SOUDAN- Move over cupcake entrepreneurs, this new small home-based business is selling “pupcakes.”
Erica Lenci had been baking homemade dog treats for her family’s two dogs for about a year, when she decided to make up some batches of treats to give to family members for their dogs at Christmas.
“They all pushed me to start selling them,” she said. “And I had interest from people right away.”
Erica put up a page on Facebook, Erica’s Dog Bakery, and takes orders either in person, or over Facebook messenger.
“People are always getting baked goods and cookies and things,” she said. “Why not dogs?”
Lenci’s recipes are all taste-tested first by Finnegan, an Australian shepherd-beagle mix, and George, a rescue dog she and her husband Craig literally picked up one day when on a lunch outing in Babbitt.
“Somebody asked us if we wanted a dog because they couldn’t take care of him anymore,” she said. “We were heading into Tank’s for lunch. We left with a dog, and we are not sure what breed he is.”
Lenci’s recipes all use the same types of ingredients home bakers use, and she is sure to check that all the items used are safe for dogs to eat.
“Everything I use is dog safe,” she said, noting that some ingredients, like the sugar substitute xylitol, are not safe for dogs.
Her recipes include dog-favorite flavors like peanut butter, banana, cheese, and bacon. Other ingredients include blueberries, eggs, and flour. “They smell delicious coming out of the oven,” she said. “Sometimes my husband sneaks one.”
She can do special orders for dogs that have dietary needs, for example, switching out wheat flour for almond flour. “I am always willing to try new things and different recipes.”
Her dog biscuit recipes come in traditional dog bone shapes, as well as more whimsical styles.
Erica and Craig both grew up in Soudan, and recently bought their first home, where they live with their two-year old son Layne and their two dogs.
“It makes my heart happy knowing that I am making dogs happy,” she said.
Erica works part-time at Fuel and Food in Tower, but mostly spends her time caring for Layne. Craig works for Ziegler CAT in Mt. Iron. She said the help she gets from Layne’s grandparents means she has time to bake her dog treats.
The Timberjay’s resident dog, Loki, did a taste test of the pupcakes, and I barely had time to snap a photo before he had inhaled it, almost in one gulp. The treats can be frozen if they aren’t eaten in a few days.
“But they usually don’t last that long,” Erica said.
“Every dog just gobbles them up,” she said. “That is what everyone tells me.”
Research on dog health
Many processed dog foods may be convenient for their owners, but recent research is showing they may not be healthy for dogs. Indeed, research has shown that dogs have a reduced risk of gastrointestinal issues if fed unprocessed meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, and berries a few times a month, either as part of their regular mealtime or as regular table scraps. A study published in the journal Nature last month detailed research done by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. The research also found that the risks for gastrointestinal issues rose if fed on solely ultra-processed carbohydrate-rich dog foods. Rawhide chews also greatly increased those risks. Pupcakes, in other words, might make a health alternative to those expensive chews. “They are healthy for dogs,” said Lenci.