Summer’s almost here again! There’s so much to do and see in the summer, but please don’t forget about your animals! Whether you bring them along for the ride, or leave them at home, summer temperatures and other maladies can be dangerous to pets. UAN’s Herd animals elaborate:

Dewey: Woo hoo, summer is here! That means even more fun for me, ‘cuz I get to go on trips with Mom, Dad and my doggie sister, Nikki. No way would Mom and Dad ever leave us in the car when it’s hot, but sometimes when I’m lookin’ into other cars I see dogs that aren’t so lucky. I’m mighty glad the place where Mom works is starting a new program to help them out, called My Dog is Cool! There’s somethin’ called a Web site you can visit — www.MyDogIsCool.com — for more information on this “cool” new program!

Sagira: Ah, hello my friends. I was just lamenting the arrival of summertime… I dread the sticky, hot days. It’s just so unflattering, and cleaning gets to be ever such a chore. I might fuss a bit, but I really appreciate it when Mom helps me groom a bit by brushing me regularly — I just cannot keep up with it in the summer, what with my hectic schedule of sleeping, playing and eating! Once I realized she would be gentle, I relaxed a bit — and it helped with my hairballs, too (which I find mighty unladylike to begin with)!

Simba: Yippee, it’s summer! I hope I go on all kinds of excursions — maybe even to the water! It’s really fun to splash around and cool off in the water. I saw mom buying something that looked like a life jacket, and I heard my name, so I think it’s a life jacket especially for me! That’d be really nice, because sometimes I get tired while swimming, or the current’s strong, and that’s scary. Of course she’d never leave me unsupervised near water, but I’ll still feel a lot safer with that jacket!

Paula Bunnyan: The thought of summer just makes me want to hop, hop, hop! But I have to be careful with all my hopping, because I could easily get overheated in the summer, especially at temperatures over 80 degrees. I’m really fortunate that my family makes sure I have ways
to cool off when I need to, like large frozen bottles of water in my resting area, shade, fans if I am inside, and plenty of fresh, cool water so I don’t dehydrate!

The Herd is sort of like ABC’s The View, but our “hosts” are a lot more cuddly! We’ve brought together a few critters representing various species to offer their advice on all things animal. All of the hosts of The Herd have been rescued from the streets or adopted from shelters.

If you have more summer safety tips, please post them here!