By Sally Deering

 If you’re in Hoboken and an ice cream truck pulls up, don’t be surprised if a furry canine tries to cut in line for a Peanut Butter Puppsicle. That’s just one of the items sold at the Frosty Pooch ice cream truck where owners Angela and Raymond Meyers bring ice cream to the dogs.

 

It’s easy to spot the Frosty Pooch truck. It has a big dog face painted on the back and a line of pups wagging their tails while waiting their turns. When an owner makes a transaction, their dog can usually be seen with its front paws propped up on the counter waiting impatiently for their Frosty Pooch ice cream.

And what dog wouldn’t love Frosty Pooch’s menu of ice cream flavors like Bacon and Peanut Butter? There’s also Bacon Peanut Butter, Banana Peanut Butter and Apple Pumpkin, which happens to be good for doggie digestion. Angela makes her home-made doggie ice cream free of additives and uses only pure ingredients and lactose-free milk.

“Ice cream has lactose which is a problem for dogs,” Angela says. “If they have lactose, they’re gonna have the ‘runs’.

Frosty Pooch ice cream comes in two-ounce cups for $2 a serving. The Peanut Butter Puppsicles shaped like a dog bone sell for $2.50 and the “Woofle Bowl” which features the Frosty Pooch ice cream topped with a biscuit sells for $6.

The Meyers dreamed up Frosty Pooch while at the Jersey Shore with their German Shepherds Nikita and Cabo. When they treated themselves to ice cream and saw the longing looks in their dogs’ eyes, a bell went off and Angela got the idea for doggie ice cream.

“I love dogs and I wanted to do something with dogs,” Angela says “I thought how cool an ice cream truck for dogs would be. And my husband said, ‘you know, I think it could work’.”

Angela went on ebay and found a 1976 Good Humor box truck for sale in Pennsylvania. She and Raymond bought it and brought it to a mechanic who repaired the engine. Then they had the truck sandblasted, painted white and lettered with the Frosty Pooch logo – the letters “FP” inside a paw-print.

Although it’s just a weekend business – the Meyers each have a day job – Angela says sales are booming. If you can’t get to the Frosty Pooch truck, they have a “pupular” website where you can order the treats in bulk and have them shipped to your home. (www.frostypooch.com)

The Meyers also bring their Frosty Pooch truck to special events like dog walks for the ASPCA and Barkapalooza. And when the truck’s in Hoboken, Angela says all her regulars come by for a visit and a Frosty Pooch treat. Some dogs even hop inside the truck a pat on the head from the Meyers who are true animal lovers.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Angela says. “I enjoy it and the dogs already know me. They jump up to the window and ‘place their order’. I have a dog in Hoboken whose name is Norman. He can only eat the Apple Pumpkin ice cream and as soon as his owner comes over, Norman hops up to the window.”

If a customer isn’t sure what flavor to choose, Angela offers the sniff test.

“A lot of dog-owners aren’t sure what their dog will like,” Angela says, “So we do a sniff test. Whatever the dog licks first is what they get.”

Visit the Frosty Pooch ice cream truck in Hoboken:

Sundays: 10 am til 8 pm

Shipyard Ball Park, Pier 13

(betw.12^th & 14^th Sts.)

www.frostypooch.com

www.facebook.com/frostypooch