This is a sponsored review by BlogHer and Purina.

Meet Coco, my family dog.  How adorably beautiful is she?!  Well, to be honest, her full name is Miss Coco Chanel and yes, I was the one who named her.  She has been a member of my family for almost five years and I must say she has made herself quite welcome.  I adore this little Pomeranian who has the personality of a true girlie-girl: something which is quite evident as she literally prances down the sidewalks of Manhattan during her multiple “bathroom break” walks each day. 

It’s rare to find such a sweet and mild mannered dog who doesn’t mind dressing up in those cliché doggie dresses, sweaters, and the occasional jewelry photo shoot.  I think Coco gained a great deal of patience while living with her first owners.  My family adopted Coco from a former student of my mother’s who had a special needs little brother.  Unfortunately, the student’s mother felt torn between her son and Coco (who was still a puppy) as far as how to give equal attention to both.  The student, seeing how sweet and patient my mother was, offered to let us adopt little Coco with just the promise that our family would love her.  I mean, look at this face.  How could one ever even think to scold or ignore this bundle of sweetness?

Now, I must tell you that one does not receive the name Miss Coco Chanel without taking on some couture characteristics.  This dog is a very finicky picky food snob.  I think this has something to do with the fact that my mother gives Coco the leftovers from her Friday night dinners.  You see, my mother has discovered a steak house in her neighborhood that serves free-range steak alongside organic local vegetables…words cannot describe how amazing this food is.  Of course anyone who is able to have a taste of this culinary expertise would not want to consume run-of-the-mill what-have-you filled with unnecessary additives for her daily meals.  Which is why finding a food made specifically for dogs is a little hard to do in my house, especially one that Miss Coco Chanel will approve of.  (I can’t tell you the number of times my family has bought food and had to donate it to local shelters because “Princess Coco”refused to eat it.)  However, a couple of weeks ago, BlogHer asked me to review Purina’s Pro Plan Selects.  You can understand my hesitation, but I was intrigued that Pro Plan Selects formulas are:

• Made with real, natural chicken, turkey, beef and salmon as the #1 ingredient.
• They use whole grain barley and brown rice for highly digestible sources of carbohydrates.
• They also include high-quality sources of protein including egg protein and pea protein.
• Every formula is created without corn, wheat or soy and artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

These ingredients sounded quite similar to the Friday night leftovers that Coco was already familiar with.  I signed Coco and myself up for this review with high hopes that Purina would shine…I’m VERY happy to share that my little picky palate pooch has a renewed love of dog food!  Truthfully, I’ve never seen her take to eating a dog food so quickly!  Can you also read how happy I am that I no longer have to mix in a little cheese or chicken stock just to get Coco to eat her breakfast and dinners?!?!

Let’s be honest: I know you know that I love cooking for myself and my family and friends.  I like using healthy ingredients that otherwise would “taste healthy” if served alone or without those savory herbs and seasonings. I like using high quality ingredients for my self: high quality olive oil, whole wheat pastas, fresh organic veggies, and delectable cuts of meat and fresh fish. I like to think my furry family members deserve the same attention to quality.

Also, I’d feel a little guilty eating such delicious foods in front of my pets and not offer something of comparative caliber.  I wouldn’t do that to my mother and friends…and I wouldn’t do that to Miss Coco either. 

Here’s something special for you too!  Blogher and Purina are giving one of my readers a $100 Visa card!

Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

• Leave a comment below and let me know why you would feed your pets premium dog food.
• Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
• Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
• For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

Giveaway dates are: 5/2–5/31/2011. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available HERE.

For other chances to win, check out the Round Up page.

Please visit our sponsor HERE.

Want to try out Purina Pro Plan Selects?  Get a coupon HERE!  Remember, just like those fancy organic jars of honey, you won’t find this brand at the grocery store.  You’ll have to go to a pet store like Petsmart or Petco…only the best for Coco!