Now that summer is officially here (yes, it’s June 21st!) we Atlantans begin a long hot summer, and the age-old tradition of seeking out air-conditioning.

Fortunately we are not covered in thick layers of fur, have sweat glands and don’t have to pant and drink water to cool off- THANKFULLY!! Our fine furry friends however can’t say as much for themselves- they have to rely on us to get them somewhere nice and cool with a chilly concrete floor. Good thing Spot for Dogs has stepped up to become your dogs #1 “go to” air-conditioned stop this summer. We’d actually ask y’all to come stay too…but the airstream only sleeps 2.

Does rover have the itchy-scratchies again? Well, maybe it’s time to brush up on the flea-control issue. Check out these tips below, and make sure your dog is enjoying his summer vacation too. (Plus, we really like your dogs, and don’t want them to have fleas).

(eHow.com provides instructions)

Step 1: Run your fingers briskly through your dog’s fur, moving against the flow of hair. If any little black flecks are jumping out, your dog is infested with fleas. To make sure they are fleas, watch what one fleck does after it lands on the ground – is it moving?

Step 2: Nothing jumping around? Go to the base of your dog’s tail, around the last two or three vertebrae before the tail begins, and part the fur so you can see the skin. You can also run a flea comb (WITH the flow of hair) from the base of your dog’s neck down to the base of the tail. Do you see any little dark flecks that look like granules of dirt? If so, move on to step 3. If not, congratulations, your dog is flea free!

Step 3: Isolate a few of these grains of “dirt” onto a damp paper towel or tissue. Pinch the paper towel or tissue around the “dirt” and smear it between your fingers. If the smudged area appears red, your dog has fleas. If the smudged area is still a dark brown or black, it’s just dirt, and your dog probably could use a bath, but you do not need to worry about fleas.

Step 4: If at any time you give your dog a bath and the water rinses red, there is a good chance that your dog has a bad flea problem.

Remember to consult your vet if you think your dog has fleas, and as always… you can schedule your appt. with Dr. Smith and The Clairmont Animal Hospital’s Mobile Care Unit @ Spot For Dogs on the 1st and 3rd Wed. of every month.

Happy flea hunting!