Dog servicesin Houston, TX

Heat is the everyday hazard for dogs in Houston, TX. The city shelter's pets and extreme weather page points out that Houston's hot season covers most of the year and advises leaving pets at home during the hot months, because a pet left in a hot car can suffer heatstroke, brain damage or death even in a short time. If you see a pet alone in a hot car, tell store management, and if the owner does not come back quickly, call BARC, animal control or police.

BARC, the city's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care, runs the shelter at 3200 Carr Street, open noon to 6 p.m. and closed Mondays and Thursdays: 713-229-7300. You can report and search for a lost pet online. Strays, bites, cruelty and other animal problems inside city limits go to 311. Outside Houston, in unincorporated Harris County, call county animal control at 281-999-3191.

Houston runs more than a dozen city dog parks, from Ervan Chew and West Webster to T.C. Jester and Maxey, open dawn to dusk. Dogs must wear City of Houston registration and rabies tags on their collars, each person may bring no more than two dogs per visit, and dogs stay leashed going in and out. In other city parks, dogs stay on leash and are not allowed in children's play areas or on athletic fields.