Our four-legged friends now have their own food truck with the Rollaway Dog Café, a mobile business devoted to all-natural eats for pups throughout Pittsburgh.
Rae McStay, co-owner with Maureen Lanieweski and Ann Straub, pulls the 16-foot trailer with her vehicle. You can see it at Lucky’s South Side Dog Festival May 19 and Shadyside on May 25 for Open Streets Pittsburgh.
At the Rollaway Dog Café, the Spoiled Dog Sundae (that’s pumpkin kefir ice cream topped with freeze-dried turkey bits and peanut butter or banana biscuits) really gets tails wagging. The cart also sells cans of Good Boy Dog Beer, non-alcoholic beverages in a variety of dog-friendly flavors including chicken-based Mailman Malt Licker and the Session Squirrel, made with fruits and vegetables. To-go goodies include goat’s milk snow cones, bone broth “pupsicles” and no-hide chews.
While their pets chow down at the food truck, owners can bone up on biology.
Straub, who runs The Holistic Pet Nutrition Center in Harmony, Pa., is a scientist specializing in animal nourishment. She offers information on raw, fermented foods, which are available in snack sizes for pups to try. The simple, organic grub is easily digestible and packed with protein, healthy fats and beneficial bacteria.
Rollaway’s proprietors believe food is medicine.
“There’s a how and a why behind everything coming through our service window,” says Lanieweski, who runs All Pet & Home Care, a pet-sitting service in Cranberry Township. “We can really stop for a moment and educate you as to why you should incorporate this into your pet’s diet.”
When McStay’s dog, Brody, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease – a hormonal disorder that weakens the immune system – she started giving him CBD oil. His health improved and he lived to the ripe old age of 13.
Rollaway sells the oil in 30-milliliter dropper bottles. And Brody lives on in the company’s logo and in every furry customer Rollaway Dog Café serves.
“We all started on this journey because we had pets who weren’t living their best life and we were searching for a way to make that happen,” McStay says.