What are your strategies for keeping your bully cool in the summer?

[JAKEISGREAT]

Where can one purchase a Kool Collar? I have never heard of them before....we kept our Brutus mostly inside all last summer when temps were up in the high 90s. He also likes to chill out in a cold bath instead of going out in the hot air to the kiddy pool lol.

Carolina pet pantry has them..I ordered wrong size..boo..and just returned them. Need larger for sure. They are nice tho!

 

[GatorRay]

Carolina pet pantry has them..I ordered wrong size..boo..and just returned them. Need larger for sure. They are nice tho!

What size did you order and what size do you think you need? I was trying to figure it out so I could get a few myself.

 

[Rosiesmom]

It has reached 94 degrees here already a couple weeks ago..then into 60s..cloudy..drizzly..now this week Thursday and Friday back to 90s !! Spring!! We will have to walk early in the morning..but do worry about coyotes and worse mountain lions. Have had 3 dogs killed by mountain lions in the last few weeks on our street. And 2 were German shepards. They like to come out early ..before sunrise and at night. Yuck. We also have lots of black bears..but they just really want to swim in everyones pools and eat avocados. I do know they sell beds you fill with water and stays cool..imagine they are for outside but I will have to investigate them more seriously.

Holy cow! Real mountain lions! That's crazy! Have you ever actually seen one? Do they just come into peoples yards? That is so scary! I can not imagine looking out my back door and seeing a MOUNTAIN LION! Those poor dogs Are the mountain lions protected or are people allowed to shoot them? How big are they? Sorry for all the questions, I've just never heard of such a problem! All I have to worry about here is maybe an angry squirrel or the neighbors cat in heat.

 

[Miss Molly]

My babies (who I only just got this year) both love being outside! So I plan on getting them Kool Collars from CPP, and a kiddie pool, and just limiting their time outside. They can come and cool off on the cold ceramic tile in the ac, then go back out to play. My hubby likes to keep it cold in our house, I'm always wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts because I'm too chilly.

We do get pretty humid summers here in Iowa, but I don't want to keep them inside all the time since they love it so much outdoors. I think a big outdoor fan will help as well, they can stay cool and out of the sun under the patio roof. And I plan to keep them inside during the hottest parts of the day of course. Poor Molly has a little bit of a breathing issues, she's a noisy breather, so the vet said I would really have to watch her in the heat.

 

[Chunksmama]

Chunk has his own fan .. It blows into his cage 24/7 plus the ac in our living room is on all the time. Thankfully it's an energy saver that we can set the temp. I had a much better pic of him sitting practically on top of it but I can't find it!

 

[speechmom53]

We had another hot one today! It was suppose to be in the 60's and raining. Not only did it not rain, but it was around 86. We had to have another cooling down session where Tubs was put into his kennel with an entire tray of ice and the fan. I also put his water bowl in there with him. After he cooled down there was a mess, but he was able to cool down really fast. I got a virus on my computer yesterday and had by cousin clean it up for me today, so I wasn't able to get the Kool collar yesterday, but I will be ordering one tonight before heading to bed!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Holy cow! Real mountain lions! That's crazy! Have you ever actually seen one? Do they just come into peoples yards? That is so scary! I can not imagine looking out my back door and seeing a MOUNTAIN LION! Those poor dogs Are the mountain lions protected or are people allowed to shoot them? How big are they? Sorry for all the questions, I've just never heard of such a problem! All I have to worry about here is maybe an angry squirrel or the neighbors cat in heat.

Hi [MENTION=2156]Rosiesmom[/MENTION]..no problem with questions at all. Yes. Real mountain lions. I have seen one at 4 in the morning when I was tossing and turning because I had been unable to get my cat in that night. I heard him screaming and I tore outside in our back yard..I grabbed him as he ran along a block wall between us and the neighbors. I totally thought it was a fox chasing him..that had happened before, and out of the corner of my eye I saw something jump over that wall into our front yard. I told myself...myself that is NO fox. I ran into the house carrying my poor cat and ran to look out the front. There was a HUGE mountain lion, just sauntering across my lawn. I about crapped my pants and couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I thought about how he could've had me and my cat for a snack. The next morning I showed my husband his tracks in the dirt and he was verrrry angry with me. And that cat didn't care to go outside for weeks. We have bears every day and they don't scare me at all..those mountain lions do! Yes..they come into peoples yards and get their pets when they are let out to go potty late at night or early am. We have to be very careful. They are not protected but no shooting them in city limits. Fish and game do a great job of tracking and moving if they can.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

What size did you order and what size do you think you need? I was trying to figure it out so I could get a few myself.

@gator Ray..I stupidly ordered small..I called and the people at carolinas pet ..thought it would fit..no way..I am getting a large..Jake is almost 5 months and weighs 27 lbs..not huge and it didn't come close. I've come to the conclusion it's just always large with these guys. If you measure his neck..you can call them and they will help. Very nice people. Hope this helps. They are cool.no pun intended! The cool packs are like baby teething rings..you freeze and slip into color. They will melt and get wet..but it's a good idea. They suggest for outside only..I say what's a little water after living with these guys?

 

[GatorRay]

Thanks for the tips! A fan would be a great idea too.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

[MENTION=1906]GatorRay[/MENTION]..I just ordered a cooling vest for Jake. Said it stays cool for 6 hours. Made from same material that soldiers in Iraq use. For a large price was $19.95. Came in 3 fabrics. Made by or called cooler paws! Don't think I can give name of website. I have ordered dog stuff from them in the past. Pm me and I will share info. Also had cooling bandanas on special.

 

[kiss1069]

So far here in the Tx Panhandle it hasnt gotten hot but have seen a couple of semi warm days but during the summer we do make sure to keep all the outside water fresh and depending how hot we dump ice in the water as well as on the floor for play. We do have a doggy door so they have the freedom to come and go as they please and so far have been pretty good about staying in when it gets hot but we do periodical checks to make sure theyre not outside when its too hot.

 

[kazzy220]

Maggie is an awful sunbather ... she would liteally cook herself I'm sure!!!! So we have to drag that little fat bully-@ss back inside most of the time!! However, it's not only the heat here ... in NE Ohio we are so close to Lake Eerie that we get very bad humidity. So I really hate for them to be out at all......!!!

I keep mentioning to the hubby about getting a baby pool for them to play in and he keeps complaining about the cost of the water to fill it .... Maybe this year I just won't ask ........

 

[Katie9449]

Diesel and I live in Florida. I keep the AC on all the time, but that is for both of us! He has a neck coolie thing, ice is his favorite and only treat, I have frozen toys, ice in his water bowl is another one he loves...though it makes a mess, he has his pool, and I closely monitor how much time he spends outside. He does sunbathe but only in the mornings when it isn't that bad out yet...our walks are when the sun is going down!

 

[lexterwayne]

wow its already been in the 100's here in tx, but last week we had some 40 degree weather as well :/ really??? we take lex out to the lake and let him swim, he stays cool and he can get his excerise as well!! we had a kool collar but bo got ahold of it and tore it apart lol, i didnt like it cause it seemed so heavy and was pulling his neck down. I thought about trying the vest but its just so dang hot in tx its safer to keep him inside. also we have a big ol lasko fan from sam's that we turn on for lex and hell just sit there and fall asleep in front of it.

 

[JeannieCO]

Hi [MENTION=2156]Rosiesmom[/MENTION]..no problem with questions at all. Yes. Real mountain lions. I have seen one at 4 in the morning when I was tossing and turning because I had been unable to get my cat in that night. I heard him screaming and I tore outside in our back yard..I grabbed him as he ran along a block wall between us and the neighbors. I totally thought it was a fox chasing him..that had happened before, and out of the corner of my eye I saw something jump over that wall into our front yard. I told myself...myself that is NO fox. I ran into the house carrying my poor cat and ran to look out the front. There was a HUGE mountain lion, just sauntering across my lawn. I about crapped my pants and couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I thought about how he could've had me and my cat for a snack. The next morning I showed my husband his tracks in the dirt and he was verrrry angry with me. And that cat didn't care to go outside for weeks. We have bears every day and they don't scare me at all..those mountain lions do! Yes..they come into peoples yards and get their pets when they are let out to go potty late at night or early am. We have to be very careful. They are not protected but no shooting them in city limits. Fish and game do a great job of tracking and moving if they can.

That's just flat out scary. There's no escaping a Mountain Lion, their silent stalkers. I believe it was in CA a few years back that a lady was pulled off her mountain bike while riding with a friend when the cat grabbed her. The friend and the mountain lion had a tug-a-war with the lady, luckily her friend won but it ripped half her face off, she survived. However, this cat did the same thing to another mountain biker in that same area about a week or so prio, they found his body. SCARY they are.