Dog Days of Summer

I thought I had the shedding dog problem all figured out. Twice a year I have my lab mutt Willamena shaved. Her short hairstyle is all the rage, all the cool dogs are doing it. However, upon interviewing Talia Senna, a kennel manager and trainer at Dog Gone Smart in Norwalk on how to keep your pets safe during this heat wave, she tells me my dog's coat is there for her protection. That it actually helps her stay cool.

But what about my floor?

To my relief the trainer said as long as I wasn't shaving her as a means to keeping her cool, its okay. Whew. She did warn, though, that close cutting the fur on a dog that is outside a lot, can risk sunburn and skin irritation.

While much hot weather safety is common sense, such as not leaving your pet in the car where temperatures can reach 140 degrees, there are a few things you might not have thought of.

I could tell Willamena wasn't liking something about the hot weather, since she's been trying to pull me back into the apartment after only a third of her usual walk. It turns out her paws might have been sensitive to the hot sidewalk. Unlike popular belief, Senna says dogs' paws aren't leather-like and tough. She says they are the most sensitive part of the dog's body and can burn very easily. So advice is to not take your dog on a log walk on the pavement. Try to get to grass as soon as possible.

Here is Willamena after a long walk on not-so-hot pavement to see magician David Blaine.

If a situation occurs where you need to check for dehydration, Senna says to look at your dog's gums. Lift up its jowls and look right where the gumline meets the tooth. If it's white, your dog is in the first stage of dehydration. Also, if you pinch your dogs skin and it doesn't snap back right away, Senna says you need to get your dog to the vet for fluids.

While cooling off in a lake or swimming pool is fun for many dogs - did you know dogs die in swimming pools because they can't figure out how to get out? They can't see the stairs and panic when they can't pull themselves up. Willamena loves to swim, she'll jump into any lake, mud puddle or fish pond she sees. But did you know places like Dog Gone Smart offer doggie swimming lessons? The trainers there also advise the use of life jackets for your dog. Not because it can't swim, but because, like Willamana, it might not want to get out! With a life jacket, you can use a long line and pull your pet in if it gets tired.