Hey Woofa’s,

In case you weren’t aware, Australia has been on fire for a few months now!   Towns all over have burnt to the ground and it’s devastating!  People have lost lives, their homes and their pets and livestock, the scenes we are watching are from a movie, not real life.

Even as I type this there is smoke every where and ash is coming down out of the sky!   We’re constantly wiping things down and sweeping the ash off the floor inside!

I just watched a video of a guy filming all the dead animals along the side of the road.  Not just one or two but hundreds because they had nowhere to go.  They were surrounded by the fires with nowhere to run, it’s heart wrenching!

It got me thinking of ways we can Keep Our Dog/s Safe During This Burning Hot Summer!

WAYS TO STAY SAFE THIS BURNING HOT SUMMER!

• Don’t Take Your Dog For A Walk If The Air Quality Is Crap!  Right now we have smoke blowing around and there’s no way I’d take Billy out for a walk in this.  It will affect not only your dog’s breathing but your own.  If your dog needs exercise, find some indoor activities until the air quality improves.

• Don’t Take Your Dog For A Walk If The Temperature Is Too Hot!  Yesterday we hit 47degrees, just running on the footpath bare foot was enough to burn your feet, why would you want your dog to walk on that surface?  If you can’t place your bare hand on the footpath for longer than 5 minutes without removing it, then don’t walk your dog on it.  Wait until the temperature cools down.

• Do NOT Leave Your Dog In A Hot Car!  Yes we’ve had dogs pass away from people being stupid enough to leave their dogs in the car on a hot day!!!!!  Even a few secs is all it takes for your dog to die in a hot car.

• Have An Evacuation Plan In Place!  Whether you’re near the fires or not, it’s always important to have a fire plan in place.  One that includes ALL pets.  When people are in watch and alert they evacuate ALL their pets, horses, cattle, dogs, everything goes.  Be aware of the  places that are available to take your pets to safety, or take them with you.

• Watch for Any Changes In Your Dog/s!  Your dog’s behaviour may change in response to the hot weather, fires and smoke, and that’s understandable.  But it’s important to know what is normal behaviour for your dog and what is distressing behaviour.  A dog’s sense of smell is phenomenal they can smell the smoke way before we know it’s coming, this will have an affect on them too.  If in doubt, call your local vet for instructions.

• If Taking Your Dog On Holidays!  Make sure it’s not to a fire affected area, for ALL your sakes.  There are updates regularly on the news and radio, there are phone apps for fire alerts and places that have been cut off.  Make sure where you’re going isn’t one of them!!

• Be Aware Of Snakes!  Summer is generally snake season anyway, but with the lack of water, they’re coming out to find it.  Friends of ours were swimming with their kids in a pool and a brown snake came out near them to get some water.  It’s important to have the local Snake Catcher or Wires numbers close by, as well as safety sheets on what to do if you get bitten.  For our dogs, have your local vets number on hand and know which vet has anti-venom on hand to get a quick treatment for your dog.  Snake bites can be fatal stay vigilant!

• Stay As Cool As Possible!  Temperatures are rising so where possible keep your dog cool.  Lots of water bowls inside and out, cool places to sleep and rest and make sure they don’t over heat either.  The coolest rooms in the home are usually the bathroom and laundry.

• Keep Up To Date With What’s Happening In Your Local Area!   Through your local Council, the News, Local Facebook Pages, Phone Apps, be aware of any emergencies that may be occurring near you, changes in weather patterns and rising temperatures or whether there have been snakes in the area etc.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

It means our temperatures are rising for Summer, our Country is on Fire and I’d like to keep everyone here as safe as possible.

Stay vigilant and be aware of what’s happening in your local and surrounding areas.  If you smell smoke, find out which direction it’s coming from and see if you need to put your evacuation plan in place.

If the temperature is too hot or air quality full of smoke, stay indoors with your dog/s.

Most importantly is for EVERYONE TO STAY SAFE!!

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT SAFETY PLANS YOU HAVE IN PLACE FOR THIS SUMMER?

Cheers