Notes from a small dog: Summer, cars and cucumber ears

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Sue Vincent

It’s hot. Too hot for me, and way too hot for her… she’s still skulking in the shadows in case her skin drops off. Can’t see it myself… though I grant you, she does seem to be melting. But all this hot weather means I’m not getting as many walks as I would like.

It’s weird… indoors, even with all the doors and windows open, I get very hot and uncomfortable. I s’ppose the black fur coat has something to do with it. There is only one place I like to be…. and it is cool enough on the kitchen floor that she has even joined me there. Though I did have to laugh at the noises she made when she had to stand up again…

Outdoors, as long as we are walking on grass, I feel better, but she just wilts. She won’t walk me during the day on our special farm track through the fields, though, ’cause the concrete gets hot for my paws…and she always brings my bowl and water so we can stop halfway.

Normally though, we go out when it is still cool in the morning and later in the evening… then we both feel better.

Mind you, she’s been home a bit more than usual this weekend so I thought I might get some extra walks. She said she wouldn’t be going out much at all… but that never happened. She was cleaning up the other night, then got a shower… and the phone-thingy beeped and she dashed out. She was ages… and I was sure she’d gone to get the ball guy, so I waited, all excited, behind the door for them to come. But when she got back, I could smell she’d just been in the pond again… and she was all on her own. I thought that was mean, seeing as she’d already been out all morning… and by then it was too late for walks at all.

She followed that up by being even meaner and threatening me with a bath next day. It might well cool me down, but I still don’t have to like it. And she’s back on the ‘ears’ malarkey. Soon as she says ‘ears’, I run and hide, clamping the floppy bits down hard as I can… but she’s not easy to run away from him in here… and she is just heartless when it comes to ears. She has this squishy stuff in her hands and sticks it my ears to get all the gunk out. I wouldn’t mind so much if she stopped there… but then she squeezes tickly stuff in there… and I end up smelling like a cucumber. I don’t even like cucumber!

Every year it is the same… she starts on the whole ear thing. I admit that floppy ears can get really achey if they aren’t looked after. But why cucumbers?

But I suppose she’s only trying to look after me. Which is more than can be said of the two-legs she, er, ‘spoke to’ at the shops the other day, when it was really hot and they’d left their little chihuahua shut up in the car…

Don’t they know a dog can die really quickly in a hot car? A nice summer day outside can make a car as hot as an oven in no time at all! Even with the windows open.

She’s pretty good at making sure I can cool down… though I’m glad the hose-pipe thingy didn’t move in here with us. She never leaves the curtains open on the big glass windows when she goes out on a morning… just pulls them back enough so I can see out but still keep cool. She always has windows and doors open when she is home… and never shuts me out in the garden. And she always makes sure I have plenty of cool places to sleep and loads of extra water.

Dogs don’t melt like two-legses. We can only cool down by panting, and that isn’t always enough to keep us safe from heatstroke. If your dog gets too hot and starts to be unwell, you need to talk to a vet and cool them down slowly… you can find out how here.

But with a bit of care, we love the summer… all the smells, soft grass to play in and long days for walking.

Just not so keen on the whole cucumber thing…

Much love,

Ani xxx

 

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
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68 Responses to Notes from a small dog: Summer, cars and cucumber ears

  1. Chelsea Owens says:
    June 3, 2019 at 06:18

    Your dog -er, I mean YOU look just like the friend I had as a child. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Ritu says:
    June 3, 2019 at 07:38

    I’m glad you’re as comfortable as you can be… I’ve just slept through most of the heat… Sonu Singh 🙀

    Liked by 3 people

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  3. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler) says:
    June 3, 2019 at 07:53

    Hi Ani,

    My degu brother, Joshua, posted about remembering to keep pets cool in the hot weather a couple of weeks ago. I guess some people – like the one who left their poor dog in the car – didn’t get the message? Glad yours came along and spotted it. Hope the bad human listens to what yours said.

    My walkies are happening more in the earlier and later times now too. Also, we always take water and a bowl with us, no matter what the weather is like, or how long we’re going for. Actually, my water bottle has a special thing on it I can drink from, so I’m not sure why she has the bowl too. Habit from when we had the normal bottle, I suppose. Either way, we always have it, and she offers me a drink lots and lots. Plus, lots of places around here have bowls out just for us dogs, and I help myself to those too. I get hot as well, after all. I might be white, and have sticky-up ears, but I still need to be looked after, and can still suffer from the heat. They do their very best to stop that happening though. Luckily, I enjoy cooling baths, as long as they don’t put the smelly stuff on me. Plus, she doesn’t deal with heat too well either, so the windows stay open to catch the ocean breeze, and there’s usually a fan on somewhere I can stretch out near it and keep an eye on what she’s up to.

    They’re careful about it with Mollie (chinchilla) and Joshua (degu) too. Especially Mollie, who has fur that makes her struggle with heat even worse than dogs do. She’s got a special thing to stretch out on, her own fans, and everything, and they still check her regularly, and worry.

    Lots of licks,
    Lilie

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  4. barbtaub says:
    June 3, 2019 at 08:14

    Dear Ani,
    What is this fixation They have with our ears? My Barb is always on about mine. And don’t get me started about how she carried on after she found that tick last week…

    You should come and stay with us in Scotland. We did have that day (She called it “Summer”) when the temperatures were almost 20C, but now we’ve got that over with, the rest of the summer should be fine for those of us with proper fur coats.
    —your friend, Peri. XX

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Sue Vincent says:
      June 3, 2019 at 19:03

      Oh dear, Peri, I’ve heard about ticks…but so far I haven’t met one.
      I’d love to come and stay… so would she… it is just getting the time off that’s the problem, she says. They will be up in Scotland in the next week or so (I won’t. Not allowed. Again. So not fair…). They don’t quite know where they are going yet after the workshop… still waiting to see who will be around that they need to see…and deciding on what they can fit around that. xxx

      Liked by 1 person

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      • barbtaub says:
        June 4, 2019 at 06:27

        Dear Ani, My Barb made me “like” your comment, but actually I don’t like it one bit. Tell Her to bring you to Scotland so you can go to the beach with me. It’s full of stinky, slimy stuff to roll in. Delicious.

        (But if Sue is in Scotland next week, she should really visit us. I’m a dog, so I don’t hold grudges. I can easily rise above being annoyed with her for not bringing you, and I know my Barb and her friend Mary would just love to see Sue.)

        XX and much tennis ball flinging. –Peri

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        • Sue Vincent says:
          June 4, 2019 at 07:06

          Hi Peri, I really wish she could this time… but I don’t get to go on workshops. She says she is hoping to be on the west coast on the way back though 😉 xxx

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  5. jenanita01 says:
    June 3, 2019 at 09:25

    What we need, Ani, is a very good air conditioning system. When we win the lottery, we’ll get everybody one!

    Liked by 2 people

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  6. The Story Reading Ape says:
    June 3, 2019 at 09:53

    Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
    An important message from Ani…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Mary Smith says:
    June 3, 2019 at 11:02

    Cucumber? It could be worse, Ani.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. roughwighting says:
    June 3, 2019 at 11:48

    You have a very special person, even if she makes your ears smell like cucumber. And I like how you AND your person let everyone know how HOT it is out there, and how WRONG it is to leave any living being in a car during this heat. Jeez. Sometimes humans need a brain….

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. H.R.R. Gorman says:
    June 3, 2019 at 13:29

    Stay cool, Ani! I’m thinking about getting my furry four-legs a haircut. Poms don’t like the 100 degree F heat! I hope it cools down nicely for you at night. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  11. OIKOS™-Publishing says:
    June 3, 2019 at 14:25

    Hi Ani, have an idea for you. Why not heading over to Beetley (Norfolk). There a lonesome dogman Ollie is waiting (beetleypete.com). Last week Ollie met a Rottweiler lady, but it seems not so comfortable to him. German background, you understand. But a English lady, i think he will accept. Norfolk is a little bit “cooler” too. 😉 Best wishes, Michael

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  12. Fransi Weinstein says:
    June 3, 2019 at 17:28

    Hi Ani, you are lucky to have such a wonderful two-legs, who loves you and takes such good care of you. I have to say when I see dogs locked in cars I have to stop myself from smashing the windows and taking the dogs away. I also have to stop myself from locking their two-legs in the car with all the windows closed. And thanks for posting all the information — so important for everyone to know at this time of year. Hope it cools down enough for you to go for a nice long walk.

    Liked by 2 people

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  13. robbiesinspiration says:
    June 3, 2019 at 18:35

    Gosh, Sue, I really can’t believe that story about the dog in the car. That is such an ignorant thing to do – I expected better of British people. Glad you know what your doing and can keep Ani comfortable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sue Vincent says:
      June 3, 2019 at 19:13

      It really gets my goat, Robbie. Thankfully, this was outside a small shop and would not have been left for long…but it only tales a long queue…and I’ve waited twenty minutes in there before to be served. A tiny pup like that would not last long when it is 27 degrees outside…

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  14. pensitivity101 says:
    June 3, 2019 at 20:40

    Maggie sympathises with you dear sweet Ani. She too is black, and the heat just smothers her. We invested in a fan to cool the bedroom down before we go to bed. The kitchen and bathroom floors are lino rather than carpet, so considerably cooler.
    Very important about not leaving dogs in cars on hot days. One of us stays with Maggie if she can’t come with us so that windows and doors are open, and we always have water on board.

    Liked by 2 people

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  15. pensitivity101 says:
    June 3, 2019 at 20:46

    Reblogged this on pensitivity101 and commented:
    Reblogging this especially for info on dogs overheating.
    Don’t forget, pavements get hot and can cause tender paws to blister.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Lyn Horner says:
    June 3, 2019 at 21:50

    Ani, I am glad your two-legs take such good care of you, making sure you have enough water to drink and never leaving you shut in a hot car. Thanks for sharing this very important advice with other two-legs!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  17. willowdot21 says:
    June 3, 2019 at 22:01

    Wonderful advice Ani, you have your two legs well trained . My two are very well trained too and look after me well. Mind you I do get very impatient waiting for the temperatures to drop enough to be safe to go out. They only take me on short car journeys and use the air conni thingy. Ani you and me are very lucky. Love Ruby💜

    Liked by 2 people

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  18. Widdershins says:
    June 3, 2019 at 22:31

    The cucumber thing is a bit odd. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  19. Marilyn Armstrong says:
    June 4, 2019 at 01:04

    Dogs need zippers. Or at least flaps to let more air in. We actually leave the A/C on because it gets hot out and the doggies don’t like it when it’s hot. But to be fair, we also get a lot of humidity, so it feels even hotter than it is.

    We don’t take the dogs in the car most of the time. They get unruly in such a small space and Bonnie gets very stressed these days by anything other than being safe at home. The blinder she gets, the less she wants to be anywhere but at home. So unless it’s the vet, she gets to be in the place she is most comfortable.

    We haven’t had much hot weather. So far two really warm days in the higher 80s. I’m pretty sure that is about to change, but today it was almost perfect … and we have been VERY short of perfect weather for a very long time.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Sue Vincent says:
      June 4, 2019 at 07:09

      Ani gets really excited in the car…half an hour is her max before she starts singing to us and we have to pull over for a bit. She loves it though… just can’t wait to get wherever we are going 😉

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  20. dgkaye says:
    June 4, 2019 at 01:44

    Thanks for the lowdown Ani. Glad you are looking out for your 2 Legses and she’s caring for you and your ears. I do have to say that I’m hearing a lot about all that sunshine you guys are hogging up while it’s June and I’m still wearing a coat here! ❤ xxx

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Eliza Waters says:
    June 4, 2019 at 02:52

    Good and timely reminder to keep everyone cool and healthy. Thanks, Ani! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. Adele Marie says:
    June 4, 2019 at 18:49

    Oh Ani, what’s the squishy stuff but I loves the cucumber to eat, not in my ears. I have my haircut tomorrow and a bath from Aunty Emily the groomer lady, hmmph, I suppose I feel better after, suppose. Much paw love, Dante the dawg. xxx

    Liked by 2 people

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  23. Carol Balawyder says:
    June 11, 2019 at 14:20

    Thank you, Ani, for this delightful and informative post.:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  24. Jennie says:
    June 14, 2019 at 02:43

    Ani, she really loves you. Cucumber = love.

    Liked by 1 person

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