Not too long ago, I was incredibly excited about summer. I envisioned carefree days enjoying the sun, relaxing, and playing in the thick, soft grass. Well, summer has come, but it's a little different than I imagined it would be. In fact, it has been downright challenging for a lot of us.

Late last month, there was something called a derecho, which is a fancy term for a really, really bad storm. It knocked out power and felled trees, and was, to put it mildly, super scary! After that, there have been lots of other less severe storms. Adding to the summer's challenges, temperatures have been soaring into the 90s and even 100s. Let's just say that it hasn't exactly been the relaxing season of my dreams.

Of course, there's not a lot that any of us can do about Mother Nature. However, it helps a lot if our people are prepared. I thought I would mention just a few of the really important things to remember about pets and hot weather. I know you've heard many of them before, but they are well worth repeating.

First and foremost, do not ever leave a pet in a car on a warm day for ANY amount of time. Cracking the window does not make a car safe, by the way. A car's inside temperature can increase by 40 degrees in about an hour, with 80% of that increase happening within 30 minutes. Many experts caution against leaving pets in cars even when temperatures are in the sixties. I know lots of us love to go for rides, but don't take us with you in warm weather unless we can stay with you at all times when you get to your destination.

Remember that power outages happen more frequently in the summer. If you leave us at home while you work during the day, plan for potential outages by making sure a neighbor or pet sitter has access to us and can check on us in the event that there is a power problem.

Keep in mind that skin cancer is very common in dogs, especially light-colored ones. Just as you protect your own skin from sun exposure, you should protect ours too. There are pet-safe sunscreens that you can apply to our noses and ears. In general, just make sure that we're not out in the sun for long periods of time. It's as dangerous for us as it is for you.

Check surface temperatures before you take us for walks. Concrete and asphalt can get brutally hot during the summer, and we don't have shoes to protect our sensitive paws. Just put your hand on the surface of the walkway before you venture out with us. If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for us.

Be on alert when storms are coming. Make sure we're inside and out of harm's way. Stay with us if we're nervous and do all that you can to keep us calm. If you have a pet who becomes highly stressed during storms, you might want to look into products that can help. Thundershirts are widely available for both dogs and cats, as are calming herbal supplements like Rescue Remedy.

In general, just remember that the dog days of summer are not really the best days for dogs (or cats). I'm still dreaming of carefree, relaxing days. I've just adjusted my dream to include a lot of time inside with air conditioning and a great big bowl of fresh, cool water at all times!

Albert, a Jack Russell Terrier, is Chairman of the Board of Wylie Wagg, a shop for dogs, cats, and their people, in Middleburg, Fairfax, Falls Church and Arlington.