Ice Cream Truck to Relieve Dog Days of Summer—For Dogs

With temperatures already reaching the 80s, you're probably already imagining trips to the pool, cookouts and the sweet song of the ice cream truck.

This year, not only will the frozen treats be yummy, but they might come with a pat on the head or a belly rub.

That’s because the all-natural, organic, dairy-free ice cream we're talking about is for dogs.

“Just like your human ice cream truck,” said Tiki's Playhouse and Doggie Ice Cream Truck owner Kelvin Abrams, “we’re going to be offering the same thing to our canine friends.”

Abrams said he started thinking about opening an ice cream truck for dogs about a year and a half ago when he read about the world’s first ice cream truck for dogs in the United Kingdom. “I said, ‘Huh? That’s interesting,’” and the seed was planted. 

Although the ice cream is so pure it is fit for humans, Abrams has taken care to ensure that the experience caters to dogs. Instead of buying a traditional ice cream truck, he decided to purchase a smaller van.

“It’s smaller, lower, closer to the ground to accommodate dogs,” he said, “not people. It’s all about the dogs.”

And because large amounts of any dairy product can be unhealthy for many dogs, this ice cream is more of a “fruit puree,” and Abrams has considered common dog allergies when devising the recipes. 

Abrams runs Tiki’s Playhouse in Glenelg, a boarding facility—not a kennel, he stressed. Tiki’s is named after a late dog of Abrams.

He said he had college experience working in kennels and thought about opening up a similar business, but it took a while. “Like most people,” he said, “life got in the way. But it got to a point where I didn’t like my dogs being in a kennel.”

Returning from business trips, Abrams said he would find Tiki underweight and dirty after being in a kennel. After Tiki had to be put down, Abrams said he decided the time was right to open Tiki's Playhouse. 

He now has two dogs, Weimaraners, like Tiki. “They’re known as the gray ghost dogs,” he said. “They’re pretty dogs.” 

Abrams will be selling his ice cream—and dog treats and cold water—out of the van beginning in April, at his inaugural event: April 7 at the Baltimore Humane Society’s Easter Eggstravaganza in Reisterstown.

From April 20–22, Ellicott City dogs will be able to cool down with Tiki treats at the for a weekend Meetup of Westie enthusiasts and on April 22 at the  for Bark for Life, an American Cancer Association fundraiser.

Other nearby spots to catch the Doggie Ice Cream Truck: 

• Columbia Association Dog Day Afternoon, April 21, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.  Hopewell Park
• Maryland SPCA March for the Animals, April 29, Druid Hill Park
• Paws on Parade, May 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Baltimore Humane Society