Keep Your Animals and Pets Cool in the Intense Heat! We’re in one of the hottest climates on the planet! So are our animals and pets! So how can we help keep them cool in this inferno? Here are some options.
For Cats and Dogs:
The Roshgo Corporation in Alpharetta, GA has some great dog cooling products under its name “Cooldanna”, including a cooling bandanna, mat and vest. For more info: Click here.
Pup Hut, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, offers the PupHut Truck Dog Safety Canopy, which is a great way to shield your dog from the sun and heat, when in the back of a pick-up truck. Made with heavily-coated vinyl, this canopy also offers protection against flying road debris. Check it out!
One Dog One Bone, based in Las Vegas, NV, has developed a durable, “tougher than nails” dog pool in shape of a bone, which holds 85 gallons, or a “Paw Pool” in shape of a paw which holds 20 gallons. Built to withstand chewing, splashing, and playing. See the pools here!
Body Cooler by Akemi, Inc., is based in Houston, TX and has a great selection of cooling pet mats, shelter covers, belly wraps, collars and bandanas. Check ‘em out!
There are a lot of dog boots on the market, but nothing we found appeared suitable for an extreme heat environment.
For horses:
Hobby Hill Farm in Powhatan, VA, has come out with a unique horse cooler called the Equine Koozie, which is water-activated, with no gel or ice packs. It does not inhibit a horse’s natural movement! We like this! Hobby Hill also offers cooling leg wraps. Equine Koozie
Cool Medics has a great line-up of cooling apparel for your horse including blankets, boots, head and neck coolers, and a cooling saddle pad. Cool Medics
So don’t let the heat get you or your animals down, knowing there’s a lot of products out there that can keep them cool and comfortable during our extreme summer weather.
Get Ready for your Close-Up! The Southern California desert has long played a major role in film production. Here’s a short selection of some interesting films from different genres that have scenes shot in and around the desert. See if you can recognize which parts of the Coachella Valley have been immortalized on the silver screen in these gems!
Into the Wild (2007): Sean Penn’s film based on Jon Krakauer’s book about a college graduate who gives all of his money and possessions away to pursue living in the wilderness in Alaska.
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (2004): Excellent documentary about the bizarre and amazing community around the land-locked Salton Sea that many thought was going to become “California’s Riviera.” See our review!
Alpha Dog (2006): A drama based on Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest to be on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
The Scorpion King (2002): Starring the Rock as a desert warrior who fights against an evil empire to save his homeland.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001): Join George Clooney as Danny Ocean, along with Brad Pitt and 9 other thieves as they prepare to pull off the biggest casino heist ever.
Mission Impossible III (2006): The third installment of the Mission Impossible films, starring Tom Cruise.
Torque (2004): A biker is framed for the murder of the brother of the most feared biker gang leader, who sets out to kill him, unless he can clear his name. Starring Ice Cube.
The Hoax (2006): Richard Gere plays a down on his luck author who claims he wrote the autobiography of Howard Hughes, but it’s all a hoax. Can he pull it off?
If you’d like to see a comprehensive list of all movies shot in and around the Coachella Valley, check out these listings.
Palm Springs
Cathedral City
Rancho Mirage
Palm Desert
La Quinta
Indio
Coachella
Thermal
Salton Sea
The mercury’s a climbin’! What’re you doing about it? It’s the Mojave desert, people! 120+ on the worst days! Here are some facts about heat, cooling products, and some suggestions to make it more bearable.
The heat index: Do you know what it is? We didn’t, so we looked it up. It takes the air temperature and the relative humidity into account when determining how much heat a body will hold. The higher the humidity, the hotter one will feel. So here’s the deal. If you’re in Atlanta in 80 degrees with 60% humidity, the heat index is 140. But if you’re in Indio in 115 degrees with 7% humidity, the heat index is 122. You’ll feel cooler in Indio at 115 than in Atlanta at 80. For more info: Heat Index
Sports Drinks: To keep up with low-cal substitutes, both Gatorade and Powerade have introduced lower calorie sports drinks to help keep your electrolytes balanced. We had no idea how many different products each company has, so make sure to look at each product, as it’s used for different purposes. Some are more hard core than others. Some contain electrolytes, some only have vitamins. Make sure you look to find the right one for you. Here’s what we liked.
Powerade Zero: 0 calories, electrolytes, vitamins, available in grape, mixed berry, and strawberry flavors. Powerade
G2: This is a lower calorie, off the field hydrator. It has electrolytes, but does not have the optimum amount of carbohydrates for an athlete playing the game. It’s used as a hydrator in between hard athletic work. Drink G2
Propel Fitness Water: Enhanced with B, C, and E vitamins, Propel Fitness water nourishes your body with only 10 calories per serving. It does not have electrolytes. Propel Fitness Water
Feeling a little heat struck: If you’re like us and will occasionally venture out and do some exercise in the early summer mornings and get caught a little late in the morning, and feel some heat exhaustion effects, here’s our back-up. We love Emergen-C packets. They freshen up water with vitamins and electrolytes, depending on the product you choose. Low-calorie, and delicious, the fizzy water will perk you up after overworking yourself in the heat. Emergenc
The Heat and Your House: We love thinking about things we can add to our house to make it more habitable outside and inside during the summer.
Pool Chiller: We hate it when our pool feels like a warm bath in 100+ temperatures! If only we could get the temperature down! The question is, where do we get a pool chiller? Try Desert Paradise Pools and Spas. Family-owned and operated in Palm Desert since 1982, they do everything from pool landscaping, masonry, original design and remodels. Check it out. Desert Paradise Pools
For the do-it-yourselfer, Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies has a fan-based pool cooling system which will drop pool temperature from 12 to 15 degrees within 12 to 14 hours. Check it out here. Leslie’s Pools
The Misting System: Misting fans, high pressure fog systems, high-grade, quality misting systems… Sound good? Koolfog Systems is the industry leader in innovative, high tech outdoor cooling systems. Based right here in Cathedral City, they have big name clients like Universal Studios, and Bill Gates. Where do we get in line? For more info: Koolfog
The Air Conditioner vs. The Swamp Cooler: What’s the difference between the two? The swamp cooler or evaporative cooler cools the air through the evaporation of water. It differs from the classic air conditioner which cools through vapor compression or absorption air conditioning. Why should you care? The cost of a swamp cooler can be much lower than that of an air conditioner. Sometimes 80% lower. However, the downside is if the weather has more than 40% humidity, the swamp cooler’s ability to cool drops to zero. Thanks to the desert’s relatively low year-round humidity, however, a swamp cooler can be a real alternative in this area to traditional, more energy-intensive, air conditioning systems.
And finally, if all else fails and you need to break from the heat… Here are three options.
Knott’s Soak City: Come and experience Pacific Spin! Drop into a six story funnel of swirling water! With plenty of water slides, a wave pool, inner tube river and other activities, you’re destined for a cool break. Knott’s Soak City
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: This is always a great bet for cooler temps atop the magestic Mt. San Jacinto, and the attractive summer pass price allows use May 1-August 31. Enjoy the mountain air! Palm Springs Tram
Whitewater Preserve: The Whitewater River runs down through Whitewater Canyon in this 2,851 acre preserve which even has its own trout farm, and yes you can fish, although there are restrictions. The majestic mountains are home to plenty of bighorn sheep, bear, deer and mountain lions. It’s the portal into the San Gorgonio wilderness and preserve lands. A one time development project with a fascinating history that has now been purchased by a nature conservancy. For more info: whitewater conservancy
