July 10 2002
Stacey Franzen recently moved from Florida to Ashburn. The family, including its two dogs, was already used to the heat and humidity. Or so she thought.
Franzen noticed her yellow Labrador retriever, Sport, has been getting lethargic during the hot weather. Her other dog, a chocolate Labrador retriever named Wrigley, on the other hand feels no effects from the heat, and Franzen has to settle him down to keep him from getting sick.
"He doesn't know when to quit, so I try to keep him hydrated," she says of Wrigley.
Animals, just like humans, can be affected by the heat. As a result, it is up to their owners to keep them safe, which includes providing plenty or water, giving them a shaded area in which to rest, and never leaving an animal alone in a vehicle.
"LAST WEEK, we spent an hour in Petsmart. It was like taking her to Neiman Marcus," Barbara Scott of Great Falls said of her dog, Miss Moneypenny. "We had gone to pick up my daughter, and she was running an hour late. I couldn't leave Penny in the car. It was too hot."
Guidelines issued by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) suggest Scott made the right choice. According to the ASPCA, animals should never be left alone in a vehicle, even if it is parked in the shade and the windows are open, because the temperature inside can be the equivalent of a furnace.
In addition, the ASPCA suggests exercising animals in the early morning or evening when it is cooler and keeping walks at a minimum in extreme heat. Animals should be brought indoors during the hottest part of the day, and outside animals need shade, such as a dog house, and plenty of water.
Snub-nosed dogs, such as bulldogs, pugs, Pekingese, Boston terriers, Lhasa apsos and Shih Tzus, as well as older animals, particularly those with heart or lung disease, need to be kept in the air conditioning as much as possible.
Even keeping an animal well-groomed can add protection from the sun. For that reason, the ASPCA suggests not shaving a dog's hair and brushing cats frequently to keep their coats tangle-free.
FRANZEN learned the hard way to limit her dogs' time in the hot weather. About three weeks ago, she noticed Wrigley walking gingerly around the house. A combination of the hot ground and his never-ending energy caused the bottom of his paws to peel. Now Franzen walks the dogs on grass when the ground is hot.
"We go swimming at the lake," said Barbara Keane of Reston, of her dog, Caysi. "We also take walks in the woods where it's cooler."
Keane also has to keep an eye on Caysi because the heat makes her no less energetic. "She will run after anything I throw. I have to be careful, because heat exhaustion can affect dogs faster," Keane said.
With the exception of last week's impromptu shopping spree, Scott keeps Miss Moneypenny indoors as much as possible. The family also has a kiddie pool, which Penny enjoys as much as the children.
"If she is going to get a walk, we have an Invisible Fence, it's in the morning," Scott said. "Otherwise we go to the neighbors, or she goes in the pool."