It happens every summer, the temperatures climb, the Cubs’ record declines. But for pups and their owners, one of the stickiest situations about summer in Chicago is not the humidity, but what to do with your dogs when driving around town.

It is a hard city problem. Tying your dog up outside the post office while you run in to do an errand can be risky. But leaving your dog in a hot car isn’t wise either. One recent study from San Francisco State University found that when temperatures were 80° F outside, the temps inside a car rose to 99° F in just 10 minutes and as high as 109° F in 20 minutes.

Just like there’s no one perfect dog breed for everyone, there’s no one answer to what to do when it is hot as Hades and you need to have your dog with you. But I have a few ideas.

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1. Be selective. Pick your summertime pleasures from those that will allow you to bring Fido in tow. Over the next few weeks I’ll be blogging about dog-friendly bars and even a dog-friendly lake cruise
2. Double team. If you have to run errands with your dog, bring a friend who also has a canine companion. Your friend can hold the dogs at some stops, you at others.
3. Ask the experts. For more advice on this subject, check out this WCIU segment on the topic. http://www.wciu.com/youandme.php?section=home&assetID=10002706

–Margaret Littman

Margaret Littman is the author of The Dog Lover’s Companion to Chicago http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Lovers-Companion-Chicago-Inside/dp/1566918707, now in its second edition, and co-author of Dog-Friendly Life http://www.dogfriendlylife.com/, a multimedia project for people who love both their lives and their dogs. This is the first of an ongoing series of guest blogs she’ll write for the Sutton Studios blog Pith and Vinegar this summer.

August 29, 2010

Montrose Harbor

www.dogdayonthegreen.com

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SCREENING PASSES! We’ve Got Them, And We Would Love To Send You As Our Guest!

Only 30 complimentary screening passes left for the movie “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”!

The passes are for Monday, June 26th at 7:00 PM at the AMC River East 21 on 322 E. Illinois St. in Downtown Chicago!

Come get YOUR screening passes today at 3417 Church Street in Evanston! We will be at the studio today till 4:30 PM. Tell your dog and cat buddies!

“Happy Tails to You” Pet Adoption Event @ The Shops at North Bridge 520 N. Michigan Avenue  Level one Saturday July 24th from noon to 3 pm.

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Our June/July Bulldog promotion/celebration rolls on! Only three more sittings with bulldogs, then everybody who brought in a bulldog in June or July gets a complimentary 8×8 chamfer mount print! Tell your friends…

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