It was 91 degrees on Sunday afternoon, and I found Hank lying on the kitchen floor directly in front of the freezer, chin on his paws, staring at the door like he was waiting for it to open on its own.
He knows what's in there. Every July we turn the top shelf of our freezer over to Hank. Here are the four frozen treats we've been making this summer, from the one I'd make every week to the one that ended up in the washing machine.
The everyday two
1. Broth cubes. The simplest one, and his favorite. I pour low-sodium chicken broth into an old ice cube tray, drop two or three pieces of his kibble into each cube and freeze it overnight. He gets one or two on the back step after his evening walk and crunches them like a kid with a popsicle.
The one thing I'm strict about is the label. A lot of store broths include onion or garlic, and both are a no for dogs, so I read every carton. When I can't find one without them, I save the plain water from boiling unseasoned chicken and use that instead.
2. Yogurt and blueberry drops. Plain, unsweetened yogurt, a handful of fresh blueberries and a silicone mold with small round cups. I spoon about a tablespoon of yogurt into each cup and press one or two blueberries in. They freeze in about four hours and pop right out.
Two label checks here too. The yogurt has to be plain with no added sweeteners (xylitol turns up in some "light" products and is dangerous for dogs), and the first summer I introduced it slowly, a drop or two at a time, to make sure his stomach handled dairy. His does. Not every dog's does.
Mabel sniffed one of these, looked at me with open disappointment and walked away. She abstains from anything frozen on principle.
3. The frozen Kong, for long afternoons
This is the one that buys us the most quiet. I soak a portion of his kibble in warm water until it's soft, mix in a spoonful of plain yogurt, pack it into a Kong Classic and seal the big end with a thin layer of peanut butter (xylitol-free, always checked). Overnight in the freezer, and it's good for twenty-five minutes of serious work on the back step.
Because the kibble comes out of his dinner, it doesn't add much to his day. Our vet's line is that treats should stay a small slice of what a dog eats overall, and on heavy-treat days I take a little out of his bowl. How much room your own dog has for extras is a good question for your next visit, since it depends so much on the dog.
4. The giant pupsicle (don't)
Here's my mistake. I'd seen pictures of big frozen treat blocks and decided to make one: a quart deli container of broth, yogurt, mashed banana and blueberries, frozen solid. It looked great. It was also enormous, and a quart of mostly yogurt doesn't stay solid for long in July.
I handed it to Hank in the backyard. He took it from me very gently, turned around, walked straight inside through the back door I'd left open and lay down with it on the washable living room rug. By the time I caught up, he'd licked it into a soft, sticky puddle that was spreading slowly across the rug and onto the oak.
The rug went through the washer twice. The floor got a long wipe. Hank looked extremely pleased with himself. Big frozen treats are outside-only now, the back door stays shut, and I've gone back to small portions he finishes before they melt.
What it costs
Almost nothing on top of what we already buy. A tub of plain yogurt is a few dollars, the blueberries come out of the same box we eat from, and the broth is either a carton on sale or free. I'd guess our homemade frozen treats add about six dollars a month in July and August, which leaves our $24 monthly treat budget mostly intact.
Both ice cube trays are full of broth again. Caleb's ice now lives in a bag in the freezer door, and he's been very gracious about it.
