As part of a larger initiative to educate dog owners on proper nutrition, effective training, and other ways to raise a happy and healthy dog, the Dogington Post is reviewing products, toys, foods, treats, and rescue organizations in our first annual Dogington Post Awards Program!
Each week, we’ll present the nominees in a particular category. And, YOU, our readers, will have an opportunity to weigh-in on your favorites, to help us choose a winner!
Nominees from each category for the Dogington Post Award have been selected based on strict criteria including dedication to animal health and welfare, providing the very best quality ingredients, and dedication to improving the lives of our dogs.
This week, we’re presenting the nominees for Best Dry Dog Food in 2012!
Each of our Best Dry Dog Food nominees are manufactured in US-based facilities, with thoughtful sourcing, handling, and processing of the foods we feed our dogs every day. These brands are dedicated to improving the health and vitality of our pets through carefully selecting ingredients, providing nutritionally complete foods, and utilizing manufacturing facilities and procedures with the very best interest of dogs in mind.
Dogington Post’s Best Dry Dog Food nominees are:
1. FreeHand
FreeHand is a mission-driven, super premium dry dog food company conceived out of social activism with a fierce dedication to both providing dogs with the highest quality food and, in the process, saving the lives of abandoned dogs in the communities where their products are sold. For each bag of dog food purchased, FreeHand donates an equal amount of dog food to shelters and rescues.
With 4 unique recipes to choose from, all formulated by a renowned animal nutritionist, Dr. George Collings, dogs from all walks of life will find a food that meets their needs with specific benefits to each flavor. Each recipe is wheat, corn, and soy free and made from the finest ingredients in their Texas facility. Choose from Engage, a chicken and rice recipe specially designed for older or large breed dogs, especially those that are less active or overweight; Enrich, a chicken and pork recipe for both large and small breeds enriched with Taurine and L-Carnitine to support overall health; Empower, a chicken, turkey, and duck recipe designed for small breed and highly active dogs with added vegetable fibers to support digestion; or Energize, a grain-free chicken and salmon recipe with a higher protein content, ideal for active, athletic dogs and those with high energy.
In addition to providing our companions with the best quality food and nutrition, FreeHand matches pound-for-pound every bag of food sold to a customer by donating a bag of their premium rescueOne recipe dog food to shelters around the nation. It has been proven that shelter dogs fed a top quality food are healthier, happier, and more adoptable, reducing the likelihood of overcrowding and euthanasia.
A newcomer to the dog food industry, FreeHand is primarily sold throughout Texas and the west coast, but fans of their food and their mission are finding their online ordering system (and scheduled incremental shipments) to be an easy alternative to shopping in stores.
To learn more about FreeHand, visit www.lendafreehand.com
Since 1988, Merrick has been raising the bar for the entire pet food industry. With a long-standing tradition of manufacturing premium dog food and treats with only the finest ingredients, Merrick uses only real whole foods that are locally sourced and processed as little as possible to create one of the highest quality, best tasting, and most nutritious dog foods on the market.
Their 4 grain-free recipes: Real Chicken & Sweet Potato, Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato, Real Pork & Sweet Potato, and Real Duck & Sweet Potato, all use real meat as the number one ingredient with fresh produce like sweet potato, peas, and apples as natural fiber, mineral, and antioxidant sources. The Merrick Grain-Free line is easily digestible, providing excellent energy benefits without upsetting sensitive systems. This ultra-premium line of grain-free dry dog food is beneficial to all breeds in all stages of life.
In addition to providing our pets with the highest quality, tastiest recipes possible, Merrick is dedicated to changing the entire pet food industry as we know it. By setting standards high above the norm and educating consumers on proper pet nutrition, Merrick is a driving force behind an improving pet food industry.
To learn more about Merrick and their 65 wholesome dog food recipes, visit www.MerrickPetCare.com
3. California Natural Grain Free
California Natural is best known for their “pure & simple” approach to dry dog food: use very few ingredients, just premium lean meats, essential vitamins and key minerals, to create healthy, nutritious recipes that dogs of all life stages – even those with sensitive systems and food allergies – can thrive on. California Natural never uses additives, chemical preservatives, or fillers in their complete line of super-premium, top quality dry dog food.
The California Natural line of Grain-Free foods include 5 unique protein choices – salmon, venison, lamb, chicken, and even kangaroo – that are all interchangeable from one recipe to the next. The grain-free line is perfect for those dogs that prefer a variety in their diet, without the hassle of slowly transitioning to new foods. Many experts agree that rotating a dog’s protein source often lowers the risk of developing food sensitivity and provides a more balanced intake of nutrients.
Manufactured in Nebraska, California Natural is completely transparent in terms of where their ingredients are sourced. Consumers can visit their innovative website, See Beyond the Bag, to see exactly where each and every ingredient in their bag of kibble is sourced. Whenever possible, California Natural sources ingredients from local farms, with the exception of their kangaroo and lamb which are sourced in New Zealand, a country with standards for meat production even more stringent than our own.
To learn more about California Natural’s Grain Free line of dry dog food, visit www.CaliforniaNaturalPet.com
To vote for your favorite Dry Dog Food brand, leave a comment with your selection below!
FreeHand!!!!
http://www.lendafreehand.com
FreeHand!!!
FreeHand, all the way! My dog loves it!
FreeHand, not even close. A brand that’s offering a holistic food and donating pound for pound at a local shelter level get’s my vote! The food they donate is better than most the food offered at retail level. Seriously, it’s a no brainer! Oh and BTW, my dogs love it! They have more energy now than ever.
My dog is foodie and enjoys FreeHand.
What about Blue Buffalo, that’s what my dogs get. Is it good for them? Does anyone else feed their dogs Blue Buffalo?
YES blue buffalo is AWESOME food!!!
Blue Buffalo is great. My eight year old Dobie eats the fish and sweet potato and no one can believe he’s that old.
Blue Buffalo – my 1o yr old Boston Terrier was liking her white socks so much they were turning brown. I switched her to fish ans sweet potato Blue Buffalo – her allergies cleared up, her paws turned white again and she lived 5 more years. My new BT eats Blue Buffalo, too.
My vet says it’s the best for the price. Sure you can get something slightly more nutritious for $80 per bag. I swear by it for my dog and also my cat — they both LOVE it!
currently feeding merrick grain free chicken and sweet potato but i have never heard of freehand. will definitely be looking into it further.
The best food in the world. Since change our boy to this food we have never looked back.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive Petfood. The best food in the world. Since changing to this food we have never looked back.
Orijen red meat. Tried alot of other foods but our crew seems to do best on this. It’s a little pricey but so worth it.
you didn’t list either of the two I feed..
Taste of the wild AND natural balance both excellent dog foods!!!
that should have been included.. there are LOTS of easy to find brands that are very good for dogs!!!
I feed the dogs natural balance, too. They love it!!
Big fan of Taste of the Wild! One of my dogs was having chronic diarrhea from colitis a couple years ago, and we tried everything (and gave her system time to adjust for each food). Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, EVO… Taste of the Wild was the only one that worked.
Anything Earthbound. Holistic. Natural..Grain Free! Changed my 3 dogs , lives. Poop less,eat less,no smelly coat,less smelly breath, lost weight! And sheds less!
Anything Earthborn. Holistic. Natural..Grain Free! Changed my 3 dogs , lives. Poop less,eat less,no smelly coat,less smelly breath, lost weight! And sheds less!
Evo grain free, rotating between Chicken, Beef and Weight Management, (mixed w/California Natural canned food).
Not listed but Natural Balance is a great food that pretty much saved my pups life. It is the only food (sweet potato and fish) that he can tolerate with his persistent HGE.
But I will vote for Freedhand on this vote. I will see if they have it at my feed store.
My two dogs love Merrick Grain Free Duck and Sweet Potato.
Orijen all fish
Of the given choices, California Naturals is my pick. I’ve been to their facility and it is a fantastic brand, coming from a fantastic company.
However, my overall best dry dog food pick is the EVO brand. (Manufactured by Natura, which also makes California Naturals!)
Merrick! NO grain, NO Chinese ingredients. My dog’s health and appearance his complimented on by my vet. She’s the picture of health! Pretty good, coming from her background as a malnourished shelter stray.
Where is Orijen at?
My two dogs love Merrick Grain Free Duck and Sweet Potato and Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and Sweet Potato.
Merrick! It is awesome for my bulldogs. I have been looking for the perfect dry food for a long time and I have found it!
The BEST dry fog food is Merrick ‘s. We had to change brands for a short time (not our choice) and our golden hated it. Not to mention he was always hungry. We were finally able to go back to Merrick ‘s and he was totally satisfied the same day. And we are very happy
I agree…the best dry dog food is Merrick’s…..I did a lot of researching and think the quality of their food is the best/no by-products, etc. Our “Charley” loves it…He is a Pyredor and weighs 91 lbs…Thank you Merrick !
I feed a combo of Orijens and Natural Balance L.I.D. to my dog. Usually do Natural Balance chicken and sweet potato. Any orijens flavor does the trick. I did try Acana, which is made by the same people as Orijens because the warehouse burned down so there are limited amounts of the food until the company gets back on its feet. Had good luck with Acana too.
We feed our three dogs Acana Bison and Fish. One dog has allergies and all do best on grain free top quality food. We love Acana and so do our dogs. I also supplement with Pet-Aloe crumbles. This stuff is amazing for my 13 year old Lab Chow mix. She is running with the younger dogs and going up stairs she couldn’t before due to Arthritic symptoms. Check out Pet-Aloe from Pharm Aloe – So worth it!
Merrick’s! dry the best by far. Also, the best wet food available.
Merrick, merrick, merrick!!!! I feed my two dogs and my two cats merrick and I will never switch since I found this food. My one cat had shinier hair and the grain free food had fixed her itchy skin and my dogs enjoy their meal time now. My dogs also love the merrick little treat sausages! I recommend this food to anyone with a dog or a cat. And it is all made in the USA! AWESOME!!!
Merrick Duck and Sweet Potato Grain Free. My 12 yr old mini poodle will only touch Merrick.
My 12 yr old mini poodle lives for Merrick. Duck and Sweet potato grain free. LOVES it.
Merrick! 10 year old Silky Terrier had lost a lot of her hair and had severe itching issues when I adopted her. Since going on Merrick about 2 months ago her coat has improved and her “behavioral issues” (scratching, chewing on her feet, smelling bad), as her previous owner called them, have gone away because she doesn’t itch anymore!
Of course it’s Merrick!
We have a bunch of maltipoo whom were so fussy with dried kibbles until Merrick was introduced in our area Singapore! Now we recommend Merrick to friends who have fussy n picky pet dogs! And we are sure your dogs in USA should love merrick!
Merrick Grain Free!
Merrick!
All 5 of my dogs eat Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and Sweet Potato and they do so well on it! I’ve tried so many different high quality brands and Merrick has been by far the best one I have fed. First 4 ingredients are meat which I love!! My dogs eat the tiniest amount and poop so much less then on any other food they have tried.
I vote for Merrick Grain Free!!!
California Natural! We tried everything under the sun for my Great Dane and he was allergic to every protein that we used until we found their kangaroo and red lentils formula! Thanks California Natural!!!!!
Merrick Grain Free!
Blackwood 1000 (on-line). Have used it for years with our Corgis.
Merrick Grain-Free.
My dog is not a good eater and he happily eats his food now. He would often vomit before we switched him to the Merrick.
FreeHand!
FreeHand hands down! Great food, fantastic mission….and my dog loves it.
Hands down, FreeHand!
Without a doubt, FreeHand! Great food; great cause that saves homeless dogs lives!!
Merrick without a doubt! the only thing my dog will touch!
FreeHand for the food quality and the mission to save dogs lives!
Couldn’t believe it – FREEHAND – made your list.
Pure awesomeness! FreeHand totally gets my vote! All three of my dogs are on it and LOVE it…. and have never looked better. Glad to know we do good with our purchase.
FreeHand paws down! The dogs absolutely love it.
FREEHAND FREEHAND FREEHAND! Totally transformed my dog’s energy, fur coat, and maintains his weight beautifully. He’s like a puppy all over again, I couldn’t love this dog-food anymore, sometimes I think I should eat it too!
FREEHAND!
FreeHand! Paws down!
The dogs love it. And the whole pound for pound feeding local dogs? No brainer. Food is food. Saving dogs lives? That’s way cool.
FreeHand takes the “kibble”!! Excellent food, amazing mission.
I switched to FreeHand on a whim and have been more than pleased with this dog food. My dogs absolutely love it! It is a great food and we love giving back to help other dogs. Thanks, FreeHand. High-Paw to you!
Merrick Grain Free – No question about it!
I feed fromm
My vote is for FreeHand. Great stuff and doing good for the community.
FreeHand!!! My dog loves FreeHand and we get to give back to rescue dogs too! Go FreeHand!!
Merrick Grain Free all the way!!!
We are Merrick eaters here! Three cats and two dogs!
Free Hand is the best
Before Grain. I have 4 English bulldogs
who eat the Before Grain and they are
all 100% healthy and no skin problems.
I do believe grain free is best for all dogs
I feed California Natural Grain Free Venison. My dogs LOVE IT, a little goes a long way, and their stools are perfection. I have tried many out there and California Natural Grain Free is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!!!!
Merrick! Of course! No biased reviews, we have tried a lot of USA made brands. Our dogs only love MERRICK grain free, and we could see the health conditions became much better on Merrick!
Merrick Grain Free!!!! Teddy and Winnie love Grain Free Buffalo!
Merrick of years…great food.
merrick grain free is the best!
[...] for this forward thinking, socially conscious, and relatively new company. Read the whole article HERE. Filed Under: Coming Soon What’s new Nooties & Whole LifeNootie is a Pet Lifestyle [...]
Hank is nine, healthy and happy. He loves his FreeHand food. What else can I say?
Merrick is one of the best foods around, locally produced in Texas with only locally-grown foods!
Freehand! It has noticeably boosted my lazy dog’s energy level and its mission makes me feel extra-good about buying it. What animal lover doesn’t want to help shelter dogs? If there’s any downside, it’s that since making the switch, my dog is too excited about breakfast to let me sleep in.
FREEHAND – my 12 year old lab loves the Engage Formula, it’s perfect for larger and older dogs. She’s healthy and happy on the new formula!
FreeHand, no question! They donate a bag to a shelter when you buy one!
FreeHand for sure! I love it and my pup loves it even more! It’s perfect for her and her coat looks so healthy. Not only that, I feel even better buying their product since they donate a bag to a shelter each time I get one!
Bells loves FREEHAND!!!
FREEHAND!!!
my dog LOVES freehand! and he’s pretty picky. his coat is shiny and soft.
freehand – hands down!
Freehand provides a great nutritional food and the best part is they save dogs lives by giving back pound for pound.
Shelters everywhere are recipients of Freehands generosity!
[...] is proud to announce that we have been nominated for Best Dry Dog Food by the Dogington Post. Since launching in 2012, the Dogington Post has become a leading online news source for all things [...]
FreeHand all the way!
FREEHAND should definitely win this!
FreeHand all the way! Their dog food is nutritious, and all of their sales go to a great cause.
I love Lend a Free Hand dog food for my dog Frida! I bought the subscription package off of http://www.lendafreehand.com and receive regular dog food orders every 6 weeks. Not only is the food great and healthy for Frida, but each bag we buy gets another bag sent to a rescue. Good karma blast!
FreeHand!
Gotta go with Free Hand! It was the first premium dog food we tried after a scare with Kirkland’s products and haven’t regretted the price tag once.
Even better, they practice what they pooch. I mean preach. Not just about profit, I love seeing their updates on the dogs that are helped by their efforts.
Go Lend a Free Hand!
Freehand! My dog loves the stuff, and I love the donation idea
FreeHand Rules! What’s unique about them is not only the quality of your food, but their business model: http://www.lendafreehand.com/roots That’s how they manage to craft the best food and donate an equal amount to do dog shelters. I definitely vote for them.
Freehand – my Irish Setter loves it and it is very nutritious. The company also provides free food to shelters and rescues.
FreeHand <3 <3 <3
My dog is in love w/ Lend a Free Hand and I like it too b/c it’s a great company w/ a social mission. Lend A Free Hand is the only dry dog food that my girl will eat – in fact, she begs for it!
GO LEND A FREE HAND!
Freehand!
Put me down for Freehand. My Vizsla loves their food. http://www.lendafreehand.com/
We have been feeding our pups FreeHand since it was avalible to us. Our pups are happy, healthy and look incredible (we have three hairless dogs and diet impacts there skin tremendously). No skin issues, no transition issues and they love it. We love it because we know we’re doing a small part in our community when we buy a bag. When we buy, a bag of food is donated to a local rescue or shelter and that is a double impact. Love, love, love them
FreeHand is my girl’s favorite food!! Shamrock will be a customer for life…..and she loves it that it helps out her friends who need a little support before they find their forever homes.
Freehand!!!!
great nutrtion great food great cause!
Count my vote for Freehand!
freehand!
[...] for Best Dry Dog Food in the Dogington Post. If you have not already voted, you can do so by clicking here and showing your support in the comment stream at the bottom of the article page. When you vote for [...]
Lucky Puppy Rescue and Retail gets my vote!
Freehand
Freehand
Freehand
Of all the foods I’ve tried, this is the best I found. Major improvement in skin and coat and the stool is a lot healthier.
merrick is the best!
Do your research people!
Natural Balance doesn’t even make their own food.
Neither does Blue Buffalo.
Taste of the Wild is just going after price and doesn’t even list features and benefits.
Orijen is made is Canada and they are about to have another big price increase & bag size reduction – at the same time.
Natura is made by Procter & Gamble – google them.
Merrick is the only clear choice!
Meat, 1st,2nd and 3rd on the ingredient panel.
Certified organic kitchens, certified china free.
Made and sourced in the USA.
More meat, more omega 3 & 6 for skin and coat, more glucosamine and chondroitin for joints.
The new Merrick products are the it brand for those that want to feed their dog “the best”
I agree with most of your comments, although Orijen is a top notch food, locally sourced and more meat than a great percentage of “ultra-premium” foods, so I must say you’ve missed the point of feeding it.
Taste of the Wild is questionable due to their formulas varying greatly and having only one (in my opinion) acceptable variety. Natura was BOUGHT RECENTLY and has supposedly kept everything the same. I was/am worried about this and do not feed EVO as much anymore but have yet to find any conclusive evidence that things have changed much.
Merrick discontinued their Before Grain line which was arguably the only worthwhile products made by the company. They have replaced it with these “grain-free” foods which are acceptable except that they are still have some questionable ingredients and the meat meals are still highly contested as the company still owns a giant rendering plant (which is highly questionable in its own right) and has had some incidents with their food. The rest of their foods are also filled with filler and none of them justify the high price.
Performatrin Ultra is a reasonably priced food with great meat content and overall ingredients. Great life is another that I unfortunately have not tried yet but have heard good things and it contains real meat with freeze dried meat ingredients and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as enzymes, chelated minerals and probiotics.
Forgot to mention Nature’s Variety Instinct Boost. Not a fan of their Prairie line (grain heavy as many companies are with their grain inclusive brands) but everything “Instinct” is phenomenal and they are free from Chinese ingredients (except the Rabbit I believe which is not highly farmed anywhere else.) They also have a great rotational program and raw frozen food, freeze dried foods and supplemental powders which all work well together.
FreeHand!My pup loves it AND it helps dogs in need!!
MERRICK! MERRICK! MERRICK!
My dogs have never looked so good!
It is important to me that I know Merrick makes their OWN food. They OWN the facilities that make the food! Safey & Quality bar none!
The other thing important to me- is that Merrick is CHINA FREE! That’s right- not only do they make their own food, but never use any ingredients from China!
***Note your pet food labels friends- just because something says it is MADE in the USA does NOT mean that the company itself makes the food (many use co-packers) and more importantly- that the ingredients are SOURCED in the U.S!
Merrick makes their own food.
Merrick is China Free.
Buy it– Try it- you’ll be so happy you did!
My dog loves Merrick! We have been feeding him this food since we rescued him. Great quality food & always fresh.
[...] Post Awards, an opportunity for which we are truly honored. But that’s not the best part. Simply by voting for FreeHand, you can help to save the lives of dogs in shelters across the [...]
My dog joined the Merrick Revolution 8 weeks ago! I love that it has glucosamine and chondroitin added at the appropriate levels. My dog has not limped once since we started feeding him Merrick food. It was also rated #2 with 127 out of 100 points on the dog food rating chart:
http://members.petfinder.com/~CA469/files/DogFoodRatings.pdf
Not only is it made in the USA but everything that is added comes from the USA! They use no grain fillers or ingredients from China!
And my dog LOVES Merrick
Merrick is our choice!
Purely American made……China-free all the way…
healthy ingredient list….meat, meat, meat!
Along with delivering a quality product, Freehand team is doing a great job indeed by feeding the rescue dogs. Due to the impact of this organic dog food, apart from shifting my petfood from BB to Freehand, I found myself turned into an Animal advocate too. Learn how: https://www.lendafreehand.com/join-fhc
FreeHand!
freehand has my vote
FreeHand for sure!
Freehand is the best by far!!
Freehand bye a doggy mile! Why shouldn’t dogs get some charity too?
We Love Freehand at our house!
FreeHand of course
Love Free Hand!
I love Freehand!!!
Freehand all the way! Great product and great mission!
Freehand is my vote! Great food, amazing mission and impact.
FREEHAND! Great product supporting a great mission!
FREEHAND IS THE BEST!!! Love this company and what they stand for!
FREEHAND!PAWSDOWN!!! My vote for FreeHand! Great food fantastic mission saves Homeless dogs lives without a doubt. Love this Company and what they stand for! FreeHand all the way!!!
Freehand IS good and it DOES good! I vote for Freehand.
FreeHand!
I don’t have a dog right now but I love that Freehand helps dogs in need!
Saving dogs’ lives…gets my vote
Freehand seems to be doing it right. Gotta love a company that does the right thing and there’s nothing better than helping deserving dogs get a chance at finding their forever home. Need more companies like them.
Free Hand, hands down. I have to buy it online and look forward to the day when I can find it locally. Wash, DC
*FREEHAND … We like FREEHAND
FreeHand all the way!
My dog loves FREEHAND! and I love being able to help other animals at the same time.
Free Hand
get me some for my pooches!!
Amazing dog food…My daughter’s mini dachshunds won’t have anything but Freehand…and what a beautiful concept…rescue those sweet critters who enrich our lives so much…Humanity is measured by the way we treat our humankind and animal friends… XO Freehand YAY!!!!
I bought free hand in the U.S and brought it all the way back to Singapore for my dog!! That shows how much I love Free Hand.
FreeHand all the way!!!!
Freehand! Great food, great concept!
Freehand! Great idea!
Freehand!! Great food and great mission
Freehand! Hands Down greatest concept in the pet food industry.
Freehand is the BEST!
Freehand!
Wish you weren’t so far away, I would love to adopt Shannon!
[...] for this forward thinking, socially conscious, and relatively new company. Read the whole article HERE. Filed Under: Product Spotlight Tagged With: dog food, donation, lend a free hand Contact [...]
Haven’t tried Freehand yet but the best I’ve found so far is Carna4. Worth every penny for my 11 kids:)
Fromm wild game bird grain free. After tring 7 different high rated food brands, it is the only one she will eat. So that is what I feed both my dogs.
What about Canidae??? That has been our brand of choice for well over a decade! All Life Stages and Grain Free are both great products! Our 3y/o Rottweiler loves it and her vet gives her an A+ on her checkups every year! Phoebe’s coat, teeth, and body weight always get her a compliment from Dr. K.! Our past dogs who have left this earth were all Canidae dogs and passed of old age (GSD/Husky mix 13 yrs, Golden Retriever 16 yrs,Rottweiller 13 yrs. Canidae will remain our food of choice unless her vet were to recommend for her have something elase!
I vote for Spot’s Stew from Halo Pets
I have gotten Merrick canned food for my dog, but he gets Fromm and loves it. He gets the Fromm Gold dry. Why were they not included. We get it at Natural Pawz and they only promote the healthy foods.
Thank you
Free Hand. Gotta have grain-free for my Belgian Malinois boys.
Why isn’t Purina Dog Chow here? I’ve never even heard of any of those!