Life is short. Spoil your dog.

For Ariela Melzer and Brandy Schofield, it’s not just their business motto but a way of life.

The couple is the face behind Clementine’s Dog Bakery which provides Richmond’s canine community with high-quality dog treats and cakes unlike any other imaginable — a journey that came to be around 14 years ago thanks to the spunky, sweet and zesty Clementine.

A pit bull-Jack Russell Terrier mix, Clementine had a rough start in life. Plagued with severe skin and food allergies, she at one point needed to take 14 pills a day.

“I started making her little treats and snacks catered to her special diet and it snowballed from there,” says Melzer, who has a culinary background. Melzer spent around two years developing and testing recipes before officially establishing Clementine’s Dog Bakery in 2011 and vending to the public a year later.

Today, Clementine’s legacy fiercely lives on each Saturday morning at the RVA Big Market in Bryan Park from May to October.

Browsing the offerings, it’s clear this isn’t your typical pet bakery. Forget generic, powdery chicken and beef flavorings — nutrient-rich and human-grade ingredients are incorporated, like yogurt, blackstrap molasses and organic Ceylon cinnamon. The bakery’s signature peanut butter cookie uses a chickpea flour-tapioca base and features wildflower honey.

“The cookies themselves and the way we prepare our treats are inspired by Clementine and her diet,” says Melzer. “Everything is extremely limited [ingredient]… with the most flavor.”

Many of the treats are also vegan, wheat and grain-free and are never dehydrated but still have an impressive shelf life and texture thanks to their low-baked temperatures. “These are not basic biscuits,” says Schofield.

While flavor is important, aesthetics are also key. “It’s not just about pleasing the dog’s palate but also the visual aspect for the owner,” says Melzer. This is why treats come in fun, quirky shapes like applenaut, an astronaut-shaped apple treat. Their colorful puptarts and frosted waffle sticks are also fan favorites.

Their cakes will leave one flabbergasted. Made with non-GMO artisanal flour, they come in flavors like carob, banana and pumpkin and can be adorned in everything from peanut butter to blueberry frosting. Custom ones are especially popular.  The bakery has been tasked with designing imaginative cakes over years, like a Charli xcx one covered in brat green, edible glitter, disco balls and sunglasses to a sports car one featuring a client’s Doberman driving the vehicle around a racetrack.

Unsuprisingly, Richmond’s dogs have become increasingly obsessed with Clementine’s.

Customers have shared how their pups magically become the most obedient dogs in the world once they hear the treat bag crinkle. Others go crazy when they notice the pink cake box and get whiffs of that iconic Clementine’s frosting. For some dogs, the cakes are an addiction to the point they’ve become lovingly referred to as “cakeheads.”

“The dogs themselves, without voices, are giving clear, defining feedback they enjoy our treats,” says Melzer.

But while Clementine’s Dog Bakery is thriving, the journey was a process. Melzer originally set out to become a chef by attending culinary school and working in several local restaurants. Around this time, the couple also helped found Ring Dog Rescue in 2004, a nonprofit organization for rescued pit bull-type dogs. “The opportunity came to where I was able to marry the two passions together and open a dog bakery,” says Melzer.

It wasn’t easy though.

“I remember when I started, people would look at me like I had 16 heads and walk up to me and laugh and say ‘For dogs? What a waste of talent’,” says Melzer. “For a long time people really thought I was a looney toon.”

The couple worked together around the clock, but things eventually became so demanding that Schofield, a professional dog trainer, joined full-time around 2021. “She’s been through the whole Clementine’s journey,” says Melzer. “She’s been there side-by-side with me despite doing her own employment.”

They never gave up, and today create numerous cakes and around 1,500 fresh treats weekly during the market season — all of which is done in their finished basement which was converted into a commercial dog bakery. Production and quality are monitored closely by a group of supervisors: their eight dogs.

But while creativity and baking is fun, the friendships formed have made this journey even more worthwhile. “We have these relationships with customers that we know [their] puppy its entire life,” says Schofield.

And that means there are often bittersweet moments.

Tula, a Viszla mix, was terminally ill from a brain tumor, but during the last summer of her life, Clementine’s brought her immense joy.

“[Tula’s owner] told us she would lie around the house lifeless until Saturday morning came around and she was a puppy again,” says Melzer. “She’d pull [her owner] from her house [which was] a mile-and-a-half walk to our table at the market, mustering all her energy the entire week to get goodies.”

The demand for Clementine’s only continues to grow. The bakery started the Hibernator’s Club during the off-season which supplies at least two dozen monthly-themed treats to customers from January to April for $26 a month.

During this time, the two also visit local shelters to celebrate holidays and life with dogs still waiting for their forever home.

Last year, Melzer and Schofield helped serve a Thanksgiving feast for residents at the Henrico County Animal Shelter featuring roasted turkey, wild rice, green beans and pumpkin that was topped off with their cookies. They set up a St. Patrick’s Day party in March at the Colonial Heights Animal Shelter filled with photo shoot accessories, cookies and cake to help spread the word about adoption.

Melzer and Schofield also do plenty to boost Ring Dog Rescue, including an October fundraiser in honor of National Pit Bull Awareness Month. They designate a special treat for the event with its proceeds going toward Ring Dog Rescue.

“The core of who we both are is rescue,” says Schofield.

Life is indeed short and the two have lived up to their motto, dedicating their lives to ensuring every dog is acknowledged and spoiled lavishly during their brief time here.

“We only had Clementine for five years, that’s it. One of my heart dogs, Periwinkle [had] seven years,” says Melzer. “Going into these relationships, knowing the limited time we had, every day would have had a celebration party to really cherish those moments. Dogs are so special and we’re so lucky we get the time we have with them.”

To learn more about Clementine’s Dog Bakery, visit their website or Instagram page. And to learn more about the nonprofit Ring Dog Rescue, visit their website.