I am part of several groups that connect hundreds of dog bakery owners from all over the country. We share ideas, techniques, packaging tips, and inspiration. Most of the time these groups are incredibly helpful and supportive. Recently, however, something was posted that reminded me why ingredient safety must always come before aesthetics or trends.
A baker mentioned that she used matcha powder to get a pretty green color on her dog treats. I commented and asked if she was aware that matcha contains caffeine, and that caffeine is toxic for dogs. Her response surprised me. She said she lists her ingredients and lets people make their own decisions.
To me, that mindset is a problem. Customers trust us as professionals. They assume that when they buy a dog treat from a real business, especially one that markets itself as a dog bakery, the ingredients have already been vetted, researched, and chosen for safety. It is not the customer’s job to investigate every ingredient or Google whether something is toxic. It is our responsibility as the maker.
Selling treats with unsafe ingredients does not only affect that one customer. It also influences other bakers who may think, “If she is using it, it must be safe.” That is how misinformation spreads, and that is how dogs get hurt.
At Dog Krazy, we put the health and safety of pets before anything else. We research every ingredient we use, we source from trusted suppliers, and we have our treats analyzed. We take the time to make sure what we make is not only fun and beautiful, but truly safe and high quality.
My advice to every pet parent is simple. Always read the ingredients, do not assume that just because something is handmade or comes from a “dog bakery” that it is automatically safe, and only buy from businesses that take ingredient safety seriously and follow proper testing and analysis procedures.
Our pets cannot read labels or ask questions. They rely on us to protect them. At Dog Krazy, that is a responsibility we will never take lightly.