Peg and I had a great time at the taste of Morgan Hill. Thanks to so many of you that stopped to talk cars and pets with me at the car show. Yes, that was our 1956 VW truck that was there Saturday. We had so much fun with everyone and we’re already looking forward to the next “Taste.” Maybe we’ll see you there next year. Now let’s get down to business.
I received two letters from readers who saw dogs left unattended in parked cars. And as luck would have it, I had to deal with a similar situation last Sunday. Someone left their pooch in the car. It’s a warm, sunny morning. The car is parked in the shade of a tree, but inside, the temperature is climbing to uncomfortable levels.
This scenario occurs all too often. People just don’t think, or plan ahead when they leave home in their car. They go in a store to purchase something and they think it’ll only take a few moments. The dog should be all right if it only takes a minute or two to run this errand, right?
This time of year, this is NOT all right. Even if the car is under a tree, even if the windows are cracked open an inch or two, the temperature in that car quickly becomes uncomfortable. And in a short time, uncomfortable can become dangerously unsafe. Don’t believe me? Park your car on an 80 degree day and sit there with the windows just cracked open a little. You won’t stay there too long, I promise.
So what do you do if you come across this situation? Some folks tell me they’ve called the police if they couldn’t locate the owner. Others had the store make an announcement over their PA system. One individual found a faucet and hose and ran water on the car until the owner appeared (the owner was embarrassed and actually grateful when she returned to her car after waiting in line at the store for more than 15 minutes). There’s no simple answer here. But one thing is certain. Pets shouldn’t be in a parked car on a warm autumn day.
Q: I heard about a new virus that has infected dogs in Michigan. It sounds serious. Can you tell us anything about it?
A: Circovirus infection occurs in pigs and birds and recently has been implicated in the illness of several dogs in Ohio and now Michigan. It can cause symptoms of serious indigestion (vomiting and diarrhea). The Michigan dogs exhibited these symptoms and tests showed they had been exposed to this virus. Interestingly enough, some healthy dogs also tested positive for the same circovirus. Gastrointestinal upset is a common symptom to man diseases, including parvovirus and some other infections agents. So was circovirus to blame here? Or was its presence only circumstantial?
The bottom line is that we just don’t know whether or not this virus is a serious threat to dogs or not. Stay tuned. There will certainly be more information about all this in the coming weeks.
Q: I recently heard someone talking about a dog that could go underwater and fetch things off. Dogs can’t swim underwater, can they?
A: Don’t bet the bank on this one, because there really are dogs that can go underwater to fetch things. A while ago, I went to Del Valle Reservoir near Livermore for a water trial, an exercise put on by the Newfoundland Club of Northern California. The competition included various events where these giant dogs rescued stranded boaters and swimmers. Newfies are trained to give help to swimmers in danger. And they’re strong swimmers: powerful enough to literally tow a small boat to shore if needed.
One of the competitions included going under water to fetch an object off the lake bottom. Granted, these dogs didn’t dive down and swim underwater. But they did completely submerge there head in ankle deep water and found a planted object, then brought it up to their owner or trainer. It was a thrill to see these magnificent beasts perform for us.
Incidentally, if you’d like to learn more about Newfoundland dogs and see one of these events, check out the club’s website at www.ncnc.org. Many of their activities are open to the public and they are very entertaining.
