Monday, April 27, 2009

Some like it hot, some like it not...


This past weekend, today, and tomorrow has been our first "heat wave" of the year....and in April too! All of my dogs usually handle the intense heat of summer without any problems......but when the heat comes on so fast as it did this past weekend you have to pay attention to each dog while they are outside playing so that they do not develope heat stroke.......A dog with heat stroke is a very serious condition and needs to be addressed immediately! It is key to get the dog into a cool environment asap!....and then to carefully monitor the dog until the distress is over........Well.......try telling this to a Tibetan Terrier! My guys will lay out in the full mid-day sun in the middle of a heat wave and think nothing of it! Watching them sun bath, makes me wonder if there really is something to that "long coat keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter" theory........it must be true because they adore the sun! I have to pay even more attention to my dogs who have been "clipped down" for the summer as to protect them from sun burn.........Yes dogs can become sun burned very easily if not wearing a sun screen just like their human counterparts........This weekend Maroo got his first taste of a good ol' North Eastern heat wave.......and I have to say he adored it just as much as my other TTs have in the past! He has become increasingly more outgoing in the play yard and even ventures out on his own exploring the various areas of interest in the yard........He has also learned how to play with a group as they chase each other around the yard in what I call the "TT Train" 4 or 5 dogs all running in a line chasing the tail in front of them until someone is caught! Just too much for any dog to have on a wonderful warm spring afternoon........Maroo has really come far in his play behavior......During his first few days here, he would only run back and forth from the deck to the yard until I would let him back inside....This was frustrating because he just did not know how to handle the open space of a play yard.....The story is, that the Missouri rescue dogs had free run at the puppy mill during certain times of the year.....For a dog who had free run of any open space, he would be comfortable with it, right? He certainly did not behave as if this had ever happened to him.....he just could not tolerate any outside space by himself unless I was there physically with him.........and even then, he was still very cautious......It is a good thing now to see him relax more and have fun without me being there right by his side, I watch him play outside while I am standing near a window or the back door......He trust the other dogs and they love to play with him.........Life was good during a very warm weekend for Maroo.........I have a feeling he will be laying out there sunbathing with the rest of them this summer..........I bet he would look cute in a "Speedo" :)

1 comment:

  1. A Speedo, how adorable is that! I love reading your blog about Maroo each day. You really have done a wonderful thing!

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