Why I Ate Dog Food (See Video)

I ate dog food. Let me tell you why.

These days, dog owners who pamper their pets can easily wind up in the poorhouse. Within the past two years, Americans have spent nearly $41 billion on their furry friends. Today, we have designer dog furniture, cringe-worthy doggy couture (accessories not included), canine country-clubs (equipped with spas).  In this time of economic downturn, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that some pets live much more lavishly than many of our fellow citizens. From designer doghouses to organic chow — we are definitely going to the dogs.

For those who’ve bought into the dog market, there’s now organic grub to share with your companion. The steadfast demand for “conscientious canine cuisine” is enough to keep Brooklyn-based Pet Chef Michelle Lewis in business. Since ’06 she’s been running her pet food company, “ScooterFoods” from her two-bedroom apartment. She’s up by 4AM each day to begin cooking an average of 100lbs of homemade dog grub. She launched her company  on her own, without a loan or corporate backing, and insists that every ingredient in her dog food is organic. And since shelf life for home-cooked canine food is a mere two weeks, the upkeep is no easy feat: carrying 5olb bags of spelt flour, quinoa, oats and nutritional yeast — not to mention lifting 30 gallon pots filled with vegetables and beef hearts — is strenuous.

“I hear all of these stories of small-business people having overnight success--it’s demoralizing and just not how it works,” Lewis stressed. She markets her food in parks, cafes and local pet-shops and says that word-of-mouth has been most effective. From handing out her homemade biscuits on the sidewalk, to hanging around dog shows and shelters — it’s a full-time commitment. “It could be a hit reality series,” Lewis joked.

Some of her doggy dishes include: salmon with vegetables, beef with vegetables, and tofu with lentils — all of which are “human grade.” Yes, that means it’s safe to try the chow alongside your pet, Lewis assured me.

Will a dog really devour tofu? Apparently so. She concocted a vegetarian formula for the growing segment of owners who chose to feed their dogs a no-meat diet. And while Lewis does not agree with this “philosophy,” as she calls it, it’s always a top seller.

In order to test that organic dog food is truly of “human” grade, I sampled a variety of  the fancy chow alongside a  brave friend. My fellow taste tester took a liking to it — so much that she’d serve it to her boyfriend as a “reward.”

While it’s edible in the respect that we did not end up in the ER, I wouldn’t recommend it, except for the “Tofu with Lentils” dish which could easily be sold at Whole Foods.

Here’s a video of us:

(Video Filmed and Edited by Oliver Noble; Produced by Oliver Miller)

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Below, the personal diary of Michelle Lewis, Pet Food Chef…

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Dog Days: The Dairy of Michelle Lewis

4:30AM: Woke up early today to make several batches of ScooterSnacks and Scooter Food.

5:00AM: Ahh, the smell of liver in the morning… delicious. I think my stomach has become a lot tougher since having to handle pounds and pounds of beef heart, liver and chicken.

5:15AM: Kitchen Workout: Lifting 30 gallon pots filled with vegetables as well as 50lb sacks of flour, oats and nutritional yeast.

5:30AM: I start with the meat, cooking it over low heat. Next, I add vegetables which are cooked in the broth. And finally, the grain is cooked in the vegetable/meat broth.

6:00AM: Start making the day’s first batch of ScooterSnacks. While they bake, go through email, responding to ScooterFood inquiries while petting Ben, my dog, and eating breakfast. I’m partial to sardines in the morning (seriously).

6:45AM: Make a delicious coffee. I don’t buy coffee out — it’s too expensive — and small things help me save for ScooterFood expenses. Take snacks out of the oven and wash dishes.

7:10AM: Go to the park with Ben for some exercise and give out ScooterSnacks to the dogs there. That’s how I market ScooterSnacks, and it has worked well. I also sell them through a local coffee shop (it’s a very symbiotic relationship).

7:45AM: Time to head home. I’ve been pretty much assaulted by every dog at the park, from Saul the mastiff with baby teeth to Snarky the 14 inch high, two-foot-long frankendog.

8:30AM: Take subway to my day job. I’m going to be very late today.

9:00AM: Arrive at work; switch to academic mode.

12:30PM: Lunchtime! Go through ScooterFood emails and pay bills, which I can do, since I received a long overdue freelance fee (To make ends meet, I also do relocation consulting, helping people from overseas settle into and get to know NYC).

1:10PM: Fast update of Scootersnacks.com and ScooterFood.com website news.

3:30PM: Order ScooterFood/ScooterSnacks ingredients online. While slightly more expensive than at bulk and wholesale stores, I can at least avoid the expense of renting the Zipcar I’d need to carry 50 lb bags of spelt flour, quinoa, and other ingredients. (Or adding the cost of knee replacement into my product line…)

4:30PM: Get on the subway and head towards home.

5:00PM: Kiss and cuddle Ben. Then out for a pee-pee walk.

5:50PM: Take and make some calls for ScooterFood orders.

6:30PM: Work on ScooterFood’s shopping online site — which I’ve been procrastinating for about a year!

7:30PM: Ben gives me a stink eye. I finally feed him.

8:00PM: Last walk of the evening.

8:20PM: Update ScooterSnack sales. I start making a banner ad for an upcoming event, but my focus is starting to drift.

8:45PM: I indulge in some crappy TV and cuddle with Ben. (It’s not a big date night.)

10:00PM: Sleep.

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