Adventures with Astrid: Dog Days of Summer

As we've mentioned more than once recently, Astrid is not a big fan of summer or its heat and humidity, and I don't blame her one bit. Our walks are often a lot shorter lately, but that doesn't mean we don't get some sunny strolls in.

This is one of Astrid's favorite sniff spots in the neighborhood. After all, this bridge gets peed on by many a dog.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've already commented on this more times than I have a right to, but I'm already in the mood for autumn and Halloween. Maybe that's because I'm over here melting on these nearly 100°F days. Either way, I've decided I'll be scribbling up some new spooky summer doodles to help me cope with my desire for all things autumn and Halloween. In the meantime, here's a flashback to a few years ago, when we did a Halfway to Halloween April A to Z Challenge.

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Tip of the Day

Not too long ago, we gave some tips all about summer safety for our furbabies. Given that we're currently in a heat wave, we feel compelled to give even more summer tips. These tips, however, will be more focused on how to help stray, feral, or other outdoor furbabies remain safe and healthy in the heat of summer.

Let's begin with a simple yet crucial way to help strays and ferals stay cool in the summer. And that is, please try to ensure they always have access to shade. Staying out of the sun is crucial for preventing overheating, heat stroke, sunburn, and all other such dangers. For this reason, try to make sure that strays and ferals in your area have somewhere shaded to stay in the heat of the day. This can be as simple as natural shade in a safe area, such as beneath trees or bushes that are away from the street and other dangers. Access to the area beneath a deck can also allow for shade, as well as areas beneath outdoor tables and other similar objects. You can even place a giant umbrella outside, under which strays and ferals can keep cool on hot and sunny days.

If you're feeling crafty or handy, you can even build a summer shelter. Then again, you can also purchase one, as there are many options available on the market. The important thing about any summer shelter for strays and ferals is that it should remain shaded but also cool, such as by being open and airy. Do not use an enclosed shelter that will insulate heat, like those better suited for winter weather, as a stray or feral would of course not be able to use such a shelter in order to stay cool on a hot summer day. So, to help those furbabies outdoors stay cool this summer, please ensure they have somewhere shaded to chill out.