Working from home allows me to be with my dogs and monitor everything that is going on in my home. If they are drinking more water, due to extreme heat and dry weather, I can easily leave the computer to refill their dish. Most working people don’t have that advantage and must leave their pets at home for 8 or more hours a day. What if there was a power outage or your air conditioning unit suddenly quit?

Pets Get Accustomed to Air Conditioning

If you are used to being in air conditioning most of the summer, it is hard to tolerate being without it. Your pet feels the same way. Have you noticed how quickly your dog goes outside to potty and then seems to hurry back in? We do the same thing on an extremely hot day. It’s much nicer inside; we know it and so do they.

What if there was a power outage? It is common in extremely hot weather, as more people are cranking up their air conditioners, or plugging in more fans. If you didn’t work in the same area, your home could be without power for several hours and you wouldn’t even know it.

With the air inside getting hotter by the hour and no fans running to circulate it, your dog can become quite miserable. It could even be dangerous, if you live in an apartment or mobile home that heats up quickly in the sun. She might even quickly empty her water bowl trying to cool down. Then she would be without water for hours.

Even the most well serviced, or newest, central air unit can fail. I have an old central air unit and I breathe a sigh of relief every time it kicks on in extremely hot weather. If it refused to work, I would know it immediately and would be able to either call a repair man, or find another solution for me and the dogs.

Ask Somebody to do a Pet Safety Check

Just as they tell us to do frequent checks of the elderly in extreme temperatures it is also important to have someone check on your home and pets in extremely hot weather conditions. All they would need to do is pop in and check to see that the air is running efficiently and that the dogs have plenty of water. They could even text you a quick message to say “everything is fine.”

If they find that the air conditioner or fans have quit working, or that the power is out, they can notify you immediately and you can take action. Not only would this protect your pet, it would save everything you have in your refrigerator or freezer from spoiling.

If you have teenagers within walking distance of your home, ask them to do a pet safety check every few hours that you are away at work. Teenagers are usually looking to earn a few bucks in the summer, so it could be a win-win situation for both of you.