Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2004. Mattie was two years old and this photo captures him in his element. Mattie loved the rain, playing in it, and was good at getting me out of my comfort zone. As I really did not like spending time outside prior to Mattie and I most definitely disliked the rain. Not to mention the cold! But with Mattie, it did not matter what the weather conditions were like... we went outside.
Quote of the day: When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves. ~ Viktor E. Frankl
Peter and I have noticed a change in Sunny's energy level. I would say that Sunny is no longer perky on his late morning walks. As first, I attributed it to his age. However, while walking Sunny this morning, I had a conversation with a fellow dog owner. He was walking his two year old golden retriever by the water front. Like Sunny, this dog had a heavy fur coat, and was a larger size dog. This fellow was telling me that his young dog stops constantly to sit down and then doesn't want to walk anymore.
Exactly what we are seeing with Sunny. He then said to me, that our dogs are not alone. All the bigger dogs he is coming across, have the same issue. They are affected by the intense heat. I have walked Sunny in the summers of 2017 and 2018, yet I don't remember him affected as much by the heat as he is now. Yet, I reflect on his energy level for early morning and evening walks, and it is just fine. Therefore it is quite evident that Sunny seems to do better when the sun is down.
I wouldn't dream of taking Sunny out for a walk without my back pack of water and his bowl. I intuitively knew that! As water breaks appear to be crucial for him. I just never put two and two together that Sunny maybe exhausted from the heat. Which would explain his need for a lot of water on our walks and his periodic stopping. He will literally pull me over to a tree and sit down, panting intensely. Today, his sitting was so pervasive on our walk that I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to get him back home.
I included an article below on heat exhaustion in dogs. As I think knowing symptoms to look out for before they happen is a good thing.
Heat Exhaustion in Dogs: Signs Your Dog Is Overheating
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/healthcare/heat-exhaustion-in-dogs
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