Summer Pet Care
Most of our pets enjoy playing outside with us. They'll be glad to follow you as you go jogging, biking, or out on your boat! (The water-loving breeds especially love to go on a boat.) Treat light colored skin on the tips of their ears and nose with a little sunscreen to prevent the same peeling and skin cancers that we get. (Use the kind you put on babies.)
Unfortunately, they are like small children and need a responsible party to keep them from overdoing it and hurting themselves.
Make sure they're wearing a collar with an ID tag, and think carefully before taking them to crowded, public events. Not all pets enjoy the crowding, noise, or fireworks; which scare some dogs and hurt their ears. Cats, with their conservative natures, usually want to stay inside, and are safer and live longer lives there.
 Please don't let them down!
Riding Along to the Store!
You're running to the store for a few things. Fluffy wants to ride along! It'll only take a few minutes. You know just what you need, and right where it is in the store! It's during the week, weekdays are always slower at the stores. You'll run the air on the way, hurry right in, grab 'em up, and hustle through the check-out! How long can it take? 10 minutes? Are you sure??
Well, I timed myself while running into the hardware store at 7:30 AM to pick up 2 items. I knew right where both items were, went straight to them and returned to the register. There was one man in front of me. No complications with finding skew codes, checking for drivers licenses, parking at the back of the lot, etc. When I unlocked my car to get in, it had taken 15 min!
Then we did a little "scientific" test of car temps. We parked the car in the driveway - in the sun. (Like a store parking lot.) I started it up and ran the air-conditioner for 10 minutes to cool it down to about 75°. It was about 9:00 AM. I leaned a thermometer in a flowerpot, next to the house, in the shade. Outside temperature was 83 degrees. I propped another thermometer up on the shady side of the seat, shut the doors, and set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes.
At 10 minutes I checked it: 104 °
At 20 minutes: 115°
At 30 minutes: 129 ° One person ahead of you may mean a 10° increase in the temp inside your car!!
Please understand that this test did not use fancy thermometers, and you might find your results a little different; the results could be off a few degrees - in either direction. Animals pant to cool down. As the air moves through their nasal passages, it picks up excess heat from the body and expells it through the mouth. This is an efficient way to control body heat, but it depends on open areas to release the humidity. If the pet is in a closed area, at 104 ° to 115°, they will quickly overheat.
Heat Stroke!
| 
If you let your dog ride along frequently, think about getting a "doggie seat belt". They fasten into one of your seat belts and may save their life in case of an accident.