Dogs 'woof' down treats made by residents at local bakery

Daniel and Wendy Dorchester of Mount Pleasant started small, making homemade treats for their own dogs as an alternative to the ones they found in typical pet stores.

"We wanted to make a healthier treat that the dogs liked," Daniel Dorchester said, "maybe partially for our own entertainment."

They passed out the thin waferlike treats they made to their friends' dogs and clients, and eventually people started calling, "Got any of that puppy crack?" he said.

The name came from a friend who said their dog wouldn't have any other treat and called it "puppy crack," Dorchester recalls.

The Dorchesters have tweaked the recipe over the past 15 years. As they became involved in dog rescues, they wanted to formulate a treat that all dogs would like.

Three years ago, they met Brian and Jan Lambert of Isle of Palms, who run a local bakery in North Charleston. They decided to start a joint venture called Rescue Me Dog Bakery.

The four of them make Triscuit-size dog treats when the regular bakery is closed on weekends. The dog treats come in two varieties: Beef Puppy Crack and Chicken Puppy Crack. Both are made from ground liver and include wheat flour in order to keep the treats thin.

The packages don't say so, but they use only human-grade ingredients, the owners said, mainly to avoid past pet food scandals, such as the recall of foods made with wheat gluten from China in 2007 after pets died from kidney failure caused by melamine added to feed.

They went from a concept to a product in about eight months, officially launching the treats in March 2008 and selling them in local specialty pet stores. The treats can be found at several stores, including the Pet Emporium and Indigo Creek Pet Supplies in Mount Pleasant and Three Dog Bakery and Low Country Treasures in Charleston.

The treats can also be found online at www.puppycrack.net and in East Coast stores from Pennsylvania to Florida. Distribution out of state presents another challenge because regulations on animal feed vary from state to state, Lambert said.

Rescue Me Dog Bakery is trying not to grow too fast because the Lamberts and Dorchesters don't have the equipment to keep up if they had to supply the treat in larger quantities.

The treats have been popular. Dogs that don't like anything else eat Puppy Crack, Lambert said. And Dorchester and Lambert have fun with the treat's name.

Dorchester calls the stores "puppy crack dealers."

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.