Meet John John

About

Meet John John — so cute we named him twice! John John is an Apricot Pug and he is my second Pug and fourth dog. He loves food, snuggling, sun bathing, and paddle boarding. He also enjoys eating snow and shoveling the deck with his dad.

John John had no idea what kind of family adopted him when he was plucked from the farm in the summer of 2022. But, luckily for him, he was brought into a DINK (dual income no kids) household. And if you are a dog, then you know this is the holy grail of familes to be brough into.

I truly believe in the power of real whole foods for your dog, just like I do for you! So, I cook all of John John’s food and he does not eat any dog food. The power of real organic food can do wonders for your dog’s health, energy levels, and overall happiness.

Join John John and me in the kitchen as we create recipes for both you and your dog! While you will always see John John wearing cute clothes and bandanas, he only ever wears them on camera. The rest of the time he’s running around the house naked!

Fun Facts About John John


John John is from… a small farm in Kansas! We drove all the way there to pick him up and met his whole family including his brother, sister, mom, dad, and cousins.

John John’s favorite fruit is… apple! He never turns them down, he really loves the crispy sweet kinds.

John John’s favorite meat is… steak, no surprise here. Steak is reserved for special occasions, so he gets really excited when it’s on the menu.

John John’s favorite toy is… his cupcake! We play cupcake wars daily.

John John’s favorite activity is… beach zoomies! And of course snuggling.

John John's Meal Plan


John John's Meal Plan

Breakfast

John John eats his Turkey Dog Food Recipe daily with the addition of Beef Liver for Dogs so it’s a complete meal. We also will change up the meat sometimes and do ground beef or we use our whole chicken recipe. But, the addition of organ meat in your dogs diet is super important. Find out more about this in our post Beef Liver for Dogs.

Lunch

John John eats plain chicken for a little lunch snack for added protein. Then his daily lunch is Pumpkin Granola for Dogs along with plain Greek yogurt. I also add in fresh blueberries daily because this is a superfood for your dog! And some days he’ll get strawberries or apples too. Sometimes I add chia seeds or hemp hearts. It’s good to mix it up a little to give your dog nutrients from different places!

Dinner

Dinner is usually whatever meal he had for breakfast. Turkey Dog Food Recipe daily with the addition of Beef Liver for Dogs is the main inspiration here, and we do switch it up a bit. We have noticed that John John’s favorite carb is sweet potatoes so I usually stick to those. If I’m out he gets quinoa or oats, he does not care for rice very much. I mainly stick to lean meats like turkey and chicken but sometimes I’ll also make him 85/15 ground beef as a treat meal and he loves it!

Dessert

Dessert usually consists of Mini Blueberry Cheesecake for Dogs along with fresh apples, strawberries, or other dog friendly fruits that I’m also eating after dinner. The health benefits of Greek yogurt for dogs include protein, probiotics, and more.

Snacks

For snacks or treats we just give him organic chicken cut them into small cubes. Or, I make him Beef Dog Treats. Both of these are the perfect one ingredient treat that has lean protein! And, we also make him Mini Dog Treats, which he is literally obsessed with!

Supplements

While I believe most all nutrients can come from food for yourself and your dog, supplements are a great way to make sure your dog is getting everything they need. John John gets a few supplements daily in addition to his fresh food.

Better Bones Powder
This bone powder has the correct 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus for dogs. While dogs can get so many nutrients from food, it’s very challenging to get the correct ratio of these two unless they are eating bones. And if you don’t want to give your dog raw bones (for fear of them getting all over your couch, yes, that would happen if we did that!), then that’s why I love this supplement! We give this to John John with his breakfast and dinner, and we just mix it into his warm food and he is happy with it! This is the one thing I really recommend if you are fresh feeding and not doing any bones. As long as you’re feeding your dog a variety of meat, veggies, fruits, and healthy carbs then all you need is the one supplement to feel confident about homemade food!

Probiotics
I do think probiotics are important for dogs too. While John John gets some from his Greek yogurt lunch every day, we also add in a daily one with his breakfast. We give John John this BioLifePet Liquid Probiotics with his breakfast each morning. This is flavorless and he doesn’t mind that it’s on there. And I’ve tried a lot of vitamins and supplements and he’s super picky about them! But, this one he’s good with!

Fermented Food Supplement
We also add in Gussy Gut The Daily every other day into his food. This green powder is a fermented food supplement that John John absolutely loves! We call it “greens day” on the every odd day he gets this.

Nutritional Yeast
I also add organic nutritional yeast in here or there into meals. I love this as an added benefit for dogs as it has B vitamins, protein, and more. This makes a great food topper or you can incorporate this into meals or treats. Our Dog Friendly Sweet Potato Fries use this for flavor! Check out our post 12 Food Toppers for Dogs for more ideas on how to incorporate supplements and additional foods for your dog’s health.