At the ripe age of five dog years, Bear had developed the refined palate of a canine food critic. This 120-pound Great Pyrenees wouldn’t be caught dead scarfing down just any old kibble. Margaret Pless, his doting human, tried her best to please her demanding fur-child, first by offering him some canned slop from Costco. But Bear just scoffed at her attempt. “How gauche,” he probably thought.

Margaret tried leveling up to some fancy refrigerated chow, but even that proved unsatisfactory in the eyes of Bear, who was doggo royalty, after all. Having tried seemingly everything, she decided to make his food herself. Bear liked it, but poor Margaret was left frazzled and dog-tired, trying to meet his royal highness’s nutritional needs.

In November 2021, Margaret caught wind of a subscription service called The Farmer’s Dog – tailor-made for fancy-pants pups like Bear. The concoctions would make Gordon Ramsay proud, with lovely stews involving beef or turkey and classy veggies like carrots and Brussels sprouts. The food was delicately cooked at low temperatures, portioned, and delivered right to Margaret’s doorstep in Dover, Mass.

Margaret spent a pretty penny on this new endeavor, shelling out $13 per day for meals fit for a canine king. But, alas, Bear’s refined taste buds were not to be pleased. “At first, he was excited,” recalls Margaret. “And then he was like, ‘Ugh, not this slop again,’ and he got bored.” And so, the quest for Bear’s perfect gourmet dish continues – perhaps with a side of caviar and a dog-friendly glass of Chardonnay.