If pets had their way, they’d raid the bags containing their kibble and help themselves to an all-day feast, every day. This is hardly a desirable scenario, as it leads to obesity and digestive upset, so take care to store food where pets can’t get at it while you’re not looking.
Dogs, by the way, are not the only ones guilty of raiding bags of kibble; hungry cats have also been known to apply their claws and teeth to almost-full bags – even those heavy-duty foil models! – and help themselves to heaps of between-meal snacks.
Most pet-food storage containers are made of plastic, which is porous (so their contents are not safe from bacteria) and easily gnawed open by a large, determined dog.
Pet-supply stores sell large clips to “reseal” opened bags of kibble – but these do nothing to prevent the contents from growing stale, or permitting the entry of hungry insects.
Happily, there are much better, more sanitary ways to store large bags of opened kibble.
If there’s room in your refrigerator, stick the opened bag of kibble in there. Or, decant the contents of the bag into glass food-storage jars. These are widely available at kitchen-supply stores and online, and they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from round to square. Some have threaded metal lids, others close with a rubber washer that securely closes with a metal clamp.
If you’d like double protection – refrigeration plus a glass jar – investigate refrigerator glassware, widely available in nesting sets, complete with convenient plastic lids. Just don’t subject glass that isn’t made for refrigerator storage to your fridge’s chilly atmosphere, or it will crack and break, and you’ll have wasted all that kibble.
In the fridge or out, glass jars keep pets and bugs away from the food, and they look quite decorative just sitting there on your kitchen counter or shelf. The good habit of transferring kibble from the bag to the jar could even inspire you to be better about putting away flour, sugar, and other bagged food items!