During the dog days of summer – and in some places NOW since summer already seems to be here – protecting your dog from the heat needs to be a top priority of pet owners. A good rule of thumb is if you think you would be uncomfortable in the heat, so too would your dog!

Aimee of 4 The Love of Animals gives great advice,

• Dogs, like people, should not be out in the heat of the day without proper shade and adequate water.
• Dogs can get sunburned, especially on the nose, ear tips and any spots with exposed skin.  Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out in the sun with your dog.
• You can trim your dog to be cooler in the summer, but do not expose their skin.  Do not shave your dog’s coat, because it can lead to sunburn and skin cancer.  A dog’s coat actually provides insulation from the sun and heat.

Remember that it’s not just dogs that can be affected by the heat, but horses, cows, goats, cats, and other domesticated creatures.

I don’t know what’s funnier – the guilty look on the guilty dog’s face or how the other two dogs look at him!

I love my dogs despite the fact that they smell like dogs, lick butts, seek out poop to eat, and wake me up in the middle of the night barking.  They are sweet little girls.  Seasons Girl loves her dogs, too, and names 10 reasons why!

4. They are good company.
5. They are protective.
7. They are funny to watch run and play.

All her reasons are fabulous and make me smile!

Photo by buzzfeed via 33 Animals Who Are Extremely Disappointed in You.

A rescue group in Tennessee unfortunately had a newly rescued greyhound slip out of their care about a week ago. The group has been diligently searching for Cassie, who was spooked by another dog and bolted.

Search parties have turned up nothing more than evidence that Cassie was in the area.  However, their motion triggered camera has spotted some wildlife.

The group is working hard to find Cassie,

As many of you may know we have at least one feeding station set up for Cassie. We’re putting out food and water twice a day for her.  As of our last check of the station last night she hadn’t found the food yet.  We thought that no one had found the food since so much of it was left.

Since its been a couple of days since we have had a Cassie-sighting Rich and I put up a game camera to try and get an automated sighting.  Well, first the bad news… no luck spotting of Cassie.

If you want to follow the efforts to find Cassie, click here.

Photo from Martha Stewart 2011 Easter Pets contest.

I love the sweet nature of dogs. Then when you find one that seems as attentive and loving as Sandy, it makes me want to get in my car and drive directly to Illinois.  From Adopt a Pet,

We are told that Sandy spent the first years of her life as an outside dog with a dog house and a tie-out. However, Sandy seems to have lovely, natural “house-manners” and is respectful of furniture, her bed, and so on. Sandy has also been perfectly behaved in the “house-training” department and will not have any accidents so long as she can go outside in the yard or on a walk a few times a day.

Look at that face!

This is so stinkin’ cute!

This really is both sad and happy.

This is too cute!