As the grey skies hide their summer blue and the winds from the south turn to arrive from the north, winter arrives bringing its eventual snow. The leaves dance to the ground and blanket the lawn to hibernate for the season. The world becomes barren with a desolate feel of quiet, yet still forming a striking beauty in the current landscape. Gone are the days of keeping dogs cool by sitting beneath our favorite tree at the park or escaping inside to air conditioning from the backyard after playing.
But wait! Did I read that correctly? The topic is keeping dogs cool inside during the winter????
Yes.
You read it correctly.
Now you may ask, “Why would this be a topic? Why are we keeping dogs cool in the winter and not warm? OR! Here’s a thought… maybe cool in the summer?”
I’m glad you asked. There are two reasons for this.
Think of Keeping Dogs Cool as in The Fonz.
Sup?
Yes, keeping dogs cool might be a subjective statement. But we can trust the Internet? Right? This link gives great information on what it is to be cool. The picture below, however, is not keeping dogs cool.
How Dare You
There are two types of people in this world. First are people that love to dress up their pets. The other type is people that think it’s utterly ridiculous to dress their pets. Now, the one element that should be shared by all is the safety of our pets. Keeping dogs cool becomes mute when the care of our pets is necessary. As an example… Those of us that live in climates where winter really takes control and streets accumulate ice and snow the salt that is spread on the streets can be very hazardous to our pets. Those little crystals are very hard and sharp. It could puncture the padding on the paw of our pets. This needs to be protected against while we go on our winter walks.
Here’s a link to an internet search for dog boots. Our dogs will absolutely be cool wearing these.
January 14 happens to be dress up your pet day. Yes yes, there’s a day for everything. But when done right this is a great day for keeping dogs cool. PetMD has this article about the positive reasons for dressing up our pets. And not only are they keeping dogs cool in their slideshow, they’re keeping other pets cool too.
On the front of it being absolutely ridiculous, and we shudder at the thought of dressing up our pets and think that this no way near keeping dogs cool, this article offers a great argument for not dressing up our pets.
Safety is all about Keeping Dogs Cool.
We’ve touched upon the safety aspect up above. Remember that our pets are temperature reliant too. On those bitterly cold days when the thermostat is turned up to its maximum setting, keep in mind that the winter coats of our pets can’t just be unzipped and taken off. Keeping dogs cool inside is something that requires serious consideration if it’s too cold to go outside. We remember all too well the polar vortex way back in the winter of 2013-2014, and there were days that the radiator clinked and bounced and spat out a lot of heat. But during those days where the high temperatures were below zero we had to play indoors. Running around the house not only fogged up the windows but made us sweat. The heavy fur didn’t help keeping dogs cool, but we had to make sure that pets stay hydrated and cool down appropriately.
Yes, we can have hot dogs during the winter.
I relish the chance to play inside on this cold day.
This is a very informative list about all things safety related in winter. This list also helps translate to keeping dogs cool inside. Keeping dogs cool is all about safety. We love our pets as much as you do and as pet parents keeping them cool is one thing, but keeping them safe, healthy and happy is our first priority.
I’m Cool and I’m Inside