Some cool ideas for hot dogs…

Ok, so I’ve recently thought there is more to me than photography. I am passionate about many things and my dogs are one of them, well technically two. As you will know I have the gorgeous Chocolate Monster, Dexter but we also have our house angel (she isn’t so good on walks), Tilly, a yellow labrador.  This gorgeous hot weather can make for more complex care and rather boring days for them!  So here are my top tips and an ice cold recipe I found to keep the little tykes happy on a summers day….

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Top Tips for Cool Dogs

Here are just a few of the things we do for our two lovely dogs in hot weather:

• Walk them super early in the morning and just before sundown of an evening – that way you get to enjoy them and the sunshine but it’s a little cooler for all concerned!
• If you have to walk them in the day, take water and don’t make it a massive long one, unless you’re mostly in the shade, i.e. woodland.
• Make sure they have access to a cool room in the house – we have cooler wooden floors in the sitting room, as well as a tiled floor in the kitchen and I leave the curtains closed to keep it shady for them.
• Regularly refresh their water, keeping it as cool as possible – I even put ice cubes in our two’s water bowl to keep it fresh and cool, though Chocolate Monster often steals them for funnies!
• If you have a paddling pool or sprinkler system in the garden, have some wet play time outside with them (assuming they like water) – yet another excuse for being in the sunshine!
• Dogs will inevitably drink more if they are too warm, so if you have to leave them all day, whilst you work, see if a neighbour can pop in if you can’t get back to top up their water and let them get some fresh air.
• If you need to go out, leave them in a cool room, and buy a small Kong, which you can stuff full of goodies (peanut butter, doggy biscuits, cocktails sausage or a little low fat cream cheese), freeze for a couple of hours or overnight and give them as you step out the door – if you do this you will be their best friend forever!
• And last but by no means least (here comes the capitals) DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT, leave your dog in a car!! Also, of you see a hot dog in a car, with no visible owners around and looking very hot, call the police. It does not take very long for a dog to pass out or even die in a car, or should I call it a metal oven or no waves microwave. Ok, rant over – can you tell that it’s my pet hate?!

These tips keep our two doggies happy, I really hope they help yours too!

I was also thinking earlier how we have ice lollies or ice cream in hot weather, so what tasty cool treats could I make for the dogs? And I found the recipe below from a great Dog Treat Website, which would work for cats as well as dogs I suspect!

Creamy Yogurt Dog Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 – 5 oz. can of tuna in water
• 2 cups of plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley

Instructions:

1. Empty the contents of your can of tuna in a medium bowl. Do not drain the water.
2. Using a fork, break apart the tuna until it is completely shredded into small pieces.
3. Add the yogurt and dried parsley.
4. Stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Using a spoon, carefully fill each compartment of your ice cube tray.
6. Freeze until solid, a couple hours, depending on the size of your cubes.
7. Release only the amount of cubes from your tray that you will be serving immediately.
8. Store the unused cubes in the tray, or in a labeled freezer bag.

Storing – These frozen dog treats must be kept frozen. They will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Yield – Depending on the size of your cubes, you will be able to make 1 1/2 to 2 full ice cube trays of dog treats.

I think my two will enjoy these treats, did yours? Let me know in the comments below!