Dixmont woman whips up gourmet dog treat business

DIXMONT, Maine (WABI) - According to a recent study conducted by Printed Pet Memories, Mainers are among the most likely in the U.S. to spoil their pets.

What better way to do that than with some gourmet treats?

From peanut butter bones to charcuterie boards for dogs, all pups are in for a treat with Sweet Biscuits Dog Bakery.

“Just little things like celebrating their birthday, or their ‘Gotcha Day,’ the day you adopted them, or just anytime you just feel like spoiling them,” said bakery owner Amanda Belcher.

Belcher started the business only a few months ago, but she’s been baking dog treats for longer than that.

“I made little treats for our wedding as our wedding favors. They were little doggie bags for our guests to bring home,” Belcher explained. “And I had a friend say that her dogs loved the treats, and so she mentioned that I should maybe look into selling them.”

Fast forward to October of last year. Amanda and her husband, Adam, welcomed their first child, Theo.

They decided she’d stay home with him, and this was the perfect way to do that and bring in a little extra income.

“Seven o’clock he goes to bed, and that’s my treat time. And so, I bake, do whatever I need to do. I’m a night owl, and so, I do stuff at night, and then I’m with [Theo] during the day.”

The ingredient list might sound familiar: peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and dog-safe carob in place of chocolate.

“We even have dog-safe sprinkles!” she said. “If you wanted to eat these treats, you could. Your dog would probably enjoy them more than you would, but totally human grade.”

Belcher’s treats are now available at a growing number of local stores.

Custom orders are coming in, too.

“One person was having an actual birthday party, and so, she wanted enough cake to feed the other dog friends,” Belcher said.

All of the other dogs indulging have one pup in particular to thank. The Belchers’ pug, Walter - who gets the final woof on everything.

“He kind of loves anything and everything. He’s great quality control,” she said.

If you’d like to get your paws on some of these treats, find Sweet Biscuits Dog Bakery on Facebook.

Or, go to sweetbiscuitsbakeryllc.com.

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