Keeping animals cool in excessive heat

(Justin Willis Reporting)

It's not easy for animals to cool off when temperatures get above 100 degrees like they will this weekend.

We talked to Liberty Animal Control Services, who are installing mobile air conditioning units to keep the dogs outside cool, but for pet owners at home, here are some suggestions from Liberty for these hot summer months. 

They recommend you keep your pets indoors... at least, during the hottest parts of the day. 

If your pet needs to be outside, make sure they have shade and plenty of water. 

And never leave your pet in a parked car, even with the windows partially open. "Leaving them in a vehicle can be a deadly choice. The heat in a vehicle jumps up very high and it could be really bad for the animal," said Daniel Bailey with Liberty Animal Control.

You can also let your animals play in the sprinklers, like the do at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. While many of the animals at the zoo are accustomed to the heat, they'll still have fans and misters going. "A lot of them will fall asleep right in the sprinklers or they'll get their fur really soaked," said Lyn Myers with the Chaffee Zoo.

Despite the triple digit heat, zookeepers say the Chaffee Zoo will be an excellent place to cool down this weekend and they open at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.