Hot Dogs are Only Good for Eating!

  Posted on June 5, 2011  by Joy of Living  No comments

Bolt, Yorkie-Poo guest columnist:  What dog doesn’t love a fun walk around the ‘hood?  I certainly do, but in these current elevated temperatures, I’m lucky to make it around the house without feeling overheated.  My paws hurt.  My tongue is dragging on the ground. Drool is rolling off my beard. Not a pretty sight.

While I love my exercise, I want to warn you to exercise some common sense when it comes to your dogs and the outdoor life in the dog days of summer.  It’s hot outside, baby!  The ground is hot to our paws.  We are so much closer to the asphalt than humans are, so we feel the heat that much quicker and so much more exponentially.

Save the walks for the cooler times of day – early mornings and evenings.  Stick to shaded areas.  Limit the duration and intensity of the walks.  Make sure we have plenty of fresh, cool water.  If you think it’s hot, imagine how we feel!

Just be smart about it.  Heat stroke in pets can lead to illness, internal organ failure, and even death.  You can play games with us inside, too.  My master loves to have me chase her up and down the stairs a few times.  It’s a fun little game we play, and I sure do get some exercise that way.   So does she…in fact, I really think she does it for herself! I won’t let her know I know that, however.

Take care!  Catch you later! It’s nap time!