Column: Pets need cooling care during hot weather months
Meet Thor (A521631), a lovable 3-year-old, 80-pound goofball who thinks he’s a lapdog. This playful, treat-motivated pup loves tennis balls, doggy pools, and showing off his “sit” and “down” skills. He’s easy to harness, friendly with people, and recently went on a volunteer field trip where he soaked up all the affection. Ready for fun and cuddles, Thor is eager to find his forever home. Adopt Thor, or any dog or cat age 6 months and older, at no cost during Pasadena Humane’s Hot Dog and Cool Cat Summer adoption promotion through July 20!
There’s a popular saying among animal welfare professionals that goes: if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pets. This tried-and-true adage is key to keeping our pets safe during the hot summer months.
To make sure my dogs Sheldon and Jack don’t overheat, I take extra precautions when the temperatures rise. I walk them early in the morning and again in the evening once it starts to cool off. I test the sidewalk with the back of my hand, and if it feels too hot after 10 seconds, we skip the walk.
During the heat of the day, my dogs stay indoors where it’s cooler. I freeze peanut butter into treats and fill puzzle toys with goodies to keep them entertained.
In their younger years, Sheldon and Jack loved visiting the dog beach. These days, they’re happy just lounging in my air-conditioned house. But I know not every pet is as lucky.
As the summer heat intensifies, we see an increase in animals coming into our shelter suffering from heat-related illnesses and injuries. Calls come in to animal control reporting dogs left in hot cars and animals with heat exhaustion are treated in our ICU.
Heat can be deadly for pets. Unlike humans, dogs and cats can’t cool themselves by sweating. They rely on panting to regulate body temperature, which becomes less effective in extreme heat. An animal experiencing heat exhaustion can be at risk of life-threatening heat stroke in a matter of minutes.
If you’ve visited Pasadena Humane, you may wonder how we keep the dogs cool in our outdoor kennels. The answer is preparation and constant monitoring.
Our kennels are covered to minimize direct sunlight from reaching the concrete floor. We’ve installed misters in each of our dog kennels that are programmed to turn on when the weather warms.
Throughout the day, our staff and volunteers measure ambient and ground temperatures. We limit taking dogs onto blacktop surfaces to reduce the chance their paw pads burning.
On especially hot days, we shift outdoor enrichment indoors. We set up areas in our training room for time out of their kennels.
When dogs are outdoors during the hot summer months, providing abundant access to shade and water is essential. A thick tarp goes up over our play yard every summer to keep the artificial turf cooler. We fill large pet pools with water for those pups who like to take a dip.
Just recently, I had the pleasure of hanging out in our shaded play yard with one of our long-stay dogs, Thor. In between chasing tennis balls and eating lots of treats, he waded through a kiddie pool.
Thor came to us as a surrender after his owner could no longer care for him. His goofy personality and love for splashing around charmed me within seconds, and I’m hopeful he will soon find a permanent home to call his own.
If you’d like to meet Thor, stop by the shelter this weekend. We are in the final days of our Hot Dogs and Cool Cats adoption promotion, sponsored by the Pet Care Foundation, thanks to a grant from the Georgia B. Ridder Foundation. Through Sunday, July 20, we are waiving adoption fees for all dogs and cats six months and older.
Whether it’s Thor at our shelter or Sheldon and Jack at home, every pet deserves to be cool and comfortable this summer.
For more tips on keeping your pets safe during the warm summer months and to learn more about pet adoption, visit pasadenahumane.org
Chris Ramon is interim president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.
This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on July 18, 2025.
