Give the Dog a Scone
Goodog Bakery in Myrtle Creek offers a wide array of delicious treats for man, woman and friend.
Story by Kaelynn Davis Photos by Tristin Godsey
As many Douglas County residents know, there’s nothing like a Goodog.
On North Main Street in downtown Myrtle Creek, just across the South Umpqua from I-5’s Exit 108, Jerrie Thomas has created a bakery with bark.
Walk-in customers at Goodog Bakery can buy breakfast or take home a fresh selection of tarts, scones, rolls, cakes, pies, cookies, breads and assorted quiches — available anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day except Sundays. And the menu also lists name-brand coffee, tea and other breakfast beverages to wash it all down.
What’s more, it’s fully accessible to everyone, including canines.. In fact, it might be one the most dog-friendly eateries around.
Bringing a four-legged friend isn’t required at Goodog Bakery, but it’s encouraged. Because for Thomas, canine customers are just as important as their two-legged companions.
Goodog caters to its namesakes with a separate bill of fare just for Fido — including such bone-shaped treats as Whole Wheat Banana Peanut Butter, Gluten-free Sweet Potato, Grain-free Pumpkin and Organic Carrot. After snacking, Rover can romp in a built-to-order dog park on the premises.
The attention to dogs goes back to the origins of Goodog. Thomas, an energetic baker in white chef’s coat and toque with Goodog’s logo front and center, started her business in 2007. A dog owner herself, she wasn’t happy with mass-produced dog treats and decided to try home-baking for her Pomeranian with fresh ingredients instead of opening a box off the shelf.
Goodog Bakery owner Jerrie Thomas helps a young customer.
The result of that experiment was Thomas spending the next eight years traveling around the state, selling her increasingly popular Goodog bones at craft shows, fairs and other community events, all the while growing a substantial online clientele at goodogbones.com.
Thomas certainly has no aversion to hard work, but all the time on the road spent setting up and taking down sales booths got her to thinking it might be time to make her Goodog business a little more stationary.
Bringing a four-legged friend isn’t required at Goodog Bakery, but it’s encouraged. Because for Jerrie Thomas, canine customers are just as important as their two-legged companions.
She and her husband, Michael, found just the place in a not-quite-derelict historic building at 236 N. Main St. in Myrtle Creek.
Buying the storefront was just the start. Next came 10 months of renovating, remodeling, restoring, repairing, refinishing and repainting for a grand reopening. With local contractors providing much of the labor, the space underwent a complete overhaul from foundation to roof.
Goodog’s floor is the original restored. But like so much else, it first had to be fixed.
“These floors are the originals,” Thomas says. “It was hard to find this special wood to fix the areas that were bad, but we did it.”
With a refurbished space, the Thomases decorated with a canine theme, right down to the paw-print tiles that guide customers from the front door to the counter. One corner has a gift shop, offering for sale locally sourced dog trinkets and packaged goods from the bakery.
Local is something Thomas is strong on. She sources as much as she can locally, especially baking ingredients.
“We get all of our whole wheat locally, too,” she says. “I just call them up and they have a 50-pound bag ready for me. They grind it and all.”
With a schedule that includes awakening long before dawn to get the day’s baking started, closing up shop as the sun starts to get low in the West, and taking on tasks that can only be done after hours, Thomas is virtually in perpetual motion.
But her dedication to her community goes beyond business. According to the Goodog Bones website, Thomas donates 10 percent of her sales to a local food bank and volunteers there, too.
During the 2017 fire season, Thomas and her husband spent two full days cranking out 1,200 fresh cinnamon rolls to help feed firefighters.
“I do what I can to give back because it’s important,” she says.
She hasn’t given up road trips completely, either. Goodog shows up Wednesdays at the Canyonville Farmers Market, Saturdays at the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market and 24/7 online at goodog-bakery.com.
