Greenpoint Dog Bakery: District Dog Cakes From $14.99

District Dog sells dog birthday cakes from $14.99 at 144 Driggs Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, directly across from McGolrick Park. A two-pack of soft-frosting cupcakes is $14.99, a mini cake is $16.99 and the full four-inch birthday cake is $30.99. The shop opens at 11 am Tuesday through Friday, noon on Monday and 11 am on weekends, so a Saturday morning pickup is easy. If you searched for a dog bakery in New York and want somewhere that bakes with oat flour, sweet potato and banana instead of wheat, this neighborhood pet shop has done it since 2007.

District Dog opened its doors in the spring of 2007. The owners say the shop grew out of a health scare: their dog Emilia suffered from chronic urinary tract infections during the first five years of her life, and surgery was the only option offered until a change in diet turned her around. After reading every nutrition book they could find, they brought that thinking to Greenpoint. Their About page says Emilia celebrated her nineteenth birthday in 2020, which explains why birthdays are such a big part of the shop today.

The rule on the website is plain: nothing goes on the shelves that the owners would not bring home to their own family. The store has always been wheat, soy and corn free, with no artificial colors or flavors, and it works with brands that make food in countries with strict supervision such as Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The bakery case follows the same logic, which is why the cakes list oat flour, chickpea flour, sweet potato, banana and tapioca flour on their ingredient lines rather than anything you would find in a human sheet cake.

The headline item is the soft-frosting birthday cake, a sweet potato and banana cake about four inches across for $30.99. It comes with a Happy Birthday topper and a candle, and the shop says it feeds up to four medium dogs. You can choose a Peanut Butter Madness cake, a pink or blue yogurt frosting, or the rainbow version with natural sprinkles. The mini cake at $16.99 is the one the shop calls its best seller in the PB and J version, with yogurt and peanut butter frosting topped with freeze-dried fruit and dried coconut. For a small dog or a first birthday, it is the sensible size.

Cupcakes come two to a pack at $14.99, roughly two and a half inches by three, in white, pink, blue or peanut butter frosting. A mini loaf crumble costs $12.00 in peanut butter or funfetti, and the soft-frosting party tray is $22.99 for a crowd of dogs. If you want a cake that can travel by mail, the shop sells hard-frosting versions, such as the hard frosting dog cake at $29.99, because the soft frosting cakes are for store pickup and New York same-day delivery only. Stacked dog cakes run $50.99 for bigger parties.

Beyond cakes, the cookie shelf is where a quick visit pays off. Crown cookies and the PB Squirrel cookie are $3.50 each, heart cookies are $2.99, dipped bones are $3.00 for the three-inch size, a mini cannoli is $2.50 and a slice of cake is $3.99. Iced bones in the six-inch size are $4.99, and a gotcha-day bone is $5.50. For something to share on a hot afternoon, the frozen whipped cream pup cup in peanut butter is $10.99. The Barkuterie Feast is $17.99.

The shop's own wording is the best guide here. Cakes in stock on the website are available for same-day pickup, local New York delivery and in-store purchase. The FAQ says District Dog delivers the same day to Brooklyn and Queens and ships by USPS and UPS around the country. Manhattan is the exception for same-day delivery, because the courier service it uses does not cross from Brooklyn into the city; the FAQ suggests that Manhattan customers send a car to collect the order themselves.

Storage matters with a soft frosting cake. The product pages say to bring it to room temperature before serving, keep it in the refrigerator for three days or in the freezer for up to six months, and handle the box carefully on the way home, since the shop cannot take responsibility for frosting damage after the cake leaves. Cakes carry no sugar, no wheat and no preservatives according to the ingredient notes.

The hours on the contact page are Monday noon to 6 pm, Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. Order a cake on the website instead of hoping for a full case late in the day, since weekend hours end at 5 pm. If you only want a quick treat for the walk home, the cookie shelf is faster than a cake.

One honest tip: skip the bulk chew bins if cakes are the reason for the trip. The bulk aisle at District Dog is mostly pig ears, bully sticks and jerky sold by the ounce, and they are good value but not part of the bakery. The cakes and cookies are in the birthdays and bakery collections, so ask for those by name at the counter.

Because the shop sits across from McGolrick Park, the natural plan is to pick up a cookie and take your dog across the street. The park is a large green block with shaded paths, and the shop's news page links to coverage of the park's neighborhood Halloween dog parade, which gives a sense of how closely the store is tied to local dog owners. The closest train is the G, according to the FAQ, so a visit from Queens or Williamsburg works without a transfer to a bus.

If you are collecting a cake for a party, call ahead so someone can hold it, then walk it straight home. The shop welcomes dogs in the store, and the FAQ describes meeting the pups as the best part of being at a pet shop, so bring the birthday dog and let them choose the flavor with their nose.

Address: 144 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222, across from McGolrick Park. In-store phone: (718) 290-7434. Customer service: (718) 710-0707. Email: hello@districtdog.com. The official site is districtdog.com.

Hours: Monday 12 pm to 6 pm, Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. Cake prices: soft-frosting birthday cake $30.99, mini cake $16.99, two-pack cupcakes $14.99, party tray $22.99. Karpo APP can point you to more dog-friendly stops in Brooklyn when you want a second place to take your dog after the pickup.