Avoiding Heatstroke in Dogs

Posted by Joy Butler Apr 22, 2008

This afternoon here in South Texas, the temperature reached 80 degrees. Sitting outside in the shade felt pretty good but I had to run to the store for a couple of things. Katy, my middle terrier, loves to ride in the van and all winter she has gone with me on errands so of course she started her little 'asking dance' when she saw me reaching for my keys. She went with me to the bank drive-thru just the other day and sat on my lap anticipating the treat that would come back down the tube for her. She's a good traveling partner, knowing when to wait calmly, when to hop into my lap and when to stay out of the way. I knew she wanted to go today. The temperature wasn't THAT warm, was it? It wouldn't take long to run into the store, pick up a couple of items, check out, and be right back, would it? But what if I had to wait longer in line than usual ? Or what if I ran into someone I knew and couldn't get away from the conversation? You just never know what things can happen. Even though there was a breeze, I looked outside at the bright sun blazing down and knew my vehicle would turn into a greenhouse in no time.. If you don't believe me, just try parking in the sun in 80 degrees, rolling up the windows, and seeing how long you want to sit there. The car will turn into an oven and you'll have to get out before long. I don't want my Katy to have a heatstroke. I want her safe so I told her 'no' and promised her a trip to the drive-thru bank again soon.