It's HOT!

Yes, Friends - first blog back in a month (and a crazy, crazy month it's been), and today we're going to talk about doggies and why they get so tired when it's hot outside.

Yesterday, Rob took Miles for a walk. During this walk, Miles got so tired that he would literally try to find a patch of shady grass and lay down. Apparently, he did this a couple of times. We took him swimming (he's afraid of the water) and when we got home, he slept.

And slept.

And slept.

Then he slept through the night, and had to be woken up this morning. When we went to doggy day care, he slept on the way. He was crazy and energetic when we got there (as he always is - he LOVES doggy day care) and when Rob came to pick him up, he was T-I-R-E-D. He's been in this position pretty much the entire night:

This got me thinking a lot about heatstroke, and ways that we'll be able to keep him cool during the summer, as I think it will be a challenge on the really hot days like the past few have been. So, here goes:

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! 'Nuff said.

2. If at all possible, leave a kiddie pool filled with cool water outside for the dog to play in. This will have the dual benefit of being able to still play outside and to keep cool at the same time.

3. If it is excessively hot, keep the dog inside!

4. Did you know that they made cooling vests and collars for dogs that you can fill up with cool water and ice? I didn't! They're right here.

5. Watch out for signs of heat stroke. They are the following:

Excessive panting or difficulty breathing
Increased heart and respiratory rate
Drooling
Mild Weakness
Collapsing

6. Go places with lots of shade on the hot days.

7. Keep walks to a minimum (or at the very least, shorten them on the really hot days). Dogs get much more tired in the summer months, and shortening their walks not only puts less of a strain in the heat, but also minimizes the danger of getting stuck somewhere because the dog is too tired and hot to walk back, which would exponentially increase the risk of heat stroke.

The reasons to take these precautions are because your dog can't. Dogs don't sweat. They regulate their body temperature by panting. It is also much harder for a dog to regulate their body temperature than it is for a human, so they must work harder to make it so. Most of all, we'll keep Miles safe by exercising a little common sense and listen when he tries to tell us that it's just too damn hot to be outside. :)

There he goes, pressing his whole body into the cool linoleum like Rob after a party. What a good boy.

Next up? The adventures of moving with three animals (with the subtitle "Why our soon to be former landlady is a total and complete nutjob"), which is happening in t-minus eleven days. I can't WAIT. :)

The Community of Pet Owners

Since Miles joined the family, there is one thing that constantly surprises me. It’s nothing he does. Miles could stand up and give a perfectly elocuted lecture on German expressionism and I would likely just shrug and say, ‘hmm, I just though that guy’s vision was blurry.” No, it’s the other dog owners we meet that surprise me. A lot of the people we know well are aware that we have a puppy, and some will offer a little unsolicited advice or ask how things are going, which is great; a little dog talk is enough to improve any conversation. Complete strangers, though, are another story.

Here's Miles at the Concord Dog Park nuzzling up to a friend he made 

that day

Every weekend we’ve had Miles out and about to keep him as socialized as possible. He’s been walking the streets of Portsmouth, going to puppy play groups, hanging out at college campuses, hitting up huge street markets and going to dog parks. The other dog owners we meet are just amazing. Not only are they the friendliest people toward Miles, they are also the friendliest people toward us. We always strike up a conversation with these other dog lovers we’ve never met but love to talk about our shared experiences. We talk about how old he is, how training is going, the funny thing their dog did last week, rescues vs. pets from breeders, purebreds vs. the muts, and plenty more.

Ryan, and a handful of other owners at the dog park

This isn’t really surprising. If we see someone else with a dog, we instantly know that we have something in common, and therefore something to discuss. When we’re walking Miles, the same thing happens in other dog owners and soon enough we’re chatting away. No one can really deny how having a dog improves the human and animal connection, but who knew that having a pet could improve the human and human connection?

It’s remarkable how many times one person can walk by another person on the street and exchange little more than a nod or fleeting glance. Throw a tail-wagging puppy into the mix and the two people are going on like old friends discovering each other again. Usually our conversations run fairly short, but every once in a while we really get into it with someone where the dialogue just keeps going on to newer, previously unknown topics. Rob’s first run-in with this came at the Healthy Living fair a few weeks ago, but yesterday we took Miles to the Concord dog park where we got to talking with people for nearly two hours straight.

Everybody gets along when our four-legged friends are around

We could go on and on about the benefits of socializing a dog (particularly a puppy), but it’s becoming clear that the benefits extend well beyond the puppy’s life. Pets create an overwhelming community of like-minded support for all their human companions. People love to whip out their cameras or phones to show others the pictures of their pets (this happened with us and the cats for years), but more than that they love to share their joy of raising a pet with others who can return that joy. Pets provide a superb opportunity to bring people together in any relationship, from a first encounter to marriage. They create the enormous community—across all differences—of people who love animals. Isn’t it great that Miles can do that? He’s such a good boy.