Pinterest Inspiration: Piña Colada Frozen Dog Treats

As mentioned last week, we've had some scorchin' weather here in P-town (thank goodness it has started to cool down).  With warm weather also comes the desire to do absolutely nothing and make the excuse that "it's just too hot."  I used the "it's just too hot" excuse on a long list of tasks this week, but I made it a point to make an extra special frozen treat for Athena to help her beat the heat.

That's right.  I made Miss Athena a big yummy batch of homemade piña colada frozen dog treats that I found the recipe for on Pinterest.  Now, not only has my cellphone ringtone been Escape by Rupert Holmes for as long as I can remember (you know, "if you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain..."), but I also had a pineapple on hand so OF COURSE I knew that I just had to make some of these delightful frozen goodies.

I got these coolio ice cube trays with tiki man faces at the Dolla' Tree for only one dolla'!  I knew they would be the perfect shape for these pineapple and coconut island treats.

Here's the recipe:

• 1/3 cup fresh pineapple
• 1 T honey
• 1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt
• 1 T hardened coconut oil or coconut flakes

Instructions:

• Blend the pineapple and yogurt together in a blender (I used a Magic Bullet)
• Pour mixture into a silicone mold, ice cube tray, cupcake liners, paper cups, or anything that you'd like (I used my tiki man trays)!
• Drizzle honey over the top of the pineapple yogurt mixture and the sprinkle on some hardened coconut oil or coconut flakes (I simply got out my jar of coconut oil and instead of heating it up, I just used a spoon to scrape off small pieces off of the top to sprinkle on the treats)
• Freeze for at least 2 hours
• Serve to your four-legged friend!

Athena thought these treats were totally DELISH!

There are a ton of other great frozen treat recipes on Pinterest that I still have yet to try.  Here are a couple that I found that I can't wait to test out this summer:

Frozen Berry Water Treats
BananaBerry Appsicle Treats

Athena also loves our trusty triple berry and banana frozen treats that I make for her often.  What are your dog's favorite frozen treats?

Athena Meets Some Farmers

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to visit the farmer's market on the weekends to pick out fresh produce.  Although many of the local markets in Portland have been open for a few weekends now, we have been so busy that we haven't made a trip to one yet.  Seeing as this summer is our first with Athena, I've been excited to find dog-friendly markets where we can take her along with us.

This weekend was the perfect time to hit up not one, but TWO local markets!  On Saturday we visited the very dog-friendly Gresham Farmer's Market where Athena got more loot than the humans.  She ended up getting a new 2' leash from BeBop USA which manufactures pet products in Gresham, Oregon and has a booth at the market.  We bought the super short leash specifically for outings like those to the farmer's market because it allows us more control in a busy environment where lots of people and dogs are all around.  Athena also got some yummy treats from Kiss My Biscuit who makes grain-free, corn-free, soy-free, salt-free, sugar-free, color-free treats.  Actually, every treat made from Kiss My Biscuit only has three ingredients!  Athena thought that these treats we absolutely scrumptious and has been enjoying them as her training rewards throughout the weekend.

On Sunday we went to the Montavilla Farmer's Market which is another dog-friendly market in the area right up the street from our favorite pet store where Athena has class.  Athena got some puppy smooches and enjoyed smelling all of the flowers that she passed by.

Surprisingly, Athena was on her very best behavior at both markets that we went to.  Although the markets were very crowded and full of people, strollers, and lots of other dogs, Athena kept her cool the entire time.  We practiced lots of "leave it" when closely passing other dogs in the aisles and even had to practice one "off" when Athena put her paws up on a table selling homemade pies...oops!  At least we only had that one incident...

We will definitely be bringing Athena to the market more often throughout the summer and having her wear her backpack so that she can carry her own goodies (and ours too if there's any room).  Do you ever take your dog to the local market?

Water Baby

Recently the weather has been very summerish here in Portland with temperatures in the 70's and 80's.  Not only has Athena been spending time soaking up the sun in her Andy Randy chair, but she's also been splish splashing in her new baby pool.

After the swamp incident, we thought that Athena might enjoy her very own pool (with clean water!) to take a dip in on warm days.  We already know that she LOVES the sprinkler, so we figured that the kiddie pool would be just the same.  It turns out Athena is in LOOOOVEEE with her kiddie pool too!

Of course at first, Athena was a bit afraid of the pool.  She initially thought it was a gigantic water bowl, but after we threw in a few treats, she got brave and poked her head under the water.  Athena didn't do a full splash in the pool until we threw her ball in though.

To make pool time more fun, we recently purchased a water toy make by ChuckIt that floats in the pool.  It turns out that Athena loves the thing almost as much as she loves her ball!  We like to toss the bumper toy into the kiddie pool, and then Athena chases after it.  It also make a great tug toy for practicing "drop it" and "tug."

All of Athena's pool splashing has got us thinking that we'd like to try dock diving in the near future with Cascade Dock Dogs!

Does your dog love the water?

As Told by Athena: My Andy Randy Chair

Hi Guys!  Athena here.  This weekend we had some bee-u-tee-full weather in Portland and I got to spend lots of time outside soaking up the sun.  Since the weather seems to have changed for the better (meaning no more rain for a while), me, my mom, and my dad helped my grandma to set up her balcony for the season.

This Thean Bean was pretty excited about getting the balcony all spiffed up because if you remember from my trip to the beach, I LOVE balconies!  They are the best for watching all of the happenings in the neighborhood.  I especially love to look out at the dogs who live next door to my grandma.  I will give them a few little whines to see if they notice me, but so far they haven't even glanced over.  Rude.

My favorite thing about grandma's balcony is my new Andy Randy chair.  Mom says it's called an adirondack chair, but I can't pronounce that, so I call it my Andy Randy.  Since I am so fond of lounging, my mom decided to put my special outdoor Molly Mutt bed in the Andy Randy chair for extra comforts.  For all of you special doggies out there with your own Molly Mutts,  I highly recommend that your mom or dad smoosh it into your Andy Randy chair.

My mom thinks that grandma's balcony is going to turn into one of my favorite places.  I love being outside, so it's the perfect place to lay out on a warm spring day.  I'm just hoping that nobody tries to steal my Andy Randy when I'm busy flirting with the neighbor boys.

I can't have anybody hogging my Andy Randy when it's time to get my snooze on.  Just as the sun starts to set, I like to cuddle up in my new favorite chair for the night.  Or as mom says, until she starts being eaten by mosquitos and has to go inside.  No bug bites for the Thean.

Do you have your own comfy Andy Randy?  Have you ever tried smooshing your bed into it?  If not, I suggest that you give it a try when your weathers turn for the season!