Published: June 19, 2009 10:48 am      

Sizzle: How about giving that hot dog a break?

San Marcos — To anyone who’s seen dogs chasing sticks or tennis balls or simply frolicking in the San Marcos River, it’s obvious our four-footed friends enjoy the cool waters as much as we do.

But the director of San Marcos Animal Services warns that if you do drive your dog to the river, drive straight home afterwards. Leaving a pet in a car even with the windows cracked can mean a death sentence.

No San Marcos dogs have died from the heat this year so far as Bert Stratemann knows, but a dog a couple brought in from Kyle nearly did, he said this week.

Dogs are even more susceptible to the heat than children, he noted, because they don’t perspire, only pant.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls about people going to Wal-Mart or going to Target and leaving their dog in the car,” Stratemann said. “Even with the windows rolled down or cracked six inches, it can be well over 105 degrees” inside, he said, adding that temperatures up to 140 degrees have been reached inside closed vehicles.

“We always want the public to be aware, especially with these temperatures,” Stratemann said of the 100-degree days Central Texas has been experiencing.

He said he recently encountered a person selling dogs on the side of the road. “The temperature we took of the grass where the dogs were was 120 degrees, surface temperature.” He also recalled another case where someone went to watch a movie, leaving their dog tied to their pickup.

“It’s too hot for that,” Stratemann said. “Leave your pets at home. Don’t take them with you to the store. If you’re going to the river, don’t run other errands.”

For more on dogs and heat, visit the Web site of the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org.