DoggyStyle: Picnic Blankets with Dogs

Miss M loves our blankets so much she even uses them indoors

It seems the goal of nearly even Chicagoan in the summer is to spend as much time outdoors as possible so things like this won't seem quite as bad. We spend our summer in a flurry of spontaneous picnics, neighborhood festivals, outdoor movies, and alfresco dining, all with the pups at our side. While we've learned to pack a 'city essentials' bag we've also learned the art of bringing just the right type of picnic blanket.

Impromptu Picnics and Outdoor Dining

Between all of the food trucks and our penchant for dog-walking dessert tours and taco crawls, it has become too easy for us to have spontaneous picnics mid-walk or just drop into an alfresco cafe. I always keep a light-weight sarong in my bag which is small enough to fit into our everyday dog walking bag while being easy enough to pull out for impromptu dining in the park and curbside sitting during street fests. For mid-length sitting in the park where we won't be out so long, sometimes we just grab a mid-weight sarape that is still lightweight, but a bit more comfortable to sit on.

Movies in the Park and Family Outings

For our planned picnics in the park that last a long time, we started using a large plush comforter that can fit all of us. We got ours on sale at Target. Miss M tends to get impatient sitting in parks, but we've found being able to lay on a comforter (maybe because it reminds her of the privilege of being able to lay on a bed?) is enough to keep even her satisfied. These are definitely more cumbersome to carry, so we usually plan to use these if driving, though we have also been able to use a vacuum-seal packing bag to stuff it into E's backpack for a 2+ mile walk home.

Wet Grass

After seeing how a lined picnic blanket is just that much more expensive, we started carrying a shower curtain liner to put under our blanket to keep us all dry.

What other preparations do you make when planning outings with your pups?

Also:
They also come in handy for things like this
Or this.
Don't forget you still have time to win a "Date with Your Dog"