MANY OF YOU in the community know about my work on local pet issues, especially those relating to abuse, neglect and adoption of homeless pets. Jordan (my yellow Lab) and I have worked for years to help educate our News 3 viewing audience.

Unfortunately, not all here in the Valley consider our pets as a true member of the family and (because of this) do not offer their pets the same care, comforts and consideration they would afford any other family member. The worst evidence of this is the number of heat-related deaths involving pets (especially dogs) because pet owners don't believe pets belong in the home.

Heat kills! Dogs cannot expel heat in the same manner as humans as they can only release body heat through panting and the pads of their paws. Some people mistakenly believe that animals can tolerate heat better than humans. (See this link.)

Did you hear about the THOUSANDS of dairy cows that died due to heat stroke during the recent heat wave in California. Animals DO NOT handle heat better than humans. They just don't have any way to complain about it.

The saddest fact of all of this is that our local county pet ordinances are so poorly written that it is considered "within the law" to simply provide shade and a bowl of water during any local weather condition. Can you imagine sticking a human outside during 110 degree heat with only a patio and a bowl of WARM water? The number of dogs that are victims of heat-related death in our area would simply make you sick. Cats seem to be better about finding relief from the heat. No offense to dog lovers.

What can we do? Contact our local representative and ask them where they stand on this issue and whether or not they'd support changes to the existing laws. This is the way the ordinance regarding this issue is presently written:

10.32.130 Depriving of sustenance, shelter or medical care. It is unlawful to deprive any animal of necessary sustenance, food, drink, or shelter, or expose to the elements of the weather and to the extremes of heat or cold, or refuse to obtain veterinarian medical care for illness, injury, disease or infirmity, or willfully instigate, engage in, or in any way further an act of cruelty to any animal, or any act to produce such cruelty.

It seems that this is adequate. However, animal control enforces this ordinance to "minimum standards" and shade and a bowl of water in excessive heat is still (to them) in compliance with the law.

This has to stop! If you know of someone who is currently guilty of leaving a pet out in extreme weather conditions, I STRONGLY urge you to contact the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society. They will AT LEAST go and talk with the pet owner and try to educate them.

In the meantime, pet lovers unite! Let's get these laws changed and SAVE OUR PETS!