As we welcome the official beginning of summer tonight at 7:00pm, the weather will be agreeing that summer is truly here. The temperatures are supposed to be close to 100 degrees today and possibly the next several days, and this is certain to be just the start of a long, hot summer. The ARL often receives complaints when people see pets left outside without shelter on days like this, as well as reports of seeing dogs left in cars for extended periods of time.  Year-after-year, we remind everyone to please watch pets during hot weather. Here’s a reminder of what to do and what not to do. Please share this post with your friends.

• Groom your pet regularly, either by a professional groomer or do-it-yourself, to remove undercoat or to keep fur short.  Brush dogs and cats frequently.
• Provide pets with access to plenty of clean, fresh water.
• If pets must stay outside, ensure that they have shaded shelter. But ideally keep pets indoors.
• Older pets can be very sensitive to the heat. Be sure to keep them inside and as cool as possible.
• Never allow a pet to stay in a car for more than just a couple of minutes. No more!  If you must leave your pet in a car for that short time, please open the windows enough to allow air to circulate. Temperatures rise very quickly in cars and pets can suffer from heat stroke or even die. Putting the window down just an inch or two is not enough!

·         Remember that pavements get hot on sunny, warm days. Avoid prolonged running with your dog. And if your pets live outside on concrete, please see that they have a cool place to retreat to.

·         Do you like to take your dog everywhere with you? It’s so fun to have the car windows down with the warm breeze blowing through your hair. Dogs love it too! But be careful – some dogs may try to jump out the window and flying objects like insects can injure your dog’s eyes.

·         Those of you with pickup trucks, please, please be careful about allowing your dogs to ride in the back. Just one slam of your brakes or bump in the road with send your dog sailing. It’s best not to allow dogs in the back of the truck.

Always remember that your pets are wearing fur coats.  Even though you may think it's not too hot, they might disagree! Monitor your dog. Don’t allow him to overexert in the heat. Dogs just want to have fun and may not know their limits. They could easily get heatstroke.

If you happen to see a dog in a car for an extended period of time, please do not call the ARL because by law we cannot intervene. Call the police immediately. It is a criminal offense to keep an animal in a hot car. The police will be able to either locate the owner or attempt to free the animal.

If you see a pet outside for extended periods of time with no shelter, food or water, please call the ARL or complete a cruelty form. Please note that the law says the ARL cannot interfere if the pet has adequate shelter and water. Sadly, we see so many pets who are kept outdoors and we cannot do anything about it because the owner has met the minimum requirements.