Unfortunately, my dog Flecki suffers from allergies. That’s tough on both of us, and it almost drives me crazy. One visit to the veterinarian follows another. Just when we find the right commercial food, its composition changes, and the problems start all over again. Cooking at home has made all the difference. Now, I can control exactly what goes into the food and avoid allergy triggers. With a little practice in grocery shopping, I can manage the costs well, and finally, Flecki enjoys eating again.

To anyone who says cooking for your dog is a lot of work, I can only say: precook and freeze it! I often prepare large batches and freeze portions. That way, I always have something ready and don’t have to cook fresh every day.

At first, I feared cooking would take too much time, but once you get used to it, it’s easy, and everything falls into place. Plus, these cooking sessions have become great quality time for both of us. I turn it into a game, and it’s so much fun to be in the kitchen together, preparing the dog food.

I’ve become a passionate chef. It’s so much fun to make cooking a ritual: Minna is always watching, sniffing, and sometimes something falls to the ground … It makes me happy to see how much she enjoys every meal, wagging her tail out of pure joy.

What’s really in canned petfood? Maybe you don’t want to know. However, cooking ensures I always know exactly what’s in my dogs’ meals. There are no harmful additives or inferior ingredients when I cook. That’s really important to me.

I don’t imagine it – others who know my dog notice it too: Since I started cooking for Cleo, she’s much fitter and noticeably happier. Cleo loves the dog food, and her joy of life has undoubtedly increased.