Avoidable Death in Dogs. Vinyl Siding

Have you ever noticed how hot it can get inside a car on a summer day — far hotter than it is outside? That's because a car acts like a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat.  I know I hate getting back into my van when it has been sitting outside a store.

"When it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the temperature inside your car will hit 99 degrees in 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, it reaches 109 degrees. You may not have known the numbers, but the fact that it's a lot hotter in your car than it is outside shouldn't be news to anyone who has ever driven home at the end of a summer work day, or even just a trip to grocery store. So why are people still leaving their dogs in these ovens-on-wheels?

It may not seem that hot outside, or you may think you're only jumping into the store for a few minutes, but when you leave your dog in the car this time of year, for any length of time, you're gambling with his life. Cracked windows on a summer day won't make a difference (but will leave your dog more susceptible to being stolen).

Leave him home when you're out running errands. If you're driving from a trip to the park with your dog and you think it would be oh-so-convenient to stop at the store for a pint of ice cream on the way home, don't do it.

All it takes is a slow cashier, and in three minutes your dog could be dead. There is no flavor of Ben & Jerry's that's worth your dog's life.

What should you do if you see a dog baking in someone else's car? Call the police or your local humane society, and take down the car's make, model and license plate number. If the owner can't be found, the authorities can break into the car without you having to go all vigilante.

Even if the owner is nearby, they should be cited for endangering their dog.
You should also head into the nearest store or business and ask them to page the vehicle's owner. "   More at: http://animals.change.org/blog/view/the_most_avoidable_cause_of_death_in_dogs
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Today:   Yes, it is hot out there.

Misty, Paco and I went down to pick up Jay.  They played with Maddie, the tiny Yorkie, and Jay's sister's dog, on their fenced porch.  Yesterday, I had noticed that part of my vinyl siding had a bow in it.  Which means it was installed too long.  It was in between my two bathroom windows.  Jay is better at siding than Ray.  Also, even though Ray had just washed it, there were brown streaks running down from the top of the white siding.

That part of the siding at the back of the house was redone when the contractors finished the front part of the house, as there used to be a dryer vent there.  When the garage was added, my washer and dryer were moved out there.  When it was still 'half-a-house', a stack washer and dryer were in my bathroom.  Especially as it was on the north side, the siding was removed, that dryer vent hole was filled in, and new siding put up.

As we started at the top loosening the siding, another thing we realized was that the top piece had no weep holes, so any moisture was trapped in that last piece.  Jay drilled some weep holes, so it will drain now.   As we undid it, bits of the nest of a wasp or some such critter, came tumbling out.  Ah Hah!  That is what was causing the brown streaks.

When we got down to the 5' section that was bowed out between the windows, we also discovered that there were no nails holding it.  It had just been 'clicked' into place.  That might account for a rattling I heard sometimes. Jay cut a sliver off each of those two sections, and nailed it in place properly.

The nails go in a horizontal slot, and must not be nailed all the way in, so the siding can move as it expands and contracts.  Any time you see vinyl siding that looks lumpy or bumpy, you know that was not done.

We cleaned up some more of the soil from yesterday, and scattered it in the aloe trough, and Jay mowed.  I could not imagine him wanting to mow in this oppressive heat, but he said he had to mow when he got home anyway.  He likes to sweat, he says it gets the poison (beer) out of his system!

Usually, our hottest temperature is at 3.00 PM, but our high was 91 deg. at 2.00 PM, with 95% humidity, but NOT raining, today!