By Bardi McLennan

A Word To The Dog:

How are you coming along with your gardening?  Oh, you dug up the tomato plants, chewed the handle off the trowel, and took a dive in the fish pond! For your information, Rufus, those are NOT doggy gardening activities. 

Where are your manners? Where was your leash? Where-oh-where were your people?

Strong Words to the Dog’s Owners:

We’ll cover more of the gardening basics next week, but it’s going to be a long summer and the sooner Rufus gets straightened out, the better it will be for everyone. Judging by the quantities of plants for sale all over town, almost everyone is into gardening. Too often that includes all those dogs that can’t resist interacting with Mother Nature. Until your otherwise adorable (little, big, young or old) dog learns how to behave in the garden, your job is to out-do Mother Nature’s strong appeal. 

Dig this! A friend was told that giving a dog a special place to dig would end unwanted digging. So he constructed a good-looking sandbox for his Cocker Spaniel, filled it with sand and used the word “Dig” to teach the dog where it was okay to dig. The only good part of the plan was that the sand didn’t cling to the dog’s coat or paws. However, the bad part was the day my friend raked the sand and discovered it was full of ants, worms and other bugs due to all the bones, biscuits and bits of treats buried there. End of that bright idea! He went back to enforcing “NO DIG” and used one of the safe dog repellent products available that are also safe for shrubs and plants.

Warning! Danger!

Hot, humid weather hit us like a ton of bricks last week and as hot and uncomfortable as you may have felt, consider the poor dogs whose normal body temperature range is 100 to 103 degrees, quite a bit higher than ours.

There are two summertime dangers dog owners need to be aware of, know how to prevent and what to do if they happen. 

One is the swimming pool or lake that has no “canine life guard.” Did you know that not all dogs swim naturally beyond a somewhat furtive dog paddle? So before you teach Rufus how to swim, teach him exactly where and how he can get out of the water. Stairs or a plank leading up to the edge of the pool, pier or deck are needed. Learn how to use the Heimlich maneuver on your dog in case of a near-drowning emergency. Young kids, by the way, should not be given full responsibility for Rufus in the water. The kids are occupied with whatever they’re doing, so give Rufus plenty of time-out in the shade. As for boating, be sure your dog – and the kids – have properly fitted life jackets.

The other summertime hazard, and this one’s a killer, is heat stroke (hyperthermia). Never, ever leave your dog in the car in the summer . . . even on a moderately warm day, even in the shade, even with the windows open, even for a few minutes. Remember, the dog’s temperature is already elevated and add to that the fact that dogs cannot sweat. They pant to breathe in cool air, but the temperature inside a car (even with windows open) can become a death trap in a matter of minutes. That excuse, “I just ran into the store for a minute” does not hold up. A minute may be all it takes for the dog to suffer brain damage, go into a coma, or die. 

Here is the instant first aid for your dog, or for a dog you see trapped in a car, maybe in a frenzy ripping at the upholstery. A broken car window can be repaired – a dead dog cannot – so GET HIM OUT! Scream for help! Put him in a shaded area, into a tub of water if that’s possible, or soak him with buckets of water or with a garden hose. Gently wet his mouth. Use the Heimlich maneuver if necessary, and if you know how to do it to a dog. Wrap the dog in a wet towel or blanket and immediately get him to the nearest vet. Emergency veterinary treatment is essential, even if the dog seems to have come around. Don’t try second-guessing the repercussions of heat stroke.

None of this is meant to turn you against summertime fun with your dog, but knowing how to prevent a catastrophe and how to act in an emergency will let your family (including your dogs) enjoy vacation days. 

Until next time – BE  GOOD!

 - Bardi 

            

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me! which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award this year.