Pet experts provide tips on preventing heat exhaustion

Rigby, an 11-month-old beagle-spaniel mix, drinks water to stay cool Monday at Kiwanis Park in St. Joseph. Experts are reminding pet owners to make sure pets stay cool, with high temperatures around 90 expected over the next week. (Tony Wittkowski | HP Staff Writer)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN COUNTY — With temperatures soaring to their highest peaks of the summer, pet owners are being reminded to take steps to prevent their furry friends from overheating.

Dr. Anne Cepela, who works at the Freeway Veterinary Clinic in Stevensville, said dogs are not as good at cooling themselves because they don’t sweat. Dogs lose heat at a slower rate through their respiratory system and the pads in their feet.

“They do this by panting,” Cepela said. “They can overheat quickly, so they need to be out of the sun, in the shade or in the house if that’s manageable. A wadding pool is good for keeping their body temperature down as well.”

Berrien County Animal Control Manager Val Grimes said the best thing for pet owners to do is to leave them at home with food and water.

Grimes said in order to avoid leaving them outside for more than a regular workday, animal control has kennels available for rent in the afternoon.

“We prefer them to be inside or in a cool basement. But if animals are left outside, they need to be where it is dark, with plenty of water and shade,” Grimes said. “Tying them to a tree will not cut it. They need protection from the rain, heat and flies.”

Grimes said pets should be taken out in the early morning or at dusk during warmer days. If it’s during the day, Grimes said they cannot be outside for more than 15 minutes without water.

No breed is more acclimated than another when it comes to warmer weather, though Cepela said black dogs and cats have a special need to remain cool, as their fur retains a lot of heat.

Signs of a heat stroke include severe panting and lethargy, which ultimately could lead to the animal collapsing. Should this occur, run a hose over the animal and get them to a veterinary clinic as soon as possible.

Simple things like adding ice cubes in their water can go a long way, Cepela said. Dogs that are predominantly outside need to have shade and a clean source of cold water.

“On a sunny day, they shouldn’t be where they can’t get out of the sun,” Cepela said. “They are going to get hot just as fast or faster than you are.”

A car is a dangerous place

Cepela said it’s unbelievable the short amount of time it takes for the sun to warm up a vehicle to unbearable conditions for animals.

“It’s the sun, not just the temperature. That’s what some people don’t understand,” Cepela said. “You can have a dog overheat in a car in the wintertime for that reason. If you’ve got a closed-up car and the sun is shining in, it can get very hot, very quickly.”

Grimes said her department gets calls on a daily basis for dogs being left in cars.

“People run in for a few minutes and think it doesn’t matter,” she said. “People are alert to it nowadays and you will be called on. Pay attention and leave them at home. Common sense goes a long way.”

Dog owners often find themselves in a predicament because while they are told dogs should not be in the heat, they still require daily exercise.

Justina Spicer understands the concept and feels she has a way around that.

The St. Joseph Township resident often takes her 11-month-old dog to Kiwanis Park, which offers shade and a dog water fountain. She said Rigby, her beagle-spaniel mix, runs around regardless of how warm it is.

“He likes to run, so I normally take him out here in the morning when its cooler,” she said. “He can’t be cooped up for long. There are enough shaded areas here where it is not too bad on him.

“You have to think about the heat and its effect on pavement,” Spicer said, “so I try to go in areas with grass.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on July 28, 2015)

‘Summer Sailstice’ celebrated longest day of the year on Muskegon Lake

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By Tony Wittkowski | Reporter | MLive – Muskegon Chronicle

MUSKEGON, MI — Dozens of boats were out on Muskegon Lake for the Summer Sailstice event on June 21, Saturday to commemorate the first day of summer.

Roger Zuidema, a promoter and participant of the Summer Sailstice, said it is a national event that Torresen Marine helped kickoff in Muskegon 13 years ago. Since then Lake Effect Boating, Great Lakes Marina and the Muskegon Yacht Club joined in.

“It’s a really fun event just to help and show people the sailing lifestyle,” Zuidema said. “It’s relaxing, being out on the water with family and friends.”

Taking place on the longest day of the year, the Great Lakes Marina, Torresen Marine and Muskegon Yacht Club had all hands on deck, offering free sailboat rides to willing participants.

With the largest natural harbor on this side of Lake Michigan as well as deep-water access to the Big Lake, Zuidema said events like this one put Muskegon on the map. Muskegon is a sailor’s dream, promoters said.

“Muskegon is a blue economy,” he said. “Their economy can steer around the water, and there are some great communities involved in that. We just want people to know that we have the optimal place to be a sailor.”

Grandville resident Barbara Bomers was in town after finding the bike path that links the Big Lake and the Muskegon River along the southshore of Muskegon Lake. Without her knowing, she stumbled on a number of sailboats floating by.

Taking note of both the boats and the water, Bomers was reminded of a time when she would be out on the water with her family.

“My brother used to have a boat over at Great Lakes Marina,” she said. “We would go across the lake really fast and come down through the channel and head out to Lake Michigan.”

RELATED: Free boat rides offered as part of annual Summer Sailstice event

Out on their sailboat called “Hakuna Matata,” were Spring Lake residents Abby Allman and Elijah Locascio.

With more than 20 years of boating experience combined, the two sailors never miss a summer out on Muskegon Lake.

“It’s a very special experience to be out there,” Locascio said. “I always have a great time on this lake. It wasn’t a letdown today. Great winds, great times.”

Just being out on the water and knowing that he was using the wind to get wherever he needed to be was worth taking part in the Summer Sailstice, Locascio said.

“It was a great turnout today, it was nice to see all the different kinds of boats,” Locascio said. “There is such a great camaraderie between sailors out there.”

Kevin Allman left Spring Lake to take part in the Summer Sailstice as well, where he was expecting the number of sailboats on display Saturday.

After arriving last night, Allman and his family got to the marina at 10 a.m. for a free ride.

“We took our boat out and then we went on a different boat just for the fun of it,” Allman said. “They showed us what the boat does and the terminology. He even let me drive his boat, which was really nice.”

Getting out to Muskegon Lake 10 to 12 times a year, Allman was looking forward to harnessing the power of the wind at its peak.

“It’s nice to look out over Muskegon Lake and just see a bunch of sails on the water,” Allman said. “They were outnumbering the power boats for sure today.”

Tony Wittkowski is a staff reporter at MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at twittkow@mlive.com and follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on June 21, 2014)

Mount Pleasant businesses flourish in summer despite population decrease

Edmore resident Aleisha Hansen preps a tortilla wrap Tueday afternoon at Max and Emilys, 125 E. Broadway St. (Chuck Miller/Staff Photographer)

By Tony Wittkowski | Metro Editor | Central Michigan Life

With more than 20,000 students departing from Mount Pleasant at the end of the semester, most would assume summer vacation has a negative effect on downtown businesses.

However, Farmington Hills sophomore Lydia Miller disagrees, considering how much business Max and Emily’s receives at 125 E. Broadway St.

“We have had concert series before; the whole town comes,” Miller, a Max and Emily’s employee, said. “At the Art Fairs, we grill outside and try to be out there as much as we can.”

Miller said the free show is right on the corner, where they grill outside, bringing in local customers as well as the faculty who have time to spare.

Max and Emily’s has also countered the loss of students through offering a ‘sandwich of the day’ and by catering to events, especially conferences that might be held on campus over the summer, as well as graduation parties, Miller said.

“We do get a little bit of drop, but we try to push it whenever we can,” she said. “Every day, we have a ‘sandwich of the day.’”

The lack of students does not come at a loss, but is a major part of their business when the crowd starts to return in the beginning of August.

“We try to target some of the younger kids, but in downtown, all of the businesses usually attract juniors and seniors,” Miller said. “We normally see more students around the time of Leadership Safari and when some of the older kids move in from off campus.”

Christopher Wilcox is a Mount Pleasant sophomore who works at Downtown Discount, located at 104 N. Main St.

Despite the lack of cars on Mission Street, Wilcox said the business runs as usual because of visiting spectators.

“With the summer months, we get more foot traffic from visitors and the parks,” Wilcox said. “That’s really our bread and butter in summer.”

On 114 S. Main St. is The Book Garden, which Lewis Krec has worked at for five years as a clerk.

Summertime has always been kind to The Book Garden, which Krec said is a good time to buy books because of beach reading and traveling.

“I get a lot of people who are buying books to go on vacation and have a long flight,” Krec said. “In the summertime, we have better business, because there is more foot traffic. In the winter time, there’s not a lot of people who want to park a block away just to come to a little business like ours.”

Krec said the busiest time of the year is at the start of fall and the beginning of the school year, when a lot of the novels are on the students’ class reading list. It is also that time of year when a lot of the downtown festivals occur.

“It also has a lot to do with visibility. There is a downturn when you notice a lot of the books that are on the class reading lists,” Krec said. “Those sales drop, because there are fewer students who need to read them for classes.”

Kim Lovejoy, owner of Emma’s Boutique, 111 S. University St., has been operating her business for five years, and has taken advantage of what other stores have done during the summer.

“We run the same motions, but there are a lot more events downtown during the summer,” Lovejoy said. “There will be more free concerts from Max and Emily’s, we have our annual sidewalk sales, and the Back to the Bricks car shows are coming.”

For Lovejoy, summer is a great time for business because of the tourism the city of Mount Pleasant brings in.

“We bring in a lot of people who come up. We get ladies who come in with groups who are here for the weekend at the casino,” Lovejoy said. “But, mainly, it’s the people who vacation up here for the summer. That kind of offsets everything.”

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on April 24, 2013)