A Dog Day Afternoon

Treat your pet to food so yummy, you could eat it

At Three Dog Bakery, they don’t consider their product dog food—but rather, food for dogs, said owner David Cunningham. Three Dog Bakery, the original bakery for dogs, started in Kansas City in 1989, and has since expanded to more than 30 locations throughout the country. The location at Junction City in Peoria opened in December 2006.

Three Dog Bakery formulates and makes all their food. The operating bakery at the store uses only 100-percent, human-quality ingredients. Their products are all-natural, with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, fillers, refined sugars or added salts. And all of the products in the store are made with ingredients that can be found in a kitchen cupboard!

Sitting there in display cases, looking quite scrumptious, are treats bursting with flavor, from peanut butter to carrot cake, from yogurt-flavored icing to carob. (They really are quite tasty—a fact I can attest to, after sampling one of their doggie cookies!) “We have so many different flavors that if a dog doesn’t like one, we’re pretty confident they’ll like another. We like to say that we have not yet had a dog bring anything back,” joked Cunningham.

“Everybody who walks in our door is greeted, and we know we do a good job when the doggies leave and their tails are wagging,” he added.

My Dog’s Bakery is another culinary destination for your four-legged friend. Vicky Gardner, a loyal customer since its opening, recently took over the bakery. She purchased the store in May and now has locations in the Shoppes at Grand Prairie and Metro Centre. Like Three Dog Bakery, all the products at My Dog’s Bakery are made in the United States, with no by-products or preservatives. If your dog is allergic to wheat, soy or corn, My Dog’s Bakery offers grain-free products, and they bake their natural treats weekly to keep them fresh.

The decorated treats come in two flavors, beef or cinnamon. Gardner introduced a new shape this year—the goldfish. “We’re always trying to do different types of designs,” she said. “You know…like a dog’s really going to know the difference, but its fun for humans—we have to be entertained too!” Decorated birthday cakes are also very popular.

And the store offers more than just edible treats. “It’s not just biscuits and cookies,” Gardner added. “It’s an all-service [store]—from your dog’s regular daily food to treats and toys…and even winter coats and raincoats.” Brightly colored Tuffy Toys, geared for the aggressive chewing dog, and luxurious, fluffy beds with polka-dot and leopard prints are unique to the store and must-have pampering items.

My Dog’s Bakery also offers a variety of clothing, collars and leashes. One favorite is the funky and stylish Walk-e-Woo dog collar. Gardner bought one in Arizona for her male German Shepherd, and when he began raking in the compliments, she ordered the line for the Grand Prairie location. “I think [dogs] know when they look fashionable. They get a lot of praise, and they just love to be praised.”

The store offers a wide variety of higher-end toys, but don’t expect to find any single item in bulk. “We’ll have three or four, so it’s kind of like that retail dress shop where you know no one else in Peoria is going to have one like it.” And with all the fun items around the store, Gardner’s primary focus remains promoting their healthy treats. There’s no better way to pamper a pet, she said.

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