RHODY PETS: A Warwick

A Warwick Bakeshop That’s Gone to the Dogs

Jack’s Snacks caters to four-legged clientele with custom cakes and cookies just for pups

This pooch’s birthday celebration isn’t complete without a look-alike cake RHODY PET OF THE MONTH: MOOSE

By Karen Kalunian

Moose has the legs of a star runner and a fun-loving temperament. A one-year-old mixed breed, Moose’s dream home includes a big fenced-in yard to run around and play. He loves affection and is best suited to an active adult home or family with older, teenage children – he may even do well in a home with another playful pup, but no kitties for Moose. If his handsome face pulls at your heartstrings, contact the rescue league and maybe you’ll be the lucky one who brings him home!

Learn more at the East Greenwich Animal Protection League Heart of RI, 44 Worthington Road, Cranston; call 401-467-3670 or visit HeartOfRI.org.

If you have been looking to adopt or know of an animal in need, please contact Karen from Animal Talk directly at animaltalk1920@gmail.com

Imagine the tongue-lolling glee you’ll be met with when you present your fetchloving dog with a birthday cake in the shape of a giant tennis ball, filled with treats like a piñata. Or for your chew-focused friend, how about an edible replica of their favorite toy? Pups with extra swag may require a 3D portrait with “Happy Birthday Mother Puppers” piped in doggie frosting.

These are just a few examples of the joyful canine celebration cakes o ered at Jack’s Snacks, A Dog Bakery based in Warwick. “We are getting ever-more creative with our designs,” says owner and founder Marni MacLean Karro, “though the classic boneshaped cake remains our most popular.”

The bakery opened in 2004 when Karro and her husband returned to their native East Coast from California, along with Jack, an adopted black Lab-Pit mix who had five owners prior and su ered from fear-aggression.

Fortunately, the couple was up to the challenge of working through his issues. “It was so rewarding to see him grow,” Karro reflects. “All the love we gave, he returned to us tenfold. Jack was the dog love of our lives.” Not to mention the inspiration for her dog bakery business.

“In Los Angeles, I had been working as executive assistant to [actor and comedian] Arsenio Hall. There wasn’t comparable work in Rhode Island, so when we settled in Pawtucket, my husband said, ‘You love baking and you love dogs – you should create a gourmet treat business!’ I made my first batch that very day,” says Karro.

It was a slow start – people were mostly just amused when they saw Karro’s stall at local farmers markets, but her Ginger’s Chicken and Garlic Bone-anza won over the dogs and gradually Jack’s Snacks grew from home-baked trays to professional kitchen status, then an actual brick-and-mortar store. Now, along with snacks and cakes, the shop o ers human apparel, dog accessories from RI brands including Hope Rope Co and Up Country, and dog-themed greetings cards and artwork from Tatutina.

It’s a happy place for pooches and humans alike – pups get samples from the Broken Biscuit Jar, and humans find delight in clever product names like Woofie Pie and The Barkcuterie Box.