Rachael Ray and the case of the deadly dog food

Lolabear lounging. I wouldn't feed her any RR recipes. Photo by Alicia & Mike Barger. 

Readers of my personal blog know that I have very little love for the ubiquitous queen of perky abbreviation, Rachael Ray. Well, today brings another reason to distrust and dislike RR - she hates puppies.

Well, not really. This story broke almost two weeks ago, but it's getting some renewed press beyond the anti-Rachael and pro-dog communities, thanks to the National Enquirer, which reports in its January 5th edition, Ray published a recipe in Modern Dog magazine that is poisonous to dogs. The recipe, "Isaboo's Butternut Squash Mac and Cheddar," contains onions, which are harmful to dogs. 

According to Ray, the recipe is actually intended for humans, not dogs. The way it's presented is confusing, though, since it's named for Ray's dog and  in the magazine it's accompanied by a picture of her dog eating. Plus, it was, at one time, also posted under a "Pet Friendly" header on the web site for Ray's magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray (it's since been removed).

And what does Ray say about all of this? Not all that much, as far as I can tell. I know she's got her fans, but she's got more than a few detractors, too, and that's putting it nicely. Can she really afford to let anybody think she's careless with cute, adorable puppies? Shouldn't her PR team get on this, like, right now?

Oh, and don't even get me started on the fact that Ray has her own line of dog food. Really. That tirade starts with "overexposed" and ends with a bad joke along the lines of "isn't that animal cruelty?" That whole concept is just too much for my brain to handle.