Hot Weathered Dog

I hope everyone is enjoying the great Spring weather we are having! With all of the warm weather, of course, the beach and summertime is on everyone's mind. I started thinking about the last time I was at the beach back in August. A new sidekick was added to my beach trip, Isabelle. Now we had not really planned on her going until the last minute. Earlier in the Summer I had gone to the beach with my family, Isabelle and my sisters dog were left at home. The plan was that they would stay home during the day and my grandmother would take them with her at night. She has two dogs as well and they were not getting along with mine and my sisters Chihuahuas. So our dogs ended up staying home alone half of the time and at her house the other half. When my beach trip came around in August, I couldn't stand leaving her behind again. So I called my boyfriend Michael, who was waiting on me to arrive at his house so we could leave for the beach and told him we had a passenger! I packed her food and water and off we went! It was a long six hours to Holden Beach but we made it. Being a small town country dog, Isabelle doesn't get along well with leashes. We joke and say we are flying her because she jumps in the air the whole time we are trying to get her to walk. We waited until the next evening to take her down to the beach. She stayed in the beach house while we went out in the heat of the day. She was so cute running in the sand. Of course she tried to fight the other dogs who were politely walking on their leashes. I started thinking about how hot it is at the coast and how cautious a pet owner would have to be about not keeping their pet out in the heat too long. I found some interesting facts on ASPCA.com. When it is really hot outside let your pet inside to rest in the coolest area of your house, even if it is for a short time. Always have fresh cold water down for your pet, especially if they are outside. Don't take your dog on long walks on a hot day, their paws can burn on the hot pavement. Walk and exercise your dog in the early morning hours or at night when it is not as hot. Older or overweight dogs should not spend much time outdoors in the heat. Always rinse your dog off it it has taken a swim in the ocean. The saltwater could bother their skin and paws!