Winston Surfing |
| His wet legs make him look so skinny compared to when his hair is fluffy! |
A few things came to mind. Of course, always have water available for your dog (duh). If you're just hanging out around the house or pool you can put down your dog's normal water bowl. But, what's the best way if you're on the go? Maybe going for a walk or visiting a friend's house/pool? I've tried two products. First was the canvas water bowl. At first it seemed promising, but then I noticed it started to leak, the water getting all over whatever surface it was on. I kept having to refill the bowl and walk around the puddles it made on the ground. Then I bought the dog water bottle that had the mini bowl attachment that the water spilled into for the dog's to lick up. I liked this better as it combined the water and bowl into one product (easier to carry around), but I soon came to realize it wasn't made as well as I would've liked. The bowl attachment kept snapping off and the water also did leak a little. But of the two products, I use the bottle. I think I need to invent something better though.
Secondly, there's a dog's paw pads. After Winston's first trip to Florida last summer, I'll always be sure to check them. Toward the end of our few days in the Sunshine state, I noticed he was limping. I poked and pulled, but he didn't seem to have any reaction. Upon my return, I of course took him to the vet. She immediately looked at his paws and showed me where it had actually burned and that half the pad was literally falling off. So, this weekend I made sure to keep an eye on his paws. I noticed when he sat on the (burning hot) wood patio he would pick them up. I would try and get him off the wood and have him play in the pool or stay on the grass, but of course he'd always want to stay near me on the wood (awww). So, I think it's important to have either a towel or dog bed available on the surfaces that get really hot. I've seen advertisements for "cooling" dog beds that are used outside, but don't know much about them. Maybe I should look into that more.
Lastly, I think that a dogs hair should be kept shorter during the summer months. I know there is a debate going around about this, but it seems to make sense to me. Girls, we know what the back of our necks feel like when we wear our hair down during the summer... so wouldn't you think a dog would want shorter hair? I had Winston groomed a few weeks ago for a shorter summer 'do and I think he's happier. I did look to see if his skin had burned though. Is that possible? I didn't see any red spots, but I'm sure it'll come up at Winston's next vet appointment since his owner is a little dog neurotic...
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