Pawesome!: Jack’s Snacks provides treats to make tails wag

Dogs are family members. They light up the house and provide much-needed, non-judgmental love from wake-up to shut-eye. Dogs deserve to be spoiled, and Jack’s Snacks, a dog-centered bakery, is a fun way of showing appreciation, especially on their special day (whether it be a birthday or “gotcha” day) with their selection of custom cakes, spa products and other treats.

“I got into this because of my love of dogs,” says owner Marni MacLean Karro, who named the shop after Jack, her initial taste tester and beloved black lab/pit bull mix who passed away in 2006, two years after she started Jack’s Snacks.

“Everything we put into him, he returned 10-fold,” MacLean Karro says of Jack’s impact on her work. “He had a lot of issues from being abused, but he was the sweetest dog I’ve ever known. With the business named Jack’s Snacks, I literally get to talk about him every day. He definitely lives on in the business.” 

MacLean Karro started Jack’s Snacks on a whim. She and her husband moved from California, which left her at a career crossroads. Her husband suggested she start making dog biscuits. She jumped at the opportunity, despite having little culinary experience apart from working in restaurants. She started with a shoestring budget and learned as she went along, selling her snacks at local farmer’s markets and doing mail orders. She grew out of her home kitchen and into a shared space in 2009 before opening Jack’s Snacks as a storefront in 2014. 

“In 2014, I needed to open a building so I would have a bigger place to cook,” MacLean Karro says. “I found the location in Warwick and opened up.”

MacLean Karro proudly boasts that Jack’s Snacks is a full-service bakery just for dogs (with some cat treats and products). Dogs are welcome in the bakery, where her “dream team” staff of six can be found in the back making the freshly baked items using human-grade and locally sourced ingredients (never sugar or salt). Their custom work is the “only game in town” in RI and a rarity in all of New England. The collars, leashes and spa products are mostly made locally, with a few exceptions for extremely popular products. 

Jack’s Snacks will sell a special Carob FroYo Pie this holiday season. The sugar and salt-less pie is made with carob and yogurt and topped with a peanut butter-flavored gingerbread man. Pies must be ordered in advance, with a pick-up date to be determined..

MacLean Karro reflects that she started Jack’s Snacks because of her love of dogs, but she grew to love her human customers just as much. She got to know customers and their pets as regulars throughout the years. She has many customers from MA and CT because Jack’s Snacks does something unique. She hopes to expand into other locations to accommodate those customers in the future better.

“The friendships I’ve made along the way with my customers and dogs have been awesome,” MacLean Karro says with a smile while on her way home from a Wednesday night Farmers Market, which she continues to do because she loves them. “I have customers that have been part of the Jack’s Snacks family since 2004 at the Goddard Park farmers market.”

Jack’s Snacks gives MacLean Karro the opportunity to be creative and the flexibility to balance home and work, all while doing something she loves and paying tribute to the memory of Jack.

Jack’s Snacks is located at 158 Greenwich Ave in Warwick. Call (401) 633-5522 or visit jackssnacks.com for more information.