When I was in my early teens, times were pretty tough in my family. Neither of my folks were able to work full time for different reasons. At that time we owned two large dogs, one German Sheppard, and one Lab cross. They ate a lot of food and there was not a lot of extra money to buy food for them. It was getting financially close to having to find homes for them.

I helped feed our dogs for a couple of years on rough fish. We were fortunate as we had a stream close by that was over run with rough fish. The fish were mostly suckers, and chubs, but there were a lot of them. In the summer months I would go down to the stream every couple of days and fill a bread bag or two with fish.

When I caught enough fish, I took them home and put them in a coffee can or two on the stove. I then added water and brought them to a slow boil. I would boil the mixture until the fish had fallen apart, and all that was left was a fish stew of sorts.

Once the soupy fish stock cooled down enough the dogs had a banquet they would gulp down rather quickly. In the fall and winter, there were small animals that could be hunted that the dogs could eat. Usually animals that were considered pest animals were easy to find. Of course the occasional rabbit may have fallen into the mix.

There were never enough fish or small animals that the dogs could live off of what I provided, but between what I caught or scrounged up, and the scraps and dog food they were given, they did not know things were tough in the house. They may have not been as full as they would have liked, but we managed to keep them through the hard times.

If you are fortunate enough to live near a body of fresh water, odds are that it has an abundance of rough fish. Generally Carp are everywhere, but sometimes there are other rough fish that you can catch an almost unlimited supply of. Of course there is always the possibility that you will catch a fish you would like to eat too.

It is hard to pretend that these are the good times, and I read or hear daily of another family forced to part with their pets. If you have a river or lake close by, and are willing to spend some spare time fishing, you can feed your pets for free, or at least spend less for their food. You do not need to invest a lot of money, and one day of fishing a week may keep your dog or cat in food for a long time, saving you money in the process. Food for thought any way, no pun intended, smile….