Meet Pedro - the dog who inspired Miraculous Meals

Meet Pedro the Podenco

Hello! I’m Ed, one of the founders of Miraculous Meals. The proud owner of rescue dog Pedro, a Canary Island Podenco or 'Podenco Canario' as they say in Spain. Before I explain the profound impact this beautiful hound has had on my life here’s a little about him.

First up, what on earth's a Podenco!?

Podenco’s are direct descendants of ancient Egyptian dogs that are depicted on the tombs of ancient Egypt. They’re mostly found in rural Mediterranean regions where to this day they’re still used for hunting rabbits. They’re known as ‘the forgotten breed’ as not many people ever see them or have heard of them. They’re wonderful dogs – hauntingly beautiful, huge ears, super intelligent, sensitive, gentle, clown like and very very athletic!

Things Pedro likes:

• Standing on the kitchen table 
• Howling along with Police sirens
• His two chihuahua best friends
• Opening letters and parcels
• Tummy rubs

 Things Pedro doesn’t like:

• Squirrels
• Getting wet
• Dry food
• The vet
• The doorbell

How Pedro inspired Miraculous Meals

Inspiring our mission

Pedro’s story was a sad one. He was born in a hole in the ground and rescued when he was just a few of weeks old. He didn’t have the best start in life.

I got Pedro in 2021 when there was still the ridiculous situation of breeders charging thousands of pounds for dogs. I was, at that point, unaware of lots of the issues surrounding dog breeding in the UK. But something just didn’t sit right with me. It felt like dogs had become almost purely a tradable commodity.

That made me and my wife start looking into getting a rescue dog. When we read some of their stories and saw the passion, commitment and love of the staff at rescue centres, we knew we were going to get a rescue. It just felt right. Now, I’m not saying rescue dogs are for everyone and everyone should get a rescue dog. You need to think it through... I guess I’m saying at least look into it and consider it. It might not be for you but it might also be life changing. As it was for me.

So... we made the decision and fast forward a few weeks this incredible animal came bounding into our lives. When we walked him people would stop and ask what type of dog he was and where we got him. These daily conversations opened my eyes to not only how many other people also had rescue dogs but the issues going on with dog rescue in the UK... the more I discovered the more I felt compelled to try and help. 

Inspiring our food

Pedro has always been a fussy eater. At the time it was frustrating but now I’m thankful he was as it made me become an expert in dog food (I think this is something quite a few owners of fussy dogs can relate to!).

 My criteria was actually quite simple. I wanted:

1. Something Pedro loved eating
2. Something that had real meat with high amounts of fresh meat
3. Something that contained offal as it's super nutritious and dogs love it
4. Something with quality all natural ingredients and no junk
5. Something convenient that didn't need freezing
6. Something that had natural functional ingredients 

I had a look and couldn’t see any food that met all my criteria. I was discussing this and what’s going on with rescue dogs with my friend Matt - we thought why can't a dog food provide best-in-class natural nutrition and enjoyment, in a convenient format, and also help solve the UK dog welfare crisis?

So we created Miraculous Meals. 

Thank you Pedro!