The Buzz

Don’t forget the dog

By Marlene Bohr

Recently there was an article in Heloise giving people a tip when letting their dogs outside in the yard. This woman advised setting a kitchen timer for about five minutes to remind them to go retreive the pet and let it back inside.
Wouldn’t you think you’d remember? Not always, and I surely can attest to that. It is easy when we are in a rush to go from one thing to the next and forget. Many of us are doing two or three different things at the same time and when the dog goes outside, we can easily let it slip to let them back in again.
I am surely guilty of “forgetting” that dog outside while I get involved with doing something else in the house. As my rat terriers learn quickly not to bark at me or anything ordinary, they rarely bark to let me know they’d like to come back in the house. When their patience is exhausted, which has happened a couple times, then they timidly bark. They are really politely telling me “let me in the house.”
That timer may be a good idea for those of us who have a fenced yard and let the dog out to play awhile. Normally there is nothing that harmful about it, unless it is freezing out there and if they are an inside dog, it may get a bit chilly over a period of time. Also, we know those 100 degree days are upon us in Texas and can be miserable for an inside dog if they are left outside.
It is early, but the reminder remains, do not leave cats or dogs in vehicles as the temperature soars. Even if you crack the windows, the pet can still be in serious trouble. It may not die, but it could suffer brain damage from too high heat for a prolonged period.
Dogs give us their unconditional love; it is up to us to take every conceivable precaution to return that love and take the best possible care of them that we can. Those wagging tails speak volumes of how much we mean to them.