This spicy cake was made for Peppers 1st birthday. It’s garnished with Milly’s Chicken Apple Jerky, Marshmilly’s and Milly’s Cookie Crumbles.

Jason Pearce is used to seeing his bakery customers wolf down the treats he makes. They are dogs, after all.

Pearce and business partner Cyrill Pierre launched Milly’s Pet Bakery earlier this year, dipping their paws – so to speak – into the festival market in Cullman and surrounding areas.

“This has been two years in the making,” he said. “We were up and ready to go when Covid hit.”

On the advice of entrepreneurs, they are testing their homemade, locally sourced dog treats at farmers markets and festivals. They hope to eventually have a brick and mortar store, but wanted to be sure first there is a market for their products.

Based on the packs of humans who have flocked to their booth at festivals and at the Festhalle Farmers Market in Downtown Cullman, there is definitely a demand for their products.

“One of the best things is that people are starting to know we’re there,” said Jason. “We’re seeing repeat customers.”

The origins of the treats – marshmallows, chicken jerky, Milly’s pumpkin treats and others – began at home, where they still create and test new recipes.

“We we’re just thinking about what our dogs eat, and thinking about trying to find something that was made in this county,” said Jason. “Also, it seemed like there was a news story every few months about a dog food recall.”

They started their research by investigating the number of dog groomers in Cullman County, which told them that people were willing to spend money on their four-legged family members. According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners spent $103.6 billion on their animals in 2020.

The bakery is named for the Pearce’s Yorkie, Milly, who Jason got for Cyrill’s wife Rebecca. Milly, though, decided she was Jason’s dog. “Everyone talks to their dogs, and if they don’t there’s something wrong with you,” laughs Jason. “I would always tell Milly, ‘you’re so full of love and life,’ and we thought that is a great slogan for a pet bakery.”

Jason and wife Dawne have two other pups, Jack an animal shelter rescue and Obi, a 22-pound Yorkie. The three offer taste testing on new products.

Jason said they take pride in creating quality treats and purchasing ingredients from local growers as much as possible. “I wasn’t really into farmers markets before, but when we went to our first one at Festhalle, I looked around and said, ‘we can buy pretty much everything we need right here,’” he said.

Jason said their products have been well received and they are expanding their offerings. One thing that won’t change, though, is the quality.

“We’ll always put quality over quantity,” he said.

They have also found a market for cakes for dogs after discovering that people love to celebrate Fido’s birthday or adoption days. “Again, we tried to find healthy ingredients,” he said.

He also found out he’s a baker. “I had never baked a cake before and now I’m the cake baker,” he laughs. “It’s a testament to if you set your mind to something and keep doing it, you will get better at it. They’re a lot of fun to make and they bring a lot of joy to people.”

After several experiments with icing recipes they found one from a baker in Connecticut that has made all the difference. “The cakes have really evolved from when we started out,” he said. “That’s really changed the game for us in making the cakes look way more amazing.”

Jason said they get a lot of ideas and inspiration from their customers. One shared how she’d dressed up a cake topper with stickers and Jason eagerly seized on the idea. The concept for the marshmallows came from customers asking for something they could put pills in for their dogs. Everything they make is human grade food; they use coconut flour and remove the sugar. They even make their own peanut butter – or “dipping sauce,” as they call it.

They’ll soon be bringing their Obi Treats and apple muffins to the market, and Jason is currently developing a recipe for a carob cookie.

“I know it sounds weird, but we have tried every one of our treats,” said Jason. “It’s a labor of love, and health and safety is our number one priority. And it’s great that we can get most of the stuff for our treats right here. You know you’re buying something made in Cullman, with Cullman ingredients.”