How to Plan a Dog Friendly Picnic + a Give Away

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This post is sponsored by Parrano Dutch Cheese (If Dutch Gouda and Sharp Parmesan had a love child, it would be Parrano.) While we are being compensated for this post, all opinions expressed are 100% our own and all products featured in this post were chosen by me. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here. 

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I love planning dog friendly things to do with Koly & Fe.

Now that the weather is brightening up, we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors exploring the neighbourhood and discovering new parks and places to play. Since my Koly is a real food hound, I was really excited to plan a dog friendly picnic! What could be better than kicking back in the park, sharing a little chow and playing around a bit? Nothing. We had a great time and we think you would love it too, so we’re sharing our tips to make sure your dog friendly picnic goes off without a hitch.

• Choose a dog friendly spot, but NOT an off leash dog park.

Kolchak always wears his leash in public parks, even when he’s posing for a picture.

It’s always important to make sure dogs are allowed in public park spaces before you bring them along, but not all parks are a good choice for a dog friendly picnic. Bringing food into an off leash park is a recipe for disaster and we don’t recommend it. Look for a pretty spot, with lots of shade, that allows on leash dogs to hang out with their humans. Bonus points if there is an off leash area nearby, so you can play ball or frisbee after your picnic.

For more ideas on how dogs and people can respectfully share park spaces, check this post out.

• Pack snacks that are safe to share.   You need tasty food in your pic-a-nic basket, eh BooBoo?  The whole point is to get outdoors and share some tasty treats with your dog. While I wouldn’t pack a full meal of treats for my dogs, I love making something a little special just for the occasion. If you’re picnicing with other people, particularly if you’re picnicing with kids, then you need to make sure there are plenty of dog friendly snacks on hand. Let’s face it, someone is going to sneak Fido something when they think you’re not watching, you might as well make sure that the food is dog  safe. If you have a food hound that has a tendency to steal, consider packing only dog friendly picnic nosh. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in how much fun you’re having and the dogs will totally take advantage of any chance to steal something tasty.

As it turns out, Parrano Cheese makes a fine, fine dog treat and Kolchak is totally cuckoo bananas for our Easy Cheesey dog treat recipe.

While the dogs tucked into those, the humans enjoyed a delicious fire-roasted tomato bruschetta with smooth Parrano Dutch Cheese and gluten free crackers. Even though the bruschetta was strictly for humans only, I may or may not have snuck the pups each a bite or two of this delicious cheese, though truth be told, it was almost too good to be shared.

Other great picnic foods that you can share with your dogs include carrot sticks, watermelon slices, apple chunks or even leans meats. (Koly loves it when I share a piece of chicken breast from my chicken salad sandwich!)

• Stay hydrated. On a hot summer day when you’re having fun, it can be easy to forget to stay hydrated, but it’s so important! Make sure you pack plenty of water and a travel bowl for the pooches. When you’re on the go, nifty tools like the Bobble water bottle filters can help you make sure you’re drinking enough, even if you have to refill the bottle from that yucky fountain at the park.

• Plan to get messy.  Picnicing with dogs and kids (and me) can be messy. Come prepared. Make sure you pack a woof load of napkins. For easy clean up, consider using a picnic table cloth instead of a blanket. The plasticized fabric is perfect for quickly wiping off spills and you won’t have to do laundry when you get home.

Pack a tons of napkins. You’ll need ’em.

• Don’t forget to have fun! That’s what a dog friendly picnic is all about after all! Pack balls, frisbees or your dog’s favourite toy, so that you can run around and have a good time after you’ve eaten.

YOU COULD WIN OUR

DOG FRIENDLY PICNIC BASKET!

Thanks to the folks at Parrano, we’re giving away a dog friendly picnic basket filled to the brim with toys and treats for pups and their people!

What’s inside? Check it out!

Do you want to win?

Leave a comment below telling us what you think is the most important part of a dog friendly picnic, then complete the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win!

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