Pets and the Heat!

Hello everyone,

Today is a gorgeous day but HOT HOT HOT!! I'm the dog owner that takes my "baby", Aztec, the 100lb lab everywhere I go. When I get my truck keys, Aztec is there waiting for me with those big brown loving eyes. But this time of year, even on a semi-warm coastal day, I leave my buddy at home...no matter how droopy his eyes may get. I just wanted to say, please think twice before you take your dog along with you in a hot car.

On even warm days, it can take less than 10 minutes for the inside temperture of your car to rise to damaging degrees. Even with the windows cracked, this heat could potentially kill and/or seriously injure your best friend. So be careful and just leave your buddy at home, and/or go straight to and from the park.

Here are some other great ways for your pets to stay cool this summer:

1. Substitute sheets for bedding
2. Put a frozen bottle of water, wrapped in a towel, in your pet's bed.
3. Wait until evening for his/her walk
4. ALWAYS carry water with you
5. Check pavement temperature when walking your dog during the day. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot for your pooches' paws. There are some nifty "doggie booties" for hot and cold weather online. Check out Ruffwear.

Ruffwear.com

-Stay Cool Everyone! -Christine

A Child Dealing with Pet Loss

Hello out there,

I recently returned from the beautiful Canadian Rockies with my family and two and a half year old son. After seeing so much wildlife and enjoying the sites, we came home to our 7 year old lab, Aztec. We all missed him horribly...but it was Eli, my son, who missed him the most! When he saw his dog, he ran to him and said, "Oh Azzie!" and gave him a huge bear hug. I hadn't realized how attached Eli was to Aztec, even at such a young age. I started thinking down the road and of how the death of a pet would affect his young mind and emotions. After some research, I wrote the following article, which I hope some of you can find helpful at this time.

Children and Pet Loss

-Christine