Mack's New Ride

Hu-mom here.....If you have been following our blog you know that Mack, being a Pug, has a hard time handling the heat and humidity of Northern Virginia.  Well the H&H  (heat & humidity) are back and will continue to get worse as the summer wears on.

In the past, Mack has had to only enjoy long walks in the dark or wee hours of the AM.  I'm not a fan of walking the dogs at either of those times.  Therefore, Mack has been left behind.  I feel bad leaving him at home or just taking him on a quick trip on our cul-de-sac.  We usually take at least one walk a day with our neighborhood friends and their doggies so it's a time of socialization for both humans and dogs that we all enjoy.

After trying different things to help Mack out, like cooling collars (don't work on a pug with no neck), wetting him down before we go, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible, we even bought a used Radio Flyer wagon, but Mack refused to get into it from the very beginning and it was really loud as we pulled in on the sidewalk.  I think we finally came up with an idea!

A stroller for Mack!   

There are strollers made especially for dogs BUT being a frugal person, I couldn't see spending that much money on a dog stroller!  So I started hitting the yard sales.  The first stroller I snagged was only $1.  It was an umbrella stroller.  The seat was too small for Mack (think of the area a doggie like Mack would need when sitting down.) So I continued to check out the yard sales.

Then yesterday, while walking the dogs, we came upon a yard sale!  and they had this beautiful blue stroller for $4!  Bingo!!!  Mack's New Ride!  It's a regular stroller that has a reclining seat.  So when seat is all the way down, he can sit comfortably in it with room to spare. There is also a sun shade which will help, too. And there's room for poop bags, dog water, cell phone, etc in the basket under the seat and a place for a human drink.  I was excited to try it out this evening on our group walk. 

So....half way through our hour walk, Mack was getting really hot and tired. He had taken care of his business so  I plopped him in the stroller and off we went!  No resistance at all.  At first he was facing forward but then he turned around so he could see me.(see picture above.)  It was like talking to a baby!  Below is a picture of Mack in his stroller with his friend's checking him out. I think they were somewhat jealous!!  He seemed to really like it and was able to cool down and breathe normally.  I sure hope  we can take him out more even as it gets warmer and warmer.

I also thought I would have trouble pushing the stroller when it was empty and handling 2 leashes but I had no problems at all. It rolls really easily for being from 2002. I highly recommend this method!   

Is there something you do for you flat or short snouted friends to help with the heat?