Serving Brooklyn's Off-Leash Community

Hot Weather Tips

DOGGY HOTFOOT... ________________________________________________ While waiting to cross the street during a blistering hot afternoon, I looked down at Denali and asked him: "Are your feet getting burned?" He promptly lifted one hind foot up and shook it... Moral of the story? Don't wait to ask - bend down and touch the pavement and see how hot it is! Cement pavement takes a while to heat up but black asphalt road surfaces get toasty hot in no time at all. Bob I FIDO in Prospect Park Tips from our Members... Over 90 degrees and climbing? Consider leaving them inside. According to Newsweek (?) a dog needs one ounce of water per pound of weight on hot days. That's 32 oz per quart! Bring a water bottle with you: use a recycled Gator Aid bottle because the heavy duty re-sealable cap is pretty much "tooth proof". Keep on the shady side of the street... Cool off at the Dog Beach during off-leash hours! Note there are different opinions floating around as to how healthy that water to swim in and drink so ask around. Most dogs survive quite nicely. Ice cubes in water bowls really help beat the hot weather. Beware it is quite messy on wood floors! Leptospirosis... Drinking from small standing pools of water is a big NO, NO for doggie. They in all likelihood may be contaminated with rat urine - sometimes fatal to dogs who are not vaccinated. While ridding the park of rats is impractical and various strains of this disease may not be covered by a single inoculation, urban dogs should be vaccinated for leptospirosis. Please consult your veterinarian. Note: Have humans contracted this disease either from contact with Dog Beach water or from dogs who frequent the park? No one has ever heard of such a thing since the Pools were re-established over ten years ago. The body of water of which the Dog Beach is a part, has its source within a few hundred feet of the Dog Beach - chlorinated city water. Lepto is contracted from small puddles of standing water that rats have peed in.. Merck Veterinary Manual: "Lepto is a contagious disease of animals, including man caused by various leptspirial serovars, most of which are regarded as subgroups of Leptospiria interrogans.... "Infection is commonly acquired by contact of skin or mucous membrane with urine and ... by intake of urine contaminated feed or water. Infections can be readily established via the conjunctiva, vaginal mucosa, or skin abrasions...." (1) Vaccinate your dogs against the disease. If a dog is infected, the type of lepto can usually be determined by a urine examination. (2) Find out what the park is doing to control it, and make the water once more safe for dogs and people who might be exposed to infected water. (3) Exercise more than normal caution if any symptoms are noticed among dogs who frequent the park Shade your areas - Blocking the sun while allowing cool breezes to keep on blowing is a beautiful thing using Aluminet Cooling coats for your dog. Wet the coat down and you'll be able to feel the wicking action that keeps your dog cool, as long as the coat stays wet. Hey, if these are good enough for superstar Agility competitors, then they're certainly fine for the streets of Brooklyn! DON'T Leave your dog in a locked car. Note: Police will issue tickets quickly for leaving dogs in cars for good reason. If the magnified heat of the car doesn't kill your dog, it will certainly cause a very expensive series of vet bills. Don't leave your dog tied up outside while you shop - you never know how long it will take. In fact it's not a great idea to leave your dog unattended in a front area-way or tied to a parking meter. They can get teased by passing school children; worst of all stolen by professionals who sweep in with a van and leash cutter. Whether you get your dog back depends on what they have in mind. Some will wait for the reward posters to go up and happen to "find" your dog. Others.... well, you don't want to know. People steal them and sell them to unscrupulous laboratories (it's cheaper to pay $40 to a crack addict that several hundred to a breeder.Your dog is gone in ten seconds. It's like leaving a $2000 road bike leaning against a parking meter without a locking device.