Every once in a blue moon I have a great idea. An idea who's time has come...an idea so genius I wonder why no one has ever thought of it before! Then, in my delirium, thinking it is the greatest idea of all time, I over-look a few key points. The day of my great idea I thought all of my cylinders were firing so I didn't notice the crack in the carb, so to speak. (I don't know if a carburetor can crack, it's my one and only car metaphor, thought it seemed like a good idea to use it now.) What am I talking about? A doggie swim party. Dozens of dogs paddling around in the neighborhood pool to the delight of the dozens and dozens of humans who stand around to watch them. Every summer day I walked Rosie Ann Marie around our neighborhood park and every day we would walk by the pool. Rosie loves water, will jump into the bath tub when it's bath time and I really wanted to let her go swimming in the heated pool but, alas, dogs aren't allowed. And then my idea hit! I managed to convince the neighborhood board of directors that a dog swim party would be the best end of summer event EVER. The pool would close to humans and the next day the dogs could swim in the still warm water and the dog owners could stand around and laugh and pat each other on the back for having such great dogs. That was my thought. Just didn't think this one all the way through...as in, what can go wrong when dozens of dogs are turned loose into a small area?
Well for starters they act like dogs. They chase each other and bark and nip and run at break-neck speeds around the legs of humans - so fast the humans are almost knocked into the pool! And like in most large groups, there was one who just couldn't play nice. Rudy. Rudy the labra-doodle. He's my Rosie's best friend and we love him to pieces but all that excitement was just a bit too much for Rudy and he tried to bite Elmer! People screamed! Dogs growled! One person was frothing at the mouth yelling that all dogs needed to be on leashes! So Rudy had to be led away in shackles, it was all very sad. The other dogs took note and seemed to behave a bit better after the first fracas.
That's Maggie and Riley, our star swimmers. They couldn't have cared less that the little dogs were still playing chase. The terriers, the boxers, the beagles, the dachshunds, they didn't even notice the water! One little dog showed up in a life jacket but I don't think she even got one paw wet.
Maggie went from the big pool to the kid pool - here she is (above) trying to convince her friends the water is fiiiiiiiiiine. They weren't having it. And speaking of not having it, little Rosie was so traumatized by all of the chaos that she also had to be taken home! I was so sad - she wanted nothing to do with the water! She was shaking so much and that as the mister was holding her he began to shake! If only I had thought to have her come at the end of the party, when no one was there...like the blind dog who showed up to swim and had the place to himself...
Lesson learned...next year (if I can convince them it should be an annual thing) Rosie will come at the end of the party and maybe I'll even get in the pool with her! Which brings me to another point...a few naysayers who are not even dog owners were worried there would be canine fecal matter in the pool. I politely asked them about the fecal matter from the little humans...all summer long...swim diapers don't actually work now do they?!? I did my homework and checked with the vet - dogs don't go potty in the pool. In any water actually. So file that away in case you meet a neanderthal who tells you otherwise. Also, dog hair/fur/fleas/whatever, is not damaging to the pool heater, filters, drains...not nearly as much human hair/fur/fleas/whatever!
You know I can't do anything without food...so dog treats (recipe below) and human treats were made. Each dog went home with a bandana and we also provided water bowls, fresh water and poop bags, just in case all that swimming/running caused an emergency.
Even with a few hiccups, it was great fun - my face hurt from smiling. The dogs who came loved it - the ones who actually got in the water loved it the most. Except for maybe one little girl who told me several times, it was THE BEST DAY EVER!
I wish I would have gotten pictures of all the dogs - in my mind I was hoping for a group shot! Hahaha...dogs don't pose in groups! I was so busy trying to stay vertical I hardly had time to get the pics I did! I made two kinds of dog biscuits - one that Rosie loves, the peanut butter biscuits and an oat biscuit. The peanut butter biscuits are super easy, smell great, taste okay (if they had a little salt they would be great human treats) but Rosie didn't care for the oat biscuits and frankly, neither did I. I had great help making the dog treats and the human treats...the best help ever!
Elsa rolled out the paw print cookies. They were yummy. We also had dog biscuit-shaped cookies and dog-shaped cookies - they were a little tricky to decorate and at one point I thought they'd all gone to the dogs but in the end they turned out great. Now about the dog biscuits...if you have a dog and a half hour - you need to make these - your dog will love them, I promise!
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits - Pots and Pins
Through trial and error - making a few other recipes for peanut butter dog biscuits only to have Rosie turn her nose up at them - I hit upon this simple version that Rosie actually likes.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
10 oz. unsalted natural peanut butter
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment and set aside. Stir together the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter and milk. Stir in the flour mixture until well-blended. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to 1-inch thickness and cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Place 2-inches apart on prepared baking trays. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned and crisp on the outside. Remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before giving to Fido. Makes about 36 - I doubled the recipe.
These dog biscuits also make a great gift to give to someone who loves their dog. Thanks to all of my neighbors who brought their dogs to the party - I do live in a GREAT neighborhood and thanks to the board of directors who said YES! And thanks to Matt Astle for pulling many dogs out of the pool and catching many humans who were on their way in! Dogs Rule!
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