Hungry Hound

What Hungry Hound does

The Hungry Hound, operating legally as "The Hungry Hound, Dog Bakery & Boutique," is a privately held, founder-led single-location dog bakery and pet treat retailer founded in 2001 and headquartered at 93 West Main Street, Somerville, NJ. The business manufactures and sells handmade dog treats, cookies, cakes, dog ice cream, bully sticks, and snacks made from human-grade ingredients without added salt, sugar, or preservatives, and offers both grab-and-go items and personalized custom cakes (requiring 3-days advance notice). Beyond the physical storefront, the company operates an e-commerce website shipping nationwide via USPS Priority Mail, with tiered shipping fees and free shipping on orders over $150, alongside in-store pickup and ancillary services including day care packages, birthday party packages, and gift wrapping.

The underlying operating model is a low-tech, labor-intensive craft bakery with no proprietary technology stack, AI components, patents, or third-party platforms beyond PayPal/card payments, a Wix-hosted web storefront, and USPS logistics. Distribution is dual-channel: a single physical retail location with fixed weekday and weekend store hours, plus an online store available 24/7. Customers are individual pet owners seeking premium, dog-safe treats and special-occasion cakes; the company also markets via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and an email newsletter called E-BARKS.

There are no funding rounds, no institutional or PE investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, indicating a bootstrapped ownership structure. The company self-describes as "the Number One Dog Bakery in NJ" and is celebrating its 23rd anniversary, providing 23 years of brand tenure but limited scale (5 employees, 1 retail location) and no disclosed financials. The primary risks are small-business concentration on a single location, founder/operator dependency on "Penny & The Hungry Hound Pack," shipping-related product quality constraints (temperature-sensitive items), and limited proprietary defensibility beyond recipes and brand.

Name

Hungry Hound

Legal name

The Hungry Hound, Dog Bakery & Boutique

Website

https://thehungryhound.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hungry Hound is a privately held, founder-operated dog bakery and boutique founded in 2001 in Somerville, NJ, selling handmade dog treats, custom cakes, and ice cream directly to pet owners via a single retail storefront and nationwide USPS e-commerce shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Food & Treats

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Food & Treats Retail (CRALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Treats & Chews (CRADAFAE), Pet Toys & Enrichment Retail (CRALAHAE)

Keywords

• Homemade dog treats
• Custom dog cakes
• Pet bakery products
• Dog birthday parties
• Pet boutique retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerville, NJ

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: Physical in-store sales of dog treats, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and snacks directly to pet owners visiting the Somerville, NJ bakery location.
2. E-commerce / Shipping Sales: Online ordering through the company website with shipping via USPS Priority Mail. Free shipping on orders over $150. Products shipped nationwide to customers.
3. Personalized Custom Cakes: Custom personalized dog birthday cakes made to order with 3-days advance notice. Additional revenue stream from personalization and custom order requests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Hungry Hound is a dog bakery and boutique that sells handmade, human-grade dog treats, cookies, biscuits, custom personalized dog birthday cakes, grab-and-go cakes, dog ice cream, and bully sticks through a physical storefront in Somerville, NJ and an e-commerce website with nationwide USPS Priority Mail shipping. The business also offers ancillary services including day care packages, birthday party packages, and gift wrapping.

Product overview

The Hungry Hound is a physical dog bakery and boutique offering a portfolio of pet food products and services. The core offerings include homemade dog treats (barkery treats, cookies, biscuits), custom and grab-and-go dog cakes in various flavors, and dog ice cream. Additional services include bully sticks/snacks, day care packages, birthday party packages, and special gift wrapping. The business operates both as a brick-and-mortar store in Somerville, NJ and an e-commerce platform offering free shipping for orders over $150. The company celebrates its 23rd anniversary and emphasizes that all treats are made with human-grade, dog-safe ingredients without added salt, sugar, or preservatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barkery Treats Homemade, freshly baked dog treats, cookies, and biscuits made with human-grade, dog-safe ingredients with no added salt, sugar, or preservatives. Varieties include bacon bones, blueberry cobblers, and parmesan twists. Sold to pet owners in-store and online.
• Personalized Dog Cakes Custom-made dog birthday cakes baked from scratch in bacon, carrot, peanut butter, and peanut butter/banana flavors, with color customization options. Orders require 3-day advance notice and are designed for special occasions such as birthdays and graduations.
• Grab-and-Go Dog Cakes Pre-made dog cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and party boxes available for immediate purchase from the bakery case without advance ordering. Personalization is not available for these items.
• Dog Ice Cream Ice cream treats specially formulated for dogs, available for purchase both in-store at the Somerville bakery and online through the company website.
• Bully Sticks and Snacks Natural bully sticks and additional snack options for dogs, offered alongside the bakery product line.
• Day Care Package Day care package service for dogs, providing supervised care and daytime activities at the Somerville location.
• Birthday Party Packages Birthday celebration packages for dogs, bundling treats and party boxes for special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, and milestone events.
• Special Gift Wraps Gift wrapping service available on orders, allowing customers to send baked treats and cakes as a gift to other dog owners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PetSmart: Largest specialty pet retailer in North America, offering an extensive range of pet treats and bakery-style products. Sets the competitive context for Hungry Hound's premium positioning, though at much broader scale.
• Petco: National pet retail chain with full-service offerings including grooming, training, and bakery-style treats. Comparable as a broad competitor in pet treats and supplies, though not focused on custom cakes.
• Chewy: Leading online pet retailer with extensive treat and bakery-category assortment. Sets the competitive benchmark for e-commerce pet treat distribution and fulfillment.
• Healthy Edibles (by Nutro): Mass-market natural pet treat brand with broad retail distribution. Represents the national-brand competitive pressure Hungry Hound faces in the premium-natural treats category.

Direct peers

• Polka Dog Bakery: Boston-based dog bakery and treat company offering baked goods for dogs with a focus on natural, locally sourced ingredients. Directly comparable product mix and target customer to The Hungry Hound.
• Bocce's Bakery: Premium baked dog treat brand with simple, wholesome ingredients. Comparable to The Hungry Hound in its artisanal, limited-ingredient treat positioning and direct-to-consumer distribution, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• Bone Appétit: Specialty dog bakery offering custom cakes, cookies, and treats for special occasions. Closely aligned with Hungry Hound's celebration-driven product mix and personalization offering.
• Three Dog Bakery: One of the original specialty dog bakery chains, offering cakes, cookies, and treats for dogs. Closely comparable to The Hungry Hound in product concept, target customer (pet parents celebrating occasions), and retail/wholesale distribution model.

Emerging players

• The Baked Bone: Artisanal dog bakery offering handcrafted treats and celebration cakes. Comparable to The Hungry Hound in product type and custom-order capability, though smaller in scale.
• Doggy Delirious: Specialty baked dog treats brand with a focus on natural, soft-baked products. Comparable product category and direct-to-consumer distribution, though with somewhat different positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/thehungryhound
• Facebookfacebook.com/thehungryhoundnj
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehungryhound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hungry-hound

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hungry Hound