The first time I saw Ruxin he was at an adoption event in Westport. I stared down at this depressed looking black puppy being bullied by another puppy 3 times his size. I picked him up and he immediately melted in my arms. I could feel the sense of relief pour out of his tiny body. I asked many questions about him and learned that the other puppy that was bullying Ruxin was his brother. Every one
of his brothers (there were 5) were at least twice the size of him. I knew he felt safe with me. I could not leave him. Ruxin was born in the Kansas City, MO animal shelter. This was before its incredible transformation into KC Pet Project. He had to be put on many antibiotics to cure the plethora of illnesses he had acquired at the shelter. Eventually, he started losing hair around his eyes and I took him into the vet to get tested for mange. Unfortunately, it turned out negative and I say unfortunately because it was something that would never go away. It was a food allergy the vet told me. It had never even occurred to me that dogs could have food allergies. We started the long and expensive journey to find out what he could eat. Food allergies are tricky. It turned out Ruxin was allergic to-basically everything. Beef, chicken, lamb, artificial dyes, artificial preservatives, corn, etc. etc. His diet consists of fish, fruits and vegetables. He currently eats Acana Pacifica on a regular basis. To this day it is the ONLY prepared dog food he eats without problems. So why fancy dog food? Simple, I love to cook and Ruxin is not only a friend, but part of our family. One of my favorite things to do is share the food I love with the people I love. So why haven’t I been sharing my love to cook with my dogs?
