Do I need to get a "summer cut" for my Golden Retriever?
This is my second summer in the south and my first summer with my goldie having a full coat (he just had puppy fuzz last summer). Last summer, the average high was between 98 and 102 everyday, with high high high humidity. I'm afraid it looks like this year will be a repeat.
Jake, even with just his puppy coat, hated to go outside any time of the day. I am intelligent enough to avoid exercising the dogs between the hours of breakfast and dinner, to avoid pupper overheating and sunburn on my pale skin. However, the pups need exercise sometime during daylight. To make things more difficult I have no yard and live near the river, where there are few large trees. On warmer spring and fall days, I often find I have to put Jake in the shower when we get home from a walk, to cool him down. I do let Jake swim, but we also go on lots of walks.
The summer has barely started and I am worried. Saturday, I got up at 9 am. The pups and I ran to the park, where Jake swam and played. On the way back, walking this time, we stopped to get drink in a stream. Despite my efforts, Jake seemed so uncomfortable and kept dragging me to the shade (when we could find it). Besides, keeping the dogs well-hydrated and avoiding exposure to mid-day sun, what can I do other than moving to a cooler climate, to keep Jake less miserable this summer? Last year, in my town, a healthy young lab died of heat exhaustion when running with his owner. I am petrified of this happening to my sweet dog.
FYI - My other dog, doesn't seem to be nearly as effected by the heat. Just a small bit of panting.
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