As temperatures soar into the 90s this week and the Fourth of July approaches, the head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is urging residents to be mindful of their dogs.
Officer Allyson Halm patrols New Canaan parks regularly and said she gets “very concerned when I see people taking their dogs out at noon and throughout late afternoons.”
“They really need to think twice,” Halm said. “Dogs should be walked in this heat in the morning and evening. Fresh water should be available. Do not leave your dog in the car no matter what. A quick errand is a deadly errand.”
Halm added that dogs easily develop ulcers on their paw pads from walking on sidewalks and asphalt that’s been baking in the heat all day.
With the Fourth of July arriving Sunday, Halm added that dogs became very frightened and agitated by the “loud bangs and noise” of fireworks that “goes on for weeks.”
“We encourage people to not take their dogs to the fireworks, leave them home,” Halm said. “Preferably with the AC on and some music going, so that they can find some relief from the noise. The same goes for backyard fireworks. The dogs can bolt and sometimes run for days. So leave your pets at home and have a secure collar and leash on them when they’re out.”
Yes! thank you Allyson Halm for making these points. Just yesterday I was in a store in another town and a woman kept looking out to see her dog in the car. It was too hot for him to be there. I tried hard to make the point that she needed to urgently go out there to him – but many people don’t understand until it’s to late. Dogs can’t take the same conditions we can.
Our pets are so precious to us, we need to learn all we can to properly care for them, especially in this heat.