In the upcoming weeks in many areas of the US the majority of people will be experiencing temperatures that can be too dangerous for your pet. However, there are lots of of tips and trick to beating the heat that we’ll cover today!
Most pet owners know that leaving a dog in the car while you go grocery shopping or run errands can be extremely dangerous for your dog. But in certain areas like Denver, it’s common for us to have our dogs go with us everywhere. Making it difficult when we’re faced with obstacles like needed to go to the store but already having our dog in the car from a hike we did that morning. There’s no one size fits all solution here, but the goal is to cover as many alternative options as possible so that you’ll have some viable solutions when the time comes.
Plan Ahead
The best way to avoid having your dog in the car in summer is to plan ahead as much as you possibly can. Think about your day plans and adjust as needed to ensure you pup won’t need to be in the car, if that’s not possible for your plans then figure out an alternative. If you know you’ll need to go a grocery run that afternoon, maybe let your dog stay home that day. If you usually take them to work with you but you plan on hitting the gym on your way home, that’s another time where they’d be safer at home. You can also plan for a dog sitter to come and let them out if you’re worried about them being alone at home for too long.
Know the Options You Have
When it comes to a situation where you must go inside somewhere and it’s too hot outside, think about the options you truly have. If it’s a pet friendly place, you can bring them inside with you. If it’s not, you can have someone stay with them in the car with the AC on, or worse case you can leave your car running for them while they wait alone. Keep in mind, this should only be done in cases where there’s no other option. Also ideally, you’ll want a car that allows you to lock the doors while it’s running, not all cars will do this but more and more these days do.
Be Smart, Be Safe
If you get yourself in a situation where let’s say you never to get dinner for tonight but you’re in not able to let the car run with the doors locked and it’s not a safe place to let you car run unlocked, that’s ok, but learn from it. Be smarter going forward with your planning choices. Consider alternatives like order dinner instead or getting your groceries delivered. Risking your dogs health is never the answer! Be sure to take your time to plan accordingly for your day and always have back up options in case things take an unexpected turn.