They chewed my new rug :(

Hi everyone....i moved to my house about 5 months ago, it looked very plain and empty but I wanted to make sure my puppies (7&8months) would not chew things up before I decorated etc....So they have not touched anything in 5 months, so I go out and splurge a little, I bought a rug which I was so excited about, the next day I left for only 20 min. I came home to my new rug all chewed up! I didnt know which puppie it was. However about an hour later I caught Lana chewing on it some more. I think it was both of them though. So I went out and bought another rug, now I am scared to leave them home alone agian, so yesterday I put them out side when I left. I have a screened in patio thats has a roof and all their beds are out there since my youngest peed on them. I put out fresh water for them. It wasnt to hot yesterday actually it was pretty nice, but living in the Valley it gets REALLY hot sometimes and I don't know about leaving them outside when it gets that hot. Do any of you guys leave your dogs outside when it is hot? It wouldn't be for a long period of time, just when I'm running errands and stuff, but it worries me. I dont want them overheating or anything. Also I use to have a dog room I could keep them in however my bestfriend will be moving in with me soon so their room is no longer theirs! So i have no where inside to keep them. I have one crate thats big but I couldnt put both in there and since I dont know which puppy it was for sure that chewed up my rug I dont know which one to crate. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks

 

They had an article in this mornings newspaper about pets and temperature. Everyone one here is asked to up the temerature in their homes due to the energy crisis we're having.

They said dogs and cat have a higher body temperature than humans which make them more susceptible to heatstroke. Experts recommend nothing over 80 degrees, but are variables based on the pet's condition and if fans are running.

If you put them in your porch area, maybe plug a fan in somewhere where they can't chew the cord.

My dogs go outside for awhile, but there's shade for them and their pool. They're not out very long because it's still really hot regardless.

 

My puppy chewed up my rug as well. Luckily it was just some cheap thing I bought from Big Lots.

As far as leaving them outside, a lot of it depends on the dog and whether or not they have shade. I have 2 St. Bernards who I leave outside most of the time. They really are OK unless it gets above 100. But I have a porch for them and my backyard is very shady so they have plenty of cover. I would leave the dogs out while you are there and see how they do. If they look hot (panting, etc) then it would not be a good idea. I also keep a kiddie pool outside for them.

 

Oh good lord, you poor thing. I could not bear to live in the valley. My sister used to live out there and she would always make sure that whatever apartment she moved to had a pool. But lordy lord. I hate it out there. I would say if you have a shaded area maybe with a wading pool, it would be alright to let them stay out there. Not all day but just while you run some errands. Provided they are secure and everything. Anyway you could set up a fan for them?

 

Hi winnie,
Sorry to hear that your rug is ruined. I came up with 2 ideas for you.

First, if you decide to keep them inside while you're gone, you can probably consider investing in a second crate. A friend of mine has 5 dogs, and he's got a crate for each. Myself I have only one dog, but I have two crates. I think crate is often very helpful, even when you take both of them on the road.

The second idea comes from my bunny. Since my husband is allergic to rabbit fur, the rabbit now lives in the yard. Our yard is not shady at all. Like dogs and cats, rabbits can die from overheating (5 minutes in a 90 degree temperature could kill him). In order to avoid this overheating problem and to keep the rabbit cool during the summer, I put a bottle of ice in his cage (fill the empty soda bottle with water and freeze it). A bottle can last several hours. My rabbit is small in size. For your dogs, you can probably use a bigger container (eg. the 2-litter soda bottle) with ice. Your dogs can also lick on the icy bottle to reduce their body heat!!!

Hope these help.

 

Sorry to hear about your rug.....

I leave Jasper and Miah outside when I go to work during the day, they have plenty of shade, they have a water bucket each, they have a kiddie's pool filled to the top with water so they can swim in it when they want to, there beds are outside under the shade. If they get cold when laying in the shade, they normally drag there blankets that are on the bed out into the sun and lay on that.

 

Harley chewed our persian rug. I was REALLY not impressed. It was the fringe on it that excited her. I think she thought of the job as being half done for her. hehe. Anyways, any new rug we get will have no fringe from now on.

 

Sorry if I sound a little ignorant, but I come from Brisbane Australia. Over here, dogs are outside all year round. Last summer we peaked 43 degrees - very unusual, but nevertheless we got up there! I freeze icecream containers of water and pop that in their water bowl for them. If you've got a bigger container freeze that up) It takes quite a long time for the ice to melt and provides some amusing fun for them trying to extract the ice block from the water. We also have a small water pond with running water (in the shade). We have a large sheltered outdoor entertainment area where they sleep. I've found all my dogs have been great fans of chewing on ice cubes