Blue Buffalo; The Dog Food Company That Cried “Wolf”
“Your dog is wild inside.” This is the first bold line that you would read upon visiting Blue Buffalo’s new site advertising their new “Wilderness” brand of dog food. The company claims that they know how to satisfy your dog’s most basic instincts, and that is by looking to those of the wolf.
Upon first hearing this, it seems brilliant! The closest ancestor to the domestic dog is the grey wolf — so therefore the dog’s diet should look similar to theirs. It seems to make a lot of sense. Looking more closely however there are some fundamental problems with this campaign. The most crucial thing that this company seems to be misunderstanding is a very basic fact; A dog is not a wolf.
This seems very obvious. When you look at the history of the wolf and of the dog, it will make a lot of sense why this fact is so important. While these two species are related, they have very little in common. There are many reasons why the dog is “man’s best friend” and the wolf is an animal that we view in the zoo.
There are 31 different subspecies of wolves alive today (9 extinct). These range from the large arctic wolf to the small Arabian desert wolf. Separated geographically, these wolves became genetically different enough to be categorized into groups. These different subspecies were formed due to natural selection in different environments. Domestic dogs, however, did not occur naturally at all. They were bred for thousands of years based upon artificial selection. Whether it was for hunting, herding, or guarding, dogs were bred to help man. They are entirely our product!
Did you know that the Dachshund was originally bred to follow badgers into their holes and drag them out? If you have every seen an angry badger, that is a terrifying thought for your little wiener dog. Their shape however makes them able to reach down in these holes, and lets just admit it; your dachshund has some attitude! There is a reason that he is this way. There is also a reason that your lab likes to fetch you balls and sticks, or your corgi likes to nip at your ankles as you run. These dogs are doing the jobs that they have been bred to do for thousands upon thousands of years!
The wolf, however, is a wild animal. Their primary thought is survival. They do not worry about fetching a stick, cuddling, or making you happy. While wolves can be trained, they will never be like your dog. They are fierce, intelligent, and agnostic animals. If you let that wolf back into the wild, he will be able to hunt and find his own food. Your dog, however, will not have that ability. He is completely reliant on you for food and he does not know any different. Besides; even if he was able, if your dog were to eat what a wolf eats it would not sit well with his stomach.
Wolves are not only hunters but also scavengers. They will eat any decaying meat that they will find. They also eat raw meat unlike your dog. His digestive system is not used to this kind of food and it would not sit well with him. If Blue Buffalo truly wanted your dog to eat like a wolf, it would be sending stinky carcasses to your door. Yum! So, don’t be fooled by this silly campaign! While your dog may wolf down his dog food and treats, he is still a dog and should be treated as such.
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