Newshound Ady & Flo www.sunlive.co.nz

This summer is a cracker and it looks like the pooches of the region have been pretty creative in their methods of keeping cool.

Check out this week's photos of shady characters.

Dog keeping cool

Our friends at the Mount Vet and Mobile Vets have some good advice this week for surviving the swelter.

Avoiding heat stroke and sunburn is important. Pale coated dogs and cats can suffer from sunburn, especially on areas where coat hair is thin – such as ear tips, noses and tummies.

Like humans this can develop into skin cancer. Use pet safe sunblock on these areas as much as possible and try to keep pets in the shade during the hottest times of the day.

Please try and keep your pets cool by avoiding excessive excitement and exercise in the heat of the day. Bear in mind they are wearing a fur coat and remember they can only cool off by panting.

Make sure they have a shady spot to retreat to and plenty of fresh water available.

You can also provide a small tub/kids plastic paddling pool for dogs to jump in or spray them down with a hose.

Never leave an animal in a car on a hot day, even with the window open, say the vets.

'We know sadly from experience that this can end sadly with extreme suffering and death from heatstroke. Temperatures reach extreme levels quite quickly and pets will be unable to cope even for short periods.”

Till next week, keep cool and remember to attack the garden hose at least once a day, to keep it on its toes.

- Ady & Flo.