Protect your pets in the extreme heat. Sadly, there have been multiple national news stories of dogs dying of heat exhaustion/heat stroke.

Vanessa Gray, Director of the Junction City – Geary County Animal Shelter, said to”keep your pets at home” – don’t have them in the heat unnecessarily.

“The best thing to do in this heat is to keep them home, keep them hydrated; if you are going to have them outside [I suggest] five to ten minutes max at a time, and it would be smart to have a pool or something in the shade for them.”

Gray noted that it is also important to be mindful of your pet’s paws on hot surfaces.

“The rule of thumb is – if you put your hand down on the asphalt and it burns your hand, it’s going to be way too hot for them as well with their paw pads; the big thing for me, people need to leave their pets at home in the cool air, if it’s too hot for you it’s definitely too hot for them.”

Even if your dog is very active, Gray strongly advises against long runs in the excessive heat; instead she suggest indoor brian games to stimulate the mind in the same way a walk does.

It is important to know the signs of heat exhaustion/stroke in dogs and cats, which can also be found on the Animal Shelter Facebook page.

In dogs:  excessive or exaggerated panting, lethargy, weakness, drooling, high fever, dark red gums, rapid heart beat, unresponsiveness to commands and surroundings, vomiting, collapse, staring/anxious expression, warm/dry skin.

In cats: open mouth breathing, brick-red or blue-purple gums, lethargic/collapsed/seizures, excessive drooling, history of being left unattended in a hot car or unable to get out of the sun.

“Heat stroke is no joke to deal with – for yourself, or for dogs and cats” said Gray. “Please keep [pets] hydrated; [people] get dehydrated, so do dogs, so do cats.”

Gray also suggests having a sprinkler running while your pets are outside for extended periods (longer than 10 minutes) and to periodically hose them off if possible.

Seven hundred children of active duty, retired, National Guard and Reserve military commissary customers were awarded a $2000 grant for college.

Three of those scholarship recipients are local students. Nicholas S. Dombrowski, sponsored by Mark Dombrowski; Jasmine M. Barry, sponsored by Justin Barry; and Naomi I Shultz, sponsored by Hyang Shultz were all awarded a $2000 scholarship.

The grants were received as part of the Scholarships for Military Children program.

The program recognizes the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and celebrates the commissary’s role in enhancing military quality of life. It is administered by Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to service members and their families.

Over 4800 students applied for the grant which is not funded through government dollars. DeCA’s industry partners — vendors, manufacturers, brokers and suppliers — as well as the general public donate money to fund the program, and every dollar donated goes directly to funding the scholarships.

The number of scholarship awards each year is based on funds available, but the program awards at least $2,000 at each military commissary. If there are no eligible applicants from a given commissary, the funds designated for that commissary are awarded as an additional scholarship at a different store.

The list of this year’s winners is available at https://www.militaryscholar.org/sfmc/winners17.html.

To be eligible to apply for a scholarship, a student must be a dependent, unmarried child, younger than 21 — or 23, if already enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university — of a service member on active duty, reservist, guardsman, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty or survivor of a retiree. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military ID card.