Our temps are now climbing and so is the heat index. The official temperature in Austin, Texas maybe bearable but the heat index is a different story. Remember you pet walks with its belly and head much closer to the ground and absorbs more heat from the sidewalk or street than you do. Just imagine wearing a fully lined fur coat in Austin Texas when the temp is 97.  Now add the heat index of at least 5 degrees. I also want to mention that shaving a long hair dog can make them more susceptible to heat stroke not less. I know this is counter intuitive but true. If a dog is shaved too close they can get sunburn –yes, use your sunscreen on your shaved dogs. I have seen actual blisters of the skin on a dog that was cut too short.  Ya’ll be careful and for more heat stroke info read the article by Dr. Tammi on this site.