I tried Van Leeuwen's dog ice cream.
+ reflections on three months of Tail Mail
Tail Mail is three months old! Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far, whether it be by subscribing, following the @readtailmail Instagram account, forwarding newsletters to friends, or hitting “like” on any of these posts.
It’s a weird time to be launching something new on Substack. The platform is oversaturated; success feels contingent on the ancillary work and algorithmic luck of being a “writer” in today’s attention economy, especially when building an audience from scratch.
And then there are the realities of life—those annoying things!—that demand more attention, more money, more time away from the creative work. It’s a battle of doing more, more, more with less, less, less in an industry that spits in your face and tells you to leave, leave, leave. More or less.
Sorry, am I still talking about this newsletter? Let’s get things back on track.
For every big name moving to Substack and making millions, there are those of us who can’t afford to do this full time but are still willing to try. Is it disheartening at times? Yes. But if the work gives me a reason to keep writing and is interesting to others, then I’ll keep at it. And hey, it’s only been three months!
What remains true is that I love my dogs and relish every chance to explore the culture of modern pet parenthood—in all its silliness and seriousness. If that resonates with you, I’d love for you to join.
In today’s newsletter: Trying out the Van Leeuwen x Ollie dog ice cream with my pups Gemma and Pippa, Tiki the rescue dog’s new home, Royal Canin’s latest launch, and a travel guide for stray cat lovers.
I was having dinner with a friend on Fairfax recently when we walked past Van Leeuwen and saw a sign for dog ice cream. No surprises about what I bought next.
The peanut butter and banana dog ice cream, created with the subscription-based fresh dog food company Ollie, is back for another summer and comes just in time for this spicy heat wave. (Now would be a good time to revisit Tail Mail’s summer survival guide.)
The ice cream is certainly a treat, as it includes ingredients like coconut cream, tapioca syrup, cane sugar, and oat milk, in addition to banana purée and peanut butter. The serving size recommendation is 1/4 cup for a 50 lb. dog.
The taste test
First up, I gave a spoonful to my Doberman, Pippa. She hopped with excitement after I removed the lid and ate her spoonful in one go, no hesitation. She will pretty much eat anything, though, so this was an easy win. ✅
Next up, a spoonful for my picky mutt, Gemma. She was interested in sniffing the ice cream but didn’t go in for any licks, even when some accidentally got on her face. Gem is definitely more of a savory gal, so this was a no for her. ❌
Gemma’s reject then went to Gordo the bulldog. He ran from inside and smushed his face through a patio gate to get to the ice cream, though he licked with such force—and fended off an interception from Pippa—that the spoonful of ice cream dropped to the ground. That didn’t stop him from finishing it off. The boy was zoomin’ afterward. ✅
And then I had a taste for myself. It’s delicious—and sweet. I was expecting the treat to be blander than human ice cream, but if you didn’t tell me it was for dogs, I wouldn’t have noticed a difference.
The verdict
While it tastes great, I don’t love the ingredient list. Bananas and peanut butter are naturally sweet on their own, so the added cane sugar and tapioca syrup, plus the high-fat content of the coconut cream, aren’t the best for a dog-formulated treat. (Some of those ingredients are important for texture and mouthfeel, but those qualities are low on my priority list for dogs!)
For healthier alternatives, you can follow DIY recipes for fruit purees or limited-ingredient blends that you can freeze in cute molds. Whatever you choose, your pets will thank you for the treats.
🐶 What should Tail Mail cover next? Email me: clara@readtailmail.com 🐱
In other news…
Tiki the rescue dog got adopted! Follow his new adventures @tikiplustwo.
You can rent out someone’s pool for your dog. I recently found out about Swimply, the Airbnb for pools, after a friend booked a really nice backyard pool for her birthday party. The company just added a feature where you can upload a profile of your pet(s) and filter for pet-friendly spots with specific amenities like secure fencing and shallow entry points.
Cats do not dream of labour. The UK’s Parliamentary building has a huge mouse problem, but the British government will not be employing a fleet of cats to deal with the issue, despite a request from one member of Parliament. Why? Construction, automatic doors, lack of pet care.
Officials in Maine are investigating the death of the state’s first comfort dog, who was left unattended in a hot vehicle. Rest in Peace, Baxter.
Royal Canin is the next Big 4 brand to launch a frozen, gently cooked food line. There’s been an explosion in popularity for fresh pet foods, especially with the rise of direct-to-consumer brands like Just Food for Dogs, The Farmer’s Dog, Ollie, Nom Nom, and Spot & Tango. Earlier this year, Hill’s acquired the Australian pet food company Prime100 to enter the fresh pet food market.
Good to see that even champion dogs have to respond to the call of nature👇
