Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

At the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter, a dog dubbed Miss Pixie Du-par awaits her custom meal from Dupar's Restaurant in Thousand Oaks. The fair-skinned dog's skin ailments seem to be responding to the liver diet.

Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Animal Control Sgt. Fred Agoopi serves Miss Pixie Du-par a custom meal of boiled liver from Dupar's Restaurant in Thousand Oaks.

When she was taken to the Agoura Hills Shelter on Feb. 28, the 3-year-old female bulldog mix that had been found as a stray in the Topanga Canyon area was one sad puppy, with open sores bursting through her white fur.

"We thought it might be skin cancer because white dogs are prone to it," Los Angeles County Animal Control Sgt. Fred Agoopi said. "We took her to a private vet — we have a fund that helps pay for taking animals to private vets — and the biopsy came back negative."

They tried using prednisone on the dog's skin, but she had a bad reaction, so that had to be discontinued.

Volunteers, including Ellen Naumann of Agoura Hills, started trying figure out what was wrong with the dog, which was obviously in pain.

One person thought perhaps she had a skin disorder common among dogs of this breed, and suggested she be given a diet that included boiled liver and its juices, which is known to help alleviate the symptoms the dog was experiencing.

"Word went out to volunteers requesting someone to take on the task of boiling the liver every day, but it's not the best-smelling thing to cook in the home," Naumann said.

She racked her brain to figure out which restaurant served liver on a regular basis and Du-par's in Thousand Oaks came to mind. So she called.

Pictures were convincing

Carol Cadoo of Simi Valley, general manager and director of sales and catering for Du-par's and its catering company, Naylors, answered.

"I'm not really an animal person, but I said we'd do it," Cadoo said. "It was horrifying to see pictures of the dog. How was I going to turn them down when I saw the photos?"

She got permission from Du-par's owner Biff Naylor and asked executive chef Merdardo Hernandez if it were possible for the restaurant to boil up 8 ounces of liver and its juices for the dog to eat.

Now, each day, no matter how busy the restaurant is, the kitchen staff at Du-par's stops what it's doing and prepares the liver, which is fetched daily from the L.A. Farmers Market Du-par's, for the bulldog.

The treatment has been effective and Cadoo said she and her staff keep a picture of the dog, now named Miss Pixie Du-par, in the break room.

"You could see the sadness in her eyes. They're so joyful now," Cadoo said.

Officials say the liver has helped, as part of an ongoing effort to relieve the ailment.

"The dog is better. The skin condition is still there, but she's recovering," Agoopi said.

She has other issues, as well.

"She's fussy with other dogs," Agoopi said, adding that her dislike of other dogs will make it hard to place her in a home, but with the concerted efforts of the army of volunteers who help care for the animals who find their way there, he is optimistic that Miss Pixie Du-par will find someone who can deal with her somewhat prickly disposition.

Cadoo says it has been a morale booster for her staff to see an altruistic effort bear such happy, tangible results.

"It's really been a rallying of the employees," she said. "They all feel they have a part of Miss Du-par. She's a pseudo-celebrity and customers ask about her."

Naumann said the dog is responding well to the meals. "You can see her transformed. She looks forward to her meal. If she were a person, she'd be smiling."

A chance for a home

For Agoopi, it's yet another example of the daily effort volunteers bring to helping animals who are lost or abandoned. He said such efforts enable dogs like Miss Pixie Du-par to have a chance at finding a good, suitable home, rather than the sad alternative of having the dog put down.

"We have volunteers who will take the animals home if we run out of space," he said, adding that other shelters in the greater Los Angeles area have fewer volunteers and more animals to help.

He also cautioned those interested in giving Miss Pixie Du-par a home. Because she has issues with other dogs, the shelter will be especially discriminating about who is allowed to adopt her.

"We already have had to turn people down," he said.

The Agoura Hills animal shelter is at 29525 Agoura Road. The phone number is 818-991-0071.

Du-par's Thousand Oaks restaurant is at 75 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd. The phone number is 373-8785.

Cadoo said they don't offer boiled liver with its juices for their two-legged patrons, but the liver and onions they do serve is delicious.