It’s Houston. It’s summer.

What’s a black lab mix dog who hates water supposed to do to cool off?

Josie is our seven and a half year old black lab mix. We think the mix is with Great Dane … she’s long, tall and sleek, unlike many stocky labs. She also gets these looks on her face that are pure Dane.

There are two other tells for her that make us think Dane. First, even as a one year old dog, she put herself to bed every night by 8. She didn’t want to get up for anything. Danes are known for their laid back demeanors and love of rest time, and this is unlike any lab I’ve ever heard about.

Second, she hates water. Won’t wade in it, won’t splash in it. I’ve never seen a lab who didn’t want all the water, all the time! We bought her a kiddie pool one of her first summers with us, and she acted like it was a hissing pool of poison.

So there went that summer cool down idea.

I tried something that was all over Pinterest: pupsicles. Frozen treats for dogs, yes sir! Unlike a lot of Pinterest, this couldn’t be easier: chicken broth, dog food, and freeze it.

I froze this one in an empty limeade container. (Limeade for the beer margaritas, hurray! People need to cool off too!) It was nice because I could peel off the container. It was narrow enough, though, that my big dog could carry it away from her bowl. Oops.

She wasn’t complaining, though. Josie took a couple of sniffs, one lick, and was in doggie heaven.

I think next time I’ll freeze in a bowl so she can’t lift it and lose it in the grass. A larger container will last longer, too.
I’ll probably make the broth a half broth/half water mix too. I’m pretty sure she’ll still love it!