The volunteers and employees start an hour earlier this Thursday morning. From 7 a.m. the dogs are let out and put in the outdoor enclosure, because it literally gets too hot under the paws later in the day. “You should avoid the peak heat,” says Annelies Frantsen of DOA Animal Shelter.
Because then the chance of overheating increases rapidly. “If you know you have an active dog, go outside as early as possible. Stay in the shade and stay on the grass,” the caregiver explains. “Dogs need to cool down by sweating through their tongues and paws, so if the surface is warm, that heat comes back into the body from underneath and they can’t cool down.”
“An overheated dog will pant a lot, the tongue will hang out and it will lie flat to cool the legs and belly. Then it will have a hard time,” she outlines. “Therefore, do not immediately put them in the shower or in a pond. This creates a shock effect. It is best to place a cold towel with water on the stomach. The temperature should drop slowly.”
Making dog ice creams
Once inside, the sheltered animals are pampered with cooling mats and homemade ice cream. And you can easily make it yourself. Annelies explains how to do this in the video below.