Summer is here and with temperatures reaching triple digits for consecutive days means surface temperatures are HOT! With scorched surface temperatures it is important to be smart with your pets safety to avoid overheating.
Keep Them Safe
Lets say you need to run to the store 20 minutes away and your pet wants to ride. So you load him into the back of your truck and start driving. Seems fun, and he/she looks like they are having a blast. What you don’t see is the summer sun beating down on the bed of the truck creating a pocket of heat that your dog is sitting in.
Same rules apply when it comes to leaving your dog in the bed of your truck in the summer as it is in the actual car with the windows rolled up.
The sun beating down on your pet while it sits in the bed of the truck will increase the temperature by almost 20 degrees! This leaves your pet susceptible to heat stroke which can cause irreversible damage or even death.
What to do instead
It is advisable to leave your beloved pet at home when running errands during this summer. If you have a working dog that needs to come with you and can not ride in the actual truck, consider a lining in the truck so the dog does not have to sit on exposed metal that has been cooking in the sun. ALWAYS make sure your animal has plenty of water when in the sun. Try not to drive over an hour with your pup in the bed of your truck and never leave them chained to the bed of your truck. If your pup is not trained to stay in the bed of the truck without a leash than the pup needs to be inside the physical vehicle or even consider using a tether. With a tether your dog will use a harness rather than a collar and this can prevent choking.
