Animals deserve our care

Dear editor,

It's that time of year again; it's getting hot out. Already I have seen cars with animals in them. The usual excuse is, "He/She really enjoys a ride in the car/truck."

Sadly, he/she shows that the ride in the car is not enjoyable when a destination is reached, and they sit waiting for someone to get out of the store or wherever they are, panting and crying.

Your pet CAN die of heatstroke and/or suffocation in the car on a day that you didn't feel was very hot to begin with. If it is 78 degrees outside, the temperature in your car, if you park in the shade, can be above 90 degrees. If you park in the sun, it can reach about 160 degrees.

In a short 15 minutes of time, the temperature of an animal can go up to 102 or above, and that is not good for your pet and in a lot of cases kills them.

Leaving a window "cracked" and a water bowl in the car isn't enough. If you love your pet and your pet loves going for a ride, take them for a ride out to the park or the reservoir. Don't take them for a ride then park them in a car that is so hot it may kill them.

As for trucks, I can't tell you how many times I have seen dogs in the back of trucks and thought about how hot the metal must be on their paws. If it is hot to YOUR touch, it is hot to theirs.

That goes for the sidewalk as well. Walking dogs is great, walking them while the sidewalk can fry an egg is not so great.

If you love your pets, please take good care of them. We are all they have and if they are mistreated by us, that's a shame.

Show your pets how much you love them by leaving them home while you run errands or visit friends.

-- Sharon Schafer