A pack of dogs made their usual trip to a Saanich property for their daily walk last week, but Bailey Cote made sure the group stuck to the shade.
The Local Bark owner and dogwalker also cancelled her afternoon hike sessions as a strong ridge of high pressure over southern B.C. brought a heat wave with record-breaking temperatures to Vancouver Island.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just sticking to the mornings to try and beat the heat,鈥� Cote said of the goal she thinks the pack accomplished Tuesday as they were back in the van for the ride home as temperatures topped 25 C by 10:30 a.m.
The pack is rambunctious and exerts lots of energy when it鈥檚 cooler out, but Cote on Tuesday was keeping the pace slow and carefully looking out for any behaviour that would signal it鈥檇 be time to cut the walk short.
鈥淚鈥檓 keeping them in control and making sure that they鈥檙e a bit calmer because we definitely don鈥檛 want them to overheat or overexert themselves,鈥� she said.
The property the group visists hosts a pond for the dogs to cool off in and Cote blasts the air conditioner during van rides to and from the site on hot days.
The Victoria dogwalker suggests owners limit walks to the mornings or evenings when temperatures shoot up. She also said freezable vests and bandanas for dogs can keep the pets cool, tossing the ball around should be saved for very early in the morning or late at night and it鈥檚 best to stay off pavement as the hot surface can be hard on paws.
鈥淭hey definitely still need their exercise so you just need to get a little creative,鈥� Cote said. 鈥淏ut make sure that they don鈥檛 overdo it because it鈥檚 really easy for dogs to get heat exhaustion 鈥� it can take 15 minutes.鈥�
Shedding some weight is another way to help keep dogs cool and at Suds 鈥橬鈥� Scissors Pet Saloon it was Teddy the black-coated doodle who was in for a buzz on Tuesday. Wendy Varga鈥檚 garden-level shop, just blocks from the ocean, stays cool for dogs coming in for a haircut and the pet groomer has other techniques to keep the four-legged clients comfortable in the heat.
Dogs stay in a wet-towel-covered, open-air crate with a cooling fan on them as they wait to dry off or be picked up and double-coated breeds like golden retrievers get shaved on their underside so their bellies can press direct against cool floor surfaces.
鈥淭hey like it because it works, the dogs will often pick the spot in the house that鈥檚 the coolest,鈥� Varga said.
Summer is her busiest season and it鈥檚 also when flat-faced dogs like pugs, shih-tzus and Boston terriers are coming in for regular cuts. Those breeds easily overheat, so Varga said owners need to watch them closely when it鈥檚 hot.
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