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Wednesday, June 21, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
Heat can be
deadly for dogs
The dog days of summer
are approaching and when
the mercury rises, your furry
friends are at risk for heat-
stroke or death when their pet
parents make the mistake of
leaving them in a parked car.
Every year across the
nation, thousands of pets fall
victim to or die from hot-
weather-related conditions
due to the ignorance or poor
judgment by a pet parent.
Leaving your pet in a
parked car can be a deadly
mistake. Did you know that
the temperature inside a car
can reach 120 degrees in a
few minutes?
Even partially open win-
dows won’t protect your furry
friend from heatstroke!
Parked cars are death-
traps for dogs.
While people can identify
signs of exhaustion or stress,
it can be harder to determine
when pets are distressed.
According to Oregon
Humane Society, excessive
thirst, heavy panting, leth-
argy, drooling, vomiting and
an internal temperature of
104 degrees are all signs of
heat stress.
How can you prevent your
dog from suffering in a hot
car?
Don’t take your pets with
you to run errands. Rover
may enjoy a car ride, but
leaving him in the car while
you go into the store for even
10 minutes on a warm day
could turn deadly! No animal
deserves to suffer trapped in
the sweltering heat of a big
metal oven on wheels with no
way to save himself
The good news is that you
might soon be able to save
an animal that is trapped in
hot car without facing legal
repercussions.
The Oregon Senate passed
a bill (House Bill 2732) last
Wednesday that exempts peo-
ple from criminal or civil lia-
bility if they break into a car
to rescue a pet or a child. In
other words, Oregonians who
see an animal or child over-
heating in a hot car will soon
be able to take action without
fear of legal consequences.
Senator Peter Courtney,
a Salem Democrat, said the
bill came about with the help
of a Girl Scout troop from
Southwest Oregon. He said
this year alone, there have
been several incidents where
children or dogs have been
left in overheated cars.
The bill allows the use of
reasonable force to enter a
vehicle. Anyone who does
break into a car is required to
remain at the scene until law
enforcement arrives.
The bill is now on its way
to Governor Kate Brown’s
desk for signing.
The Humane Society of
Central Oregon has posters
available for businesses and
windshield flyers that educate
folks on the dangers of leav-
ing pets in cars. The educa-
tional flyers list the warning
signs of a pet suffering from
heat exhaustion or stroke.
Another summertime heat
threat for your furry friend is
hot pavement.
When walking Rover,
keep in mind that if it feels
hot enough to fry an egg out-
side, it probably is. When the
air temperature is 86 degrees,
the asphalt can reach a siz-
zling 135 degrees – more than
hot enough to cook an egg in
five minutes!
And it can do the same to
your dog’s sensitive footpads.
And on an 87-degree
day, asphalt temperatures
can reach 140 degrees, hot
enough to cause burns, per-
manent damage, and scar-
ring after just one minute of
contact. Hot sidewalks, pave-
ment, and parking lots can
also reflect heat onto dogs’
bodies, increasing their risk
of deadly heatstroke.
You wouldn’t put your
dog in a frying pan, so please
don’t make him walk on hot
pavement. Always test the
pavement with your hand
before going out with Rover.
Heatstroke or exhaustion
can occur very quickly for
your pooch as he only has
the ability to sweat through
the pads of his feet. And the
way your dog expels heat is
through panting.
It makes sense to walk
early in the morning or late in
the evening when it’s cooler.
Remember to carry water and
take frequent breaks.
It’s up to you as a respon-
sible pet parent to watch for
heat stress and dehydration
in your dog, know when it’s
time to take a break, to give
him a drink, and to rest in the
shade for a while.
Your furry friend doesn’t
the ha
541-549-
8771
realize that he will overheat
while playing fetch in the
park on a hot day; he won’t
know when he is overheated
until it is too late. Get creative
and find innovative ways to
cool Fido down. Find a spot
in the shade and set up a kid-
die pool or lay down a wet
towel for your dog to lie on.
Dogs cool from the bottom
up. So, make sure to spray the
paws and stomach, not just
the top of Rover. That’s why a
wet towel does more good on
the bottom of your dog than
when laid on top of him.
Many people in Central
Oregon don’t have air-condi-
tioning due to the cool sum-
mer nights, but with warmer
temperatures in the summer
you will have to watch for
signs of heatstroke indoors,
also. To keep your furry friend
from overheating indoors, try
a cooling body wrap vest or
mat, such as Keep Cool Mat.
You can also give Rover dog-
gie popsicles using peanut
butter, berries, or watermelon.
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