How 2 pet owners keep their animals safe despite high indoor temperatures

Finding it a bit steamy this summer? You're not alone. Across Canada, people say they are really feeling the heat, especially in their homes. And we're tracking it. CBC teams have installed temperature and humidity sensors in dozens of homes in several cities, including Windsor, Ont., to see just what happens to people when things go from hot to sizzling to seriously dangerous. This is one of those stories.

It's a muggy afternoon in Windsor, Ont., with outdoor temperatures expected to creep up to 32 degrees during the day, and Seth Findlay, 20, has two small concerns on his hands: His shih tzus, Diesel and Muffin.

Findlay's two dogs, who live in Sarnia, have come to spend the summer with him in his grandmother's house while he's in Windsor for work. But with no air conditioning in the home, Findlay knows when he leaves for the day, the dogs will be alone. All the while, temperatures creep higher and higher within the concrete walls.

He is just one of many Windsor residents who have more than themselves to think of during long and hot summer days.

"My grandma told me the house could be really hot at times, so I had to make sure I had a fan when I moved in, but it didn't really help at all," he says. "It just blew hot air."

Findlay also suffers with asthma and says when the temperature gets hot, his coughing fits would keep him awake at night. 

"It was extremely hot the first week I moved in," he said. "I couldn't keep the dogs here. I had to move them to my other grandparents' house because they have AC."

Eventually, Findlay made the decision to get some form of cooling, at least for the bedroom, in order to make his summer stay bearable for the dogs while he was at work.

"I just had to go and get a wall unit just to keep it cool, to keep my dogs here."

Findlay has agreed to participate in CBC's Urban Heat Project, where we have monitored the indoor temperature and humidity of his residence over the past several weeks this summer. 

Findlay's grandmother's home has retained heat, notably in the evenings, despite lower outside temperatures. 

Melanie Coulter, the executive director of the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, says during the summer, whether or not you have air conditioning, there are things to keep in mind as a pet owner. 

"Typically people want to be making sure [their pets] have access to those cooler spaces," she says. "If you want to sit in front of the fan or near a window unit, then your pet is likely wanting to do the same thing." 

Coulter said that pet owners will also want to ensure there's a steady access to fresh water, and even suggests using a moistened bandana to help keep a pet comfortable on hotter days. 

Findlay's grandmother, Loretta Desbiens, 70, who owns the home he is staying in, says she has not been able to get air conditioning in years past due to limited finances while she's on an Old Age Security pension.

While her grandson moved in this summer, Desbiens followed her usual routine of escaping her own home to live in a trailer, located by the Windsor International Airport.

"I do have cooling here thank goodness," she said. "I am not well, so having air is a must for me."

During the winter months, Desbiens moves back to her downtown Windsor home, but she also struggles affording to use the house's two small baseboard heaters. 

Prior to her grandson getting the bedroom AC unit, she shared that she was worried about him staying in a house she knows gets very hot. 

Despite Findlay equipping one room with cooling, it's unlikely Desbiens would change her summer routine of moving out during the hotter months.

"For the [whole] house, I would need at least two [AC units]. And then the hydro bill would just be too high for my budget," says Desbiens.

Across the city, Luke Maddaford, 31, leaves his balcony door open, his black cat soaking up the heat of another steamy day. For Maddaford, he welcomes the open air in lieu of using air conditioning. 

Maddaford's second floor apartment is in a 1920s brick building. Attached to his bedroom is a balcony that faces south, overlooking the city's downtown residential area. In his bedroom window, an AC unit goes unused, out of both preference and economical reasons.

"Part of it is a cost issue. Part of it is just like, fresh air is nicer to breathe in than air conditioned air," he says. "Part of it is just that the world is getting hotter and we kind of need to acclimate." 

Maddaford says he works in an air conditioned building, which helps on extra hot days, and is mindful to "drink a lot of water, sit in the shade, take cold showers…and suck it up."

Maddaford's apartment is often hotter than the outdoor temperature, at one point on July 5, reaching an internal high of nearly 32 degrees Celsius. 

For Maddaford's cat Dodge, the hot temperatures don't seem to bother him. Part of Maddaford's preference to have his patio door open is to allow the cat to move freely between indoors and outdoors, especially during the night.

"My cat will go outside on the hottest day of the year and sit in the metal eavestrough," he says. "So I'm not concerned with my cat being too hot."

According to Coulter, giving a pet lots of options on a hot day is the right thing to do.

"[Give] them access to choose where they're most comfortable. If you have a balcony and they're used to being able to be out there, that's great," she says. 

"The more choices you can give your pet is the best approach."

Coulter says that if you see a pet acting lethargic or abnormal in hot temperatures, you should speak to a veterinarian and try to get them into a cooler space. 

She also cautions against spending too much outdoor active time with a pet when temperatures rise.

"Even if your house is air conditioned, you need to be aware of the fact that when it's hot outside, your pet is going to want to please you."

"If you go for a walk or run, they're going to go. [Things like] running on hot pavement can be really hazardous, and your pet can overdo it," she says. "It is really important to make sure you're moderating the activity and ensuring your pet is not overheating."

Throughout the summer, CBC News will continue to share stories from families who agreed to take part in our Urban Heat Project in Windsor.