Home-Cooked Enrichment at the Den

At Luna’s Doggie Den, some enrichment activities include small portions of home-cooked food — for Luna and the Den Dogs to enjoy as a fun, wholesome treat.

Why home-cooked?

The idea really took shape when Luna was spayed. During her recovery, she was given the usual bland, vet-prescribed food. She tolerated it at first but quickly lost interest as her appetite returned. That’s when I started cooking a fresh alternative at home, based on the same principles I use when feeding my family: wholesome, vegetable-rich food made with real ingredients, no additives, and plenty of flavour.

Luna loved it — and so our signature Doggie Bolognaise was born.

For the past 18 months Luna's homecooked breakfast has become a regular part of her routine — offering wholesome, freshly prepared food has also become a key part of my approach at the Den.

It starts with a blend of vegetables and lentils, whizzed into a thick, nutritious base in my trusty soup-maker. This sauce has long been the hidden hero in many of our family meals and now Luna’s too. Packed with goodness, it adds natural richness to dishes and sneaks in extra nutrients — even my fussy-eating son happily devours it in curries and bolognaise.

I’m not launching a pet food brand — just preparing slow-cooked batches using the same high-quality, human-grade ingredients we buy in our weekly shop: fresh and frozen meats, vegetables, tomatoes, grains, and pulses. If I wouldn’t serve it to my family, I wouldn’t offer it to the pack.

At the Den, these recipes are used in small amounts as part of enrichment activities — for example on licky mats and in enrichment bowls — giving dogs a safe and engaging way to enjoy new smells, textures, and flavours.

They are not intended to replace your dog’s normal meals, which owners provide as part of their regular diet. But I like to ensure that some enrichment treats are fresh, wholesome food, offering a natural alternative to processed treats during enrichment activities.

Because the Den Dogs deserve real food, too.