Staying Safe in the Heat and Advocating For Abandoned Pups

It goes without saying that July in the Market Common is hot! I have my own way of staying cool, including panting, but if the temperature around me is hotter than my internal temperature, then I can’t cool down and can suffer heat stroke.

Now isn’t the time to take me jogging, and definitely don’t leave me in a car without the air conditioning on, even for a few minutes. Car temperatures can soar to over 140 degrees rapidly, and that’s dangerous for me.

Here are some signs that I might be suffering from heat stroke. If I have: increased heart rate; excessive panting; increased salivation; bright red tongue; red or pale gums; thick, sticky saliva; weakness; dizziness; vomiting; diarrhea. If you think I have heat stroke, take me to the vet right away, as I can develop other complications quickly. With loving care, I’ll be fine and flourish.

I’m lucky to have such great people looking after me, so I trust I’ll always be okay. But not all canines have wonderful homes like me. Good thing they have my new friend Angie Westfall on their side.

Angie has been rescuing abandoned, mistreated and condemned canines her entire life. Starting from when she was a girl, my kind in trouble would find her (we do tend to have good sense about whom to turn to for help), and she would bring them home with her. As she got older, picking them up and taking them home evolved into rehabilitating them, getting them vaccinated, spayed or neutered, as well as proper veterinary care— and boy were some of them in rough shape! Terrified, malnourished, spinal injuries, heartworm positive… Yikes.

Angie healed wounds inside and out, helping skittish or aggressive ones get socialized, and thank goodness— giving them proper house training (manners, manners, it goes miles with the ladies fellas). But most importantly, giving them safety, nurturing, and love until they grew healthy and strong again and were able to move on to a forever home with people who appreciated them. Angie is an angel!

After years of working with shelters and rescues while caring for these animals, Angie decided to become captain of her own ship. She filed for non-profit status in June 2015, and Peace, Love & Paws, Inc. was created. Today she’s happy to be a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, which gives her more credibility at the shelters (where she goes to rescue some really unfortunate of my kind).

I’m so happy that people like Angie exist, to help make the world a better place for all us canines. But it really goes without saying that we reciprocate and make it better for you too. When I think about her work, I remember the words of a bumper sticker I see from time to time: Who Rescued Who? 

Until next time,