Dog Food Manufacturer Puts His Money, Er, Kibbles, Where His Mouth Is

Yep, that is exactly what it sounds like. Mitch Felderhoff, a fourth-generation co-owner of Muenster Milling Company in Muenster, Texas, decided he had so much faith in his company's products that he would prove it by eating nothing but Muenster Milling dog food for 30 days.

This decision was fueled by a bout of introspection aboard an airplane en route to a tenth wedding anniversary getaway with his wife. (It's all detailed on the company blog.) When Felderhoff returned home, he shared his plan with his brother and co-owner Chad, their employees, his pastor, and, maybe most importantly, his doctor. They all gave their blessing, and some even volunteered to eat dog food with him "when they get an opportunity." (Is that code for "Mitch ate a lot of his lunches alone"?) Muenster Milling also partnered with a local shelter to sponsor dog adoptions.

Although Muenster Milling prides itself on its high-quality pet food, Felderhoff said that, for a human, eating it wasn't always easy. "Dog food is not easy to eat. It tastes like it smells," he told the Houston Chronicle. "One of the things I did that was key is that I did do some intermittent fasting." He also resorted to baking up some of the dog food into a hash. At the beginning, he was most looking forward to Elk/Venison Protein patties, but he ended up most enjoying Ancient Grains Ocean Fish kibbles and meatballs.

The Muenster Milling blog features a few documenting Felderhoff's dog food journey. Felderhoff is game, but he can't entirely hide his... shall we say, dissatisfaction with the flavor of the dog food. But still, he kept at it!

After 30 days on the dog food, Felderhoff lost 30 pounds, and Muenster Milling had arranged for the adoption of 30 dogs. Nine loyal friends (the Chronicle didn't specify whether they were human or canine) joined him for his last dog food meal. Then he celebrated the end of the challenge with a platter of pulled pork nachos.