We love our pets. A lot. According to the American Pet Products Association, we also have a lot of them. There are almost 73 million homes with a pet in them, and the majority of those are dogs at just over 46%; cats come in second at 38%. Those ownership levels are at their highest levels in almost twenty years according to that same organization.

   For anyone that has a pet, or has ever had one, we know that we will do just about anything to ensure their good health and a long life. The Worldwatch Institute estimates in the United States and Europe we spend about $17 billion dollars annually on their food alone. But walk down the pet food aisle of any store, and the selection is mind boggling. We want to best and healthiest options, so where do we start.

   Let me introduce you to Rick Woodford, otherwise known as the Dog Food Dude who out of love and necessity, created the Feed Your Best Friend Better book. His dog Jackson was the inspiration for the book, after being diagnosed lymphoma and given 9-12 months to live. You know how you’d feel if you heard that. What an I do, how can I help? When Jackson’s appetite disappeared, Rick decided to take matters into his own hands and created meals in his own kitchen. The end result was the creation of his dog food delivery service Dog Stew so Rick could share what he had learned with other pet owners and he officially became known as "The Dog Food Dude." Rick started learning everything he could from vet manuals, cookbooks, and carefully calculating the nutritional values of the meals he was creating. Welcome to Warm Nose Meals. I just love that title! Rick’s book will show you how to use commercially produced food and supplement it to create a healthier meal.

  Feed Your Best Friend Better is a great book to read from cover to cover. There is advice on everything from nutrition to what foods of your are okay to share with the dog, and how to start your puppy off with great meals. The section on Warm Nose Meals offers information for dogs that deal with issues like arthritis, cancer, heart disease and more. Rick even clues us in how to best set your dog’s meal area and how to deal with problem eaters. Oh, and of course there's a section on treats and cookies.

   And Jackson. Eighteen months after Rick heard that dreaded diagnosis, the vet called Rick and told him Jackson was in remission. Thanks to the chemotherapy that helped stopped his cancer, and the diet Rick created, Jackson lived a longer, healthier life and it was age that finally took Rick’s beloved best friend, not the cancer. Feed Your Best Friend is dedicated to Jackson, his best friend, the friend that he shared a birthday with. Follow Rick and his family of  four, four-legged friends, at dogfooddude.blogspot.com, and hear my full interview with Rick here. It was such a pleasure to spend time with Rick, even if it was over the phone. Tell me how you take care of your best friend, and I’ll choose four at random to receive a copy of Rick Woodfood, The Dog Food Dude’s Book "Feed Your Best Friend Better." Pictures are especially appreciate. Send those to me at Ann.Kelly@coxmg.com.

   Don’t forget, this is the first Sunday of the month coming up and that means a trip to Hyde Park Village and the Fresh Market, the official sponsor of Kelly’s Kitchen. It’s a stress free way to start the day, enjoy a delicious start to your morning with breakfast in the circle, and a lovely ride home with a car filled with fresh items from The Market.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

"No Matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

Louis Sabin