So…my dogs have been a little stir crazy over here lately. I think the Arizona heat gets to all of us this time of year (and it’s not even technically summer yet…*groan*), but they’re probably affected the most. It’s just been way too hot to get outside in the afternoons. Early mornings are a little better but we haven’t been walking nearly as much as usual. Short of chasing each other around the house (sometimes we resort to that..), it’s been a little tough to keep them busy.
Enter solution: frozen peanut butter kongs.
I needed something to occupy them the other day so I dug these out of the pet drawer. My dogs aren’t big chewers normally, but add a little food into the equation and they’re sold. Kongs are great because you can pretty much fill them with anything you like and you can switch up the contents frequently so your pups don’t get bored.
Now, freezing is the key. If your dogs are anything like mine they will take down a treat-filled kong in 15 seconds flat. When the insides are frozen, they actually have to work at it for awhile. These kept my guys busy for over half an hour, which is a decent amount of time for a treat.
I like to stuff the kong with crunchy items first (such as small treats or pieces of their regular kibble), then mash in any softer items (I used sweet potato), and finally, fill in the gaps with some natural peanut butter. Pop them in the freezer for an hour or so and voila! You’ve got a tasty (and cool!) summer treat for your dog.
My dogs go crazy for them!
(Alan doing acrobatics to get every last bit of peanut butter. 
)
Some other fun fillers: apple chunks, banana, baby carrots, canned pumpkin puree, frozen or mashed peas.
Anybody else have any fun ideas to help dogs beat the summer heat? I’m looking for suggestions!
xo
Kristi
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At the time, I thought it was going to fly at my windshield but it just dented the front of my car pretty badly. I didn’t realize there was any actual damage until the following morning (I think I was just so relieved it hadn’t hit the window), so I called the insurance company yesterday to sort it all out. Luckily, my deductible is a lot lower than I thought so the financial blow will be minimal. My insurance company’s customer service is also pretty awesome and, by the time I got off the phone with them I was actually in a much better mood than I had been.
