Worcestershire’s Animal Welfare Officer is urging dog-owners to keep their pets cool as temperatures continue to soar.

Don’t take dogs for walks in the heat, don’t keep them in cars – even just for a few seconds – make sure they have access to water to drink and provide shady spots both inside and outside the home are just some of the top tips.

Pip Singleton from Worcestershire Regulatory Services said: “I can’t believe I have to remind people of this every year and each year we have dogs dying of heat related incidents.

“We are all suffering this week with the heat and just imagine if you were stuck in a car or made to go on a hike with no shoes on, how it would feel. Well just a rise in body temperature of a couple of degrees can be harmful to dogs and indeed fatal so it’s even worse for them!

“Even taking dogs for a walk where there’s water for them to swim in is not acceptable as a plunge when they are so hot could induce a heart attack – so provide shallow bowls of water for them to paddle in, at home.

“Please be thoughtful - if you are hot, then your pet is probably hotter so treat them accordingly and keep them, and yourselves cool.”

If you are concerned about the welfare of a dog, please call our team on 01905 822799.