08/27/2026
Even though this is common sense, sometimes, people still need a reminder. I’m driving in my car right now and I just looked down at the speedometer. At 5:20 in the afternoon it’s registering 102°. Please make sure you’re outside animals have fresh, cool water. If you can bring them in even for a few hours a day, do it. It is way too hot for animals to sit out in the sun. Providing shade is good, but it’s not always enough. This heat is brutal. Once an animals core temperature gets elevated, it takes quite a while for it to cool down. Even when you bring them inside, they can continue to suffer from internal damages for the next 24 hours. Heat can cause kidney failure and shut down organs, fast.
Squished face dogs do not do well in the heat. Dogs must pant in order to cool down. Dogs like pugs, Shih Tzu, English bulldogs,Frenchies  and Pekingese all have the squished face. They already have restricted breathing, so once they get overheated, it can become fatal very quickly.
Sometimes, people put out misting systems. This also helps, but if you have a double coated dog, be careful. I’ve learned with my Siberian huskies how fast moisture can get trapped under that bottom layer and then it becomes a sauna next to their skin.
Filling up orange juice jugs, or any kind of plastic jug with water and freezing it, and putting them in their outside water bowls acts as large ice cubes. Rotate them out throughout the day to keep the water bowls cold.
Also, when you turn on your water hose, do not spray it directly on them right away or let them drink from the hose. The water sitting in the lines will come out scalding hot. I’ve seen lots of dogs end up with major burns all over their body from people that didn’t realize that.
And also, please do not leave your pets in your car with the windows cracked thinking it’s OK. If you see somebody doing this, please call the cops. If I see somebody doing this and the animal is in distress, you better believe I’m breaking your window to get your dog out.
Stay cool!