The heat is on: How to keep pets cool during heat waves

and bathroom breaks are fine in extreme heat but try to keep pets in the shade.

Be aware of the temperature of the sidewalk, asphalt, sand or even packed dirt as these can cause burns to your pet’s paw pads if they are too hot.

If pets do spend time outside during the day, ensure that they have access to shade at all hours of the day. Dogs on tethers are especially vulnerable because they could become tangled out of reach of shade or water.

Provide pets with fresh, cool water at all times as most dogs won’t drink hot water no matter how thirsty they are.

Dogs who are older or overweight, have a thick coat or a pushed-in nose are especially at risk of overheating.

Dogs with bald patches or minimal coats may need sunscreen. Consult a veterinarian.

inside a car, recycling hot air, panting gives no relief, and heat stroke can occur quickly.

“Heat stroke can occur when an animal’s temperature rises to a critical level,” Dr. Erin Katribe, medical director of Best Friends Animal Society, said. “Normal body temperatures for dogs and cats range from 100 to 102.5 degrees. When a dog’s temperature rises to 108 degrees, or to 106 degrees for a cat, they can suffer irreparable organ damage, or worse.”

According to Katribe, signs of heat stroke include heavy panting that does not resolve as the pet rests, increasing distress, a tongue color that is dark red to almost purple, weakness or collapse, hyper-salivation, vomiting and labored breathing.

LOS ANGELES – Summer is in full swing, and with that, temperatures across the country are reaching alarmingly high levels.

It’s hard to beat the heat even with easy access to air conditioning, icy drinks and swimming pools. And it can be just as hard for dogs and cats on hot days.

To help pet owners keep their pets cool despite the rising temperatures, Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters by 2025, is offering some tips. Exercise dogs during the cooler morning or evening hours, not in the intense afternoon heat. Keep pets indoors during the hottest parts of the day. Quick walks

Supervisors approve architect contract for Winchester and Lakeland Village fire station expansions

Joe Naiman

Writer

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an architectural contract for the expansion of the Winchester and Lakeland Village fire stations.

The supervisors’ 5-0 vote Tuesday, July 11, authorized a professional services agreement between the county and Holt Architects Inc. The Palm Desert architectural firm will be paid $558,200.

Station 34 in Winchester is in the 32600 block of Haddack Street; it was built in 1999 and is currently 7,000 square feet. Station 11 in Lakeland Village is in the 33000 block of Maiden Lane, was built in 2001, and currently has 6,770 square feet of space. Both fire stations have single-room open sleeping quarters with no walls or partitions.

A June 2022 county board of supervisors vote approved the projects to expand the fire stations in principle, approved a preliminary budget of $6,100,000, authorized Developer Impact Fee funding for the projects, authorized the county’s Purchasing Agent to execute pre-qualified consultant service contracts, delegated project management authority to the director of the county’s Facilities Management department including the ability to utilize pre-qualified consultants and found the projects to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review. The expansion projects will include six to eight dualoccupancy sleeping rooms for each station as well as larger kitchens and day rooms. The scope of the expansion will include but is not limited to grading, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, masonry, concrete, framing, finishes and landscaping work.

Facilities Management advertised a request for qualifications to design the fire station expansions. Eight responses were received, and three architectural design firms were interviewed by facilities management and the Riverside County Fire Department. The selection committee determined that Holt Architects best met the program requirements.

After the design phase is completed, facilities management will return to the county board of supervisors for approval of an updated project budget and a request for a construction contract.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com

Never leave your pet in a parked car when the outside temperature is above 70 degrees. Many studies show that the temperature inside a car on a 70 -degree day can rise to 89 degrees in ten minutes, and to 104 degrees in as little as a half hour. Dogs and cats can’t sweat like humans, so they pant to lower their body temperature. If they’re

If you suspect a dog or cat is suffering from heat stroke, move them to a cooler environment immediately and apply cool water to the abdomen, ears and footpads. Once they are stable, bring them to a veterinary clinic as quickly as possible. Katribe said, things may be happening internally that are not obvious from the outside.

Submitted by Best Friends Animal Society.

Park district conveys Green Acres property to flood control district

The Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District approved the transfer of 1.04 acres in the Green Acres area of unincorporated Hemet to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors members are also the board members of the Riverside County Regional Park and OpenSpace District, and the county supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday, July 11, to approve the real property conveyance. The county supervisors are also the board members of the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District although no flood control district vote was necessary to accept the real property.

The property consists of three legal parcels which are vacant and are along state Route 74. The Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District was created in 1990, and at the time it acquired land adjacent to the Double Butte Landfill in Green Acres. The property has not been altered since its acquisition. The

Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District has an easement on the land, and a flood control channel exists on the property and is maintained by the flood control district.

When Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District staff reviewed potential surplus property the Green Acres land was identified. Discussions were held with the flood control district due to that district’s ownership of the flood control channel. Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District staff expressed an interest in acquiring the parcels. The flood control district intends to integrate the properties into the Green Acres Dam Project which would provide greater flood management capabilities in the area.

The county board of supervisors acting as the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District board, May 2, voted 5-0 to declare the land surplus and approve a notice of intent to convey the property to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com

EVMWD increases Delinquent Notice Fee

Joe Naiman Writer

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District has increased its Delinquent Notice Fee.

A 3-0 EVMWD board vote July 13, with Chance Edmondson and Jack Ferguson absent, approved an increase in the Delinquent Notice

Fee from $0.78 to $0.91 per notice effective August 1. The fee will increase to $0.93 per notice as of July 1, 2024. The changes also add that the $21.45 Delinquent Processing Fee for a service interruption warning letter physically placed at the service address is the maximum amount, as the district may be able to take advantage of parcel carrier agreements to place such notices.

If a residential water account bill is delinquent for at least 60 days service can be discontinued for non-payment. The district will attempt to contact an adult resident of the property by telephone or in writing at least seven days prior to disconnecting service. A written notice is provided to both the mailing address and the service address.

State law requires that the notice be provided in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, and any other language spoken by 10% of the population in the service area. The written notice includes the customer’s name and address, the amount of delinquency, the date by which a payment arrangement is necessary to avoid discontinuation of service, a description of the procedure to petition for bill review and appeal, and a description of the procedure by which the customer may request a deferred, reduced, or alternative payment schedule including an amortization of the delinquent charge. The need to cover printing costs, the language notification, and postage led to the EVMWD decision to increase the Delinquent Notice Fee to recover the estimated future costs.

A notice of imminent discontinuation of service for nonpayment along with a copy of the district’s discontinuation policy will be left in a conspicuous location at the residence at least 48 hours prior to the interruption of service. The notice is also provided in the six mandated languages. The Delinquent Processing Fee recovers the cost of the delivery and physical placement of the Final Service Interruption Warning letter.

The district’s Final Service Interruption Warning letters had been processed through Infosend, which contracted with Federal Express for delivery. However, the National Association of State Procurement Officials has a ValuePoint Master Agreement based on Utah’s agreement with Federal Express, and that master agreement allows California state agencies or local governments to obtain specialized rates for small package delivery services. The Elsinore Valley district had been utilizing that lower rate and charging $15.05, and the need to recover future processing, printing, and delivery costs has led to an increase to $17.51 for Fiscal Year 2023-24.