Have you been thinking about adopting a new dog? Perhaps you want a companion for your current canine pal or maybe you haven't had a dog for awhile and the time seems right to get one now.. Then I encourage you to attend the 3rd Annual Doggie Street Festival this Sunday July 31st, at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Park. It begins at 9:00 a.m. and goes until 4:00 p.m. The county shelters and Humane Societies will be there with wonderful dogs ready for adoption. All of the major rescue groups will be represented as well, so if you have a certain breed in mind, you can probably find it here.

When the summer sun is very intense , as it has been here for the past week,  black asphalt surfaces get extremely hot.. Because we humans wear shoes, we often don't realize the intensity of the heat. Many of our roads and foot paths in San Diego County are surfaced in asphalt; especially throughout our parks and recreation areas. If you normally  walk your dog on these paths I urge you to let them walk on the grass in the summer heat or only in shaded areas. Dogs feet are very sensitive to temperature and allowing your dog to walk on hot asphalt can badly burn his paws causing injury and pain. The rule is , if the surface is too hot for you in your bare feet, it is too hot for your dog.. So slip off your flip flops and take a few steps. If it is too hot for you, keep the dog on the grass.