A selection of dog treats from the bakery case. Photos: Chris Emeott
An Apple Valley bakery serves up freshly made baked goods and other delights for your pup.
Nicole Fandrich is describing one of her regular customers, and she’s about half-way through the story when it becomes clear that the customer is a Siberian husky and not a human.
It should come as no surprise that some of the most loyal customers at Three Dog Bakery in Apple Valley have four legs. The shop specializes in freshly made baked goods, as well as a thoughtfully curated selection of dog treats, toys, collars, bathing products, clothes and more. Although the humans make the purchases, it’s clear that the dogs are what drive the business.
Bakery owner Nicole Fandrich
Not surprising, considering Fandrich’s own pack is ultimately what inspired her to open the business. As a former director of enterprise sales for a logistics company, Fandrich traveled frequently for work and often sought out treats to bring home to her dogs. Through those explorations, she discovered the Three Dog Bakery franchise, and after more than 20 years in corporate America, she decided to take the leap and open her own shop—the only Three Dog Bakery location in Minnesota. “I wanted to do something different that I enjoyed,” she says. “I wanted to work for myself.”
And a shop dedicated to the enjoyment and enrichment of dogs’ lives felt like the perfect fit. “They’re full of love,” Fandrich says, explaining her passion for dogs. “They bring so much quality to our lives … so much enrichment to our lives.”
As a lifelong dog owner, Fandrich keeps dogs’ health and safety at the forefront as she makes decisions about what to carry in the shop. Since Three Dog Bakery is part of a franchise, Fandrich uses recipes developed at the corporate headquarters by a team that includes a food scientist, a safety engineer and a culinary-trained pastry chef. Whether she’s making Easter brunch or a birthday cake, Fandrich uses human-grade ingredients with no added sugar, butter or salt.
The bakery features birthday cakes and a cake of the month, which is sold by the slice, as well as smaller cakes and cookies that are decorated for the season. Cakes are available for pick-up or special order, and the bakery has even made gender reveal cakes and other creative custom orders.
From Growl-o-ween, a dog-centered Halloween celebration, to the annual Easter Egg hunt at Cobblestone Lake Park in Apple Valley, Fandrich creates fun ways to include dogs in holiday celebrations. Plus, its holiday meals—an Easter brunch, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners—are popular.
Besides the bakery treats, the shop carries an astounding assortment of dog toys, packaged treats, flavored peanut butters (plus lick matts for serving it), cheese chews, unhide (a mix of antler powder and cheese), buffalo bones (to keep dogs’ teeth clean and white), rawhide and more.
Fandrich also stocks her Three Dog Bakery with high-quality products that are often tested by Fandrich’s boxers, Fergus and Linden, as well as Dixon, also a boxer, who helped Fandrich open the shop and was a fixture at the store but passed away last fall.
“One of the things that’s really important to me is dog nutrition,” Fandrich says, noting that the right nutrition can really improve a dog’s quality of life. “We’ve got a small place, so I’m very specific about what I picked and for what reasons,” she says.
Most of the food Fandrich carries comes from smaller companies and was selected for the health benefits it offers. The shop has a selection of dry food and frozen raw food, and Fandrich says she’s always available to help customers find the best food for their budget. “It’s really getting to know the dog and what their likes are and what the goals of nutrition are,” she says. “It’s really, really important to make sure that they have good kibble.”
While Fandrich seeks out fun, unusual products for dogs, she’s careful not to stock novelty products for the sake of novelty if they don’t benefit dogs. “If they feel better, their quality of life is better,” she says.
Three Dog Bakery
15624 Pilot Knob Road Suite 300, Apple Valley; 952.456.0090
Facebook: Three Dog Bakery – Apple Valley, MN
Instagram: @threedogbakeryapplevalley
