Dog days of summer

The full strength of summer's heat is fast approaching, with temperatures this holiday weekend expected to hover in the low 90s.

Animals, even more so than humans, are susceptible to feeling the ill effects of the unrelenting summer sun.

Dogs, according to Amanda Arrington, state director of the Humane Society of the United States for North Carolina, are made to conserve heat; their only sweat glands are on the pads of their feet and on their noses.

"Dogs have a lot more difficulty cooling off," she said. "And, of course, they can't open the door, roll down the windows or turn on the air conditioning."

Despite this, Arrington said during the dog days of summer, the Humane Society often hears reports of dogs being left in cars or outside with inadequate shade and water.

"We know during the summer a lot of people are out traveling and doing fun things," she said. "As much as we love our dogs, we want to bring them with us."

The problem arises, she said, when people don't check to see if pets are allowed at a specific event or if they leave their dogs in the car when they run into the grocery store.

"It's a major problem during the summer, I think, more than any other time of year," Arrington said.

The reason for the problem is simple, according to a 2005 Stanford School of Medicine study: Even on a fairly cool day, temperatures inside a vehicle can spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out.

"On a cool day, you don't feel hot, so you believe it will be OK," James Quinn, associate professor of emergency medicine, said in a press release. "But ambient temperature doesn't matter; it's whether it's sunny out."

Still, leaving dogs in the car isn't the only way they can feel the negative effects of increasing heat.

Officer Coburn "Officer Biggs" Bigler, with the Lenoir County Animal Control, said the most frequent complaint they get during the summer isn't about dogs in vehicles, though he warned it was not safe to do so; they often hear about dogs chained up, with little to no access to shelter.

"I do see a lot of things with dogs on chains and not enough shelter within the reach of that chain," he said. "They need to make sure that anybody that has an animal out there, that there needs to be plenty of shade."

If there is a doghouse or some other kind of shelter, Bigler said he recommends putting a blue or gray tarp over the structure to keep shade on it.

"Without the tarp, there's heat inside of it and it doesn't ventilate much and it becomes an oven, even hotter than the surrounding area," he said.

The tarp creates shade, which cools the shelter down.

Bigler also stressed the need for plenty of fresh water within reach of the dog.

"Make sure their container (of water) is secured in a fashion where the dog won't knock it over while (the owner's) at work," he said. "Make sure that they can get to it. Make sure the chain has swivels on is so the chain doesn't tighten up and get shorter."

If someone doesn't do those things - provide adequate shelter and water for their dog - they could be charged with animal neglect or cruelty. Even so, Bigler said, most investigations are simply the result of a misunderstanding, of someone not realizing the situation wasn't proper for dogs.

"It's not so much about charging people," Bigler said. "We really want to get the animal out of the unsafe situation first."

Vanessa Clarke Shortley can be reached at (252) 559-1076 or vclarke@freedomenc.com. Check out Vanessa's blog at http://vclarke.encblogs.com.

Symptoms of heat distress in pets:

• Heavy panting

• Eyes "glazed over"

• Increased heart rate

• Restlessness

• Poor coordination

• Increased salivation

• Vomiting

• Being rendered unconscious

If you see an animal in this condition, Amanda Arrington, state director of the Humane Society, suggests calling 911 or animal control. In the city, animal control can be reached at (252) 559-6118; in the county, that number is (252) 526-4200.