With gourmet treats and healthy eats, Barkin’ Biscuit LLC bakes up a whole new reason for your dog to consider itself “man’s best friend.”

Crunchy biscotti drizzled with carob – for dogs – big bones dipped in creamy peanut butter and coated with dark carob, and pumpkin treats decked out in carob-covered paw designs are just a few of the gourmet goodies that Fido can feast on when you buy Barkin’ Biscuit.

“They look very fancy,” owner Karen Goldthwaite, of Bedford, said. “People are amazed when they come by and see them and are like, ‘Oh, these are dog treats? We thought they were food for people.”

The barkable business, purchased by Goldthwaite in January, was given a whole new marketing kick that sends the all-natural, vegetarian dog treats around New Hampshire and across the country. Goldthwaite has taken on six new clients, from Earthward Natural Foods in Amherst, to Grandma’s Pantry in Sioux Falls, S.D., since January.

“People love their dogs – they love to spoil their pets,” Goldthwaite said. “I do, too.”

That’s good news for Dakota, Goldthwaite’s boxer-husky-walker hound mix, who serves as Goldthwaite’s official treat tester. “Since I got the business, she’s always at my feet – where she usually is any day I’m baking,” Goldthwaite said. “Anything that hits the floor is hers.”

Though Goldthwaite says Barkin’ Biscuit’s peanut butter pinwheels and Parmesan treats are Dakota’s favorite, anything that falls on the floor is good for the dog. All ingredients in Barkin’ Biscuit treats are healthy, all-natural products.

The opportunity to pamper your pet with treats free of fillers, additives, preservatives and by-products – so you know what your pet is eating – is half the draw of Barkin’ Biscuit. Made with human-grade food and locally grown, organic products, pet owners ensure their dogs eat healthy when buying Barkin’ Biscuit’s all-natural treats.

“I just think there’s a huge calling for all-natural dog treats now,” Goldthwaite said. “People are trying to eat better themselves, going organic and what not, so they also look at their animals and say, ‘I’ve heard recently about everything that goes into the dog food or dog treats when they are manufactured by wholesalers.’”

“The public should be made more aware of it. Everybody needs to consider what they’re consuming themselves,” Goldthwaite said. “The illnesses and diseases we get ourselves, and our pets, can be attributed to what we may be consuming.”

Barkin’ Biscuit sticks with whole wheat flour, organic peanut butter, apples, carrots, yogurt, cinnamon, carob, molasses and Parmesan – to name a few.

In fact, when Goldthwaite bakes the Parmesan biscuits, made with human grade Parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic, she says the whole house smells like an Italian kitchen, rather than a bakery for a batch of dog treats.

“I like that people who purchase the product are thrilled,” Goldthwaite said. “They’ll say, ‘My dog absolutely loves your treats.’ They say they buy them other treats, store brand ones, and the dog will just eat it, but when they are given one of mine, they take it, they slink away, and eat it like it’s a gourmet treat.”

Just like humans, dogs have allergies, too, Goldthwaite said. To accommodate a canine’s conditions, Barkin’ Biscuit offers a variety of low-allergy, wheat-free products with their Parmesan and carrot molasses biscuits.

The treats even change with the season. Whether it is Valentine’s Day, the Fourth of July, or Christmastime, Barkin’ Biscuit makes yogurt-dipped hearts, red, white, and blue stars, and snowmen biscuits, according to the holiday. “There’s a little bit of everything,” Goldthwaite said. “It’s a nice variety.”

Even horses can chomp on some of Barkin’ Biscuits’ snacks, including the apple cinnamon and carrot molasses treats. In the future, Goldthwaite said she would like to target horse lovers in the Bedford, Amherst and Hollis areas.

Environment enthusiasts will also appreciate Barkin’ Biscuits eco-friendly packaging efforts – on top of the all-natural goods.

“We package and ship in biodegradable material and recycled material as much as we can,” Goldthwaite said. “We have relationships with local business. With excess bubble wrap and boxes, rather than toss them out, I take from other local area businesses, reusing their materials. … We are very conscious of being earth friendly. I think we should all be.”

To take the biscuits from the oven to out-the-door, Goldthwaite puts in long hours and lots of time on her feet.

“I do everything from buying the ingredients, to making dough, cutting it out, baking it and packaging it – all the packaging is done by hand, too,” Goldthwaite said. “But it’s worthwhile. I truly believe we have a wonderful product, and it’s healthy food for your dog – I’m very proud of our business.”

In the future, Goldthwaite would like to expand her accounts to whole foods stores in places like North Andover and Cambridge, Mass., and other whole food markets to draw on more consumers already looking for the all-natural food for themselves.

For now, people can find the products at Earthward Natural Foods in Amherst, Harvest Market in Bedford, Newfound Grocery in Bridgewater, Manchester Animal Hospital in Hooksett, The Rugged Mill, LLC, in North Conway, and Grandma’s Pantry in Sioux Falls, S.D. – or find them online at www.barkinbiscuitllc.com.

Maryalice Gill can be reached at 594-6490 or mgill@nashuatelegraph.com.