Summer is here and it’s time to get outside and have fun in the sun and enjoy the beautiful warm weather! This year, instead of leaving your beloved pets at home, try incorporating them into your summer activities so that they can spend some quality time with you. There are plenty of fun, safe activities you can do with your dog, for example:

• Going for walk along a dog-friendly beach or at the local park
• Swimming is an excellent activity for dogs, either at the beach, lake or other dog-friendly water spot (but don’t forget to rinse them off with fresh water afterwards!). Take a ball or other floating toy for them to fetch in the water (no sticks!)
• Go for a picnic in the park with your pet
• Take your dog with you to your local cafe or markets

Cats are a little trickier to take with you when you go out, but you can give them some exercise by:

• Teaching them to use a harness so that you can take them for short walks, visits to the park (keeping them away from dogs of course) and to visit friends
• Investing in an outdoor cat park or enclosure, here they can spend time with you outdoors

No matter what you do, please always ensure that you avoid the heat in the middle of the day, do not over-exercise your pet in hot weather, NEVER leave your pet in the car unattended and ALWAYS ensure they have access to plenty of cool fresh water.