WARMER, WARMER

It's suddenly heating up, and that is going to catch some people by surprise. If you take your dog along for the ride, it's time to leave him at home where he can stay cool and safe. Sacramento just seems to get less and less dog friendly, so that means you can't pass off your Chihuahua as a service dog when you go into a store and take him in with you. I'd personally rather see a dog in a store than see one cooking in a car, but I don't make the stupid rules.

Why can't our city be more laid-back, like Carmel, where dogs are welcome everywhere, on the beach, even in restaurants?  I think the same California laws exist in Carmel as in Sactown, so why are we enforcing them so strictly here and they aren't?  The dogs aren't going to be in the kitchen where the food is prepared, just sitting quietly beside their owners at a table.  Of course, common sense must rule, and dogs must be well behaved, house trained, and not reactive to other dogs. And therein lies the problem, because a lot of pet owners don't exhibit good judgment when they take their pets to public places.   

Unless the dog is actually sitting on a chair at the dining table (like they do in Paris), there won't be any danger of dog hair in the meal. Until long-haired servers and food preparers start wearing hairnets, as law also dictates, then there is no room to fuss about dogs in restaurants. I'd much rather find a dog hair in my food any day than someone's long stringy hair, and the only short and curly I ever want to discover on my plate would have to come from a French poodle.

Just be sure you don't leave your dog waiting in the car for you on these warm days while you shop.  Many people still think the outside temperature has to be above 100 degrees for it to be unsafe to leave a dog unattended inside a car. Dogs can perish in a car on 80-degree days as easily as 100+, even if the windows are cracked. You get distracted with your errands at the mall and come back to find a dead or dying dog.  It happens every summer, and summers come faster than they used to.  No one ever wants that tragedy to happen to their best friend.  If you really love your dog, the safest place to leave him is at home.  He'll be waiting for you there, ALIVE, when you return.