We caught up with Instagram star Rey the Pitbull’s family to chat about everything from what a typical day looks like, to the family’s fondest memory, and even touched on Rey’s favorite ACANA® recipe! Keep reading to learn more about one of our favorite ACANA influencers and her lovely family.

• What does a typical day look like for your family and Rey?

Routine is pretty important in our house, but we still try to remain flexible! We wake up around 5 a.m. and spend some time together as a family, loving on the dogs and playing with our 5-month-old son. My husband and I each alternate a couple days a week to go to the gym at this time, too.

As our son nears the time for his first nap of the day, we get ready for a long family walk, but living in Phoenix, once summer comes around, those walks get a bit shorter and start before sunrise. We pack our baby boy into his stroller, leash up Rey and KJ, and walk to the park near our house. The walk ends up being about 2.5 miles, and our son falls asleep halfway through it, so we all get fresh air, sunshine, and family time, plus we tackle our son’s first nap of the day.

After everyone’s cooled down, Rey and KJ get breakfast (ACANA, of course!) and a vitamin to keep their joints healthy. My husband and I alternate getting ready for work while the other plays with our son. The pups usually lay out in the backyard, fed and exercised, resting in the sunshine.

My husband and I both work from home now, and we have a nanny who watches our son, so the pups get lots of attention throughout the day. They switch up laying by my husband or me while we work, and they periodically check in on their baby brother too.

Once the work day is over, we all eat dinner (the pups, too!), and give Rey and KJ a puzzle toy or practice some tricks with them. We give our son a bath, and when we go to his room to read his night time stories, Rey and KJ curl up on the floor to listen along.

Before we know it, it’s bed time for us all!

• What’s the fondest memory you have with Rey?

That has to be the day I first met her! My husband and I were thinking about adopting a third dog, as we knew our older pup at the time was slowing down, and we wanted to make sure our “middle child”, KJ, still had a canine companion when Fisk left us for Rainbow Bridge.

We got a call from my uncle that there was an adoption event near us, and he saw the cutest pit bull puppies there. My husband and I drove over to the event and saw Rey and her two sisters. I remember picking up Rey, looking her in the eyes, and knowing she was the gal for us. I felt such a wonderful, instant connection to her. Plus, she was so stinking cute!

We filled out the adoption paperwork and heard back the next day that we were approved for her to join our family!

• How important is Rey’s nutrition to you? Why?

Nutrition is one of the most important things I think about for my pups.

There’s a saying that dogs’ only flaw is that their lives are too short. I’ve never heard anything so true. But we all know that a good diet not only extends a dog’s life, but makes it a healthier one, too. I want to keep them with me as long as I can, but I also want them to enjoy their years – to be able to go on their daily walks, to join us on family trips, to chase my son around the yard (when he’s old enough to run!) High quality food can make all the difference in that.

• What’s one thing we don’t know about Rey?

Rey can be a little skittish with certain things! She comes off as so confident, but, for example, when I first got a ring light tripod, her fur stood up, she kept her distance, and she barked and barked at it! At the same time, she is brave enough to attack the vacuum and make a game out of interrupting us while cleaning the floors. Some of the new things that make her feel unsure can be so silly sometimes! We’re sure to use lots of positive reinforcement to help her get comfortable around those situations as soon as we notice them.