Dori: How do I break this news to my dog?

It was one thing when I had to tell my wife and daughters about the recent shortage of, er, um, feminine care products (okay, yes, I’ll say it: favorite tampon brands are becoming increasingly hard to find). Don’t believe me? Just ask The Today Show and The New York Times.

And I have taken it like a man after learning that a shortage of chili peppers is creating a shortage of my beloved Sriracha hot sauce. Darn you, Mexican drought!

But now – after receiving an alert from our pet food supplier, chewy.com, that my dog’s monthly order of Purina One Beef Formula (he prefers the small nuggets and loves the beefy flavor) has been discontinued – I am not sure how I am going to break the news to him.

I know that the nationwide baby formula shortage is a far more pressing issue for many families and squalling, hungry newborns – but President Joe Biden tells us he’s fixing that. Since he’s doing a yeoman’s job at everything else in the economy, who am I to question that? I rely on younger parents to tell me if that’s really happening.

But how does anyone explain to their beloved pet that supply-chain issues have caught up to their go-to breakfast and dinner? Poor Buddy! His favorite comfort food (and just about the only food) he has known since we adopted him from a Texas-to-Edmonds canine rescue program six years ago, is not available for 31-pound bag delivery. “Yum,” he used to tell me each time I filled his bowl. “How does this happen?” his puppy-dog eyes will ask me if I cut him off.

And it’s not just dogs. Apparently, cats – of which I have none, but apparently many of the Dori Monson Show listeners do (including producer Nicole)– are struggling with a variety of factors contributing to pet food shortages. That means their owners are, too.

What started with toilet paper and hand sanitizer more than two years ago has expanded to other nationwide scarcities. Now, it seems, the shortfalls catch us by surprise.

Sure, it starts with tampons (materials needed are “costly and highly volatile”) and the next thing you know, it’s dinner delights for dogs and kitty cuisine. Why the shortfalls? The pet food industry tells us that all pet food started seeing supply-chain challenges shortly after COVID-19 when lockdowns prompted a significant uptick in pet adoptions.

After that? A backlog at ports and a shortage of truckers, according to sources. A shortage of animal fat supplies used to create the delectable palate-pleasers our pets have come to know and crave. And supply chain disruptions: aluminum (for canned foods), cardboard (for shipping), and paper (for the consumer-friendly mega-bags many consumers prefer to itty-bitty bags they have to buy over and over again).

Fortunately, Dori Monson Show listeners chimed in when we aired this issue and recommended new dog food blends and new online sources for finding Buddy’s No. 1 yums.

End result: Buddy won’t starve and our family won’t break the bank feeding him. Thank you, wonderful listeners.

For many tampon users, hot-sauce eaters, and pet owners, it’s not that easy.

Before November’s general elections roll around, is your vote toward greater economic efficiency going to make a difference?

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