Summer Days with Dakota

Summer Days with Dakota

Summer days drifting away, but oh those summer nights- I say to myself as I watch summer flying by! I have been trying to live it to the fullest with farmers markets, our back porch, some day drinking, exploring the city with festivals, enjoying lakeside picnics and dog beach excursions (despite our weird weather here in Chicago).  Oh, we even had a little summer vacay to NYC. Look for more details on that soon.

Picnics are absolutely, hands down one of my favorite summer activities. We are planning on doing a bunch over the next few weeks. We always let Dakota tag along. I mean duh, park+food=happy dog. If you want to know my go- to picnic items, check out my post here. I however, did not include Dakota’s favorite Vita Bone® Artisan Inspired® Dog Treats in that post. And trust me, they are worth mentioning.

The maple bacon and blueberry flavor remind me of brunch (another favorite summer pastime). Seriously, they smell good enough for a human to eat. Don’t worry, I didn’t. I love that they are made with real meat, fruit and veggies. They are sans corn, soy, by-products and artificial flavors which is the only way to go for your four legged bestie. I mean who wants their dog eating any of that? YUCK! I think first and foremost, I want the best for her. Just like we buy a lot of organic items when we pack our picnic, we want her to have the best snacks as well.

I always make sure to pack water for her too. It can get really hot here in the summer, and doggies can dehydrate easily. Dakota also likes to cool off with a dip in the cool water of Lake Michigan. Lucky for us, Belmont dog beach is not too far from where we like to picnic. She loves to wade into the water and chase after her water toys as long as they don’t go out too far. We laugh hysterically that she won’t ever actually swim. I guess she is more of kiddie pool type.

Of course, if she ends up at the dog beach, we have to have bath time when we get home. She is not a fan but is good natured about it as always. She is smart dog. So, it helps that she knows she’ll get more Vita Bone treats. Haha!

Staying stocked up for life’s little moments is super important. We are always ordering more from Walmart.com, but you can pick them up at Walmart and other select grocery stores.

If y’all haven’t had a chance for your fur babies to try Vita Bone Artisan Inspired biscuits, here is your chance. I am offering one lucky reader a chance to win Vita Bone treats and swag items. How do you win?

Here are the details.

• 1 Winner will be chosen at random within 48 hours of the end date.
• Prizing will consist of various Vita Bone treats and swag items
• This starts today, Tuesday, July 10th and will conclude on Sunday July 15th, at 5pm CST.
• How to enter: Comment on my post with a summer activity your pup loves AND subscribe to With Love, Melanie if you haven’t already. Entrants must be over eighteen years of age in the United States.
• If you are the winner, I will contact you via email (you enter it when you subscribe). From there, you can expect your prize, shipped by Vita Bone, within a week.

Good luck and happy summer!

Wanna shop my look….