay healthy. Diet plays a big role in maintaining a healthy immune system too. Pro Plan did a good job for Sadie.
That's not all, though. Sadie won Best in Show out of 2500 competitors. There are seven breed groups at Westminster and the winners of these Best in Group competitions battle it out for Best In Show on the final night. La creme de la creme of the dog world, to say the least.
Of this year's seven Best in Group winners all seven were Pro Plan dogs. That's a clean sweep. Pretty amazing, but there is one final statistic that tops them all.
Of the top 100 show dogs of all breeds in the Untied States in 2009, 86 ate Pro Plan. That's something to crow about.
Now your dog is probably not a show dog. Your dog probably only competes for your undying affection. Your dog is probably more like my dog, Miles. Miles wins Best Dog on the Planet each and every year. Miles just happens to eat Pro Plan, too.
A great diet and a health insurance policy will help keep your dog in that competition for a long time to come.