Watermelon Treats For Dogs On A Hot Summer Day

Who doesn't love a cool treat on a hot summer day?  I know I love ice cream as much as the next guy, and there's nothing better than a crisp, sweet, cold watermelon cut open outside to enjoy with all its drippy goodness!

Well, guess who else loves cool treats on a hot day?  Your dogs!

Our sweet furry family members patiently wait for pieces of ice whenever we fill our glasses with ice.  They immediately crunch their pieces and often come back for seconds!

Patiently waiting for a piece of ice

It seems this one prefers ice over drinking water!

Recently, while enjoying a delicious watermelon with the kids, the dogs really wanted a taste too.  So I gave them each a small piece of rind.  They gobbled it up in no time, and came for more before I could finish my second piece!

Their enthusiasm for an iconic summertime treat like watermelon had my brain whirling, thinking of a fun way to keep them cool while outside on a hot day, but also make them feel they were getting a special treat, all while keeping them busy and entertained.

So I saved all our rinds, cut them into bite size chunks (according to the size of your dog), stuffed them in 2 large soup mugs, filled each mug with water and put them in the freezer overnight.

Cut melon into large chunks

 

Fill a bowl or soup mug with melon chunks

Cover chunks with water

Place mugs in freezer overnight

The next day, I removed the mugs from the freezer, put them in a sink of tap water for a minute or just until the ice melted away from the sides of the mugs.  Then I gave each dog their treat, and didn't hear from either of them for at least an hour!

They LOVED it!!!

Belle looks like she's saying "Thanks,.mom!" 

 

 

But here she looks like she's saying, "Wait, that one's bigger than mine!" 

And Dixie just says "nom, nom, nom"

So do your fur-babies a favor and fix them a special treat of something cool, fun and entertaining!  I'm pretty sure they'll love you for it. 

After all, we are in the dog days of summer.