Just about any information a person may hear can seem truer if they hear it often enough. Repetition works wonders. Repetition works wonders.
The topic here is dogs and hot weather and here goes the the plea, once again (and it naturally goes double for children, where applicable).
The short-form of this message would be to simply suggest that dogs be left at home far more often than they are. We’re not formally linked with the SPCA, by the way, just interested in much of what it promotes.
The longer form stresses the fact of how fast a vehicle heats up once the A/C goes off, how hot pavement can be for the feet of a pooch on a 30+ day... how there’s no way a panting tongue alone can properly cool an animal sporting a thick fur coat.
Sure this is all repeated every summer, but just like drinking and driving warnings, it’s well worth repeating if the lives of only one or two pets are spared or made more comfortable.
If you’re able to check out our website at www.castlegarnews.com under “community” or facebook.com/castlegarnews there’s a posting of a veterinarian spending 30 minutes in a car on a hot day. Sure, you can imagine... but it’s worth watching.
One last thing, if you have your sheepdog or pug in the car with you during this hot weather and you really are only going to leave them for a minute or two, please try to be tolerant if someone takes you to task in a parking lot, it’s because they care. Hopefully they won’t go overboard. Then again... why not avoid any possible conflict and just leave the dog at home near the water dish?