My Heart, My Heroes #MyPetisMyHero

Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food is having a #MyPetisMyHero pet contest, asking families to share stories and videos showing why their pet is their or someone else’s hero. Each of my pets is my hero in their own way; my heart is full from the challenges they’ve all had this last year: Luke with his fear issues (he’s smart as a whip though and we’re building his confidence through trick training) and Cricket with the diagnosis of arthritis in both of her back knees (it doesn’t slow her down a bit). However, in this last year Sheba has faced the biggest obstacles and really shown me how strong and courageous she is.

Sheba had three surgeries last year, two to remove cancerous lumps that required up to a 12 inch incision. She came through all surgeries like a champ, even the first time when we had to continually drain the area, which was not fun for her (or us). The second time the incision was longer and I could see the pain she was in as she slowly came down the stairs. She never whined or cried, but just took her time stoically. Both times after a day or two of recovery, she was raring to go again.

Even though she couldn’t play with her siblings like she wanted to for two weeks, she had a cheerful attitude and made the best of the situation. The photo above shows her playfulness even when she was stuck up on the deck while I played ball with Cricket and Luke. Right now she is making the most of every day, and you would have no idea that she is fighting returning cancer. She is back to chasing the ball, running and playing with her brother, and destroying toys just like a puppy. We know the cancer is going to return, it’s only a matter of time; but watching her enjoy every moment of her life really helps to take our minds off of that. That’s why she’s my biggest hero right now….her optimism and joy is contagious.

Our cat Samantha also had her own challenges earlier last year. She was diagnosed hyperthyroid and the medication she had to be put on ruined her appetite. The only food that she would consistently eat a little bit of was the Chicken Soup for the Soul dry cat food that we had already been feeding her for many months. This natural cat food was recommended to me by our local pet supplies store when I was looking for a new food that would be good for both of our aging cats; one a bit overweight and one underweight. The adult cat food kept both cats healthy, and even though we lost Sam’s feline brother to old age last year, he was a fighter and eating right up until the end.

The biggest problem we had with Sam’s appetite was that you can’t hide a pill in dry cat food! It took weeks to finally find something that worked, and brand after brand of wet food that we tried to hide pills in. When she would shun just about every one of those, she still just wanted her dry food. Now why wasn’t I smart enough to pick up some of this wet food at the time? You can see her enjoying the wet food below, and she is still fussy about everything except the dry.

Chicken Soup for the Soul holistic pet food is a wholesome and balanced super-premium pet food, proudly made in the USA. The first ingredient in their grain free recipes is real meat followed by fruits, vegetables and herbs. They have multiple protein sources along with quality ingredients like chicory root and flaxseed, and there are no artificial ingredients. You will be showing your pet your love by feeding them this quality natural food.

They kindly sent us some samples for the dogs as well, and you can see in the photos below how Sheba just could not wait to tear into the bag of Grain Free food, and look at all of those expectant faces waiting to get another nibble! We’ll be adding this to Luke’s bag of training treats as well – they’re the perfect size.

Chicken Soup for the Soul would like you to show them why your pet is your hero, and give you the chance to appear on their Hidden Heroes TV show on the CBS Saturday morning lineup! Your story could also be published in one of their extremely popular books. To learn more and to enter, just visit this link: chickensoup.com/pethero.

If you would like to give their natural pet food a try, just use this handy store locator. You can also learn more about the company by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I believe everyone’s pet is their hero in their own way – tell us a little about your pet hero in the comments below!