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Here’s how I customized the ultimate dog food swap for my life, schedule, and family.
I’m married, with three children and a dog (essentially, I’m a mother of five). That means a few things. First, I have (need) more patience now than ever before. Second, saving time is my biggest priority. When I learned about the new delivered-to-your-door dog food trend, I was instantly intrigued. Then, I saw the price.
This is the story of how I re-investigated my dog’s food, what I learned, and the impact (spoiler alert!) Ollie has had on our family.
The Elephant$ in the Room
My research nearly ended as soon as I saw the price of Ollie’s Full Fresh Plan. After filling out Ollie’s quiz for our Irish Setter, Saoirse, the meal plan they recommended for her was $70 per week. That price was out of our range, but instead of giving up, I dug deeper and learned that Ollie is an extremely flexible and customizable dog food option. In addition to the Full Fresh Plan, they also offer Half Fresh (designed to mesh with your current dog food brand) and Mixed (a combo of wet and dry Ollie food). Once I set our preferences accordingly, the quiz curated another meal plan that was roughly $40 per week.
Editor’s Note: Customize an Ollie menu to save 50% on your starter box.
Up until then, I’d been buying giant bags of dog food for roughly $30 each about twice a month. That meant the theoretical increase for Ollie would be about $100/month or $1,200/year (I’ve been crunching a lot of numbers). I have friends who would call me crazy for that, but I also have friends who literally cook human meals for their pets everyday. Everyone is different. Spending a little extra to raise the quality of Saoirse’s meals (and coordinate their delivery to our home every two weeks) didn’t sound completely nonsensical to me.
I looked at Ollie as playing the long game: if Saoirse kept eating such high-quality food, chances were high that she’d have less health issues moving forward (which ultimately equates to less vet bills). Investing in Ollie would be an investment in the future. Plus, we could always opt for Baked recipes instead of Fresh, which would be an easy way to save even more money without sacrificing Ollie’s quality.
Putting My Money Where My (Dog’s) Mouth Is
Still, I’m not in a position to drop any amount of money willy-nilly, so I took a closer look at Ollie’s recipes to see if they were really worth it. What I found shocked me. The ingredient list resembled meals I’ve prepared: chicken, carrots, rice, and spinach. Beef, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes.
Not only did that ease my conscience, but it made me feel better about the price, too. We’d gotten Saoirse’s meal plan to a more palatable cost, but seeing the quality of the food confirmed that we’d get what we paid for. I also learned that Ollie’s production processes are a step (or several) above the others’… they slow cook meals in US-based, human-grade kitchens to maximize the nutritional value while maintaining quality. And, when it comes to quality…
My Dog Saoirse’s POV
If I had one, I’d just use a photo of Saoirse’s empty bowl. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Long story short: she loves it. We use a combo of Baked Ollie food (both recipes) and Fresh Ollie food (she likes Pork, Turkey, and Chicken best). Feeding her has become something of a family event, because we all love to witness the relish with which she laps up her bowl. It makes me sad to think about how, without Ollie, we would have continued on our old path of lackluster food for years to come. Ollie’s biweekly deliveries are the epitome of a win-win-win situation for all of us.
I’ve Only Got Eyes for Ollie
There are a lot of “fresh” dog food brands on the market claiming to share the same values as Ollie. I’ll save you the time and research: no one else is up to the (extremely high) standard Ollie sets. They have a 100% Money-Back Guarantee and send a storage “Puptainer” for leftover food with your first order. Not to mention a welcome deal on your starter box, and the quiz that helped us with what to pick. I felt like Ollie genuinely had my back every step of the way.
I wouldn’t change a thing about my family (or its size). What I would change is any part of our routine that could be improved. And transitioning our dog to Ollie has been just that: a significant improvement. Ever since coordinating deliveries, I haven’t worried about running out for dog food… even once. It’s always here on time, and Saoirse waits at her bowl for every meal like clockwork.
