New website
Please note that this website is no longer updated. Please go to www.sweetchops.com.au for up to date information about Sweet Chops cupcakes and gourmet treats for dogs.
Sweet Chops has gone on holidays!
Andy, Noogie and I will be on holidays for the month of April. Unfortunately this means we won’t be able to fill any orders during this time.
The good news is that our stockists are all loaded up to ensure that your furkids don’t miss out of their Sweet Chops treats while we’re away. Check out our stockist page to find the store closest to you.
We’ll be back on deck from early May and at the New Farm markets on Saturday 9th May.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Emma, Andy & Noogie.
Easter treats for your dog
As Easter is just around the corner we’ve been working on some special treats to share with your dog. With so much chocolate around you may be tempted to share with your pooch, forgetting for a moment just how dangerous chocolate can be for dogs.
Chocolate contains theobromine or theophylline, which can stem the flow of blood to the brain. If you’re in the market for a gift for your dog this Easter look for carob or yoghurt products which are a safe alternative for dogs.
In keeping with the spirit we have a couple of tasty treats available for your dogs. Our Easter egg cookies come in peanut butter and chocolate (carob) flavoured and they’re hand decorated with carob and various flavoured yoghurts like banana. They come in a 2-pack for $6.
We also have packs of small solid Easter eggs. They’re a mix of carob and vanilla, strawberry, banana or apricot yoghurt. Perfect for Easter egg hunts! They come in a pack of 8 for $5.
Our Easter treats are available to purchase by emailing us, contacting us on 0405 445 020 or at the next New Farm markets on 28 March.
Valentines Day gifts for your dog
Valentines Day is just under a week away so Noogie and I slipped on our aprons over the weekend to come up with a special limited edition cupcake. For those of you looking for something to spoil that special pooch on February 14th, our ‘Puppy Kisses’ cupcakes could be just what you’re looking for.
Made from gluten free flour, honey, eggs, and carob these chocolate (carob) flavoured cupcakes are coated in delicious strawberry yoghurt and topped with a chocolate heart shaped biscuit treat.
They’ll be available at the New Farm markets this Saturday (14th Feb). You can also order them via email or by phoning 0405 445 020. Cupcakes are $1.50 each or 4 for $5.
Dog day care Brisbane
There are some great dog services available around Brisbane. Dog day cares have been around for little while now but they are becoming increasingly popular so more and more centres are opening up.
Noogie attends day care one day a week at Paddington Pups in Paddington. He’s an only child so it’s great for him to socialise with other dogs not to mention the full day of exercise he gets (compared to his normal daily routine of sleeping around the house!). Doggie day care centres are popping up all around the place so chances are you can find one convenient for you.
All centres require the dogs to be up to date with their C5 vaccination (the standard annual vaccination) and some require them to be desexed as well.
At Paddington Pups dogs are placed in groups depending on their size, personality and temperament. You’ll even get a weekly report card on your dog’s activities and friendships formed with his/her pooch pals. They also offer a pick up and drop off service in the local area if you can’t make it to the centre on Heussler Terrace in Milton yourself. Noogie attends one day per week but the more you send them the cheaper it gets. Karly from Paddington Pups says ‘the amount of times you need to send them really depends on your dog and your daily commitments. If you work full time and your dog really suffers from separation anxiety you may want to send them a few times per week. If you just want to break up your dogs routine and give them an opportunity to socialise with other dogs, one day per week or fortnight might be enough’. Paddington Pups also offer a number of other services including hydrobaths and grooming (which can happen during day care), dog walking, pet feeding and puppy home visits plus they have a good range of pet supplies.
Red Rover Ranch are located on Hope Street, South Brisbane. They’re a canine adventure playground and development centre. Here dogs enjoy a variety of activities including play time, tricks training, rest time, walks and obstacle courses. The days are structured to ensure enough variety to accommodate different personalities and individual requirements of different breeds, ages and play styles. Of course treat time is an important part of any dog’s day. Pups can bring a play lunch packed from home or mums and dads can purchase something from the tuckshop! Red Rover Ranch also offers additional services including hydrobaths and grooming, a good range of pet supplies and professional advice from their experienced team (including Jodie the manager who is a qualified vet nurse).
There are a few other places around Brisbane that might be convenient for you:
- Canine Cubby in Yatala
- Dog Friendzy in Mitchelton
- Hound Dog in Heritage Park, Logan
- Woofys in Stafford
- Wagtails in Sumner Park
If you’re interested it’s well worth visiting your local centre to see what they have to offer. Noogie’s day in care is a great investment for us. Thursday mornings are a whirlwind of tail waggin’ excitement in our house because he knows that it’s day care day and Thursday nights are peacefully quiet except for the odd twitch and whimper that escape his puppy dreams.
Christmas treats for your dog
With Christmas just around the corner we thought it was time to bring out a selection of cute Christmas packs for your furry friends. Our new Christmas packs are priced from $5 to $15 and include a range of our most popular cupcakes as well as a few new treats.
Our $5 pack (pictured at the front) contains 2 apple and cinnamon flavoured canine candy canes drizzled with carob and yoghurt. Our $10 pack pictured on the right contains 6 Christmas cupcakes (2 x banana, 2 x peanut butter & 2 x chocolate) all bundled up in a cute gift box. The $15 pack pictured at the back contains 3 canine candy canes and 6 Chistmas cupcakes wrapped up together in a Christmas gift box. Of course all of our dog treats contain dog friendly ingredients.
We’re taking orders at the Mitchelton markets on the 7th December for pick up at the Mitchelton twilight markets on the 23rd December and at the New Farm markets on the 14th December for pick up at the Powerhouse twilight markets on the 21st December. You can also contact us via email or phone (0405 445 020) to place an order and arrange another collection time and place. All our cupcakes are baked fresh so we’re aiming to deliver as close to Christmas as possible.
If we don’t see you at the markets, have a great Christmas. We look forward to seeing you again in 2009!
The Markets – Brisbane
On the second and fourth Saturday of the month you can find us at our Sweet Chops stall at the Jan Power Farmers markets in New Farm. We’ve also just started at the Farmers markets in Mitchelton which are on the first Sunday of every month in Blackwood Street. Both markets are on from 6am to midday and you’ll find a wide range of delicious farm fresh produce and arts from locals. It’s an early start but it’s great to get amongst it and sell our dog treats.
The best part is that we get to meet so many new dogs every week who are out and about with their parents. We’ve even started to build up some regular clientele and we’re normally close to sold out by mid morning. The cupcakes are always a hit with the peanut butter pups the first to go. The lollipups are really popular as well.
So far we’ve received really positive feedback. Lots of people have visited us at our stall to comment on what a great idea they think we’ve got. It’s also funny to watch peoples faces as they read our signs..’cupcakes for dogs’ and have a bit of a giggle to themselves (or right out loud!).
Of course there is always that instantaneous (and very nerve wracking) feedback we get from the dogs who get their dog treats straight away.
Ingredients & Dog Treat Recipes
Ingredients
We get lots of questions about what ingredients we use in our dog treat recipes. Here’s a list of what goes into our tasty cupcakes and dog treats:
Gluten Free Flour: While not all dogs are intolerant of wheat some are so to be on the safe side we use gluten free flour for all our dog treats.
Honey: Honey is a great natural sweetener and it’s also full of vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium. We use 100% Queensland honey.
Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is a good source of all-natural protein it’s also a source of vitamin H which great for the coat. Most importantly we find that dog’s love it! Our Peanut Butter Pups are always the first of our dog treats to sell out at the markets.
Molasses: Molasses is a great source for iron, copper, and potassium. We use blackstrap molasses which contains the least amount of sugar. It’s a great way to add some natural sweetness to our dog treats.
Carob: Carob is a safe alternative to chocolate that dogs can eat. Chocolate contains theobromine or theophylline, which can stem the flow of blood to the brain.
Yoghurt: Yoghurt drops have no added cocoa so they are safe for dogs to eat. They’re also made from GMO-free ingredients. You can find these along with carob drops at your local pet store sold as ‘dog chocolates’. We use these to decorate and flavour a lot of our treats.
Fruit: We use a variety of fruit in our treats including mixed berries, apples, bananas.
We also use canola oil, eggs, vanilla, oats, ginger and cinnamon. Most importantly there is no additional sugar, salt or any chemical preservatives used in our cupcakes or dog treats.
We like to bake dog treats for our canine friends that have everyday ingredients that would be familiar to you and you can find at the supermarket or local health food store. While we use all dog friendly ingredients for our treats, they’re designed to be a little piece of decadence for your pooch rather than a substitute for a wholesome healthy diet.
Dog Treat Recipes
You can find loads of dog treat recipes online. There are also plenty of books available that contain great dog treat recipes. Three Dog Bakery was the original dog bakery in the US. These guys do fantastic stuff and they’ve published a few recipe books including the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook that contains dog treat recipes you can use at home. You can find this book and others at Amazon or I’ve found that even though most Australian book stores won’t stock them they’ll order them in for you.
Our dog treat recipes come from sources we find online and books. We also get inspiration from human treats we see in local cafes and bakeries. We like to adapt the recipes and ideas we find to put our own spin on them and of course, when required, make any changes to make them safe for dogs.
JD’s birthday
JD is one of our regular customers and her favourite of the Sweet Chops dog treat range is a Chompin’ Chocolate cupcake.
It was JD’s birthday this week so her Mum bought her one of our new Terrier Tarts and a Lollipup to celebrate. Looks like that Lollipup isn’t going to last long and JD could have a new favourite!
Her mum tells me that JD is very excited about our new savoury range of dog treats coming very soon!
If your pooch has a favourite dog treat from the Sweet Chops range we’d love to hear from you! Send your photos to enquiries@sweetchops.com.au
We do dog birthday parties..
We’ve had a few enquiries about dog birthday parties and dog birthday cakes. We can absolutely cater for your pooches special day!
We can do full sized personalised dog birthday cakes or a selection of cupcakes for your hound to share with their friends on their special day. We can also supply you with other dog treats for the party like our Terrier Tarts, Canine Cookies, Lollipups or Melting Mutt Moments.
Of course the party wouldn’t be complete with take home party bags for all the guests. We can organise that too!
Sweet Chops Cupcakes & Gourmet Dog Treats 
