Global Warming and Pets

I have owned an assortment of pets over the years and always a dog. It concerns me to know global warming will affect my beloved dog since I now am a proud owner of a Sheltie with a particular great sense of humour and a brain for mischief

He is a great little protector and loves watching the neighbourhood from his perch on the back porch where he gets quite a view and is able to take in most of his territory. But I have big umbrellas for my porches and assure if he is on the porch, those are up.

I am also in and out all day catering to him to assure he is in the shade and not bothering others by barking. He is pretty good about that but I do not let him get carried away.

I also want him to have water since he does not think about it in spite of leaving bowls out when he insists on being outside. His domain consists of two large garden areas that are fenced in and allow him to explore smells endlessly and seek out flying insects and birds.

So I bring him in to cool off and grab some cool water. Fans are going inside during hot weather and after 3PM, if it is in the middle of a hot summer, on goes the air conditioner which keeps us both cool. After 4 PM he is in for the evening and the cool wooden floor is all he wants. I do not have any wall-to-wall carpeting in my home.

You may know that a Sheltie is a form of Shepherd and they have a thick undercoat. So he gets brushing every day to remove all that extra fluff and during the summer he sheds since that inner coat wants to go.

Both my entrances have rubber interlocking pads that form a mat which he loves to lay on. The extra padding is comfortable and it keeps down the mess from outside.

His meals are always consisting of food from the fridge like cooked liver or natural meats that are cold that I mix with a bit of kibble. A bit of cool water is added and mixed together to make a gravy of sorts. This also works well to maintain his temperature.

Early morning, he and I are outside in the garden and I water. He loves that quality time and it is fun for him since the air is best then in the summer. He also knows all the shady spots depending on the time of day. All of these things I do with my dog to ensure he is safe and happy, especially now where every action is affected by climate change.