Sarma Melngailis’ floppy-eared pitbull with the adorable inquisitive eyes may just be the breakout star of Bad Vegan. The docuseries captures the rise and fall of the restaurateur behind the popular New York City raw vegan eatery Pure Food and Wine. But tucked within a tumultuous saga of deceit, coercion and theft is a genuine love story between a beloved pet and his human guardian.

Throughout everything that’s happened, Melngailis’ strong love for the dog she adopted has remained. Even when she and her husband, Anthony Strangis, were finally arrested, Melngailis was more upset about what would happen to Leon than to herself: “When the police came into my room to arrest me in Pigeon Forge, Leon acted like they were there to play with him,” Melngailis tells Tudum. “This worked in my favor since they kindly agreed to not send him to the local pound, an idea which, in that moment at least, freaked me out more than my own arrest. Leon is incredibly friendly, and while not good at sniffing out con artists, he does somehow know to be very gentle.”

Leon recently celebrated his 12th birthday with Melngailis, who filled us in on what’s going on with her beloved dog these days. 

How has Leon being by your side helped you cope with everything? Having Leon around me is extremely grounding. If I’m worried or upset, I sometimes hold his face and look in his eyes and tell him that everything’s going to be okay, which makes me feel better. In effect, I’m reassuring myself. Some dogs get anxious when their guardian leaves the house, but for us, it’s the other way around. Leon is fine; I’m the one who gets anxious being away from him. 

How does Leon connect with your veganism? The people at Sean Casey Animal Rescue (SCAR) in Brooklyn, New York, found Leon as a puppy out in the street. He appeared to have been dumped there and was covered in severe demodectic mange. SCAR is a no-kill shelter that will take in all kinds of animals in need and help them get care and find homes.  

Generally, I don’t think people should be breeding animals for pets. I realize that legally, pets are considered property, but I don’t ever think of myself as owning Leon. I’m his guardian — the one who takes care of him. Do people own their kids? 

I also notice the widespread disconnect between the idea of caring for pets versus eating animals. I’m always awkwardly blurting out that pigs are smarter than dogs. I wrote about a strange and emotional experience walking through a huge barbecue festival with Leon on my website. I’m not a confrontational person, but I got a bit stirred up that day. And I can get quite stirred up seeing images or watching videos of pigs (or any animals) in factory farms. Would everyone be cool with dogs being treated that way?

Despite the vegan label that’s been attached to me all these years, I was usually intentional about not applying it to myself. Mostly vegan would be more accurate. My circumstances and habits fluctuate, and I’m sure my words and actions have contradicted themselves in the past or even now. This is why I actually don’t mind the series title Bad Vegan. (And just to clarify, I did not eat, and would not have eaten, the much-talked-about pizza that led to our arrest. I didn’t even know about the pizza until days later).

What’s the most interesting thing fans of Leon’s Instagram have said about him? That we look alike.

How do you get Leon to do such great poses with books on your Instagram? He knows he’s going to get a cookie right afterwards. I love his reading photos, they’re all tagged on Instagram with #leonreadsbooks.

Leon had an illness — is that all cleared up now? He had a hematoma, which I didn’t know anything about before but now I do. It can happen to dogs that have floppy ears when an irritation of some kind causes a blood vessel to burst, which then spills blood into the space between the skin and cartilage. The hematoma can go away on its own over time, or sometimes surgery is the best option. We went for the surgery, and I’m lucky that Leon has great health insurance.

What are Leon’s favorite things to eat? Oddly, he loves raw sauerkraut, and the dark Latvian rye bread that my father sells online, which he sends to me. He also loves coconut oil. Those are the more unusual things, but he’ll also go berserk for any kind of delicious meat. (If I’m a bad vegan, Leon is a very bad vegan.) Generally, he eats a wide variety of foods — I think the diversity (plus raw sauerkraut) is good for his gut microbiome. (And just in case anyone’s wondering, no, I would not feed Leon pizza, Dominos or otherwise!) ;)  

This interview has been edited for clarity.