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.
Other Dog Toys
21 June 2008After my last post here at For Dogs, its time to look once again at some of the many fun dog toys that are around to get your dogs playing and exercising and having fun while their owner can join in too!
A couple of posts ago I was talking about those amazing Kong toys for dogs and how perfect they are for dogs of all sizes to play with and also to learn how to chase a randomly bouncing and rolling thing that has a mind of its own!
Well, lets turn our attention to the soft toys that dogs love to play with. Soft dog toys are fine for small dogs as their small jaws don’t have quite the same destructive power of a larger dog so they can’t rip them to bits so fast. That’s not to say small dogs can’t obliterate a soft toy in a matter of moments, just that getting them the right ones will at least prolong the fun long enough for them to eventually get bored and move on to something else!
I notice that there are some very good and also some very poor soft dogs toys available for sale in pet stores and bigger supermarket style retail outlets, but buyer beware. They’re not all as resilient as you’d think. Now, this is not a post that is going to name names, just a timely reminder that when you go to buy your dog a soft toy, check out the overall feel of it first. If it looks flimsy, then it probably is and won’t last five minutes with your dog’s eager energy!
I’ve seen some very good soft or plush dog toys as they’re also known that can be had for reasonable prices and also some rubbish. Likewise, even at the more expensive end of the market there are still some poor quality toys that you’d be better off leaving alone, or saving your money and going to one of the cheap shops and buying half a dozen small cheap soft toys meant for kids for the same price – you’ll probably get more wear out of them!
Having said that, the middle range as far as price is concerned has some good plush toys for dogs that I’d certainly go for. Hate to sound like I’m harking on one company, but I cannot fault those Kong soft toys for dogs for being hard wearing and long lasting especially with my two little terriers!
Well, that’s where I’ll leave it for now. I’ve got some playing to do with two eager dogs!
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