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Walking your dog daily is an excellent activity for dogs and owners, alike, because it brings mental and physical stimulation to your pet and creates an unbreakable bond between you and your furry friend. However, as summer approaches and the temperature begins to rise, owners should be aware of the risks associated with walking pets in the heat. 
Dr. Lori Teller, a clinical professor at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has some tips on identifying signs that it may be too hot to walk your pet and suggestions on ways to exercise them more safely on hot summer days. 
Too hot to walk?
It is important to pay attention to your dog and know when it might be too hot to take them for a walk.
 “When it is hot outside, many dogs can be adversely impacted and suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke,” Teller said. “Dogs cannot sweat, and panting is not an effective mechanism for cooling off, so dogs do not have efficient ways of handling excessive heat.” 
Teller also said there is no specific temperature that is too hot for dogs. 
“A good rule is to avoid the hottest times of the day in the summer and limit walks or runs to early morning or late evening times when the temperatures have dropped some,” Teller said. “It may also be a good idea to consider booties to protect your dog’s feet from the hot pavement.”
In addition to being mindful of the time of day, owners should be extra cautious with both very young and older dogs as well as those with underlying medical conditions. 
“Dogs with respiratory disease, heart disease, obesity and breeds with flat or smushed faces — such as pugs, boxers, bulldogs, Shih Tzus, and more — are more likely to be heat-intolerant, or sensitive to the warmer temperatures.”
Another consideration for owners is how adjusted your dog is to the climate. 
“Dogs that have recently relocated from cooler climates are also less likely to be acclimated to warmer temperatures,” Teller said. 
Overheating
While prevention is the best way to keep pets safe from overheating, Teller said it is also important to know the signs that a dog is struggling with the soaring temperatures. This is especially true for owners who take summer road trips that include outdoor breaks for their pets or who experience an air conditioning outage in the summer months. 
Some signs to look out for in case your pet becomes overheated:
—Anxiousness or restlessness
—Excessive panting or drooling
—Vomiting or diarrhea
—Abnormal gum or tongue color
—Unsteadiness while walking, or collapsing
“If your pet appears to be overheated, place some cool, wet towels around your pet and seek veterinary care immediately,” Teller said. “Time is definitely of the essence.” 
Alternatives
While the heat may pose challenges for keeping your dog active, exercise is important year-round to keep dogs healthy.
“Exercise is a great way for more active dogs to burn off some energy, and it can help lessen anxiety in dogs that are stressed,” Teller said. “It also promotes heart and joint health and helps with weight management. Just remember to consult with your veterinarian before beginning any exercise program to discuss what is most appropriate for your pet’s current health status.” 
There are many alternatives to walks during the heat of the day that still get you and your pet outside of the house. 
“Dog owners can explore indoor areas such as places to participate in flyball, agility or even doggy social events,” Teller said. “Swimming or dock diving is also a great activity for dogs that enjoy water.” 
If leaving the house is not an ideal option, Teller recommends owners find opportunities to exercise their pet indoors. 
“At home, people can make use of long hallways for a game of fetch or create a dog-safe obstacle course,” Teller said. “Some dogs will chase a laser point, like those used for cats.” 
Finding ways to exercise your dog during the summer can be challenging, but mentally and physically stimulating our furry friends without the risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be fun for the whole family. By planning ahead and finding alternatives to daily walks, you can keep your dog happy and healthy all summer long. 
Pet Talk is a service of the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Assumption Parish deputies have arrested a Patterson man in their investigation of a string of vehicle burglaries dating back 2-1/2 years.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:

--Gregory Joseph Payne, 21, J Street, Patterson, was booked Wednesday into on 11 counts of simple burglary of a motor vehicle and as a fugitive from the St. Mary and Terrebonne sheriff’s offices.

The burglary charges arise from an investigation in the Bayou L’Ourse area dating back to January 2022.

In January 2022, deputies responded to multiple complaints of vehicle burglaries in the area of Griffin Court. Deputies initiated an investigation and identified 11 vehicles that had been burglarized.

Deputies located electronic evidence that led to the identification of a suspect vehicle.

During the same period, the suspect vehicle was tied to burglaries in the Gibson and Stephensville areas.

Through investigation, detectives identified multiple suspects, including Payne, and were able to place Payne in the area of the crimes at the time the offenses were committed.

At the conclusion of the investigation, detectives secured arrest warrants for Payne as well as other suspects.

Payne was facing charges in multiple jurisdictions. He was transferred from the St. Mary Parish jail Wednesday to the custody of the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Payne remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.

--Corey Lee Percle, 44, Field Road, Morgan City, was arrested Wednesday on a fugitive warrant from the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office alleging failure to appear on a charge of battery on a dating partner.

Deputies went to the Bayou L’Ourse area to execute an arrest warrant on Percle. Deputies located Percle riding a bicycle in the La. 662-Aristle Road area.

Percle was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending transfer to the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.

St. Mary

Sheriff Gary Driskell reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 49 complaints and made these arrests:

--Lionel Mitchell, 61, Labadieville, was arrested at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on a charge of driving without a driver’s license. Mitchell was released on his own recognizance.

--Kodney Edward Nicholas, 35, Thibodaux, was arrested at 10:48 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant alleging domestic abuse battery and domestic abuse (child endangerment law). Bail has not been set at this time.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 38 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Clint Adam Landry, 45, Shell Beach Road, Pierre Part, was arrested at 10:09 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Alita M Tabb, 24, Deslinges Road, Charenton, was arrested at 10:24 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Dearius Deshawn Kenner, 36, Grace Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:39 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of failure to appear for trial (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Shawn Casey Lovell Sr., 46, Sixth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:03 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of failure to appear to pay fines (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

The St. Mary Parish Council named nine of the 11 members to the new Home Rule Charter Commission on Wednesday.
And the council approved a new early voting place in the parish’s west end.
Momentum toward amending or replacing the parish charter has been building for months from a couple of directions: support for turning the parish president’s post into a full-time position with full-time pay, and for increasing minority representation on the council.
The council created the commission, which will have a year to do its work, by passing an ordinance earlier this month.
The council will be able to decide whether to submit any proposals by the commission to voters, but it’s all or nothing. The council won’t be able to amend any of the commission’s proposals.
Nine council members made their appointments Wednesday. Councilmen Jimmy Davis of Morgan City and Patrick Hebert of Berwick will make their appointments later.
The commission members are:
—Baldwin Mayor Clarence Vappie, appointed by Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette.
—Dr. Gary Wiltz, CEO of Teche Action Clinic, by Councilman J Ina of Franklin.
—John Higdon, by Councilman Rodney Olander of Franklin.
—Jeremy Chesteen, by Councilman David Hill of Bayou Vista.
—John Armato, by Councilman Les Rulf of Patterson.
—Betty Cheramie Hicks, by Councilman Mark Duhon of Amelia.
—Kenneth Perry Jr., by Councilwoman Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink.
—John Trevino Jr., by Councilwoman Gwendolyn Hidalgo.
—Barry Dufrene, by Councilman Dean Adams of Morgan City.
The council set the date for the commission’s meeting for 6 p.m. July 11 in the council meeting chambers at the Parish Courthouse.
New voting place
The council voted to approve a third site for early voting in the parish: the West St. Mary Civic Center near the U.S. 90-La. 318 junction in the Jeanerette area.
Registrar of Voters Terri Foulcard made the pitch to the council Wednesday.
She made a plea on behalf of low-income people who lack transportation, disabled and elderly people even young adults who rely on their parents for rides.
The new site will cost about $4,200 in setup costs and $6,390 per quarter.
Early voting also takes place at the Registrar of Voters Offices at the Parish Courthouse and 301 Third St. Suite 6 in Morgan City.
The next early voting will be for the national election Nov. 5.
Early voting will run Oct. 18-29, excluding the two Sundays, Oct. 20 and 27.

Louisiana’s new education savings account program will debut in August 2025, but plenty of work remains before it becomes a universal program for Pelican State K-12 students. 
The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship Program was signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry on June 19 and provides educational savings accounts to parents so they can have more choice in what school their children will attend.
The funds can also be used for tutors, online school tuition, curriculum or even to fund a hybrid program where a student attends a private school part time. 
Senate Bill 313, authored by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, will replace the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program after the 2024-2025 school year. 
Phase one of the GATOR initiative will prioritize students who participated in the SSEE program. 
Phase two will then arrange for children entering kindergarten and students who were enrolled in public school the previous year. All three phases, but especially phase three, will help families at or below 250% of the federal poverty line. 
State Superintendent Cade Brumley says the start of the final two phases is still yet to be decided. 
“It may take a year, two years, three years, it just depends on the appropriations allocated for the program,” Brumley told The Center Square. 
Brumley also specified that the program is completely funded by state appropriations that are separate from the Minimum Foundation Program formula, which calculates equitable distribution of K-12 funds to school districts.
The Legislature will provide an annual line item allocated for GATOR scholarships, with the number of students served dependent on the appropriations. 
“One of the things that was said many times is that this program will be a program of runaway spending,” Brumley said. “But the only way the program can grow is if the Legislature allocates the funding for that to happen. The Legislature through the appropriation process is in complete control of that rope.”
Before phase one can begin in the fall of 2025, Brumley says the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will have to promulgate specific rules around eligibility, dollar amounts, program providers and any other technical processes. Brumley’s office will start making those recommendations this fall. 
“You can look at it like the state Legislature said ‘Hey, here is the game that has to be played’ and then the state board of education has to go in and write the specific rules for that game,” Brumley said. 
EdChoice, a national organization, and the Pelican Institute, a Louisiana institution, both supported the GATOR program. Nathan Sanders, the policy and advocacy director of EdChoice, says Louisiana is the 12th state to go universal. 
Sanders also addressed the issues private schools could face with high demand. He said private schools and charters are still allowed to maintain their autonomy when it comes to enrollment and admissions. 
“We’ve seen pretty decent growth with all these states, but you never really see schools busting at the seams,” Sanders told The Center Square. “At the end of the day, parents are gonna find an option and data shows growth will happen and parents will have even more options down the road.”
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers put out a statement saying the GATOR program is fiscally irresponsible and will devastate the public school system by diverting public dollars to private schools.  
Erin Bendily, the vice president of policy and strategy at Pelican Institute, thinks a big reason teachers are vocalizing a problem with GATOR is because it will hold them accountable to a higher standard.  
“It boils down to competition. Now they are going to have to work extra hard to earn the privilege to serve kids and families in their communities,” Bendily told The Center Square. “This should not be seen as an anti-public school policy. This is a pro-child policy.”
Sanders believes it’s a matter of educating teachers and families on the importance of the bill.
“It’s going to be up to everyone to educate how the program works, how to apply, but over the years it will be more accepted,” Sanders said.