Doggone Healthy Choices with Pam and Freedom

Welcome to Doggone Healthy Choices Doggone Healthy Choices Logo A healthier, happier life with your dog can begin with something small: a walk around the block, a new game, a quiet moment together, or the decision to try again tomorrow. I’m Pam, and my dog Freedom is usually right beside me. Together, we’re exploring what it means to care for our health while making the most of the time we share with our dogs—one foot, one paw at a time. Freedom and I stop to say Hello Some days that looks...

Running With Freedom—for a Purpose My next 5K has a name that feels especially fitting: Paws for Freedom. And the dog I’m planning to have beside me? Freedom, my service dog in training. As an Army veteran, a runner, and someone whose animals are family, supporting Paws of War brings together things that matter deeply to me. Freedom and I recently Freedom and I train every day. We’re building our partnership through practice, patience, and consistency. That includes preparing for our miles...

Hi friends, Freedom and me at Sunday’s Long Island Cares 5K—my first in-person race in years. Years ago, after adopting Scout and Liberty from Kent Animal Shelter, I discovered something a runner couldn’t easily ignore. The distance from my home to the shelter, door to door, was 26.2 miles. A marathon!!!! And their shelter cards had described them as ready to run. So there I was: a runner, dogs ready to run, and a marathon-length route back to the place that brought us together. What was I...

Dogs in the Cradle: How Freedom Is Teaching Me to Keep Moving Forward My first in-person race in years, a lucky five-dollar bill, and a finish that meant more than a place in the results. Finish line photo..... Freedom and me at the finish of the Long Island Cares Paws Walk/Run 5K. Our first in-person race together in years—and a morning worth showing up for. I took this weekend off from writing. Yikes. But while I was away from the keyboard, I was out gathering a story. On Sunday, Freedom...

Our First Race Without Them: Finding the Courage to Show Up—and Run as a Bandit? I’m thinking about doing the Long Island Cares 5K & Paws Walk with Freedom. I want to go. I believe in the cause. But I’m scared. Freedom and I haven’t run a race in years. The last time we did, our family included Scout, Liberty, and Justice. Returning to an organized run means facing their absence in a place where I remember having them beside us. We lost Justice first. Liberty a few years later, then Scout....

A Little Crunch for Fall: Celebrating National Pumpkin Seed Day 🎃🐾 By Pamela Schmidlin Doggone Healthy Choices with Pam and Freedom Pumpkins get plenty of attention in October. They decorate our doorsteps, appear in recipes, and somehow find their way into just about everything. But today, October 7, we’re giving the seeds their moment. Happy National Pumpkin Seed Day! Full disclosure: I don’t currently have pumpkin seeds in my kitchen. This observance has given me a reason to put them on my...

Reading Food Labels for You and Your Dog Before it goes onto or into plates and bowls,let's turn the package around When we’re choosing food for ourselves and our dogs, the front of the package can catch our attention. But turning it around gives us information we can use. Words such as “natural,” “organic,” and “sugar-free” don’t tell us everything about a product. What’s in it? How much are we serving? Does it meet our needs? Whether I’m shopping for myself or Freedom, those are the...

Water, Alcohol, Sports Foods and Artificial Sweeteners and Your Dog and You Hydrate First: Healthy Choices for You and Your Dog Before we lace up our sneakers, pick up a weight, or settle onto the mat for doga, there’s one basic need we shouldn’t overlook: water. As Freedom and I prepare for some fall running once my back has recovered, I’m looking at the everyday habits that support us both. Hydration belongs at the top of that list. Adult human bodies are up to about 60% water, and...

Protein for You and Your Dog Eating well and staying strong while working toward a healthy weight As a vegan, I’ve heard this question plenty of times: “Where do you get your protein?” BTW, I am so done with that question….answering it feels like a broken record a long time ago now! My answer starts with foods like tofu, lentils, beans, and soy milk. But the more useful question is: Are we getting the protein we need to support the life we want to live? That matters when we’re walking,...

Why Fats Matter—for You and Your Dog Some healthy fats that benefit health! Keep the fats that nourish us, limit the extras, and enjoy a healthier life together. Remember when “fat-free” seemed to mean “healthy”? Those words appeared on everything from cookies to yogurt, and many of us learned to think that eating less fat was always better. But a fat-free label doesn’t tell the whole nutritional story. A product can contain little fat and still have plenty of added sugar. And removing all...

Using the Glycemic Index to Fuel Runs and Support a Healthy Weight Doggone Healthy Choices Friday, October 2, 2026 We want enough energy to enjoy our walks and runs, meals that satisfy us, and a healthy weight that helps us keep moving. And of course, we want our dogs beside us for as many happy miles as possible. The glycemic index, or GI, can help us understand the carbohydrates on our plates. For our dogs, the useful lesson is to consider the whole diet, portions, and individual needs. We...