DIY Backyard Pool Party
Your guide for the best dog friendly summer weekend from your own backyard!
Summer is here and it came in HOT! Of course, we would love to spend every blistering moment cooling off at the beach or by a lake, but we can’t ALWAYS make the trip, or at least so say the humans. This weekend they’ve decided to make it up to me by turning our backyard into a pupside oasis with just a paw full of dog friendly purchases from Amazon, some homemade pupsicles, and of course, their company.
We have already been enjoying our own summer adventures the last couple months (thanks to that lovely CA heat) and I have to say, spending a weekend at home in your own backyard can be just as fun, if not more, than packing up and getting out.
There are definitely a lot of pros of staying at home - not having to pack up the car, no long car rides, no large crowds, and lots of family time! Plus, dad is usually grilling something tasty up on the BBQ that I know I can get a little bite of. There’s no better feeling than having a long day splashing around in the sun with your fam and then being able to just dry off, walk inside, and get into your own bed.
So come on, let's host a DIY backyard pool party this weekend!
Planning Ahead
Plan a day or two before so you have all the groceries you need to stay home and have a backyard BBQ. Make sure to plan a special treat for us pups as well, since we won’t be getting our own burger. I love our homemade pupsicles and pup friendly smoothies! (see recipes below) Fruity, fresh, and frozen! You can also premake some enrichment treats in your kongs or lick mats and freeze them the night before. Super tasty, burns some of my mental energy, AND is a nice cool treat on a hot day.
Set it all up and enjoy!
In the morning fill up the pool or connect the splash pad (better yet, do BOTH) to have some way of cooling off. Mom loves to set up a small folding chair in the pool and sits in there with me! We found this affordable “beach” umbrella on Amazon and prop it up in one of our chairs, but you could also buy a base for it for some extra shade on those hot days! Use a wireless speaker to play some fun tunes while you relax in your doggy paradise. Take breaks inside or in the shade with those yummy treats whenever you feel like the sun may be getting too hot. We also have this shaded, elevated dog bed that we have outside that works great as well. This is the best part about staying home, you can take a break from the outdoor fun whenever you need!
Dog Friendly Recipes
Dog Friendly Popsicles
½ cup fresh or thawed blueberries
½ cup fresh or thawed raspberries
¼ cup of coconut water OR greek yogurt (use coconut water for an extra hydrating treat, use greek yogurt for a high protein/probiotic treat)
Ice cube mold (preferably a dog print mold)
In two small bowls separate your berries and add a splash of coconut water to each to make it easier to mash the berries. Use a fork to mash the berries, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Scoop mashed berries into the pupsicle molds filling about half way. Feel free to mix and match! Top each mold with coconut water to fill. Freeze for a few hours and ENJOY!
The best part about both of these pup friendly recipes is that they are so versatile! Here's a list of the healthiest fruits for your pups so that you can make these fun recipes with whatever fruits you like to keep in your house!
Dog Friendly Smoothie
½ frozen banana
½ cup frozen mango
½ cup frozen blueberries
Handful fresh raspberries
About 10 oz coconut water
Pop all of these ingredients into a blender, blend until desired texture, split between you and human, and ENJOY!
Enrichment Treats
Lickmat Ideas: here are some great spreadable options, mashed bananas, greek yogurt, softened kibble with water or bone broth, unsweetened applesauce, 100% pumpkin puree, or peanut butter. Feel free to stick a couple of your dogs favorite treats or some fresh blueberries to the top of these spreads and then freeze!
Kong Ideas: All of the same spreadable options above, but to make it last little longer add some more texture with: carrots, cucumber, kibble or your dogs favorite crunchy treats. Layer these inside of the kong and then freeze!
Bonus Recipes for the Pawrents
Ok ok, we left out the humans…Here’s two of mom’s favorite recipes to have on a nice sunny day in the backyard:
Spicy Watermelon Margarita (makes one drink):
¼ cup fresh watermelon juice (you can make your own and strain it OR buy it from the store)
2 oz tequila blanco
1 oz cointreau or grand marnier
½ lime juice
2-3 jalapeno slices
Tajin for rim
Add watermelon juice, tequila, cointreau, and lime juice to a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Use squeezed limes to rim the glass with leftover juice and then flip your glass upside down and rim the glass with tajin on a plate. Add ice and jalapeno slices to the rimmed glass and top with strained contents of the shaker, ENJOY!
Cowboy Caviar:
1 red bell pepper
1 orange or yellow bell pepper
1-2 jalapenos (depending how spicy you like it)
½ red onion
1 avocado
1 can sweet corn (drained & rinsed)
½ can black beans (drained & rinsed)
½ can pinto beans (drained & rinsed)
1 small can of sliced black olives (drained)
½ to full container of feta
½ bunch cilantro
Dressing:
Juice of 2-3 limes (depending on size)
½ pack of taco seasoning
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Drizzle of honey (if you like things a little sweeter)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chop peppers, onion, avocado and cilantro, dump into large mixing bowl
Drain & rinse your canned goods, dump into large mixing bowl
Mix together your dressing, pour over the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Tastes best if chilled in fridge for at least an hour for flavors to marinate, but can be served right away with your favorite tortilla chips!
Backyard Toys & Supplies Review
Dog Friendly Splash Pad: 10/10
Our number one question in our instagram direct messages: Where did you get that?!
And the best part is, AMAZON, it’ll be there in less than two days and your pup can be splashin around on it soon. It is also specifically dog friendly so the material is more durable. I loved to just lay in the middle where the water pools up. To save water from constantly running we only leave the hose on that causes the sprinkler effect for a short period of time. The edge fills up and creates a shallow pool.
Dog Friendly Pool: 10/10
Durable, easy to collapse and store, and a great size! We usually set this up on our concrete patio to not ruin the grass since we opted for the largest size. Mom and pup comfortably fit inside this pool. We have even purchased a cover and pool skimmer for it so that we don't have to drain it every time we bring it out.
Touch Pad Sprinkler: 8/10
Fun water toy to use as a training opportunity. The water only comes out when the touchpad is stepped on so it is drought friendly. It is a fun water toy, but it only keeps my attention for a short period of time.
I hope you have as much fun as I do with your DIY Backyard Pool Party! Send me your pics and let me know what you did differently to add to your day.
As always, stay friendly!
Graham