Wet, wet, wet

And now the hot weather is followed by torrential rainstorms and flood alerts. A typical British summer then.

The wet conditions cut short my walking duties yesterday, and I only managed to do three circuits with various dogs - so not much progress made on favourites again. A sweet black boy called Kevin is a strong contender, however he is already on the reserved list, so I suspect he won't be about next time I visit.

One dog that will probably not make it onto my favourites list is a tan bitch called Rosie. A better name for her would be Butch - she's big and strong and more tank than hound - and if she was human she'd either be a bouncer or a weight-lifter.

Rosie doesn't behave very well with other dogs, so she needs to be kept on a very tight lead whenever another greyhound comes into sight. (It's preferable if she doesn't see them at all).

She also has a pesky habit of jumping at least five foot into the air to try and shake the lead out of your hand - you really have to be on your guard around her.

Anyhow Rosie was my last walk of the day. I didn't expect her to be the last walk but the heavens opened about 2 minutes away from the kennels.

Now, we don't run with the greyhounds (can you accelerate from 0-40 mph in just a few steps?) but the rain was really torrential.

Should I run back? At this point dog-mountain Rosie was giving me disgusted looks and saying: "Can't you switch this weather off?"

"Run, I dare you," said Rosie. No way, thought I. Not sure it would be particularly cool to be dragged into the kennels by a charging Rosie, besides the scrages from the gravel would hurt.

I gave Rosie a hard stare and stepped up my pace - my trousers were soaked through at this point - and we got back to the kennels just before the thunder and lightning struck.

As there were other dogs in the yard Rosie had to be returned to her kennels immediately, but not before casting me a look which said: "Can't believe you didn't run, you are just such a chicken."

Re-homing update

A quick rehoming update.... while I was away from the kennels doing my exams my lovely Nicky was rehomed with another greyhound. Apparently he has settled in well.

It's great that he has another canine companion - he always seemed much happier when he was kennelled with another dog.

And news of my lovely pal Shawn. He's found a home too! This is really brilliant news, as he's been in kennels for far too long. I really hope he does well.

So, my search for favourites has started again. I didn't get very far this week - the heat sapped us all, and it was more than enough to think about getting the dogs out for a walk without overheating... no chance for having a think on who would become my next faves.

Hot weather tips for dogs

After the freezing conditions in February, we now have a heatwave, and already there are many terrible stories of dogs dying because they have been left in cars - just terrible.

The Dogs Trust has published some advice on keeping dogs healthy during the heat. Here's the top tips.

• NEVER leave your dog in the car in warm weather. Just twenty minutes waiting in a hot car can prove fatal.
• Walk your dog in the morning and evening when the weather is cooler and make sure shady spots and drinking water are available.
• Clip the fur of particularly hairy hounds and apply canine sun cream to areas most likely to burn: ears, nose, and belly. Human suncream can be toxic so buy a special pet version from your local pet shop.
• Be extra vigilant with older and overweight dogs as they are more prone to overheat. In a real emergency wet your dog thoroughly and use a household fan to blow cool air over their head and body. Seek urgent veterinary attention.
• If your dog takes a dip in a lake or pool make sure you rinse him immediately as soon afterwards as possible. Never allow your dog to drink from ponds unless the water is clear as algae in the water can produce toxins that are rapidly fatal.

If your dog shows signs of distress – such as excessive panting, blueness of the tongue or collapse contact your local vet immediately.

Stay safe!