Song Yu (right) and chef Zhai Chunguang let Delu, a dog with picky palate, try a new recipe in their Paopao Pet Bakery, which produces homemade cakes and cookies for canines. Zhang Wei / China Daily

Specialized bakeries catering to canine palates are appearing in the country's mega cities. Yu Tianyu reports.

On a big, manicured lawn in Beijing, Miumiu and Star, in full wedding attire, are the center of attention. As family and friends fuss over them, they are more drawn to the three-tiered cake sitting on the table. After all, what poodle can resist tantalizing chicken and bone, not to mention pumpkin, cheese and cookies.

It is a big day for 20-somethings Qiao Qiao and Sun Wei as they hold the wedding ceremony for their beloved poodles.

The two pet lovers are among millions of Chinese who call themselves "dog mother and father" who will settle for nothing less than the best for their sweethearts.

And it's not just weddings that Chinese pet lovers are spending lavishly on. Birthdays and welcome parties for their four-legged family members are equally extravagant affairs.

It comes as no surprise, then, that bakery services for dogs are in high demand.

Song Yu, the owner of Paopao Pet Bakery in Beijing, reportedly the first of its kind in China, has sold hundreds of cakes and thousands of packets of pet cookies within a month of its opening in March.

"Homemade cakes and cookies without sugar or salt or preservatives make for much healthier treats for our canine friends," Song says.

Visitors to Paopao Bakery are greeted by all kinds of unfamiliar smells. Zhai Chunguang, who in his 30s, is an experienced dog chef in white cap and uniform. He's busy with an assortment of tools beside a line of ovens, along with two assistants.

"Dogs are the pickiest gourmets in the world and we have to experiment hundreds of times to come up with the prefect proportions of various ingredients to satisfy their appetites and improve the palatability of our products," he says.

Delu, one of Song's two dogs, has a picky palate that came in handy. "Once I came up with recipes that he liked, we knew we had some winners," Song says.

Currently, the bakery offers savory corn flour and meat birthday cakes covered with cheese frosting as well as chicken, beef and lamb pies. Homemade dog cookies and pastries are sold both in Song's store in Beijing's Changping district and online through China's largest e-commerce site, Taobao.com.

Biscuits containing purple sweet potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, sesame seeds and spinach have become bestsellers as they are seen as good for dogs' health.

Most hard biscuits can help dogs clean their teeth, Song explains. "But mashed sweet potatoes help improve the digestion, green tea reduces bad breath and olive oil gives their coats an added shine."

The cookies are sold at 4.8 yuan (74 US cents) for 50 grams while cakes are priced from 200 to 300 yuan ($31 to $46). "Pet owners are willing to pay more for the sake of their babies' health," Song says, sounding very optimistic about her business, given that one in 10 Chinese in urban areas raise a dog.

Song says they have to constantly innovate and come up with new products. Pet owners are always eager to try something new and unique while dogs also quickly lose their appetite if always fed the same old flavors.

"Our latest innovation for a birthday cake is to use pork skin as the main ingredient, boiling it for almost a whole day to obtain its protein gelatin," Zhai says. "We mix the protein gelatin with cheese, corn flour and meat and then bake it in the oven for hours."

This is a high-level product priced at more than 300 yuan on average, Song says.

While chocolate is poison for dogs, many dog owners want to share such treats with their pets.

To satisfy such owners, Song has just introduced a new kind of paw-shaped cookie made of carob, which is imported from New Zealand and tastes very similar to chocolate. It has become a roaring hit.

"We carefully monitor our cakes and treats to see if they cause adverse reactions as any failure can destroy our reputation," Song says.

They are helped by professional pet dietitians who offer advice on the best choices based on the needs of different breeds.

Customers are usually advised to finish cakes within 48 hours, and cookies within two weeks.

Zhang Tongyu is one of Paopao Bakery's VIP customers. She visits the store once a week because her Old English Sheepdog has serious intestinal problems and is allergic to most treats and foods.

"I used to be in tears seeing my dog really miserable while watching other dogs enjoy their big meals," she says. "Life has changed ever since I have discovered these homemade and purely natural foods."

"Dogs never lie," she wrote on her micro blog on Sina.com, a service that is becoming a tool in Paopao Bakery's popularity.

Song's plans for the future include fresh dog food prepared daily, sans preservatives and additives, that will be delivered door-to-door every morning.

"I raise dogs myself so I understand what love for a pet means," she says.

"Dogs are not your whole life, but they do make your life whole."