Los Angeles is known for being a health-food mecca. From the raw-food craze to kale juice cleanses and its plethora of cycling classes, it is safe to say Angelenos take pride in being in tip-top shape. So, it would only seem natural that residents would also want the best healthy options for their pup – including the treats they feed them. Fortunately, there is a guilt-free bakery for pups to indulge in healthy treats, instead of the more “junk food” type snacks found in the aisles of some mega retailers
Opened in 2013, The Dog Bakery specializes in offering dogs delectable all-natural, fresh-baked treats that would make owners envious.
“We are very proud that we make all of our fresh baked treats right in our kitchen,” says founder Rocky Kanaka. “When you come in to our store or order our treats online you know that we took they shortest path from our oven to your pup.”
Related: Feet & Paws Fitness: The Easiest Way to Get in Shape With Your Best Friend
Now with three locations — Venice, Farmer’s Market and Pasadena — the team at The Dog Bakery continues to carry out Kanaka’s passion of providing healthy yet great tasting dog treats.
“We get all of our ingredients from the same human-quality food providers restaurants do and even get a lot of our ingredients from our local farmers markets,” says store manager Umi Kawabata. “We do not add any chemical preservatives, and our treats are all handmade and freshly baked in our kitchens.”
Their process is similar to a human bakery, starting with ingredients like rice flour and gluten-free buckwheat flour and adding simple, natural additions such as applesauce and honey. Just as much work goes in decorating the goodies as the creation of them. It is an extensive process because something as simple as writing on a cake requires a level of skill that needs to be taught”, says Kawabata.
Popular snacks include the Mutter Butter cookies, Snickerdoodle treats, Woof Crème Pie and of course its wide selection of Celebration Cakes.
“The number one thing our customers love is ordering one of our “Celebration Cakes” says Kawabata. These moist treats are specially made and decorated for dogs and are given to pups on special occasions — everything from birthdays to adoption days and “bark mitzvahs.”
Related: Angel City Brewery Lets Dog Owners Enjoy a Beer With Their Pup
For those that have not been able to step foot in the bakery still may have seen some of their famous creations in Subaru’s latest commercial featuring their Peanut Butter Bone Celebration Cake. The bakery was also asked to make the special doggy wedding cake for John Legend’s parody music video where he officiated dogs tying the knot.
Besides being known for its extensive selection of baked goods, The Dog Bakery also has a well-stocked boutique offering everything from dog food to cute pet accessories, clothes and beds. The Venice also has dog grooming.
While The Dog Bakery offers handmade morsels and cute products to spoiled they also make a point of supporting their passion of aiding rescues. They are a close partner with DOG for DOG, owner Kanaka’s dog food line with the tagline “buy one, give one ” donates a meal to shelter dogs for every bag of food purchased. Thanks to their generous customer base, The Dog Bakery has already donated 10,000 meals and counting. The company also holds a monthly adoption event with local dog rescue groups at their Venice and Farmer’s Market location and have a “Round Up for Charity” program where customers can round up to the nearest dollar to support The Dog Bakery’s adoption program.
The high quality of the treats and customer service at The Dog Bakery truly reflect their passion for treating dogs well. “It is the best job ever since essentially my primary focus is to make dogs happy and give their owners plenty of tasty and healthy options to spoil their pup, says Kawabata. “The Dog Bakery is truly a labor of love and I am proud to be a part of it.”
Related: Eveleigh: Where Dogs Can Enjoy Fine Dining Like the Rest of Us
Main image by Annie Bang