Behind every great athlete is a great coach… and an even better pet! That may not be how the saying goes, but Natalie Coughlin could attest to this.
“It is so important for me to have my family, my husband Ethan and the dogs. Swimming can be a solo endeavor and it’s nice to come home to a warm household.”
Like so many pet owners, Natalie considers her dogs part of the family. Dozer, a 110 lb American Bulldog, and SheRa, a 16 lb Border Terrier are Natalie’s “babies”. Just as she wakes up every morning for workout, she arrives back home to SheRa “wiggling her little butt” and Dozer waking up from his early morning rise. “It doesn’t matter if it is 5 minutes or 5 weeks, they’re always excited to greet me.”
Packed with all muscle, Dozer is actually a push over that loves being rubbed and taken on long walks with Natalie and her husband. Dozer might be the heavy, but SheRa is the real boss. Her spunky attitude and alertness keeps her queen of the canines.
At 4:15 a.m., Coughlin’s alarm goes off for morning workout, a feeling that is so common to every swimmer. Coughlin knows this feeling more than most. “It never gets easier” says Natalie, who will be competing for her 4th Olympic games in 2016 in which she will be one of the oldest competitors at this year’s Olympic Trials.
“My goal for the day is to get my training in, but to also achieve my goals at home by taking care of my dogs, spending time with my husband, and just relaxing. I am so busy as a professional athlete that I need to take time during the day to take a breath and enjoy the moment. If I have done that, I have had a really great day.”
It is no mystery that nutrition has played a significant role in Natalie’s continued success, not only for her performance in the pool, but also her everyday life. Her affinity for health and nutrition go hand-in-hand with what she feeds Dozer and SheRa. “Nutrition is so important to me, it’s super important to my dogs as well. We want to give them the best food possible. We want them to live as long as possible and have a healthy life.”
This is why Natalie decides to feed her pets Nulo. “Dozer and She-Ra are athletes, just like I am. Using Nulo was such an easy thing for us because our dogs love it and it is really good to them.” With Nulo’s high meat protein, low carbohydrates, and a patented pro-biotic in all their formulas, Natalie is assured that her pets are receiving the proper nutrition to keep up with their Olympic mom.
Along with ten other Olympic athletes and their pets, Natalie and Nulo Pet Food are teaming up to bring greater awareness to pet fitness and nutrition. “It’s exciting to see world class athletes get behind Nulo and our mission. They understand what the right fuel can do for their bodies, it seems natural that they want the same for their dog or cat,” says Michael Landa, CEO of Nulo. “Whether it’s Natalie, Aaron Peirsol, or Gold Medal Gymnast Carly Patterson … they all share a common love for their pet.”
About Nulo Pet Food
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Nulo Pet Food was founded in 2010 by former All-American swimmer, Michael Landa. Nulo set out to be a different kind of pet food company with no short cuts and using only the finest natural ingredients. Along with some of the brightest minds in the pet food industry, we began creating unique recipes using Wild Alaskan Salmon, Free Range Lamb and Free Roam Turkey and pairing them with fresh ingredients like apples, lentils, carrots and sweet potatoes. Nulo believes we are all ‘Healthier Together’ and its mission is to inspire people to live active, healthy lifestyles with their pets while making better choices in pet nutrition. Visit www.nulo.com for more product information, inspirational stories from other Nulo athletes, and to find a store near you!
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Kind of interesting about her choice of canines. I have a chocolate Lab (Chanel) who, of course, loves water and daily swimming. Don’t know if the breed of dogs she has take to water. I would think not, But maybe with her busy schedule she prefers dogs who don’t take to water and she loves them for their other wonderful attributes.
Just when I thought Natalie couldn’t be more awesome, well…there she goes making a fool of me again. I am looking forward to a 4th Olympiad for her.