BLACK & WHITE

It was a good day to cool the dogs off in the yard with a bath, though we never use ice cold water from the faucet. We only use tepid and then a cool rinse. We tried to made quick work of it to avoid wasting water so the golf courses can be kept lush and green.  Beau used to balk at bath time, due to PTSD (Post Traumatic Shelter Disorder) from his incarceration at the Stockton dog pound, where he was probably hosed regularly.  Now he loves his bath; well, likes it more, anyway.  Both he and Peaches enjoyed it this noontime and lay on the front lawn afterward--splendor in the grass for wet dogs on a hot day.

The sun was intense once the clouds parted.  It was so hot I felt like a bug under a mean kid's magnifying glass.  Humans must have finally destroyed Earth's ozone layer.  I took shelter under the small shady patch from the birches while the dogs dried off some.  After only a few minutes in the sun, Peaches, who has a predominantly black coat began to pant. Beau, who is mostly white, was not panting at all.  Soon, Peaches had had enough sunshine and came over to where I was to sit in the shade with me.  A couple of minutes later, I decided they'd dried off enough and we went back in the house where it was cool.

I hope that the people I see running their dogs around town on these hot days remember how quickly they can overheat, especially if the dog has a black coat like my Peaches does.  Unless you're a mad dog or an Englishman, for mercy's sake stay out of the noonday sun, and protect your best friend from it, too.