Meet Maui 🐾

On February 17, 2019, I walked into St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, with the intent to take home an 8-week old puppy named Gabby. As I was walking through the shelter, I passed by this cute black and white puppy who was named "Lady Luck." She was quiet, and patiently waiting for visitors to give her treats. She had been there for 5 days. I said hello, gave her a treat, and continued on to see the 8-week old puppies. Upon arriving at their kennel, the soiled pee-pads were everywhere, and I was suddenly uninterested. I lived in a small apartment at the time and did not want to deal with an 8-week old puppy anymore. I decided to take Lady Luck into the Meet & Greet room, where I immediately learned how sweet and loving this 5-month old lovebug was. Another volunteer had knocked on the room door notifying my volunteer that another family wanted to meet Lady Luck and immediately in that moment I knew I had to have her. I let my volunteer know I was taking her home. I learned that Lady Luck was picked up off the streets somewhere in Mississippi. They did not know her backstory, but figured that she was likely part of an unwanted litter. Suddenly, I was momma to the sweetest little southern belle baby, and she was renamed Maui. 

From the start, Maui was never very driven by food. She did not scoff her meals, and she was very picky about her treats. After trying a new food brand for a little while, she'd seemingly get bored of it. I was constantly buying different combinations of wet and dry food, all different brands. The switches would work for a little while, but she grew to be more and more stubborn. The vets told me "she is a dog, she won't starve herself," however, they didn't know Maui like I knew her. Maui was so stubborn that she would refuse to eat for days, to the point where she'd begin vomitting up stomach acid since there was nothing in her stomach. 

I began researching food alternatives, as a desperate move to get some food in her system. I made her chicken and white rice, which she really enjoyed, but it was so moisutre-heavy that she was peeing in her sleep from being so over-hydrated. I then discovered Fresh Pet, which she really enjoyed. She was suddenly re-interested in meal time. I was happy about that, however, it was quite costly, and Maui was getting chunky. I thought to myself, "I could totally make this myself, and make it better."

I continued researching and making improvements, until I got to an adequate recipe that was nutritious, manageable, and affordable. Maui slimmed back down, her coat became the silkiest, and she was suddenly the most excited for meal time. As time went on, people always complimented my process, and her health, and asked what I do for her. Finally, Maui's Meals was born! My mission is to help other dog owners feed their dogs nutritious, healthy, and affordable meals, and can't wait for you to try!