If the user stats I’ve glanced through are correct, you probably have a dog. A four-legged friend in tow is almost as much a part of the great outdoors as the implements we carry for hunting and fishing.

With the weather thoroughly in “summertime” mode (read: hotter’n blazes for half the week, pretty darn nice the rest of the time), I thought it would be good to remind you of something very important:

When you hit the woods or lake with Fido, bring along plenty of water, and know where the shade is.

A 25-pound dog can suck down 1.25 liters of water on an average day. a 50-pounder can knock back a two-liter’s worth of water. Add hot temps tot he mix, and you can see that the owner of a full-size canine has to think about where his dog can get clean water on a regular basis throughout the day.

Add to that the fact that dogs don’t sweat through their skin, and you need to really pay attention on hot summer days. A dip in the lake certainly can help keep your dog cool, but without decent shade, that may not be enough to help your beloved mutt regulate his or her temperature. If you’re going to be out for an extended period of time, plan when and where you can stop to let the dog cool off in a shady spot.

Keeping those items in mind can make the difference between a fun day with your furry friend and potentially dangerous heat illness. It’s cooled off this week, but the summer’s fury is on its way, so do some pre-planning this week to keep Rover as happy as you are.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 8:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.