Recently my friend Daisy shared from her local community page a “Summer Bucket List” with 100 ideas of things for children to do. That got me and Asa thinking, “what would a dog’s summer bucket list look like?” Thus began our Summer Dog Challenge! The following are just a few suggestions of things for dogs to do this summer. If you do accept our double dog dare, and try any of these, please let us know! Or if you think of more things to do, because clearly Asa and I can’t think of everything, share your ideas with us. Who knows, we may even give them a try!

• Watch a sunrise
• Watch a sunset
• Go swimming in a pool, lake, and/or ocean
• Have a picnic
• Visit a new dog friendly place in your community
• Go on a road trip to someplace you haven’t been in a long time
• Go for a hike
• Sleep under the stars
• Take a scenic walk
• Run through a water sprinkler
• Eat homemade frozen treats
• Go for a ride in a boat, kayak, and/or canoe
• Donate new / gently used toys to your local pet shelter
• Chase bubbles
• Find a quiet spot to listen to the sounds of nature
• Roll in freshly mowed grass
• Ask a friend to snap a family portrait suitable for framing
• Play in the rain
• Watch fireflies
• Visit an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time
• Make new friends
• Play a nose work game in your yard
• Have a photoshoot at your favorite place
• Climb a mountain
• Donate pet food to your local food pantry
• Play fetch
• Teach your human a new trick
• Visit a dog friendly historic site
• Play with a water hose
• Go for a walk on the beach
• Host a family reunion with your littermates
• Watch a movie starring a dog
• Stay up past your bedtime
• Bark into a fan and listen to how funny it sounds
• Dine at a dog friendly restaurant
• Send a card to your shelter / breeder telling them how much fun you’re having
• Explore a new route for your daily walk
• Take a long nap in front of an air conditioner
• Play bobbing for ice cubes
• Participate in a fundraiser walk
• Try your paw at a dog sport: agility, obedience, fly dog, dock diving