00:00Today is National Dog Day, a time to celebrate our pets but also remember their safety in all
00:06types of weather. Joining us now is Susan Anderson, Senior Director of Disaster Response
00:11at the ASPCA. Thanks for joining us here this morning and let's get right to it. What does
00:19National Dog Day mean to the ASPCA? Well it's great to be here with you this morning. So of
00:26course dogs and all animals are very important to the mission here at the ASPCA and part of
00:32my job is to try to keep them safe and their families prepared for severe weather. We still
00:39talk about heat this time of year. It's still a big concern in a lot of the country. So what are
00:43some hot weather safety tips for dog owners? Yeah so if it's too hot for you it is too hot for your
00:51pets outdoors. So we recommend taking short walks or early or late in the day and be mindful of hot
00:59pavement that could potentially burn your dog's paws. Pets can also dehydrate quickly so be sure to give
01:05them plenty of fresh clean water when it's hot or humid outside and make sure that your pets have a
01:11shady place to get out of the sun. Be careful not to over exercise them and just keep them indoors with
01:17you when it's extremely hot outside. Storms and hurricanes can impact families and their pets.
01:23How should people prepare to keep dogs safe during severe weather? Absolutely. So when severe weather
01:32is anticipated especially if you think you're going to have to evacuate your home be sure to always bring
01:38your pets with you. Never leave them behind. They can get disoriented. They could get hung up on
01:44something and not be able to get to a safe location. So if we're talking about hurricanes and potential
01:49flooding you're going to want to get to a high ground and you're going to want to bring your pets
01:54with you. If you're sheltering in place find a safe place at the highest level of your home. If you're
02:00talking about tornadoes you know the rules are a little bit different. You're going to want to get in
02:04the lowest place that you can find in a basement in an area away from windows. Shelter in a place that is
02:12ventilated that can be easily cleaned and bring all of your pets all of your family and all of the
02:18supplies that you'll need to hunker down with you to that safe room. As we move into fall and
02:26temperatures start to cool what should pet owners be thinking about to protect their dogs?
02:32Yeah so we think in terms of severe weather typically and it depends on the kind of animal
02:38you have what type of coat they have and whatnot but for the for the short-haired smaller dogs
02:43elderly dogs pets with health issues and young extremely young animals they may take some more
02:50thought to protect them from colder weather but again if it's too cold for you outside it is probably
02:56too cold for your pet. So keep that exposure to cold weather to a minimum. Make sure that your dog
03:02always has an up-to-date ID tag on them and don't let them off leash in snow or ice especially during
03:08snowstorm they can lose track of sense and become disoriented or wander away from home unintentionally.
03:16So keep them inside where they're cozy and safe with you. Ensure that they have a warm dry place to
03:21sleep away from drafts that's off the floor and if you notice any symptoms of frostbite, excessive
03:28shivering, anything like that then contact your veterinarian. Susan Anderson, Senior Director
03:34of Disaster Response at the ASPCA, thanks for joining us here on AccuWeather Early. Thank you.
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