Dogs and Pools
16 August 2008Following on from my last serious post about dogs being left in hot cars in the summer sun Hot Dogs, I’m keeping the serious stuff going with a hard hitting article about another equally fatal danger that lurks in many places especially during this hot summer season.
Swimming pools.
Now especially here in Spain but I gather it is prevalent in many warm countries, many homes and community areas have their own swimming pools. We have one in our community and it is open to all residents in our small array of homes. Being in the centre of our communal gardens each home has easy access to the pool. There are signs everywhere saying NO DOGS and for very good reason.
Our pool, like most private or community pools is not supervised by a dedicated attendant, so supervision of children is left in the capable hands of the parents and here in Spain, the family unit is much stronger than in many other countries. This works well as it should do – naturally parents are the best people to look after their children and there are always adults in the vicinity of the pool during the day.
But at other times there is no one at the pool. Children are not allowed in the pool after dark – a rule imposed by their parents for safety reasons, so there is no need.
But what about dogs?
Well, it is up to the owners of dogs to ensure they don’t get into the communal gardens where they are not allowed but mistakes can be made. A gate can be left open and an inquisitive four legged explorer may take a stroll to see if there is anything interesting. It has happened only recently that a splash was heard in the pool after dark by one resident who went down to look only to find a small dog frantically swimming around the pool looking for a way out.
Now most pools in Spain and other Mediterranean countries have the common ladders for people to get in and out, but these are no use to a dog, who can’t climb a ladder! In this case, had it not been for the diligence of that resident, that dog would have swum around and around until it was exhausted and then drowned. Luckily there was a happy ending as the resident got the dog out of the pool.
But we hear reports of many unhappy endings and it is so sad to hear about. Unfortunately, it is often not economically viable to restructure a communal pool to include steps at the shallow end, so changes cannot be made. It is antisocial to cordon off a pool just so a dog cannot gain access and in any event an access gate just just as easily be left open by an irresponsible person. The best that can be done is what our community actioned a few years ago and that is completely fence in the entire communal gardens with lockable security gates. That keeps out dogs who have gotten out of their homes and are wandering around the streets as well as non-residents.
But still this is not enough as some of the homes are rented through the summer to people who don’t respect our security and carelessly and irresponsibly leave gates open. That is how the stray dog got in on that occasion.
There is no easy solution to this problem, because people are not going to spend money on restructuring their pools or fencing them off, especially now that money is a lot tighter with the recession biting hard. Communities cannot police their gardens 24/7 as it is just too expensive. You may pipe up and say:
“What price a dog’s life?”
To that there is no sensible answer, except to retort “What price some education for ignorant, irresponsible people who don’t care enough about the security measures already in place in the homes they are not living in permanently.”
While pools can ultimately kill dogs, the problem can be looked upon in the same way as the safety of guns. It is said that “guns don’t kill – people using guns kill.” In the same way, and this goes for children as well as dogs – “pools don’t kill, ignorance and irresponsibility kills.”
But then, so many people don’t care. Until it happens to their dog, or their child.
Hot Dogs
31 July 2008Following my last post that covered Other Dog Toys, I want to turn my attention to a serious side to owning a dog. But first a little background.
Here in Spain as in the rest of the northern hemisphere we are in the hottest period of the summer and temperatures during the hottest part of the day, between 2pm and 5pm can soar up to the high 30s centigrade and beyond. But that’s the temperature outside, in the sun. People park their cars in the sun and you can bet it gets a lot hotter inside them than it is outside.
Recently, the news headlines screamed at the tragic incident of a little boy of about 2 years old that was left in a car, parked in the sun, by his father who went off to the bank and thought he’d only be a short time. Well, two hours later he returned to the car and found his son dead from the heat.
This is tragic and so sad because it could so easily have been avoided had the father of that boy had enough brain cells floating around in his empty head to understand the implications of his actions. This incident could and should be discussed and investigated at length so that it doesn’t happen again.
But this is not a site about children, but dogs.
Which leads me on to something that is less well reported but every bit as tragic. These are the incidents when dog owners leave their dogs in their cars parked in the sun. Off the go to do their shopping or visit friends or whatever without the slightest regard for the suffering they inflict on their loyal pets. They lock them in with the windows closed and no water to drink and expect them to be there wagging their happy little tails when they return.
The sad and tragic reality is that these ignorant and stupid owners return to their cars to find their so called best friends dead from heat exhaustion – partially cooked in the back seat of their metal tombs.
This is a wake up call to anyone who thinks it is ok to lock a dog in a car in the heat and go away for more than even a few minutes.
If there is no choice and you must leave your dog in your car, at least leave the windows open enough so that some fresh air can pass through. Leave a sturdy bowl with water in a place the dog will not easily knock it over. If you have any shading devices like the reflective silver sheets you can buy cheaply in auto stores, put them up in the front and rear windscreens and even then, make sure you either make your absence short or return to the car often to make sure your dog is ok and not too hot. Also be aware if your dog suffers from any kind of dog allergy that he has had the medication for the day and any other health issue that may be pertinent.
But preferably, if you know that you will not be able to take your dog with you when you leave your car, leave him at home for heaven’s sake and don’t risk his life so foolishly.
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