St. George’s Dog Bakery to open in April
Doggy Bakes is a local bakery for dogs made possible through the love of animal rescue.
Owner, Amiyo Gill, began this endeavor last year after trying her hand at baking human-grade dog treats for RSQ Utah. RSQ Utah is a non-kill animal rescue organization located in Southern Utah which will occasionally hold bake-sales to help raise money for animals who need medical assistance.
Gill was one of those bakers.
One of her own dogs, Allah was a rescue from RSQ Utah. After having worked with the organization and even adopting her own dog, she decided to continue baking.
Doggy Bakes became a huge sensation at the Downtown Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. They sell out almost every weekend. The locally-owned shop offers treats like doggy churros, cookies, hot pockets, and more. Pup cups sometimes get offered to customers at the market too.
“So, I don't use any preservatives, no dyes, no, anything in my treats. They're all freshly baked. So that being said, they do best in the refrigerator. They're fine for markets just because it's four hours. It's not very long and I throw back in whatever I have left,” Gill said.
Each week she dedicates a total of 24 hours to baking when she has days off from her full-time job.
“I don't know, animals are my passion, always have been my passion. I always thought about maybe being like a vet tech or a vet,” Gill said. “But I'm like, I could never put an animal down that would kill me. So, I love that this is kind of like my way in with animals.”
Now, Gill is planning to pursue her passion by going full-time and working with an undisclosed contractor. There, Gill will be able to have a much larger space to bake her goods and will also be able to create more treats.
The location will also offer self-dog washes and grooming as well as a community-oriented environment, she said.
“I'm going to do this full-time, risk at all. And just hope it thrives, it takes off and I can hopefully educate people because a lot of people don’t know what dogs can eat, or what's good for them. Obviously, I want to make money, but I want to help people help their animals,” Gill said.
The contractor asked that the location not be revealed yet but the tentative opening date is April.
Doggy Bakes will be at this weekend's market and is already prepping some of the famous Nelli bites, named after her corgi, Nelli.