To anyone who’s been napping for the last five months and is just waking up in the middle of a blazing summer, welcome to August.
A sad story this week out of Arizona, where local stations report a man hiking with his two dogs called 911 when he and the dogs were experiencing heat exhaustion symptoms. It’s being reported that one of the dogs died in the heat, and the man may be charged with animal neglect.
Let’s give this man the benefit of the doubt and assume that he did not intend for harm to come to his dog. Here are a couple of important tips to remember to stay safe in the heat of summer:
- Early mornings and late nights are your friends.
- Acclimate first. Some dogs may spend the majority of their time outside. Their owners know they can handle the heat because they have been handling the heat. If a dog spent a lot of time outside all through March, all through April, and all through May, then it’s had time to prepare for the real heat. DO NOT just decide to make your dog an outside dog in the middle of August.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Keep water accessible inside and outside 24/7. Consider installing an automatic waterer to prevent the “I forgot” risk.
- Keep it short and sweet. Outdoor exercise sessions can be short, intense, and fun (think canine HIIT) and then over.
- Bring on the hose! A rinse-down can be a great way to cool them off if they do need to spend some time outside.
What are your tips for beating the heat with your dogs?
