Beating the Heat

(After a swim in the lake, mama and daddy insisted on washing me--a total waste of a good lake bath, I say.)

Hi, all, Lily the Corgi here.  Once again, I must apologize for the fact that I missed a blog post last week. We are still trying to get things back to normal here following our dog-health issues and mama has just not been able to get my blog done.  Anyway, I'm back this week to let you know how life has been treating us and to pass on a few nuggets of knowledge while I'm at it!

One thing that has been very odd this summer has been the weather.  We've had a lot of rain, but almost no storms, which is quite strange here in tornado alley.  The weirdest thing, though, has been the temperature; for the months of June and July, it has been WAY cooler than usual here at our house.  We dogs have been able to stay outside and play for hours and hours without melting.  Mama, who hates the heat, has even been able to enjoy the outdoors this summer.  But with August, normal summer weather came rolling in...ugh!

Today, our back porch thermometer read a nice even 100 degrees.  Sadie and I only go out when we simply cannot hold in our pee any longer; Lucy is a little more adventurous and wants to go out for a little while, but she barks to come back in pretty quickly.  This past Friday, we had a small disaster here at the house when our air conditioner failed.  Mama had gone to a funeral and my sisters and I were trapped in the house; when mama got home it was over 90 degrees and we were hot--literally as well as figuratively!  Daddy was able to get the A/C going again, but the thermostat still isn't working at its best; we've told mama she is not allowed to leave the house for more than an hour at a time in case we have any more of that super-heat in the house.

Anyway, all this has prompted me to talk to you about getting cool.  Yesterday, mama and daddy loaded us up and we went to the lake.  I'm a big fan of swimming in the lake so I was having a blast.  Lucy swims but she isn't as crazy about it as I am.  Sadie loves the water, but she doesn't want to be in water deep enough to float her--she wants her paws firmly on the bottom of the lake!  It was a great day; we came home all wet and bedraggled and smelling like wet dog and lake water.  Mama and daddy had to go spoil it all when we got home by hosing us all down in the driveway so we didn't "stink up the house."  How rude!  Oh well, even though their unwanted attentions robbed us of our great scent, we were able to retain the coolness of our watery adventure.

I've told you before about my love for ice cubes and mama has been very good to hand me a nice cold cube every time she goes to the kitchen.  That's always a great way to get a quick cool-down.  Probably one of the best ways to cool off in this evil summer weather is to plop down right under a fan.  Our house has a bunch of ceiling fans and Lucy and I love to stretch out under these and let the breeze blow across our ears, bellies, and faces.  There is just nothing better than a nice fan breeze against your tummy on a hot day.

(Mama and daddy's bed is right under a big old fan...Lucy and I enjoy the breeze .)

Wait, maybe there is something better than the fan.  Sadie and I are big fans (fans, get it?) of the tile floor.  Oh, those tiles are so nice and cool against our tummies.  I have no idea why, but Lucy doesn't enjoy the tile flooring...but that's okay and leaves more space for us!

Oh yeah, there is an even better way to cool off, but mama and daddy don't allow it much...ice cream!  Yummy, sweet, creamy, cold and wonderful ice cream is a big favorite at our house.  Mama and daddy never let us have ice cream very often, but now with Sadie's new diabetes diagnosis, we are even less likely to be given an ice cream treat.  Sigh...so sad.  I myself am happy to have ice cubes as a substitute, but the other girls don't like plain ice; mama sometimes gives us frozen chicken broth as a treat and that meets with everyone's approval!  Another pretty good alternative is watermelon.  We all like to gnaw those watermelon rinds to get every speck of that red fruity goodness.

(Sadie partakes of the summery goodness that is watermelon.)

I bet every dog has his/her own method of beating the heat; the important thing is to keep cool.  Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are dangerous to dogs as well as to their humans.  So, stay cool, stay safe, and stay tuned til next time, everyone.

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi