I woke up yesterday morning to a lukewarm house. It is mid-July in Georgia and my air conditioner has been running non stop until now. Well, it is time for a new air conditioning unit and it can not be installed until tomorrow morning.

Oh, I can tough it out, but I can not bear to see my dogs suffer. I realize that a dog pants to cool itself, but the poor dears look so miserable and it is non stop panting! It is making me a little crazy.

To help us sleep last night, I placed a big shop-style blizzard fan in my bedroom. I already have a ceiling fan, but that is not enough in this humidity.  Well, as hot as it is my dog Scarlett slept right up against me with her thick chow-like fur. Is that the ultimate in devotion?

It made me think about my poor doggies overheating (which is hardly going to happen with a blizzard fan blowing on them). I am a little extreme in my thought process. 🙂

Tip about heatstroke in dogs:

Dogs do not sweat through their skin like humans – they release heat primarily by panting, and they sweat through the foot pads and nose. If a dog cannot effectively expel heat, the internal body temperature begins to rise. Once the dog’s temperature reaches 106 degrees, damage to the body’s cellular system and organs may become irreversible. Unfortunately, too many dogs succumb to heat stroke when it could have been avoided.

by Jenna Stregowski, RVT, About.com Guide

Just a few days without air conditioner and I realized how lucky I and my furkids are. We think air conditioning is a necessity. No, it is a luxury and we are lucky to have it. There are people living without it.

I shudder to think of those dogs that are left out in the hot summer temperatures.

I am so grateful that my dogs and I are blessed enough to have a cool house on a hot summer day.