Food truck caters exclusively for dogs

A new food truck began operating in the Seattle-area last year. The Seattle Barkery is a mobile café that specialises in canine cuisine. Owners Ben and Dawn Ford whip up goodies for four-legged customers, from bacon pupcakes to peanut butter pumpkin pretzels to chicken feet and duck necks. The professional dog walkers came up with the idea for a dog food truck when they began baking homemade dog treats in their Shoreline home kitchen.





The nibbles were so popular with pups, including the couple's three rescue dogs, that they decided to do doggie dining full-time. "There were a lot of recalls on dog treats, grocery store brands, especially, and I didn't feel safe not knowing what treats I could use," Dawn said. "I started making my own treats and the dogs started loving them." A stint at the Shoreline Farmers Market led to the idea to take the munchies mobile.





The couple bought an old Chevy Step-Van from a couple in Ballard, it was already named "Buster", and did six months of renovating before launching. "Dawn stays true to her name and is up very early baking," Ben said, as he packed up boxes of 'beefy carrot bagels' and more. The couple publishes which dog parks they'll be at on social media. Occasionally their rescue dog Sherman travels with them, too. The couple jokes that he's their "Chief Tasting Officer", or "CTO."


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While The Barkery carries some treats for humans, including coffee, people often get confused by the menu. "People order the beefy carrot bagel or the chicken foot, and I'm just like, 'do you have a dog at home?'" Dawn said, chuckling. "Or they think we're a hot dog truck. That's another one." "Obviously the dogs love it. It's a great social thing for our area and it's a lot of fun," added customer Melissa Banker, as she walked her four large dogs nearby on Wednesday afternoon. "And the dogs love their treats! They're total addicted to their treats." "Overall, everyone really, really is excited about it," added Dawn. "Everyone knows a dog and loves a dog."