(upbeat music) - Best Friends Animal Society is dedicated to keeping your pets healthy and safe all summer long.

Pat Theobald is here today with all of the important information to help us keep our pets safe during these hot summer months.

Hi Pat.

- Hi.

Thanks for having me.

- Thanks for being here.

We all care about our, you know, furry friends and... - [Pat] Absolutely.

- And fur babies, we want them to be comfortable and safe.

We know how hot it is ourselves.

- Exactly, some people may think that, may forget that our pets get hot and dehydrated just like we do, but it's harder for them to tell us when they are feeling uncomfortable.

So it's important to kind of keep their feelings in mind as you're going through your summer.

- So tell us some, you know, some tips on what we can be aware of.

- Yeah, well, the main thing, as it gets hotter, it's important to make sure your pets, if they're outside, they should always have shade, always have water.

You know, keep the water in the shade so.

No one wants to drink out of a bowl that's been, it's all hot water and sitting in the sun.

And if when you're, like, if you're taking your dog for a walk, be mindful of their feet.

They connect, the pavement can actually get too hot for them to walk on.

So if you can't hold your hand on the pavement for more than like 10 seconds, it's too hot for their feet too.

- Yeah, and so for those who groom their pets, like dogs and cats, is it helpful for them to, like, how hot do they get in that fur?

- I mean, it's, regular grooming is good, but a lot of the times, especially dogs with double coats, like Huskies, the extra fur actually keeps them cooler because it traps cool air inside rather than letting the sun penetrate.

So it's important actually not to over-groom, not to shave long-haired pets like that.

- Okay, so what are some signs that we can look for in our pets when we know they need help?

- Yeah, I mean, just kind of being mindful of every, anytime you get thirsty, say if you're out for a walk or you're hiking, bring a bowl along for your dog and make sure they're getting, they're getting water every time you get water, basically.

- Great.

Well, thank you so much for being here.

I'm sure there's so many more tips that people can find on your website.

- For sure.

Yeah, our website bestfriendsutah.org.

And you can get all the tips.

- Great, well, if you'd like to learn more about how to keep your pet safe during this summer, it's very hot outside, simply visit bestfriendsutah.org.

That's bestfriends utah.org.

I'm Laura Durham.

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