By: Michelle Pawelski
Photos by: Bailey Sadowsky
Issue: November 2025
The moment Leah Theunissen opens the garage door, Copper, the family’s spirited cocker spaniel, bolts into the yard, tail wagging and playing, living his best life. It is a much different Copper, now eight, than several years earlier.
When he was just three, he was hit by a car. Initially, the family did not see any significant
injuries, and the veterinarian gave the energetic pup a clean bill of health. A few years later, however, the family noticed something different in Copper.
The lovable canine began to limp and show signs that something was wrong.
“We tried CBD oils and doggie aspirin, but of course that stuff all wears off,” Leah said.
Determined to help him, Leah dove into research on canine health and nutrition. “During this time, I learned there have been many myths about what my dog could and couldn’t eat, what proteins are easily digested, what veggies are best and what to stay away from.”
When Leah couldn’t find dog food that fit her criteria, she made her own. “I had run a day care and raised my own children, so I knew overall nutrition, and then researching dog health, I found that their digestive system is a lot like ours. They just have some different nutritional needs.”
Copper thrived in his food plan of high-protein, nutrient-dense recipes. “Seeing his transformation with my own eyes, how happy and healthy he became, I knew we were doing something right for him.”
Encouraged by a friend to share her discovery, Leah quit her job and launched PurePups.
“I buckled down and did a lot more research,” Leah said. “I got my LLC and the journey began. I started with a few different recipes to see which were time-efficient but also nutritious.”
She worked with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for a full food analysis and met and exceeded all standards for a dog’s life stages without additives and preservatives.
Leah sources as many local ingredients as possible – beef from Hermosa, oats from Dakota Mill and Grain, which she grinds down herself, chicken from a Hutterite colony in Mitchell, wild-caught salmon from an Alaskan family she met at the Black Hills Farmer’s Market. Everything is handmade in her home kitchen, right down to the organic peanut butter and bone broth.
Leah worked with the State of South Dakota and received guidance from a local coffee roaster to find print packaging. Three months after getting her LLC, PurePups hit the shelves.
“Once the word got out, it just took off. The fact that we do everything in-house makes us stand out,” she said.
PurePups offers four recipes, including pineapple chicken, and four treats. The line
includes wet food and air-dried kibble made at low temperatures to preserve nutrients. With no additives and preservatives, PurePups’ food has a shorter shelf life but guaranteed freshness.
Leah’s team includes: Breanna Monroe, sales manager, Jennifer Barringer, sales, and Margaret O’ Leary, production, along with her husband Steve and daughter Kelly.
They are in Leah’s home kitchen nearly every day, rotating between treat and food production days. On treat days, one person preps ingredients, making peanut butter, grinding oats, and mixing dough, while the other pipes, rolls, and cuts treats before they’re dehydrated and packaged the next day. For food preparation, the team grinds raw organic vegetables; cooks whole-muscle beef, chicken, and salmon; and pressure grinds bones for added nutrition. Eggs are lightly pressure-cooked for easy peeling.
“There’s a lot of preparation for the final product, but that’s what sets us apart from your common dog food,” Leah said.
In a year since its founding, PurePups has expanded into retailers across South Dakota and is now in talks with a national distributor.
She has outgrown her Rapid Valley home, the current location for manufacturing, packaging and distribution, and is on the hunt for a larger facility.
But growing does not mean there will be any shortcuts in production or quality of ingredients. “We refuse to be the norm, as we’re proving with the rest of our
processes,” Leah said. “Healthy dogs are my mission. Just like humans, their bodies demand good nutrition for a long, healthy life.”
What started as Leah’s quest to heal her own pup has grown into a movement for healthier dogs. For Leah and her team, every happy wagging tail is proof that PurePups isn’t just a brand, it’s a labor of love inspired by one very good boy.
This story was originally published in the November 2025 issue of Elevate Magazine.
