MANSFIELD, TEXAS — What began as a simple birthday celebration for a beloved dog soon became the inspiration for an entire business. Twenty years ago, after purchasing a special birthday cake for her dog Benjamin, Aisha Byrd was devastated when he became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized with pancreatitis.

“It was the most expensive birthday cake I’d ever bought,” she said.

As a result of his illness, she discovered he had a wheat allergy, making it incredibly difficult at the time to find safe, healthy treats that met his dietary needs. Determined to give him the quality of life he deserved, she began baking her own treats using wholesome ingredients and avoiding the fillers, sugars, fats and allergens that could make him sick.

For years, she baked exclusively for her dogs, as well as for the dogs of her family and friends. But as she noticed more pet owners struggling with dogs suffering from allergies, sensitive stomachs and pancreatitis, she realized there was a growing need for healthier treat alternatives. In 2017, she took a leap of faith, and by 2018, her passion project had officially evolved into a bakery dedicated to creating nutritious, delicious treats that pets can enjoy safely.

After testing the products at farmers markets and craft fairs, and getting great feedback from dogs all over town, Byrd decided to open a brick-and-mortar retail bakery, called R&B Dog Bakery, in Arlington, Texas, in 2021. The name R&B was chosen to honor her first two beloved dogs, Reese and Benjamin. She later closed the Arlington location and opened a new bakery in Mansfield, Texas, in February of this year.

R&B Dog Bakery founder Aisha Byrd.

Source: R&B Bakery

Happy birthday to you

With pet humanization at an all-time high and more families commemorating special occasions like pet birthdays and “gotcha days,” Byrd knew her R&B Dog Bakery custom cakes could be the key to her success.

Pet parents purchase custom cakes, cupcakes and birthday boxes directly from the bakery or online. Cakes come in three dog-friendly flavors — peanut butter, apple and carrot, with the choice of sugar- and salt-free frostings: Greek yogurt, cream cheese, peanut butter Greek yogurt or peanut butter cream cheese. Natural food colorings are used to color the cakes, which can be created in any style or theme.

For Byrd, custom cakes and birthday goodies represent more than just a special treat for furry friends, they are a way to bring people together and create connections among fellow dog lovers.  

“One customer shared how she purchased her first birthday cake from me for her dog and she invited all his dog friends from his training class to his party. Bringing them all together built an everlasting friendship between those dogs and their owners,” Byrd explained. “The dog owners are now all best friends — they travel together, babysit each other’s dogs — they are connected through their dogs.

“I feel celebratory treats bring community together and help build relationships. I love being a part of that,” she added.

R&B Dog Bakery is known for its custom cakes for dogs made from nutritious ingredients.

Source: R&B Bakery

Healthy options

While the anchor and impetus for starting R&B Dog Bakery was its custom cakes, the quest for healthy treat options led Byrd to create a dog treat line, which now consists of around 20 SKUs of baked treats. Byrd spent months researching recipes and understanding the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) guidelines to come up with the recipes and formulations which are baked in an off-site commercial kitchen and sold in-store and online.

Peanut butter, oat, blueberry, salmon, turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries — all the ingredients in the baked treats have nutritional value and function, according to Byrd.

“We wanted to keep our treats simple and healthy,” she said. “Our salmon treats are simple — formulated with salmon, sweet potatoes and blueberries. Blueberries give the dogs necessary antioxidants and the salmon provides important Omega 3s. We’ve been very intentional in the formulation of all our recipes.”

PumpCran Paws, for instance, feature cranberries, which can help with urinary tract infections that can occur in older dogs, and pumpkin, which can alleviate upset stomachs.

R&B also sells a freeze-dried meal topper in Fruit & Veggies and Fish & Veggies flavors that are freeze dried off-site through a third-party contract manufacturer.

Byrd’s four dogs act as taste testers for the existing and new products. Free samples are also shared with customers at the bakery to gain more feedback.

While the majority of sales come from in-store purchases, R&B also sells online through its website, at area Chick-Fil-A restaurants and via Temu. Byrd is currently working on a partnership with pet-friendly Omni Hotels to sell its products in hotel giftshops starting this fall.

“Through R.I.S.E., I’ll be able to gain more insight into the retail space — to get more creative,” said Aisha Byrd of R&B Dog Bakery.

Rebrand, refocus

In 2025, Byrd participated in the Walmart Retail Readiness Entrepreneurship Program. The program helped her transition her business from being solely a local bakery into a scalable consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand, now sold on Walmart.com.

In addition, she will be completing the year-long Intuit IDEAS (Invest, Develop, Empower, Accelerate and Scale) program in August. IDEAS is a business accelerator designed to support small business owners with coaching and grant money to further develop their businesses.

Byrd is also a member of the Black Pet Business Network’s third cohort of its Retail Inclusion and Success for Entrepreneurs (R.I.S.E.) Program. The program was created to help ensure that Black founders have the tools, relationships and visibility needed to succeed in today’s pet industry.

“Through R.I.S.E., I’ll be able to gain more insight into the retail space — to get more creative,” she said. “I want to grow into spaces that people don’t typically think about when they think of their dogs.”

One space Byrd is considering is the Forth Worth Botanical Gardens, which recently extended its memberships to include dogs. Byrd is hoping to showcase her treats in the garden’s gift shops.

“This program has already challenged me to think out of the box when it comes to my products,” she said.

Involvement in the aforementioned accelerator programs provided the resources and mentors to help Byrd refocus her company’s mission as well as rebrand its website and packaging.

Her portfolio was first packaged in eco-friendly paper bags, but has since transitioned to retail-friendly matte printed pouches. Part of its rebrand involved reassessing the on-pack information that needed to be conveyed to customers.

“We wanted people to understand our story when they looked at our packages,” Byrd said. “The packages now tell our story, showcase my inspiration — the dogs on the package are meant to look like Reese and Benjamin — and tell customers we donate 2% to Paws 4 A Cause Pet Food Pantry.”

Byrd founded the nonprofit pet food pantry Paws 4 A Cause in an effort to support families in need and to give back to the community. The pantry provides essential food and pet supplies to families in the Arlington and Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“I don’t think people who are having a hard time should have to make a choice between feeding their family and feeding their pets,” she said. “Families and pets shouldn’t be separated; you shouldn’t have to make the impossible decision of surrendering your dog because you’re struggling to find a way to provide them with food.”

Rebranding of R&B Dog Bakery’s packaging is helping the brand become more retail ready. 

Community expansion

Looking ahead, the bakery has ambitious plans to expand while staying true to its community-focused roots. One option being explored is a larger production facility with a small retail storefront, creating more space to meet growing demand while continuing to serve as a gathering place for pet lovers.

The business is also considering launching a mobile pet treat truck, an idea that reflects the growing popularity of pet celebrations. The truck could be booked for dog birthday parties and special events, bringing personalized treats, cupcakes and even a dog-friendly froyo bar — similar to the one at the current bakery which is quite popular with the four-legged patrons — directly to the celebration. Beyond private parties, the mobile concept would allow the bakery to connect with pet owners at apartment communities, dog parks and pet-friendly events, helping foster the sense of community that has always been at the heart of the business.

Whether through a bakery expansion, additional treat offerings or a mobile treat truck, Byrd’s goal remains the same: bringing pets and their people together through memorable celebrations and healthy, handcrafted treats.

Aisha Byrd, founder of R&B Dog Bakery, is one of five female founders in the pet food industry participating in the Black Pet Business Network’s R.I.S.E. program. At SUPERZOO 2026 on August 12 from 10 to 11 a.m., R.I.S.E. participants will present their businesses with the industry in the Next Wave Pitch Competition.

Read more about the other founders and companies participating in R.I.S.E.