Puppy Chow. Doggy Delicacies. Canine Cuisine. Whatever you want to call it, El Dorado isn’t exactly known for catering to the culinary tastes of man’s best friend.

Until now, that is.

With the opening of Wagging Tails Dog Bakery, our fine, four-legged pals finally have a place to pick up gourmet treats before taking a stroll at the city’s forthcoming Dog Park.

Owner Debbie Duvall, one half of the couple behind Double D’s Diner (see below), said the bakery was a natural fit for her. With two Yorkies, Gracie and Zac, who join her at work, and a half-lab named Zoe at home, she’s got an appreciation for canis familiaris.

“I just love dogs,” Duvall said. “All my life, I’ve had a dog.”

Her love affair goes all the way back to a Pekinese named Precious, but she said she likes all animals.

“We have all kinds of treats, like Pupcakes and Woof-Woof Waffles and Dipped Carob Bones,” Duvall said, “for dogs and cats, too.”

All the goodies are baked in-house from recipes she’s gathered from canine cookbooks or on the Web.

Inspired by Kansas City’s Three Dog Bakery in the Plaza area, she decided to give the business a shot.

“We always liked to go down there,” she said. “You just have a dream and you do it.”

Debbie and her husband, Don have owned the building where Wagging Tails now resides for some time, but she said they “got tired of renting it out.” Most recently, the building has housed the Flip Flop Diner and the inaugural location for Da Cajun Shak.

“So we decided to put something in here ourselves,” Duvall said. “I wanted to do something that I would enjoy.”

The business opened on Oct. 29 and has received a “good” response, she said. In addition to the treats, they offer a host of doggy-related goods, like collars, shampoo and toys.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Duvall said. “We’ve had quite a few people come in. People just light up when they start talking about their pets.”

As for the future, Duvall said she’d like to put a collar on Web sales, too.

“We plan on eventually going on the Internet and selling (our treats),” she said.
They’re also eyeballing the idea of adding a grooming segment and a do-it-yourself Dog Wash to their business.

“It’s like a car wash,” she said. “You can go into a little building and wash your dog yourself.”

Kathy Daily, a veterinarian at El Dorado Animal Clinic, treats her pup, Lady Skeiter, to some of the items on the bakery’s menu. Daily even contributes some sheep-based treats to the business.

“When she opened, I’d already started making some treats and I came down and talked to her about (selling them),” Daily said. “I think this is wonderful, what Debbie’s doing. I just hope it really, really takes off.”