We recently inherited a new member to our family of 5 humans and 6 cats – – – – – 1 dog. We got custody of “Wednesday,” the sweetest dog you could ever meet, when my mom passed away. He was her baby – she absolutely adored this dog! So, needless to say, we’re doing our best to give him as great a life as possible. Thing is, we’re cat people – so we’re still trying to figure out dog needs! One thing I’ve noticed is the fact that the heat is a whole lot harder on him than it is the cats.

He’s like 900 years old, with failing site and hearing – so we keep him on a runner that we fixed in the yard. I move it around to different parts of the yard to keep things interesting for him – and to locate him in the shadiest parts all day long. But one day last week, Steph (youngest daughter) and I were caught out running errands later than we thought and when we got back, he was not only in the sun – but had turned over his water bowl. Steph and I nearly croaked – we took it a lot harder than poor Wednesday did….but he enjoyed all the fussing and the nice cool bath.

I’ve been reading up online about dealing with pets in the summer – I already posted one link to an article here on the blog, and I’ve found another one that I found useful. (I love the idea about an automatic pet waterer.) Here’s the link >>>>>> Tips to Prevent Heatstroke in Your Pet

By the way, Bo is doing great after his ordeal. He’s back to his old, affectionate, playful self…..just a little jumpier than he used to be. I hope to be back to normal one day, too – his disappearance took an awful lot out of me! Pets become such a part of your life and family that it just turns your world upside down when something happens to them. Thankfully, everything worked out okay, and our world was put back right.

Joi