Dog Days of Summer

I think the majority of dogs love to ride in the car as long as they know it won't culminate at the vet's office. But well-meaning dog owners have been killing their beloved pets for years. How?

By leaving them in cars.

Dogs don't get rid of heat the way that we do. They can't sweat like we do. When you leave a dog in a car, the temperature can rapidly rise to over 110 degrees in just a matter of minutes. Even if you leave the car windows cracked down, there is not enough air circulation to allow the air to cool. Unless you leave all the windows all the way down and the car totally parked in the shade, you are risking your pet's life.

In some states, it's now illegal to leave an animal, child, or other incapacitated person in a closed car. And some carmakers are now developing passenger compartment alarm systems to alert passersby if the interior temperature reaches a certain level and movement is detected within the compartment.

"It's just a minute!" Famous last words. How many times have you gone somewhere and ended up talking for a half-hour to someone you ran into? Time gets away from us. A couple of years ago, a police K9 died in the Tampa area because the cruiser he was in stalled out and the car's alarm failed to go off notifying the officer that the car - and air conditioner - was no longer running. If it can happen to a police cruiser, what makes you think it can't happen to your car?

If you can't take your dog inside, leave them at home unless you can leave someone in the car with them to make sure the air is running and they are safe. Is a quick car ride really worth risking their life over? Save the car rides for a trip to the dog park or an outside ice cream stand when both of you can truly enjoy it.

And don't forget other basic safety tips: take a bottle of water and bowl on outings, let your dog rest if it starts panting too hard or if it starts exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion, ask your groomer about smart clips that will maximize your dog's ability to cool itself while still giving it protection from the sun (and no, a heavy coat does NOT keep a dog cool!), and most importantly of all, remember that if you're hot, your dog probably is too.

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