Summertime Dog Cocktail - stirred, not shaken

Despite living the first year of her life in Las Vegas, my dog Bailey absolutely hates hot weather. In fact, she would not be happier than if there was snow falling every day of the year.

But this year, I discovered something that is making my thick-coated Schipperke really happy, even in the heat and extreme humidity.

Ice water.

Sounds really simple - throw a few ice cubes in your dog's water to cool it down. Only my persnickety dog will have none of that. She will stick her paw in the water bowl and try to scoop out the floating ice cubes, making a slippery mess on the floor (not to mention the dirty paw prints all over the place). 

Instead, to appease my pooch, I keep a pitcher on the counter with a strainer lid. I fill it halfway with ice cubes and almost all the way to the top with water, swirl it around and filter out the ice cubes and the dog gets her ice water. Much like a bartender stirring a martini. 

This past week was especially hot here and my precocious dog started taste testing her water whenever she saw me go into the freezer and heard the ice bin rattling around.

"Let's see... (lick) Wait, my water isn't cold yet? I'll look up at mom and make sure she's getting it ready."

And then she drinks contentedly for a minute straight....ahhhhh! 

Happy dog time.

(If you want to make a special ice cold cocktail treat for your hot doggy, here's what I do - dissolve one beef or chicken bouillon cube in 1 cup of boiling water, swirl with ice, strain and serve.)