A look at human-grade dog treats available from Adirondack Barkery Sunday, Dec. 15, 2025 at the Arcade in Proctor's Theatre created by Rita Ciatto of Guilderland.

A dog may be consider a man's best friend, but Rita Ciatto, owner of Adirondack Barkery, holds a special place in the hearts of canines throughout the Capital Region.

Since 2012, Ciatto has specialized in creating human-grade dog treats and has become a fixture at the Troy Farmers Market along with the Schenectady Greenmarket.

"I was on the couch as a single parent with two kids, and I was working full time, nine to 10 hours per day, and I needed to make more income, and it just hit me," she said inside the Arcade at Proctors last Sunday at the Greenmarket. "I had never been to a farmers market. I've never been to a craft sale, but I have a love for dogs. I come from a strong Sicilian background and have cooked and baked everything from scratch."

Her research started by looking at packages on store shelves.

"Everything was garbage," Ciatto said. "I read up how some dog bones were harmful and made with chemicals, preservatives, everything was bad."

She wouldn't serve anything like that -- even to a dog.

"From my roots, I make everything from scratch," she said. "I investigated online, and through my [veterinarian], what were healthy alternatives, human-wise. That was fruits, vegetables, and proteins.

Willing to try almost anything, she worked in her Guilderland kitchen to create flavor profiles. Some were a hit, and others -- even a dog wouldn't eat.

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"Some flavors failed, some were successful," Ciatto said. "I wanted hard and soft treats because some of my customers have dogs that were getting old and their teeth were bad."

Through her trials and errors, she was surprised by what canines were wagging their tails about.

"I was surprised how some fruits really worked, and I was surprised that a lot of dogs liked vegetables," she said. "I came up with a chicken soup. I made the chicken broth and added all the different vegetables that would be dog safe, and the dogs went nuts for it."

Her approach could impress most dieticians.

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"Early on, I was using 80% hamburger, but like humans, it could clog their arteries and give them heart conditions," she said. "Now I buy 90%. I do more with lean chicken and turkey for more sensitive dogs."

Ciatto doesn't just cater to the carnivore instinct in her canine customers.

"I have vegetarian things like carrot cake or a fruit veggie stick for the people that want their dog to be vegan or just have a healthier diet without [meat] protein," she said.

She said dogs often don't have the most sophisticated palette, but have their favorites.

"Anything with meat, peanut butter, cheese and bacon are big sellers," Ciatto said. "I find that people that are more health conscious, it's the double banana, carrot cake and raspberries or blueberry treat."

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While everything is human grade, Adirondack Barkery items are not ideal for human customers to eat on the way home.

"It would be dry, no salt or sugar," she said. "You wouldn't like it, but it won't hurt you."

Ciatto also helps her canine clientele and their humans celebrate the holiday season each year.

"During December, I make 'Pupkin Pies' for dogs," she said. "People wanted their dogs to have pumpkin pie and I must have made 500 of them. It's made with pumpkin, coconut milk, oat crust with peanut butter."

Ciatto doesn't see her business slowing down.

"People don't have one dog anymore," she said. "People have two, three, four, and sometimes five dogs. Dogs rule the house!"

Follow Adirondack Barkery on Facebook or visit Ciatto's table at the Troy Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Schenectady Greenmarket on Sundays.

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