Annie keeping cool on the slate floor. From the screened-in porch, she can view the entire side yard. That girl is always hunting for birds.
Most of us love summertime, people and dogs alike. We wait, counting the days ’til cold, snowy winter days end and the warmth of spring and summer days come our way. As great as it is to have mother nature offer up a full display of lush greenery and colorful flowers, summertime in New England can hit hard in the form of a HEATWAVE. Two weeks ago, I was pulling my winter jacket out of storage and waiting until 9:00 a.m. for the temperature to rise into the 40’s to take the dogs out for morning walks. Now, I leave the house at 6:00 a.m. dressed in shorts and a t-shirt to walk the dogs before the pavement gets too hot for them to walk on.
For the past week, temperatures have been in the 90’s and humidity has been ultra high. Normally, the dogs love to spend the morning outside on the hill doing their hunting if I’m working from home. This week, they all headed out the door right after breakfast, made a broad sweep around the perimeter of the hayfield, and headed back to the door to come back inside. Dogs are smart about handling themselves. They’ve ventured out into the oppressive heat and humidity only when necessary. All three dogs have spent their days hanging out on our screened-in porch and family room. Both have slate-covered floors providing the coolest spots inside the house and out of the sun.