How to beat the heat with your pets this summer

RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – With the heart of summer approaching, temperatures are allowing for more time spent outside.

While us humans enjoy spending time in that heat, it becomes all the more important to watch out for our pets.

“You wouldn’t want to be left confined, without cold water,” said Beckley Fire Department Lieutenant Clifton Laws. “Or left in the sunshine with no shade.”

Taking your pet on a car ride for a road trip or errands always seems fun on the surface. But experts consider an outside temperature of just 70 degrees to be unsafe for a pet to be in a car. Not to mention, it’s against state law to leave your pet unsupervised in a vehicle.

“Your pet, if you leave it in the car in the state of West Virginia, it’s actually illegal,” Laws said. “It has been for many years now.”

Keeping your pets air conditioned and properly hydrated is even more important in the summer. Just like in a car, indoor temperatures can rise quicker than anticipated if you aren’t careful and your pets could overheat.

“You have an animal that is dependent upon you,” Laws said. “So, you would want to treat it the way you would want to be treated.”

When exercising your pets, short walks are the best form. Laws warns that hot asphalt can be dangerous for pets, even with brief exposure.

“It can get very hot,” Laws said. :You’ve got shoes, they don’t. So, try to avoid asphalt if you can.”

So make sure to keep your pets hydrated, cool and indoors as much as possible as the summer heats up.

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