This summer was filled with excitement, as there were many firsts for Lavina and I over the past few months. From the Cade Sprackman Safety Day in Hudson Bay, SK and the Annual Summer Bash event; to the 4th Annual First Ride event and creating summer pet safety content on location at the Regina Humane Society. But now, it is October, and the temperatures are changing, the leaves are falling, and the dreaded “S” word is on the way. We say good-bye to summer, but first, we look back at the adventures Lavina and I had over the summer months. 

On August 25th, 2019, Saskatchewan Safety Council attended the Annual Summer Bash event, located in Harbour Landing in Regina, SK. This all-day event brings many organizations together, to offer a fun day for families in the community. There were bouncy castles, food trucks, furry friends to adopt, dog talent shows, children activities and organizations with safety booths. At our booth, we ran a colouring contest! This was open to all ages, and only required creativity. Participants were asked to create their own Safety Superhero and reference their safety superpowers. Lavina and I manned the Safety Council booth with a lot of help from our volunteers – Raiane, Arletta and Sharla - who were so generous to offer their time to help us ensure that the activity ran smoothly, and the participants had a blast! 

The best part about entering this contest is of course… prizes! There were 3 gift baskets for different age categories. There was 2-5 years, 6-9 and 10 and up. We had a total of 322 entries into the contest, and we needed to narrow the judging to 5 in each category. This was a hard decision to make, and I couldn’t choose the winners alone. We ran a judging panel at our office, where each staff member had to choose ONE in each category, who they think used the best creativity for their Safety Superhero. The winners were chosen, and I hand delivered the gift baskets. Each winner was thrilled, thankful and smiling from ear to ear. Michael, who was our 5-year-old winner tells me that he wants to be a Police Officer when he grows up, and he knows being safe is number one. You’re right Michael, and I hope to see you one day as a Police Officer, keeping people in our community safe!

As temperatures changed throughout the summer, we had a few hot days. In the heat, our pets are vulnerable to heat stroke, becoming dehydrated and burning the bottom of their paws on scorching hot cement. Lavina and I made our way to the Regina Humane Society and spent some time with Candace, who took time out of her day to share some safety tips for pet owners. Keeping pets in the shade on hot days is important, staying hydrated, and walking on the grass if the cement is too hot. But wait, how do you know if the walking path is too hot for your pets’ paws? Do a 3 second test with your hand to check. If the temperature is too hot for you… then walking on the path is not a good idea for your pets’ paws, so take a stroll on the grass instead.

While our visit was short at the Regina Humane Society, we were able to squeeze in a little puppy snuggle time. There is something therapeutic about snuggling a puppy, it sure does make your soul happy. For me however, I tend to make rash decisions and want to adopt them all.