Sweating And Shedding

It's that season once again in Southern California when we go from a mild Winter, to the long hot days of Summer.

And if you have pets, it also means while you are sweating, your four-legged fur-baby is shedding their Winter coat. It doesn't matter if it is a feline or canine, you couch (and probably your pillow) has now become a repository of unwanted fur.

One thing which so many people still forget, is that our pets need just as much water/hydration as we people do, if not more. Try wearing fur, and you will see why a cool, shady spot in the cool grass is where you will find your outdoor animals resting to stay cool.

Another thing to remember is that if you decide to leave your pet unattended in a car, even on cool days when it is a mere 75 degrees it will be 118 degrees in the car. At 81 degrees, it can be 138 even with the windows down a bit. Leaving your pet in your car in the Sun is not advisable, period. Many people have learned this, but hopefully others will now learn just how unbearable the heat is in the car. You can always keep in mind that gust of heat you encounter when you first open your car door. Would you want to be in there for even five to ten minutes?

On another note, many people simply opt to walk to the neighborhood market or shop to dart in and get a last minute something while walking their pet. Most stores are a bit more pet friendly now, but still many do not allow pets inside. This leaves pet owners with having to leave their pets outside, unattended and tied up. Two things to keep in mind why this should not be done.

First, there are many people which will pet-nap your love and post it on Craigslist, or wait for a reward to be posted to collect the reward. Others are simply of the mindset that your pet is theirs, and keep it.  There have been several instances of these encounters, and too many times children are the ones heartbroken.

Second, leaving your pet tethered can result in a huge liability to you. If someone were to approach your pet and they are bitten for any reason, you are liable for their injury. Then you have to fight to prove your pet was merely defending itself, all the while being sequestered in the pound in quarantine.

The moral of the story is, do not leave your pet unattended either in a car or tethered to a post outside the store. Too many times there are unhappy endings.