The Dog Days of Summer are upon us. All of us hug the air-conditioning, or lie in the deepest shade, panting. Now, I don't know about you, but for me, one thing that simply hits the spot this time of year is a tall, frosty glass of lemon-kissed, sweet iced tea. However, if you offered some to your Sheltie, he would probably taste it and react, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" I often give the dogs ice cubes and ice blocks made from freezing water in a container, so they can beat the heat by crunching down on ice and playing with it, but for a really special treat, I make Dog Iced Tea. In the world of lace napkins and silver tea services, this would be known as "frozen consomme," but hey, we are barefoot in a t-shirt and old shorts, sitting on the porch in the shade surrounded by flat furdogs, right? So I call it Dog Iced Tea.

Get some beef bouillion, the cubes or the granules, it does not matter which. Place the bouillion in hot water and stir until completely dissolved. Use five to ten times more water than you would use if you were making bouillion or broth for yourself. Experiment with the amount of water to bouillion, depending on what your own dogs like best. Pour the broth into ice trays, or into empty margarine tubs or other small plastic containers that can be frozen, pop them into the freezer and freeze hard. When your furdogs are hot and bored (and so are you), simply pop the Dog Iced Tea out onto the lawn and watch them go for it. The cold bouillion is a little salty, good for them in the heat, and the faint beef taste will keep them licking.

Be sure to have your camera handy the first time you serve this canine summer treat!

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