CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague bakery prepares special Christmas treats for the city's dogs

Record ID: 572493

  • Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague bakery prepares special Christmas treats for the city's dogs
  • Date: 29th December 2009
  • Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (RECENT) (REUTERS) CHRISTMAS MARKET IN OLD TOWN SQUARE TRADITIONAL SWEETS 'TRDELNIK' COOKING OVER FIRE PEOPLE EATING BY MARKET STALLS VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF FIRST CZECH DOG BAKERY IN CANINE SALON SHOP WINDOW OF THE BAKERY PEOPLE LOOKING AT GOODS IN THE SALON VARIOUS OF BAKER, ALENA LOUSKOVA, PREPARING SPECIALITY DOG COOKIES (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) SALON AND BAKERY OWNER, MILENA MIRVALDOVA, SAYING: ''We were excited by this idea and we wanted to make the same food specialities for our Czech dogs here. We are very happy that these delicacies are healthy for the dogs.'' LOUSKOVA PUTTING COOKIES INTO THE OVEN (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) SALON AND BAKERY OWNER, MILENA MIRVALDOVA, SAYING: ''We always buy the ingredients in health food shops. We buy corn and wholemeal flour and we add ingredients people normally use in the kitchen like tuna, salmon, hard cheese. There is nothing bad in it.'' LOUSKOVA CHECKING BATCH OF COOKIES (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) SALON/BAKERY OWNER MILENA MIRVALDOVA SAYING: ''My colleague prepares a strudel at home. We excluded for example butter and sugar, which are not healthy for the dogs and we added ground beef and cheese.'' LOUSKOVA TAKING COOKIES FROM THE OVEN OWNER'S DOG, DAR, LOOKING UP AT COOKIES VARIOUS OF DOG COOKIES VARIOUS OF LOUSKOVA PUTTING DOG STRUDEL INTO BOWL (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) DOG OWNER, MILAN KUZMINSKY, SAYING: ''I am going to buy some cookies for my dog in few days so that my dog has his own Christmas cookies.'' BAKERY CO-OWNER DRAHA VENCLOVSKA FEEDING THEIR DOG, DAR, WITH COOKIES (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) STUDENT, IVETA, SAYING: ''I will come to the bakery later to buy some pastries for my dog. Not much more, he has been a bit naughty so he doesn't deserve too much!'' MAN BUYING DOG BEER BOTTLE OF DOG BEER SHOPPERS CHATTING AND FEEDING OWNER'S DOG 'PRESIDENTIAL' PICTURE OF OWNER'S DOG, DAR, ON THE WALL SILVER POODLE, BEATRIX, RESTING IN HER BASKET OWNER BLANKA CALLING HER DOGS TO THE CHRISTMAS TREE VARIOUS OF BLANKA FEEDING POODLES BEATRIX AND BODDIE WITH DOG CHRISTMAS CAKES CHRISTMAS ANGELS ON WINDOW-SILL DOGS EATING COOKIES DECORATIONS SHINING ON CHRISTMAS TREE
  • Embargoed: 13th January 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Czech Republic
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAA0LMJLB2GQDJ43KAXMP8SUF33
  • Story Text: Christmas is known as a time for eating tasty food and generally indulging. For dog owners there is a great temptation to spoil their pets during the festive season, but the danger of giving dogs unhealthy snacks can be more than simply fattening. Chocolate, for example, contains an alkaloid called theobromin which is believed to be harmful to dogs' health.
    One Prague "canine salon" says there is now a solution to the problem of how to treat dogs without putting their health at risk.
    Milena Mirvaldova and Draha Venclovska are great dog lovers. Four year's ago they saw a programme on television about a dog salon in France. The pair travelled to France to see for themselves and get some advice on how to set up their own doggy salon in the Czech capital.
    One thing they did not get from their French trip, however, was any recipes. The dog loving duo planned to open a bakery catering solely for their four legged friends, and they have had to develop their own doggy menu.
    Mirvaldova and Venclovska set up their dog salon in central Prague where they bath and groom their furry customers, sell canine clothes and offer home-baked specialities that are both tasty and healthy.
    ''We were excited by this idea and we wanted to make the same food specialities for our Czech dogs here. We are very happy that these delicacies are healthy for the dogs,'' Mirvaldova said.
    ''We always buy the ingredients in health food shops. We buy corn and wholemeal flour and we add ingredients people normally use in the kitchen like tuna, salmon, hard cheese. There is nothing bad in it,'' she added.
    It was not easy getting the recipes right for the dog-friendly foods. Mirvaldova and Venclovska discussed their ideas with nutrition specialists and came up with their first attempt. However this batch of cookies did not appeal to the dogs. Their second attempt, a take on the traditional desert strudel, was an instant hit.
    ''My colleague prepares a strudel at home,'' said Mirvaldova. ''We excluded for example butter and sugar, which are not healthy for the dogs and we added ground beef and cheese,'' she added.
    Three years into their enterprise the bakery is kept busy by the city's dog lovers. Christmas is an especially popular time of year with people seeking healthy treats to reward their pets.
    ''I am going to buy here some cookies for my dog in few days so that my dog has his own Christmas cookies,'' said Milan Kuzminsky, owner of poodle Dany.
    ''I will come to the bakery later to buy some pastries for my dog. Not much more, he has been a bit naughty so he doesn't deserve too much!'' laughed student Iveta.
    Each year Mirvaldova and Venclovska bake hundreds of kilos of pastries, cookies and the old favourite, strudel which can be washed down with a bottle of special dog-friendly beer - free of course from alcohol and sugar.
    Now, thanks to Mirvaldova and Venclovska, everyone can enjoy Christmas even the four-legged family members.
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