EDITORIAL: Be cautious in high heat

Jul. 12—So far, we've experienced a fairly mild and wet summer, with temperatures hovering at comfortable levels that allow us to experience summer in all of its glory.

However, this is going to change, in the near future at least, as the National Weather Service is predicting weekend temperatures in the high 80s that will also flirt with 90 degrees. This will carry over into Monday with another day of temperatures in the high 80s.

Even though we are not dealing with the uncomfortable temperatures that many in the United States are having to cope with, it's worth a reminder to keep extreme heat in mind when it comes to yourself and your pets.

It doesn't take much for ailments such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke to sneak up on a person and this can be just as much of a danger for your pets. We get outside, get absorbed in our weekend work or play and without much notice we start feeling the effects of either, which can include dizziness, thirst, heavy sweating, confusion and more.

In pets, these symptoms can take on the appearance of excessive panting, drooling, shortness of breath, vomiting and more.

The idea of being aware becomes especially important in the face of the mild summer itself, because we have these days where temperatures remain in the 70s or we have rain to cool things down a little bit.

It's going to be a sunny weekend and we hope you have plenty of plans to take advantage of the weather, but we also hope you do so safely. Drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks or avoid work in the hottest parts of the day as much as possible, bring your pets in when it gets too hot and ...

Don't forget the sunscreen.