Mesa Animal Control shares tips to keep your dogs safe from the heat this summer

By Connor Van Ligten
Mail

Mesa Animal Control shared some tips on how to keep your dogs safe during this summer heat, as part of a larger effort by the city of Mesa to raise awareness about pet safety in the summer.

“Extreme heat in Arizona can turn dangerous fast, not just for people but also for our pets. They’re part of our families, and as we approach our high-heat days, we all need to take extra care to keep them safe,” said Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman in a press release.

According to Animal Control supervisor Miguel Hernandez, the most important thing for dog owners to do is make sure their dogs have access to cold water and cool air at all times.

“If you have a dog that’s an outside dog, keep them and their dog bowls in shaded areas. Try to avoid metal bowls when outside and ensure that there’s constant water out there for the dog throughout the day, not just the time limit that you think the dog is gonna be out there,” Hernandez said.

When a dog’s internal temperature goes up too high, Hernandez said that it can have serious negative health effects.

“Pets are just like people, they get hot, they get tired, they can burn their paw pads. We want to avoid leaving a pet in a parked car, we don’t want to overly exercise our pet in the heat,” Hernandez said. “That can lead to exhaustion or heat stroke, or they can collapse on you. We don’t want them to walk on hot asphalt or cement because they could burn their paw pads. We don’t want to assume that they can just cool off on their own. We always want to make sure they have water.”

Hernandez advises dog owners to walk their pets either early in the morning or late at night to avoid dogs overheating or burning their paw pads. Never leave a dog in a parked car if the weather is warm, leave them at home instead. Make sure they have shade, air-conditioning and access to water. Barricade your pool in case they try to swim unattended. He also said that dog owners should pay attention to any signs their dog might be suffering a heat stroke or overheating.

“What you look for in any dog when it comes to signs of heat stroke is that they’ll be panting in order to try to cool down. If it becomes too rapid and does not subside, that’s an indication they’re overheating. We’re also looking for excessive drooling. Increased drooling can occur when heat stroke is starting. If you look at the gums of your pet you want those to be a pink color and not a red color,” Hernandez said.

If you notice these symptoms in your dog, you need to take action immediately, Hernandez said.

“If you see them acting weird, like they’re disinterested in something or unresponsive to commands, or acting sluggish with rapid breathing, the immediate action that we want them to take is to move the animal to a cool area. We want to relocate the dog to a shaded or air-conditioned area to help lower the dog’s temperature. We want to cool them down, but not with cold water, just cool water. You can use a rag or a sponge on the underside of their body or between their legs,” Hernandez said. “We don’t wanna put them in cold water as it may lead to shock for some of these animals. You can use a fan and give them cool, but not cold, water and provide them small amounts without forcing them to drink it. And then the last thing is to take them to a clinic to get them checked out.”

Mesa Vice Mayor and District 6 Councilmember Scott Somers is using social media to spread awareness to his constituents in his district about animal safety. He said that he has noticed people in his district posting online warning pet owners about rising temperatures, making the citywide effort to educate the public on pet safety even more important.

“I’m starting to notice that people are talking about it online in posts when there’s an animal such as a dog or a cat on the loose,” Somers said. “There will be a discussion in those posts reminding people that it’s starting to get hot out and that you’re gonna wanna watch your pets when they’re outdoors, bring them inside, get them into air-conditioning, make sure they’re provided with shade and water. It’s something that folks in the district and animal lovers in particular are concerned about as the temperatures rise.”

Somers said his district, which includes much of southeast Mesa, doesn’t have many farms. Often, the only animals you’ll find are dogs, cats and other pets. It’s especially important to keep them safe, Somers added.

“The majority of the animals that we have in southeast Mesa are pets. There’s no farms down here. Those dogs and cats should be indoors and out of the heat as much as possible in the summer, and provided with shade for when they are outdoors and making sure that they have water indoors and outdoors,” Somers said. “Walking your dog during the day can be dangerous to the dog because of the extremely hot temperatures on the street that can damage their paws. You want to either go early in the morning or late at night after sunset, to let the temperature of the asphalt cool down before you walk them.”

Not only that, but animal neglect and animal cruelty can result in some serious legal consequences. Hernandez says that punishment can vary from fines, jail time or even a misdemeanor charge. Your pet may be taken away from you too.

“If an animal is left in a car, the owners can be charged with a class one misdemeanor which can serve up to six months in jail, three years probation or $2,500 in fines,” Hernandez said. “But there’s more than that. If the animal happens to pass away, you may just go straight to jail because you’ve harmed your animal and you may get charged with animal cruelty. The courts may take away your animal and you can’t get them back.”

Overall, Somers hopes that what people take away from these tips is to be very careful with their pets, so he doesn’t have to see a heartbreaking headline about a pet going through a medical emergency due to being left in the heat.

“I would like to leave the summer season not reading a single story about a pet or a child left in a car, becoming sick or worse from a heat emergency,” Somers said.