Since yesterday was such a glorious day, with the heat tipping at 30 degrees at one point, my mother and I decided we would take our two dogs out for a walk: our Staff, Capone, and our French Bulldog, Henry. We took them on our usual walk in the evening when it had cooled down a bit, along with a bottle of water for them both to drink when they needed it. About halfway through our walk, Henry started panting, like he usually does anyway because of his breed, but it got progressively worse. After having large drinks from his water, the panting only got worse, to the point were his chest was rattling, and he was plonking himself down in any shade he could find, refusing to move. After realizing something was seriously wrong, we phoned for a family member to come and pick the four of us up to take us home. By now, Henry was exhausted, barely moving as he panted horrendously, trying to cool down. When we got back home, he had to be carried out in the garden where we sprayed him with the hose and placed cold, wet towels on him. Still, he didn't move at all, his eyes unfocused as his shallow breathing continued. When he started crying out, we decided he needed to be seen by a vet as soon as. We took him to a 'animal hospital' as the vets had long been closed by now, all the while Henry was unresponsive, forming a large puddle of saliva/sweat all over my arm, leg, and the backseat as I cradled his head. At the hospital, the nurses quickly checked him over, establishing that he had a high temperature of 40 degrees and confirming that Henry was suffering from heatstroke. He was promptly whisked away to be put on a drip in a cool room, crying as the nurse took him away. That was the last time I saw Henry.

After not doing well over night, suffering a couple of seizures, the nurse phoned us at around 5 that morning to say that he wasn't going to make it and that it would be best to put him to sleep. They gave us time to talk it over, but when we phoned back twenty minutes later, the nurse informed us that Henry had just regurgitated a lot of blood and that he was only still breathing due to a nurse giving him chest compressions. She said an injection wouldn't be needed now, as once they stop giving him chest compressions, he'll pass on his own. We said okay.

In a matter of hours, I had lost my dopey, lovable little Henry.

The reason I have decided to share this, gruesome details included, is to not only convey how distraught I am, but to warn everyone who has a dog. This is how horrible hot weather can affect your dogs; the nurse at the hospital told us that along with Henry, three other dogs have also passed away due to heatstroke, and many other dogs are currently being treated for it. All in one day. So, if another extremely hot day decides to grace us, please keep an extra eye on your dogs, especially if they are a bulldog breed, carry a little extra weight, and have breathing troubles. If you want to take them for a walk in the hot sun, try not to make it too long, or go somewhere where there is lots of shade and your dogs can rest in it. Make sure they drink plenty of water and don't get too overheated. This also goes out to people who think it won't do any harm to leave their dog in the car while they pop to the shops; it can get twice as hot inside the car than outside and a dog can pass out even quicker. If on a hot day you notice your dog's breathing is rapid and they refuse to move at all - basically becoming limp and unresponsive - phone your vets for advice and take action quick.

I can't bring Henry back - Capone has lost his little brother and is currently grieving, as the rest of us are - but this post can warn and potentially save other dogs, save other families from experiencing what we are.

Stories like this have lit a fire underneath me because it hits really close to home. I would as i'm sure everyone who owns and loves a pet would be devestated to lose a loved one when it could have been prevented if we prepared our pets better. My dog means the world to me and my wife and she is loved by everyone that gets the opportunity to get to know her. Our pets trust us and loves us more than anything in the world and it's our duty to do our best to protect and reciprocate that same unconditional love that they display every single day.

So i come to each and every person that reads this and ask for your help to help me achieve my goal of helping every pet owner avoid such a traggic cause of death known as heat stroke. I have created a product for all dogs that will allow them to be able to go on that run or hike that they love to do so much all while keeping them cool in high temperatures. The funds will be used to help me and my team get this product into the hands of dog owners all across the world so that we can save the lives of our best friends and family members. This something that is urgent and the faster we get your help the more lives we save. We would be so grateful for everyone who is willing to help us achieve our goal to solve this problem that is killing our pets and destroying our lives. Sure we want to reach our goal but anything and everything helps and with enough help and the will of God there is no goal thats unreachable. So i would like to just take the time to thank each and everyone of you in advance to make this vision a reality. And doggy hugs and kisses to all!