It's hard to beat the heat during the Dog Days of Summer

Agreed, the heat is tough, and 103 degrees is no picnic.

Understandably, no human in his or her right mind would want to venture out into oppressive temperatures if they didn't have to.

But at least humans don't have to wear a fur coat 24/7.

Think about it: If you had to walk around in a fur coat all day in the blistering Texas sunshine, would you be happy about it?

Unfortunately, some folks do have to, as they just happen to be born that way - folks with four legs, a tail and an undying sense of love, loyalty and devotion.

Friends of Gonzales Animal Shelter (FOGAS) is a haven for abandoned dogs in Gonzales County, and Lance and Keiko McCormick are doing their best to make sure their tenants stay as cool as possible during the most intense heat Mother Nature has had to offer us in a long time.

"We're a non-profit rescue group that runs the shelter for the city," Lance says. "This is the city pound; the place where animal control brings the dogs."

FOGAS benefits from the kindness of the community with donations of food, tarps and even swimming pools from lots of different people and businesses.

"During the summertime, a lot of people in the Gonzales community are kind enough to donate kiddie pools," says Lance as he fills one of them with cool, soothing water. "We've acquired enough of them to go into every outside run and kennel.

"We provide enough shade for all of them," he adds. "The thing is, that fur coat makes it that much harder for them to appreciate it."

Lance explained how dogs with darker fur are even more susceptible to the heat and how the FOGAS "Back in Black" program deals with that.

"The black dogs absorb the sunlight, just like when you wear a black shirt outside," he says. "The heat doesn't leave their system as quickly. And a lot of them have a darker skin underneath the fur, which doesn't help. We try to put them where there is the most shade.

"From mid-August through mid-September, we're having our ‘Back in Black' program where if you adopt a black dog, the adoption fee is 50 percent off," he says. "We're hoping that will make it easier for these dogs to find a good home." The "Back in Black" promotion also applies to cats currently housed at FOGAS.

Dark-haired, light-haired, young or old, every animal gets a turn inside as Lance has a revolving location schedule to keep things fresh.

"We try to rotate so all the dogs get time inside and out," he says as a hyper young red Labrador retriever splashes him with pool water. "We'll take in different groups on different days, because our little building has fans and good circulation. The groups are decided on which dogs get along the best."

Lance also says that due to crowding, housing can be an issue, but not one "the family" can't overcome.

"The first criteria for dogs is that they have to be able to get along with others," he says. "We don't have room to be able to put dogs by themselves. We determine a lot by personality. Some dogs fare better in bigger pens because they are more rambunctious in the smaller, inside kennels."

Importantly, Lance mentions the fact that they can't mix vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs because of the risk of disease, particularly Parvo.

"That's a deadly virus that can live underground for years," he says. "And smaller dogs, especially puppies, are highly susceptible to it."

Since the disease has a 14-day incubation period, new arrivals have to be isolated for that amount of time. The pups are kept above the ground to avoid any risk of contact with the disease. Within that period, the pup will have already received its second of three booster shots.

"By then, we'll know the puppy doesn't have it," Lance says. "Then we can put him or her in with the others and let them get the mingling process started."

The shelter has lots of kennels, many of which are covered with blue tarps.

"People donate those," Lance says. "Since they're free, we're not going to turn them away. But some white tarps would be especially helpful to help reflect more sunlight. Silver tarps are really good for that, too."

Although the thick coats can make the heat really tough on the dogs, Lance maintains that they are tough, and that Mother Nature has a way of implementing the instincts necessary to survive.

"It's amazing how smart these animals are when it comes to survival," Lance says. "They're not just going to lay out in the sun. They will dig holes, find shade, splash around, you name it. Whatever they've got to do to stay cool."

You've seen them at Tractor Supply on Saturday mornings wagging their tails, flashing their loving eyes and yipping "fetchingly" enough to tempt even the most aloof of passersby.

"We've been doing really good with our adoptions at Tractor Supply on Saturdays," he adds. "Tractor Supply has been good to us. In fact, the whole community has. It took a while for us to get well known in the community. Some people still go, ‘oh, man, there's a dog shelter out there,' and here they come. So, despite the severe heat, we're going to be all right."