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Sanae Suzuki: I had ovarian cancer in 1993. I can't have babies because of it. Dogs became my kids. I started cooking for my dogs in probably 1994, because one of my dogs had arthritis, and I thought maybe [a change in diet] would help.Some people don't want to change [what they feed their dogs], and that's OK. That's up to them. I say in the book, if they want to keep feeding their dogs meat, that's OK, they just need to choose the best quality meat. But if they are willing to change to vegan/macrobiotic, I show them how to do it. My main goal is: stop feeding packaged, canned, and bagged food to them all the time. Obviously, once in a while, you might have to, but I feel sorry for the dogs that have to eat this food 365 days a year. Dogs can't speak, so I want to be their spokesperson.What are your dogs' names and breeds?
Right now, I have all Golden Retrievers. I have six. Their names are Kula, Oro, Leo (named after Leonardo DiCaprio; my neighbor said "he's a good looking boy," so I called him that), Bubu, Lumi (I believe she's the smallest Golden Retriever in the whole world—she's only 35 pounds), and Happy. I have a lot of dogs to cook for. [ Laughs] I also have two cats.
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Yes, I make food for the cats too! Some people say, "Are you going to release a cat food book?" I say, "First things first." [Laughs] I know more about dogs than cats. I've had many dogs in my life—maybe 15 or 17.Related: The Westminster Dog Show… On Acid!Do people criticize you for feeding your dogs all vegan and homemade food?
I don't see it as criticism, but many people are shocked to hear it. More about the "homemade" part, vegan or not. People will say, "Do you know what you're doing?" They think that packaged food has all the nutrition dogs need. But it's not like that. It's like with humans, if you had a choice between frozen broccoli or fresh-picked farmer's market broccoli, which one would you choose? The best choice is the fresh-picked vegetable. That's what I'm providing my dogs. Packaged food is still good, just as a supplement—like vitamins for humans.I feel like people have a lack of information [on dog diets]. Some people say, "Don't you worry they're not getting enough nutrition?" No, I don't, because I would know if they weren't. I observe them so much. I think I can feel when something is physically or even emotionally off.It seems like these days, there are a ton of natural options for bagged or canned dog food. Has packaged dog food changed in recent years?
Yes. I really believe that it's better now. But the problem is that dogs eat the same thing every day. You need to change it up. My book shows that you can still use packaged or bagged food as a supplemental food, whether or not your dogs are eating meat.Do you think people's attitudes toward packaged dog foods will change?
I believe they will change. It's like cigarettes. Can you imagine, now, being able to smoke indoors in restaurants, like you could years ago? The same thing will happen with dog food. I will not give up on our food, or dog food. People ask me, why are you cooking for your dogs? The simple answer is, there's no restaurant for them! If I don't have time to eat, I can go out to a restaurant. But they don't have that. I wrote in my book, one day maybe there will be a restaurant we can go to with dogs. Do you think that's crazy? [ Laughs]Not really. At least not in LA. We're nuts about our dogs here.
Exactly!Sanae Suzuki's cookbook, Healthy Happy Pooch, comes out on May 16.Follow Allegra Ringo on Twitter.