every summer it seems to get a little hotter. here in chevy chase, maryland, the air gets thick with heat and humidity. last year, nbc bay area reported that “earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024.”

a few summers ago, hugo used to love to lay out on the stone patio in our backyard, and let the sun shine on his fur. i guess it was his way of sunbathing. but lately he has been spending much more time inside.

when we go for walks, he struggles to breathe. sometimes he just stops walking, turns around, and faces the direction of the house. he doesn’t seem happy until we get back inside where the air conditioning keeps everything nice and cool.

his face lets me know that he misses the old days. the days where he would spend hours chasing toys and sticks outside, or hanging out with other dogs. one day over last summer, he went to a dog park, just like the old times. it was another hot day, and – you guessed it – there were no other dogs there, it was too hot.

hugo’s discomfort doesn’t just happen when he’s outside. later in the summer, i noticed that hugo began to itch around his ears and stomach. ticks again. we took him to the vet where he was checked for lyme’s disease. lyme’s disease causes joint paint, fatigue and loss in appetite. when we noticed the ticks on hugo again, we washed him as well as we could and then headed to the animal hospital to get him treated. 

tick season has been extended in recent years to account for warmer autumn months. additionally the population of ticks has increased due to the warmer weather, which allows for much more breeding and the creation of more nurturing environments that allow ticks to live and grow. eventually, these ticks find their way onto host animals, just like hugo.

hugo has not only been bothered by the ticks, but the mosquitos that swarm around him. when we spoke to the veterinarian at the animal hospital, she mentioned two mosquito-related illnesses that can impact dogs like hugo: anaplasmosis and rocky mountain spotted fever.

both illnesses can cause fever, aches, nausea, and let untreated, have more serious symptoms. as the climate continues to change and shift to create more warm environments, we can expect to see changes in insect populations and associated diseases that they carry.

i look at hugo sitting comfortably in our air-conditioned house, and he appears to reminisce on the days when it was cold. in those winter months, his thick fur coat keeps him warm and protects him from the harsh winds. but while i’m writing this, it is still summertime, and he can barely enjoy a walk around the block, let alone sunbathe in the backyard. not being able to go out for regular walks and play means that hugo rarely exercises. this lack of exercise takes a huge toll on his health, especially his heart. i wonder if hugo is as worried as i am about his quality of life.

hugo probably has no idea what is causing these environmental changes. but he seems to know that he has been impacted. he has gained a lot of weight and become more sluggish from his lack of exercise. i wonder whether he can sense the abnormalities in the environment like the constant buzzing vector species and the thickness of the air caused by increases in pollution and carbon.

if hugo could really talk, i bet he would implore humans to make some changes. he would beg us to  engage in new behaviors and actions to bring an end to climate change. in the meantime, i suspect he just dreams about the day that his life returns to normal, and he can enjoy summertime like he did when he was puppy.