Spring is in the air but summer is fast approaching. With that in mind here are 5 simple summer pet safety tips to keep your pets safer this summer.

1. Leave your dog at home when you run errands this summer. Even when it feels cool outside the temperature inside your car can quickly rise and cause your dog to have heat stroke. Within minutes your car can turn into an oven and then a coffin. Couple that with the fact that a dog’s body temperature is naturally higher at 102.5 F than a human’s at 98.6 F it doesn’t take long for your dog to overheat.
2. During the summer months we spend more time outside so naturally pets are more likely to get lost during this time of year. If you have a fenced in back yard, make sure all gates are secure and check the fence line for any damage or erosion that may have occurred during spring rains. This is a good time to replace batteries on invisible fence remote collars to ensure they are working properly. Also get your pet spayed or neutered! Unaltered pets are more likely to go looking for a mate and as such many end up dead on the road, hit by a car! Don’t let this be your pet!                                                                                                                                
3. Fleas, Ticks & Mosquitos Oh My! Protect your pets from these pesky creatures. They pass along diseases, sickness and skin conditions and with the mild winter we had we are sure to be in for an overabundance of these pests. Check with your veterinarian to see what products are best for your pet.
4. Sunscreen for pets, yes!! Especially if you have a light haired, pink skinned or shorter haired dog. These can burn easily and end up with skin cancer just like humans. Limit the time they spend in the sun. You know how they love to lay out there panting away! Cole does! Lather them up with sunscreen to protect them.  This could be a life saving summer pet safety tip!
5. Dog bites increase over the summer months. Schools Out for Summer and Who Let the Dogs Out? Two popular songs but kids and dogs don’t always mix well and certainly should be supervised. Naturally as it warms up kids are more likely to play outside and so is the dog. But what happens when the kids leave the door, gate or garage door open and the dog really gets out? Well it depends on your dog. Is it trained to stay in its yard unless asked to exit? Most probably are not. Your kids or neighborhood kids running around playing and making prey sounds (high pitched screaming or laughter) can cause a dog’s natural prey drive to kick in and they can attempt to hunt and catch the kids. This doesn’t usually end well. Teach your children to stop and stand still if they see an off leash dog. Do Not Run! Tell them not to pet a dog they don’t know without an adult present. This sounds like a safety tip for kids which it is, but it can also save the life of a dog by discouraging a bite.