Dear Duke,

The hot weather is making me so cranky! I moved here to get away from the snow up north, but these North Carolina summers are too hot for me. I don’t feel like I can complain because my husband works on a road crew and he is standing out on the hot pavement 10 hours a day. He never complains. I complain enough for both of us. He said he just thinks cool thoughts. I work in an air conditioned office and I’m still too hot. How can I cool off and not get steamed?

Too Hot

Dear Too Hot,

You do complain a lot. As a Chihuahua, I happen to enjoy the hot weather, but everyone needs to cool off sometimes.

I also agree with your husband. Think cool thoughts. If you stop complaining about the heat then you might not feel so hot.

Something I like to do to cool off is to find a shady spot under a tree and stretch out. Try having a cool drink in the shade and remember what it felt like on the coldest day in February where you came from in the north. Good luck. Duke

Dear Duke,

I was shopping and as I was leaving the store I noticed someone had left their dog in the car. It was so hot and the doors were locked. I went back in the store and asked for the manager to page whoever owned the dog but no one showed up, so I called the police. They found the woman who owned the car and the dog and she was in big trouble. She was so angry with me for calling the police, but I know that dog would have died in just a few more minutes in that hot car. He was really suffering. Duke, please tell people how important it is to leave their pets at home on these very hot summer days. Dogs and children should never be left alone in a hot car.

Concerned Dog Lover

Dear Concerned,

You were right to call the police. People don’t realize how fast the temperature rises in a car. Dogs – and people – can easily die in a very short time from getting too hot. Sometimes people will take their dogs with them because they don’t want them to be lonely, but it is better to leave them at home alone than to leave them even a few minutes in a parked car. Thanks for reminding people to keep their pets safe.

Duke