Summer is a great time for you and your pet to enjoy a taste of the great outdoors together. However, along with all the fun comes a number of summer situations that could endanger your pet’s well-being, even his life. Here are some tips for keeping your furry friends happy and healthy throughout the summer months:

Pets and Cars - Never leave your dog in your car. It’s a piece of advice that is repeated over and over again, yet one walk across a crowded parking long in the summer invariably reveals at least one or two pets locked in their owners vehicle while the sun beats down. Even if you are parked in the shade, even if you are only going to be gone “for a minute”, leaving your pet in a car can kill him. It only takes a few minutes for the interior of a car to reach temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and up on a sunny day.

Dogs (and cats) do not sweat; panting is the only mechanism they have to beat the heat. . Pets who are left in hot cars even briefly can suffer from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, brain damage, and can even die. Do Fido a favor and leave him at home.

Pets and Trucks – It is dangerous (and actually illegal in some states) to allow your dog to travel in the back of a pickup truck. Not only could debris flying up from the road injure your pet, but the need to brake suddenly could see him unintentionally thrown into traffic. If you must travel with you dog in your truck he should ride in the cab, or in a secured crate in the truck bed.

Pets and Fertilizers – Summer is the time when people head out to take care of their lawns and having their pets join them is only natural. Watch what fertilizers you are using on your garden though, as some of them are poisonous to pets.

Pets and the Heat – Dogs need exercise, even when the temperature is soaring. To minimize the chance that your dog will be affected by the heat (especially if she is short nosed or has a thick coat) limit walks to the early morning and late evening hours, when temperatures should be kinder. Avoid walking your dog on hot asphalt, their paws burn easily.