As a newbie pet owner way back in the day, I didn’t pay one stick of attention to the nutritional quality of the food I gave my pets. I loved them dearly, but I let the commercials of happy pets with lustrous coats dupe me into thinking those products were healthy. As I became more aware of the food I was putting into my own body over the years, it naturally followed that I started making better choices for my pets too.

Sure, most of the healthy pet treats are generally pricier than the alternatives offered by the usual major brands, but the extra money you spend now will lengthen their lives and keep your vet costs down. Take a few moments with me to see the differences between the low-cost “junk food” treats and the high-quality treats. When you’re done reading, I think you’ll be running to toss those bags of crunchy “treats” in the trash as fast you can!

Here’s a sampling of the usually long list of ingredients you might find in standard, and highly marketed, pet treats:

Not long ago, we had the opportunity to talk with Craig Pyles from Vivint. In case you don’t know, Vivint is a group who handles the automation, security and energy conservation of homes. We talked to them about how easy it is to automate a home for your pets and I wanted to share some of the great things that are available not only from them, but from nearly any security group (and ways you can utilize this technology for yourselves.)

Now you can make sure your pet is comfortable and safe during the day with a Smart Thermostat, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and state-of-the-art security system. If you’re running late or need to let a friend in to take care of your pet, just use our automatic door locks and lock the door remotely after they leave. It’s as simple as that.

Of course we would never advocate for spending less time with your pets, but if you ever find yourself stuck in traffic, or running late after a long day at the office, these are some ways you can make sure your pets are safe and comfortable until you arrive home.