The Joy of Playing Outside & Playing It Safe in the Heat

I've always loved playing outside with Mommy and my toys. I feel it is important that my toys get to experience the great outdoors with me. We live in the mountains, and even as summer creeps up on us, our highs are only around 75-80 degree Fahrenheit right now. I'm still a young pup at 6 1/2 years old, I am very fit (I exercise regularly), I'm at my perfect weight and I've always had boundless energy. But I've started to show an inability to take the 'heat' outside. Let me tell you what happened this weekend.

Sunday I told Mommy I wanted to take my good friend Lion L. Ritchie outside to play on the back deck. So the three of us ventured out there for a little game of throw and chase with Lion L. and a Kong Wubba. The sun was shining and it was only around 78 degrees. We were in a sunny spot on the deck and Mommy threw Lion L and the Kong Wubba for me to catch or go chase them. 

Mommy (of course) was taking photos and caught this GREAT series of photos of me running and catching Lion L. in mid air!! Don't you just love the look on his face as he's flying across the deck?! Lion L. Ritchie was even MORE surprised after I caught him. I immediately brought him back to Mommy. 

She was highly impressed with my amazing feat and she took several photos as I returned to her. Then she saw that my tongue was just about dragging the ground. I am not a 'panter' like many dogs are. In fact, I almost never do it...unless I am really hot. I mean seriously overheated. Although the photos of me with my tongue hanging out seem normal, I am in serious distress. 

I couldn't help but just stand there. Mommy called me to her right away, but I only took a couple steps. Mommy scooped me up and immediately took me inside. She tried to get me to drink, but I refused. She had to do some serious cajoling to get me to drink some cool coconut water with plain water mixed in. I only drank a little bit, but then choked on it. Finally, she made me stay still with her in the cool air conditioned living room until I felt better. 

Mommy was trying to figure out why I was getting overheated so quickly. We'd barely been out there 10 minutes. But you can see I was in distress in this photo to the left because my head is low, I have a far off look as my tongue continues to hang really far out of my mouth. NOT the typical Pixel face! This has happened a few times in the last couple of weeks and Mommy was perplexed. After some thoughtful discussion with the family, we realized that part of it has to do with the fact that I need to re-acclimate to the coming warmer temperatures, and the other part (perhaps the most significant) is due to the medications I am now on. In the last year, I've had to go on several medications to help me stay well. It makes perfect sense that medications, whether you are human or canine, can affect your ability to tolerate certain things. It can change your body chemistry and so it is something to be aware of for your beloved pets. I'm certainly no expert, but I feel it's important to talk about
Helpful Tips to Remember:
1. All types/breeds/sizes of dogs can be at risk for heat exhaustion, heat sensitivity or heat stroke.
2. It can happen quickly, so always keep constant tabs on your animal companions.
3. It does not matter whether the dog has no hair, short hair or long hair, anyone can be overcome by the heat.
4. Always keep your pet well hydrated
Here's are some warning signs:
1. Extreme panting, tongue hanging far out of the mouth.
2. Loss of interest in running, walking, playing, etc. Your pet might lay down suddenly or refuse to come when called.
3. Thick mucus, bright pink or red tongue (more than normal).
4. Nausea and vomiting (get them to the vet immediately).
What to do if your pet is overcome by the heat:
1. Move the pet into a cool environment immediately. If you can't do this...
2. Move the dog to a shaded area outside and cool the dog down with water, such as from a water hose. Getting at least the feet wet can be helpful.
3. Give your pet cool fresh drinking water. Put ice cubes in it if you have them.
4. Placing cool wet towels around your pet's neck, and around the groin area can help the cooling process. An electric fan blowing on them can help increase the cooling process.
4. Take your pet to the vet if breathing at all is affected.

I'm certainly no expert, nor am I a doctor. I'm just a little dog that has experienced heat sensitivity and the unpleasant feeling it brings. So watch your pet carefully for any signs of heat stroke or heat sensitivity. It doesn't have to be very hot outside for a dog to become overheated. Just having the sun shining on them on a temperate 75 degree day can be too much, just as it was for me on Sunday.
Remember that us pups can only release body heat through panting and through our paws...so keep us on the cool side and we'll have a great summer together!

And don't forget my new Pixel Blue Eyes Heat Safety Tip:

When in doubt, DON'T TAKE US OUT!

I'm taking part in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop hosted by my friends Alfie's Blog, Snoopy's Dog Blog and My Brown Newfies. Go sniff around some other blogs below and see what they have to share.

The Joy of No Tail Pain Today - Pixel Plays in Celebration

I've been dealing with an especially difficult tail nub nerve pain time since Valentine's Day, hence my lack of blogging, but Monday I was a different dog! I finally got some real relief to where I was a bundle of Pixel fun with Mommy, who was working from home. I spent LOTS of time bringing her toys, dancing into the room with a different toy each time. I had her in hysterics! Never mind that she had meetings all day as she worked from home. She did take a few breaks to indulge me and my Kong Wubba playing self. Here's her favorite photo that REALLY shows how much better I was feeling.

The Joy of America's Independence - Pixel and Her Sisters Get Into Character

America's Independence Day, July 4th, came on a Thursday this year, but I've  been "in character" the entire weekend, reminiscing on  historic highlights of my country's early independence. In honor of one of America's founding fathers, Patrick Henry, who gave the famous "Give me Liberty or give me Death!" speech, I am channeling some of his patriotic fervor here on the front stoop of my "Colonial" Virginia home on this Independence Day weekend. Please, call me "Patricia Henry".

I have been thinking a lot about freedom, freedom of speech, and other important things that make this country of mine so great. We had some very brave and innovative gentlemen and ladies (and doggies, I have no doubt!) that helped build up this country from a small colony to the United States of America. Although we're only a few hundred years old as a country, we still have a rich history. It is well worth looking into. I wonder if Patrick Henry had a little dog like me. He was governor of my home state of Virginia...twice. Plus he has thousands of acres of land and a big family. He'd definitely have needed a dog to run around with him and do zoomies with that much land. 

My sister Peanut Pumpkin Pie is with me now dressed as a very young Lady Liberty. See? Her "points" on her hat are still round because she's so young. Isn't she a shining beam of hope and light? Lady Liberty's statue has inscribed on it the following profound statement:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me; 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

My sister Dixie Mae decided she wanted to get into character as the lovely and stoic first lady Abigail Adams, who was a great support and encouragement to her husband President John Adams. Mrs. Adams was a prolific letter writer and political advisor to her husband during the early forming of our country. I think that Dixie would make a fantastic "First Doggie" don't you?

These are just a few of the many wonderful characters that are woven into the rich tapestry that is my country's history. And as... um...
Oh goodness....

I don't believe it! I've been photo bombed by a young Lady Liberty! Well, she is a free spirit after all.

But don't worry, Lady Liberty and Patricia Henry can still defend the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence if they think danger is lurking about. We are super nice doggies when no danger is present, however we can also be the best watch dogs, just depends on the situation our country is in at the moment.
Later that day...

"It's just good to see Peanut getting into the character of sweet Lady Liberty...saying hi to all the other little flowers and communing with nature like that. She is pretty like a flower, isn't she Dixie Mae?"
"She's just as lovely as she can be Pixel."

...and as the curtain falls on our little Independence Day free for all, let us not forget that above all, freedom is not free, that we all have a part to play in keeping a great country great, and finally, we all must work together for the greater good of our great country.
So, signing off now is Patricia Henry (played by Pixel Blue Eyes), Lady Liberty (played by Peanut Pumpkin Pie) and Abigail Adams (played by Dixie Mae Doxie).
Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience!
Don't miss out on other pet blogging fun...visit some of my friends below to see what fun and mischief they've been up to!

The Joy of the Game Part II - Pixel's Football Action Shots

Here are some of my favorite photos that Mommy took of me when we played football this week, all in honor of SUPER DOG SUNDAY and SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.
A Pre-Game football portrait of me with my official SUPER DOG SUNDAY football.

Listening to my coach for instructions as the game begins. Nothing like a beautiful sunset as we start to play. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!

And we have kickoff. The joy of the game begins for me as I watch that ball fly through the air!

What a catch! I didn't know I could play this well so early in the game.

Another high flying catch. This time I jumped so high to catch that football that I couldn't even fit in the frame! My goodness, this is fun! (and I DID catch that ball...see the very top of the image, there it is.)

Listening as the crowd goes wild!

Wow! The fans are really lovin' my plays, as they have created a collage of my image in the crowd. That makes me feel super special!

Almost....almost. I got it!

The Joy of the Game...written all over my face as I bring the ball in for a touchdown!

Announcer says: "...and Pixel Blue Eyes brings it home again. And the crowd starts chanting 'Pixel, Pixel'!"

Running the ball across the line as I make my final touchdown and win the game. My goodness that was fun! What a wonderful day!

Don't forget to visit my 'Joy of the Game Part I' to see my friend Flurry, a beautiful giant schnauzer mix who needs a forever home real soon. She lives in Texas, and is listed with Pet Finders.