Dogs and heat and Overland West

[film842]

I had decided to leave my dog at home for the Overland West show because of what I assumed would be too much heat. However, I don't really have any experience with Flagstaff's weather and a google search shows heat of maybe 75-80. Not bad.

My dog is a ten year old Border Collie who's been raised in the Pacific Northwest and while our summers can produce 85-90 degree days often enough she doesn't like it, but gets through it.

On other hand, I'll be driving through hot zones to get to Flagstaff...Las Vegas etc so maybe that could be a problem?

I know I can get the dog through should I choose to bring her, but I don't want to stress her out either. If I leave her at home, she'll be bored but safe and comfortable.

Any opinions?

 

[volcomsurfer]

life's better with a dog. Just keep him hydrated. I'm sure there will be some water spots to get him soaked and keep him cool.

 

[film842]

life's better with a dog. Just keep him hydrated. I'm sure there will be some water spots to get him soaked and keep him cool.

Yeah, I agree. Just don't want to stress the little fart out though.

 

[Finlay]

We took our dogs a couple years ago, and it was a good experience.

Things to remember:

- 70-80 feels more like 60-70 because the air is thinner. Shade is super important as is water. If you're going to leave the dog at camp, they'll be fine as long as they have shade and water. Direct sun is very warm, and leaving poochie in the car even when its cooler out is ill-advised - you're a mile closer to the sun, and you can feel it.

- There are lots of strange noises and other dogs and all that. This isn't a problem for some dogs, and others it is.

- Not much water for playing in. That area has had a drought the past couple years and the ExPo grounds are a seasonal lake bed that I don't think has seen any water in a while. Anyway, it's not too hard to find some space for playing and letting the dog roam if you're willing to get up early when it's cooler out.

- You'll want/have to leave your dog at camp for many events and classes. This is a problem if the dog is a barker or doesn't like people and activity near camp. This is less of an issue if your dog is more docile and calm.

TLDR : there's no real reason not to bring your dog if they can handle the commotion and are well behaved.