How To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Your Dog
St. Patrick’s Day, set to occur on March 17, is a festive holiday that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. Throughout the United States, there are parties, parades, and plenty o’ green! Since dogs are man’s best friend, it comes as no surprise that you want to celebrate the holiday with your pooch. Below, you’ll find the best ways for you to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your dog this year.
Indulge In Food At A Local Restaurant
One of the best ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your dog is with food! The holiday provides an excellent excuse for both you and your dog to eat and be merry. One of our favorite ways to do so is by taking our dogs with us to a local Irish restaurant that is dog-friendly.
Consider using a service like Bring Fido, a website that lists dog-friendly restaurants in your area. Many of these restaurants offer outdoor patio seating for dogs. Hopefully, the weather is warm enough on March 17 for you both to be able to sit outside and mingle with other pups.
Also remember that even though a restaurant is dog-friendly, they may not necessarily cater to dogs. If you plan on staying at the restaurant for a few hours, consider bringing your dog’s food and water with you in a travel or disposable bowl.
Bake St. Patrick’s Day Treats
If the weather is too cold, or there are no dog-friendly restaurants in your area, you can treat your pet to delicious food on St. Paddy’s Day. In the days leading up to March 17, you could prepare festive dog treats for your pup. One of our favorites is Shamrock Dog Treats, which you can make in about an hour. To do so, you’ll need ingredients that are safe for dogs, including:
- ½ fresh spinach, chopped
- ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- Shamrock cookie cutter or outline
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Optional: Parsley
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by placing a piece of parchment paper down. As the oven preheats, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. If you find that the dough is dry and crumbly, try adding another egg or a splash of olive oil so that the ingredients adhere to one another.
Once you have mixed the dough properly, take about a quarter of the mixture and flatten it onto the parchment paper. Use your Shamrock cookie cutter to begin cutting the treats. Repeat this process until you’ve used all of the dough. Place the raw treats in the oven until the ends have slightly browned, which should take approximately 30 minutes. Once you remove the treats from the oven, feel free to sprinkle some parsley on top for extra taste.
Another of our favorite “green” dog treats that you can make at home are Spinach & Green Apple Biscuits. To make these biscuits, you’ll need:
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 green apple without the core or seeds
- 2 cups of spinach
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If the dough is too wet, add a sprinkle more almond flour. Once you’ve combined the ingredients, roll them flat onto a baking sheet. Use your Shamrock cookie cutter to create the biscuits, repeating until you’ve used all of the dough.
Put the biscuits in the oven for about 25 minutes. At this time, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and rotate the pan. Allow the cookies to bake for roughly ten minutes until the biscuits begin to crisp. Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature before serving to your pet.
If you don’t have time to bake treats for your dog, you could also choose to buy them delicious snacks. We feel as though jerky is an appropriate dog treat for St. Patrick’s Day, considering that humans spend the holiday consuming corned beef.
Share A Drink With Your Dog – But Not Beer
St. Patrick’s Day is also a day for heavy alcohol consumption. Statistics show that the holiday is the fourth-heaviest drinking day of the year in America and that sales of Guinness beer increase by 819 percent! Unfortunately, beer is not something that you can share with your dog. Alcohol can be dangerous to your pooch, even if you think that a couple of sips is harmless.
Dr. Christine Rutter of Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences told PetMD, “A dog weighs substantially less and is not used to consuming alcohol. So processes that break down alcohol are not regulated in a dog the same way as a person who consumes alcohol once in a while.” Symptoms of alcohol poisoning in dogs can include:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Lethargy
- Muscle Tremors
- Slow and shallow breathing
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
However, just because your dog can’t drink alcohol doesn’t mean the two of you can’t enjoy festive drinks together! For instance, you can make Bark Beer for your dog, which relies on either chicken stock or bone broth as opposed to alcohol. Bark Beer should be entirely safe for your dogs to drink. Dogs can enjoy Bark Beer warm, frozen, or poured over dry food.
All you’ll need is one cup of chicken stock or bone broth and two tablespoons of chopped frozen spinach. Pour the liquid into a mason jar and then add the chopped spinach. For a mixture that is extra-green, make sure you cut the spinach more finely.
Once you’ve added the spinach, seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Shake the jar every couple of hours. After 24 hours, strain the excess spinach while pouring the liquid into another container. After that, you’re good to go! This liquid should last in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer for about three months.
One last note about alcohol: if your dog accidentally ingests too much beer or wine on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s essential that you act quickly. Make sure you have your vet’s number on hand, and always review life-saving procedures that will come in handy in case of emergency.
Enter A Parade With Your Dog
If your town is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, you and your dog should enter! Walking with your dog is an excellent way to stay fit while channeling your inner Irishman. Don’t be afraid to have you and your pet both dress up in festive St. Patrick’s Day gear.
Be careful putting a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” sign on your dog, though. You may never complete the parade route with all of the love and attention your adorable pup will receive! If you need some inspiration, check out this post from Elite Daily, which features seven of the most festive St. Patrick’s Day outfits for dogs.
If you’d rather pass on the parade, you can also see if there are local St. Patrick’s Day festivals in your area. Many of these festivals take place at local parks, which could prove to be a less stressful environment for your dog. Many organizers offer free admission and parking to these events. You’ll not only find food and drink, but you’ll likely also find live music, games, and other entertainment. This could prove to be an enjoyable day for the entire family.
Visit Your Local Dog Park
What better way to celebrate friendship and companionship than by taking your dog to the local dog park? Since March 17 may be one of the first warm days of the year, going to the dog park provides you both with the opportunity to enjoy the sun and green grass that marks the beginning of spring.
It can also give your dog the chance to make new friends that could last through the spring and summer. Bring Fido provides dog park listings available by location, so you should have no problem finding a park near you.
Throw A Party
Perhaps the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your pet is by throwing a dog-themed party. You can not only invite your friends and family, but you could encourage them to bring their dogs as well! Be sure to encourage all attendees – including pets – to dress up in festive costumes. Your friends and their dogs will surely love the festive Shamrock Treats and Bark Beer that you’ve provided for them as well.
How Do You Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
If you have a lovable pup, we want to hear from you! How have the two of you celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in the past? Did you use any of the ideas that we listed in the article above? Do you have festive recipes that you use to make treats for your dog each year on March 17? We encourage you to let us know in the comment section below. We also would love to see pictures of you and your dog dressed up in your best Irish attire!
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