The Dog Days Of Summer

It seems just yesterday that I wrote about blizzards, snow drifts and cold days. Now I find myself all in a sudden submerged in what I would call a 'sticky heat wave'. One way of finding some relief from temperatures in the 90's is going swimming. I try to swim three to four times a week and I must say it sure beats going to the gym sweating bullets.Dogs are way more heat sensitive than we are, and exercising them turns into a real challenge. Unless we get up at around 5 o'clock in the morning, I don't really see a chance to get them out without jeopardizing their health. Tessa's fur is fit for life in the arctic circle and the dachshunds may not have that kind of fur coat, but they make up for it by being very low to the ground, thus catching all the heat that reflects from the ground. On a hot day the temperature of asphalt can easily reach over 150 F, posing a serious health risk for dogs - especially those low to the ground.
The furgang usually gets fed two regular meals. One in a.m and one in p.m. Their a.m. ration stays pretty much the same in the summer. However, I replace their evening ration with some frozen meat in a kong and boy, do they love that ! Not only is it a refreshing treat, it also gives them some pleasant entertainment during times where physical activities have to be limited because of the temperature.

I would love to take them swimming. Try to find a lake, river or creek around here that isn't polluted to the point where it gets worrisome to send your dog in. Also, the Budelheimers are made from sugar and will melt should they ever be exposed to something as highly dangerous as water. Tessa would love to go for a swim. The question is: Where ? ? ?
Doggy swim places charge you easily $ 40 for half an hour which is quite costly, not counting in more than an hour driving time to get there. Thank God there's the garden hose and she actually truly enjoys getting hosed down on occasion.

Back to getting up early. The amount of wildlife one encounters is great - even with a bunch of lunatic dogs at your side. This morning we went to Great Falls Park and saw lots of deer and vultures:
The dogs last about an hour and then they're ready to go back home. Oh the dog days of summer........ I'm all for winter right about now. :-)