WASHINGTON 鈥� According to the , a dog has far fewer taste buds than H. sapiens 鈥� 1,706 vs. 9,000, respectively.
Another thing that dogs lack compared with humans? Birthdays.
Yes, it鈥檚 unfair. Don鈥檛 we, as a species, owe it to the planet鈥檚 puppers to make their too-few birthdays as awesome as possible?
Yes again. And a great way to do that is delight each dog鈥檚 1,706 taste buds with their very own birthday cake 鈥� complete with icing, candles and a badly sung song.
Fortunately, cakes for the barking, shedding set have become a thing.
鈥淒ogs are elevated now in families,鈥� said Janie Smyser, co-owner of . The York, Pennsylvania, company makes cakes that are available around the D.C. area. 鈥淭hey hold a different place in the family than they did 30 years ago, 40 years ago. A birthday cake for a dog was probably unheard of years ago.鈥�
It鈥檚 something of a postmillennial development. Two area canine bakers 鈥� 鈥檚 Krista Heinz and 鈥檚 Sheila Raebel 鈥� each say that was when owners started asking about something more substantive than the everyday post-walk treat.
鈥淭here really wasn鈥檛 much on the market that was natural and cute and fun for your dog at the time, so we started out with the bakery and grew from that,鈥� Heinz said of her D.C. shop (at 1642 R St. NW), which also carries smaller treats, toys and such.
Demand begat supply. And through the years, that demand has jumped.
鈥淭he last few years have been pretty incredible,鈥� said Raebel, whose store has locations in Reston and Arlington, Virginia. 鈥淲e probably get two cake orders a day minimum.鈥�
After all, cakes aren鈥檛 just for birthdays or adoption days. Maybe your pooch graduated from obedience training and deserves a treat. Or perhaps it dropped out in disgrace 鈥� and still deserves a treat.
Cold, slobbery cash to be made
鈥淏ah!鈥� you bark?
鈥淏ourgeois silliness!鈥� you growl?
First of all, check your tone. Secondly, be advised that the pet care industry is lucrative. According to the , total U.S. pet industry expenditures topped $69.5 billion last year. That number is projected to top $72.1 billion in 2018.
That鈥檚 a lot of slobbery , yo.
What exactly separates a dog cake from a regular cake? It鈥檚 usually free of . It鈥檚 also extremely light on the sugar. Heinz will use a little bit in the icing (鈥渋t鈥檚 really hard to make icing without sugar,鈥� she said). Raebel and K-9 Granola avoid it altogether.
Would you find it delicious? Doubtful, but then it doesn鈥檛 take very much to dazzle a pup鈥檚 1,706 taste buds.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e much healthier than a human cake,鈥� Raebel said of her creations. 鈥淭he only challenge is that it鈥檚 a little more dry and it鈥檚 also a little less tasty to a human.鈥� To that point, Raebel鈥檚 peanut butter cake 鈥渒ind of tastes like a peanut butter dry muffin.鈥�
Other favored dog cake flavors include banana and pumpkin. As chocolate is toxic to dogs, carob can be used instead.
All pooches have their preferences, Heinz said, so it鈥檚 important to have some variety.
鈥淪ome dogs have a sweet tooth, and some dogs have a savory tooth,鈥� she said.
The lucky taste-testers
And as you鈥檇 expect, there are a few lucky dogs that get to help with product development. For Heinz, she has a focus group of sorts in her home: Mia, Poochie, Koda and Bacon.
鈥淏acon will not eat my banana-flavored cakes,鈥� Heinz said. 鈥淏ut other than that, my dogs are pretty supportive of my treat-making skills.鈥�
Smyser and K-9 Granola rely on a 鈥渉ouseful of dogs鈥� for the taste testing. The dog show community helps, too. Those fancy dogs test the treats, then the groomers and handlers report back.
鈥淲e would take our recipes to those [AKC] shows because we knew we were going to get honest feedback from those people,鈥� she said.
Raebel鈥檚 dog, Bailey, isn鈥檛 so food-motivated, so her friends 鈥� a Jack Russell terrier and a dachshund 鈥� help with R&D.
鈥淲e would do birthday parties with them. 鈥� Those two would just go to town. And then Bailey would just wait for them to eat a little bit. She鈥檇 have a few bites, and then they鈥檇 go play,” Raebel said.
鈥淪he is always a sharer,鈥� she added.
Which brings us back to why each dog deserves a cake. Its divine love graces our lives all too briefly. Even if they鈥檙e not food-motivated like Bailey, they still deserve an edible reminder, every so often, that they鈥檙e special.
Then of course, there are more-practical considerations.
鈥淵ou really don鈥檛 want them eating your cake,鈥� Raebel said.
