Can you love animals, care about the planet, and still feed your dog meat?

In this listener-requested episode of our FETCH First Friday series, Stacey Renphrey and I have a grounded, grace-filled conversation on the vegan and lab-grown meat dog food debate—sparked by a recent Dragons' Den episode that funded a vegan kibble brand.

Together, we explore the complexities, contradictions, and sacred responsibilities of feeding a carnivore in a world increasingly uncomfortable with the realities of nature, death, and biology.

This episode isn’t about shame or sides—it’s about curiosity, critical thinking, and compassion as we examine the deeper stories at play behind the marketing, science, and ethics of what we put in our dogs' bowls.

✨ Topics We Explore:

• What is a dog, really?
: Reconnecting with biology over belief, and why understanding your dog’s physiology matters.

• The illusion of "clean" food:
How modern marketing disconnects us from the sacredness of death and the truth of nature.

• What wasn’t said on Dragons’ Den:
The missing context in the vegan dog food pitch—and why it matters.

• Bioavailability and the myth of macronutrient math:
Why feeding isn’t just about numbers, and what gets lost in lab-based logic.

• Technocracy, control, and false saviours:
Questioning the rise of food technologies that promise utopia but often serve profit and power.

• Ethics without biology is ideology:
What happens when good intentions override physiological truths.

• Re-sacralising the bowl:
How to return reverence, relationship, and grounded ethics to the act of feeding your dog.

• Insects—innovation or industrial illusion?:
The hype vs. the harm behind insect-based dog foods.

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💭 This episode is for you if:

• You’ve felt torn between your values and your dog’s needs

• You’re curious (and maybe confused) about vegan, insect, or lab-grown dog food

• You want to feed your dog in a way that feels soulful, science-informed, and spiritually aligned

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We’re not here to preach—we’re here to hold paradox with grace.

🐕‍🦺 Keep the Conversation Going: Join our free Facebook group FETCH First Light where dog mamas like you are asking the big questions, exploring ancient wisdom, and nourishing their dogs (and themselves) in more conscious, connected ways.

👉 Join here https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

Things we mention:

🎙️ Taking the Fear & Complexity out of Fresh Food Feeding with Kay Stewart, Feed Real Institute: https://youtu.be/4P8W-s6gh8Q?si=s6_-9q_wbBNExE-v

🎙️ Honoring Our Animals + Ourselves: Normalizing Pet Loss Grief with Beth Bigler https://youtu.be/9abmuDAosro?si=QT0mM9LNO2FsJF74

🎙️ F.E.T.C.H. First Friday: Turning the Tables on Parasite Prevention https://youtu.be/69Q02shCEwE?si=WfR2AgKHqYuMkHXm

Grab your copy of our ebook on natural alternatives to chemical flea and tick treatments! https://www.learnfetch.com/products/parasites-our-dogs-a-paradigm-shift-ebook

And grab a copy of our FETCH Fact Check Guide Vegan Dog Food PDF on the studies mentioned!

https://bit.ly/Fact-CheckGuide_VeganDietsforDogs

📖 Jayne Buxton The Great Plant-Based Con: Why eating a plants-only diet won't improve your health or save the planet

📖 Diana Rodgers Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat: Why Well-Raised Meat Is Good for You and Good for the Planet

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/learn.fetchWebsite: https://learnfetch.com

What if letting your dog follow their nose was more than just enrichment—but a path to healing the Earth and ourselves?

In this heart-expanding episode, I’m joined by Laura Holder, Owner of Conservation Dogs Collective, whose work with scent-detection dogs is not only protecting endangered species and ecosystems but also inviting us to reconnect with nature in powerful ways.

We explore the incredible ways dogs are being trained to track native wildlife, detect invasive species, and support conservation efforts across the country. But we also dive deeper—into what it means to let our dogs truly be dogs, how sniffing is their way of engaging with the world, and how tuning into their natural instincts can help us remember our own.

This conversation is a call to slow down, honour the wisdom of the natural world, and step more fully into our role as stewards of the planet—paw in hand.

Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that this episode is sponsored by FETCH. This conversation builds upon the FETCH First Friday episode that Stacey Renphrey of Hozho Hounds and I did on how to take a different approach to parasite prevention in order to protect our dogs and the environment.

🌿 Want to support your dog’s health with a more holistic approach?
If you’re curious about how to evaluate your own dog’s parasite risk and prevent parasites naturally—without harsh chemicals—you’ll love our FETCH Parasites & Our Dogs: A Paradigm Shift ebook. Grab your copy at https://mysticdogmama.com/shop, and feel empowered to protect your pup, naturally.

To get in touch with Laura and to learn more about what the conservation dogs are up to, check out their website https://conservationdogscollective.org

Join our FREE Facebook group, FETCH First Light, where we dive deep into how to take a whole dog, whole person approach to your dog’s health: https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

In this special episode for Stress Awareness Month, we’re diving deep into the energetics of calm, clarity, and connection.

I’m joined by the radiant Liz Clifton, calm leadership coach, mentor, and Animal Reiki practitioner. Through her powerful story — including her journey with a shutdown Romanian rescue dog and her own healing after a dysfunctional relationship — Liz offers a deeply compassionate and practical path back to inner calm.

Together, we explore:

🐾 What calm leadership truly is — and how your dog is already modeling it for you
🌬️ Simple, soulful techniques to return to (and stay in) a state of calm
🌀 The energetic connection between you and your dog, and how stress is mirrored
🔥 How to reclaim your voice in perimenopause and beyond
🌱 Redefining purpose in a way that feels nourishing — because it gets to be simple
💫 From “have to” → “get to”: a shift in language that shifts everything
✨ A powerful perspective-shifting exercise to ground and empower you in difficult moments

Whether you’re feeling the weight of stress, or simply seeking a deeper connection with your dog and your self, this conversation will gently guide you home — to your body, your breath, and your own calm frequency.

Tune in, breathe deep, and remember: calm isn’t something you chase — it’s something you return to.
And your dog? They’ve been showing you how all along.

To connect with Liz, visit her website: https://www.lizclifton.co.uk/

🐶💫 Ready to deepen your connection with your dog through energy healing?
Join our FETCH newsletter and receive our free FETCH Energy Healing Practices guide with simple, transformative techniques to help you deepen your bond and restore balance. Because when you nourish the energy between you and your dog, you both thrive — together.

Get it here:

https://bit.ly/FETCH_Holistic

https://mysticdogmama.com

https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama

https://youtube.com/@mysticdogmama

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.