LUMBERTON — The Dog Days of Summer snuck right past us this year — mostly because we were more concerned with thunderstorms leading into the arrival of Hurricane-then-Tropical Storm Debby, which churned through Robeson County earlier this month.

Officially, the Dog Days of Summer begin July 5 and end Aug. 11 and signifies some of the hottest days of the summer.

Now, as I am still a relative newcomer here, I would argue those dates. So, I’ll turn to the data provided by the National weather, which in fact confirms that the first week of July to the First week of August are plenty hot.

Historically, the average high from July 6 to Aug. 11 is a little warmer than 90 degrees. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been hotter. Turning to the NWS All Records chart, 2007 was a very hot year. That year, on Aug. 7, the mercury topped out at 104, the next day it was 106, where it remained until Aug. 11, when it finally cooled down to 98 degrees.

So, thankfully, we’ve survived the Dog Days of Summer, but have the dogs survived the DDS?

To that I’ll again turn to the experts, who have some not so good news about man’s best friend.

Aug. 26 was National Dog Day, technically not within the DDS period but a day of note nonetheless.

The Best Friends Animal Society marked the day as National Dog Day, to celebrate dogs everywhere and to serve as a reminder for “how people everywhere can help find loving homes for dogs in their communities.” According to data from Best Friends Animal Society in 2023, “110,132 dogs entered North Carolina animal shelters and 79% of them were saved. That means 13,437 dogs in the state were killed unnecessarily because they were temporarily homeless.”

That number hurts my heart, mostly because the Kennard family has owned several dogs over the years that we have truly loved.

Perhaps the most memorable was “Brutus the Buckeye Beagle” who was named by my Ohio State superfan son. Brutus, whom we saved from the pound, is now baying and howling and chasing gophers in the wide open spaces in dog heaven. Before that was Heidi, my wife’s pound rescue; she was a sweet and cuddly dachshund. We had Heidi for several years before her eyesight and hearing left her. She too is bounding through the tall grass in dog heaven.

Before that was “Wiggle,” an AKC registered momma shar pei with a Chinese name we could not pronounce. After she joined our family, she surprised us with six tiny wrinkly shar pei puppies. All of whom found homes.

And then there was “Buddy the Dog” who was a pound rescue as well. He was a long-haired border terrier mix that unfortunately had to go back to dog jail because he could not be contained by any fence we erected. After bailing him out four times at $90 a shot. It became cost prohibitive to keep him. He’s one I still feel bad for. If it’s true that all dogs go to heaven, I hope to see him there, so I can apologize for being a bad dog owner.

As mentioned earlier, the Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters in 2025, has some ideas on how you can be a good dog owner and possibly make a difference in the lives of our canine companions. From the Best Friends Animal Society:

Every 2.5 Minutes a dog is unnecessarily killed in U.S. shelters.

Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters in 2025. In the United States, 568 dogs are killed in shelters every single day of the year – that’s one dog every two and a half minutes.

“Despite saving 83% of dogs that entered U.S. shelters in 2023, the number of dogs unnecessarily dying increased by 30%” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Roughly 7 million people in America are planning to acquire a pet this year, and if just 6% more people chose to adopt versus purchase their pets, we would end the killing of dogs and cats in our nation’s shelters.”

Here are the top five ways to make a difference for the dogs:

Adopt a new best friend: When adding a new four-legged companion to their home, choosing the adoption option is one of the simplest ways to help achieve no-kill. Adopting helps save lives and reduce the demand for puppy mills or other inhumane commercial breeding facilities.

Spay and Neuter: Not only does spaying and neutering pets prevent future litters, it can directly decrease the number of pets entering shelters. Additional benefits include reducing the risk of medical problems and expenses down the line.

Foster First: Not ready to adopt? Fostering is a great option that provides a pet with the space and time to decompress, while acclimating to life in a home. Fostering comes at no cost to those opening their homes, as shelter and rescue organizations typically cover all expenses while the pet is in foster. Many organizations also offer foster-to-adopt programs where individuals can see if a pet is right for their home before adopting.

Give back: Shelter staff across the country are spread thin. Walking dogs, cleaning kennels, and doing laundry are all essential tasks to keep shelters running smoothly. If a lack of time prohibits volunteering, donating provides resources to help shelters save more lives. Plus, donations don’t have to be monetary — shelters always need supplies like food, blankets, towels, and even old newspapers. Reach out to your local shelter to find out what they need.

Utilize social media: Shelters and rescue groups often post about dogs in need at their organization. By sharing these posts on social media channels, more awareness is created which can help dogs find foster or adoptive homes. It’s a quick, free, and easy way to make a positive difference. To learn more about how to get involved, visit bestfriends.org. At the Robesonian, we feature a Pet Of The Week every Saturday in the Lifestyles section. You’ll find this week’s Pet Of The Week, Stella on page 2C

Here in Robeson County, we have some excellent resources available for anyone interested in adopting, fostering or volunteering.

Robeson County Animal Protective Services: https://www.facebook.com/RobesonCountyAnimalProtectiveServices/

Robeson County Humane Society: https://rchsociety.weebly.com/

Fur-Ever Home Animal Rescue of Lumberton: https://www.facebook.com/Petfinder

Owning a dog comes with a high degree of responsibility. Any of the folks at the organizations above can help you pick the right pet for both you and your new pet.

David Kennard, who owns two cats and four chickens, is the executive editor of the Robesonian. Reach him by email at [email protected].