A dog owner in Tyrone is devastated after losing her dog to heatstroke despite taking all the necessary precautions.
Kim Reid, who works as a professional dog walker, lost her French Bulldog Bruno on May 30 after he was sleeping in the shade, Belfast Live reports.
Bruno, 2, was with her other dogs Enzo and Louie who were having fun in the garden, while Bruno took to the shade.
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However he was hit with heatstroke despite drinking lots of water, accessing shade and the house.
Kim, 24, from Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, said: "I had no idea a dog could die when they were simply enjoying an hour in the garden in the shade. I've worked with dogs all of my life, I have worked in rescue and rehoming and I'm a professional dog walker.
"The day Bruno died was warm but not very hot, and I was off work and was working in the house while my three dogs were outside enjoying the garden. They had access to the house, they had plenty of cool water, I was checking on them regularly and Bruno was enjoying the shade while Enzo and Louie played with each other."
After that she found Bruno lying dead.
She said she was shocked and couldn't stop screaming.
"I took Bruno into the sitting room and held him in my arms. After an hour or more I thought to take his temperature and even at that stage it was sky high. He had died of heat stroke, he had died while lying in the shade in our garden," she said.
The signs of heatstroke were not apparent, but in retrospect, Kim feels he may have seemed lazier than normal and panting more than usual, however it was nothing out of the ordinary for Bruno.
"There is so much online about not walking dogs in the heat, but I never knew just a bit of sun out in the garden could be fatal to dogs. Brachycephalic dog breeds like French Bulldogs are more likely to suffer heat stroke than any other dog and I knew that.
"But I just didn't know how quickly it can affect them even if they are not obviously overheating, and now I know it can be fatal in as little as 15 minutes without any warning," she said.
Kim described it as "the most upsetting heart breaking lesson in my life" and hopes it can be a lesson for other dog owners.
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