Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
PAMPERED PUPS: No bones about it
Dog bakeries cooking up special canine treats
It's the one creature in the world that's absolutely, deliriously overjoyed -- every day -- when you walk through the door. The least you can do is give it an occasional break from those stiff-as-cardboard-and-just-as-tasty dog biscuits.
Dog bakeries, often called "barkeries," are multiplying faster than you can say spay/neuter. Many of their owners are inspired by what's widely considered the first barkery, Kansas City's Three Dog Bakery, which has been so successful that its products now are available at Target stores in the Las Vegas Valley.
But forget the shipped-in stuff. Local dog-lovers can get fresh-baked treats at two Henderson dog bakeries.
That both of them are in Henderson doesn't seem to be an obstacle for dog lovers in other parts of the valley, Alicia Jacobs being a case in point. Jacobs is a regular customer at Flea Bag's Barkery & Bow-tique, 10100 S. Eastern Ave., which has been open since November.
"I live about as far away from there as you get," Jacobs said. "I live in Spanish Trail. It's quite a drive, but it's worth it."
Worth it not only for the doggy goodies the shop regularly stocks, but also for specialty goods.
"I really appreciate it because my 11-year-old" -- that would be her 11-year-old dog -- "has some dietary needs," Jacobs said. For her dog's birthday in January, she said, "they made the most adorable, amazing birthday cake. The dogs sucked it down like a vacuum. It looked like something you or I would want to eat."
But the world wouldn't need dog bakeries if it were a good idea for dogs to indulge in what you or I would want to eat.
Rest assured the treats at the dog bakeries are specially formulated to meet canine dietary needs.
"That was, to me, the most important concern," Jacobs said.
At Flea Bag's, the standard recipe is based on whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, canola oil, and chicken and beef broth, said Vicki LePore, co-owner along with Dean Harrold. There also are wheat-free treats for dogs with allergies to wheat, and lamb-and-rice recipes for those on special diets.
"Some dogs are vegetarians," LePore said, or at least their owners are.
Such is the case, as well, at the 2-year-old Hap-E Dog Barkery, 10960 S. Eastern Ave.
"We really kind of tailor to the health-conscious, people who want to do just a little bit more for their dog than feed them the normal stuff that you can find at the grocery store," said Marcos Montes, assistant manager for owners Lindi Harris and Yvonne Gomez.
To that end, Hap-E Dog uses no salt or sugar in its 12 varieties of baked goods, but ingredients such as natural peanut butter, fresh Parmesan, applesauce and unsweetened carob -- the latter a safe alternative for dogs, for whom chocolate can be harmful or even toxic.
All of the recipes are from Gomez's sister, Anna Van Ryan, Montes said. "She comes up with all the ingredients herself."
Sisterly love is a factor at Flea Bag's as well, where the chief baker is LePore's sister, Kathlene Duke, who introduces a new featured cookie for each week's selection of about 15 varieties.
Duke said she gets her inspiration from many of the store's canine customers. As a result: Bear's Bark-B-Que Bones, Buddy's Big Old Bagels, Boots' Big Bones, Ranger's Raviolis. Those are in addition to the more prosaically named banana biscotti, apple fritters and cinnamon-and-banana swirls.
After a while, it seems, owners know their dogs' favorites.
"They all like certain things more than others," LePore said. And that would apply to the visiting Maltese that spotted a treat through the glass case, ran around and snatched one, then nonchalantly trotted back in front of the case to chow down.
Archie's ham and Swiss on rye presented something of a conundrum, when word got back, after the treat was named, that Archie keeps kosher.
Alas.
Both shops also sell upscale dog foods for those who eschew Purina, Gaines, even Iams. At Flea Bag's, it's Royal Canin and Natural Balance; Hap-E Dog offers Canidae, Pinnacle, Solid Gold, California Natural, Innova and Spot's Stew.
None of the owners, it seems, is above sampling the merchandise, which is safe for human consumption, unlike many pet treats and foods.
"We taste everything," Duke said.
"Lindi and I opened up a can of Spot's Stew" and sampled it, Montes said. "A little bit bland, but that's how dog food is supposed to be."
Both shops also sell upscale dog accessories, including clothing. Hap-E Dog has custom leather leashes; even some designed for those poor unfortunates who haven't quite been able to get that chewing monkey off their backs.
Flea Bag's also offers yard art and banners. LePore's daughter, Whitney, does oil-pastel portraits of pets.
Both shops offer grooming services, and welcome canine customers.
"Our motto is the happy dog, and that's what we like to see come in, and that's what we like to see go out," Montes said.
For Jacobs' dogs, happiness lies in the barkery display case. The peanut butter dog-shaped treats, she said, "are a big hit in my house. They smell them before I even get them on the counter."
Tuesday, April 30th, 2002
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