It all started in 1999 with a dog named Lucy. Then Dutch Henry, Daphne, and now, Ernie. 

If they could talk, these healthy and happy Basset Hounds who defied their breed’s life expectancy would be the first to tell you - a wholesome approach to food transformed their health. 

For the Love of Dutch feeds, nourishes, and nurtures your pet with natural food. Our ready to serve, handcrafted, small batch meals are made with fresh, seasonal produce and sustainably sourced meat from local farms.

We love pets - and we love caring for them with socially responsible practices. We honor this commitment by supporting local farmers and sourcing less beautiful, nutrient-rich produce and less talked about organ meat to save food waste. 

Every choice we make is driven to boost their health, wellness, and vitality which feeds not only their stomachs, but also their sweet souls. 

It’s what loving our fur children is all about.

For the Love of Dutch nourishes your pet the natural way.

CHRISTI BUSCH
Christi Busch is a certified Reiki practitioner since 2017, nurturer and dog lover - a unique combination that shapes For the Love of Dutch. After having raised and cared for three healthy and happy Bassets, she left her full-time corporate career to bring this mindful, holistic approach and health transformation to dogs in the Charlotte region and the Southeastern United States. 

She is a fierce advocate for sustainably-raised, locally-sourced produce and meats as well as the relationships with local farms and farmers that make bringing this wholesome and healthy approach to families more possible.

In addition to running For the Love of Dutch, Christi volunteers for Carolina Basset Hound Rescue, where she adopted her latest pup, Ernie.

Christi earned her Canine Nutrition Certification from the Academy of Natural Health Science in December 2019.

All of our recipes are made with nutrient-rich fresh, seasonal produce and sustainably sourced meat from local North and South Carolina farms. We use organic as much as possible because it is healthier and easier on our pets’ organs since it is free of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. It’s a special and conscious choice we make to deliver a diet more nourishing to your pet’s digestive system. We also offer a variety of blends to alternate between in order to optimize your pet’s health.

Our goal is to be as earth friendly as possible while providing a healthy alternative to commercial dog food.

We know all our farms and farmers, so we know exactly where all of our ingredients come from. Our farmers include: Evans Family Farm (Mt Ulla, NC), Gilcrest Natural Farms (Iron Station, NC), Happy Dirt (Durham, NC), Hickory Nut Gap (Fairview, NC) and Keener Farms (Lincolnton, NC). 

There is so much waste in the world so we're working hard to reduce food waste by sourcing some of the less beautiful, nutrient-rich produce. It's still perfectly good but often thrown away because it is not “pretty” enough for the store shelves.

We also source organ meat from our farmers because these meats are frequently discarded due to the discriminating human palate. Organ meats are more densely packed with just about every nutrient, including heavy doses of B vitamins such as: B1, B2, B6, folic acid and vitamin B12, as well as minerals such as iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and more.

We know, we know, plastics aren’t the best but our BPA Free and FDA approved packaging is 100% recyclable (Recycle No7 pouch and labels). After use, please wash, dry and reuse. Or you can recycle the pouches with other plastic films and plastic grocery bags at various stores around Charlotte. Learn more about recycling plastic films at plasticfilmrecycling.org

We are currently researching and working on compostable packaging that is safe for our products and your pups. It turns out, compostables don’t necessarily outshine plastics when it comes to environmental benefits. Why? Since our customers are located in Mecklenburg County, there is no commercial curbside pick up for compostables so we’re working on options for a completely home compostable package that we’ll transition to once we’re 100% sure it’s the right solution. In the meantime, please reuse and recycle our packaging as much as you can.