With  temperatures setting records over the past week, we see an increased incidence of heat related injury.

One of the deadliest conditions a pet may encounter in this environment is heat stroke. The normal temperature for a dog is roughly 101.5 degrees (F), but this may vary about 1 degree in either direction. A dog suffering from heat stroke may have internal body temperatures up to 109 F, but any time the body temperature exceeds 105 F this constitutes a medical emergency!

The most common causes of heat stroke are pets being left in a hot vehicle, pets being left outside in excessive heat for extended periods of time and pets exercising in warm weather. (NEVER leave your pet in a hot vehicle.)

Also, keep in mind that some pets are not good at keeping cool. For example, breeds with a short muzzle and lots of skin – yes, the Pug is the poster child, and obese pets.

If you are concerned about the effect of heat on your pet please look for some of the signs

1. Anxiety and restlessness (initially)
2. Excessive panting and drooling
3. Weakness and stumbling
4. Grey/purple hue to normally pink gum color
5. Glazed over look to eyes, lack of response to interaction

Steps to take if you are concerned

1. Remove pet from hot environment, add a fan if possible
2. Gently with lubricant, obtain rectal temperature if this is possible
3. Slowly begin to cool – apply cool water to ear flaps and paws
4. Transport to nearest veterinary hospital as soon as possible DO NOT cool your pet too quickly. NEVER place them in cold water or in pool. Rapid cooling will increase the risk of fatal complications.

Guest blog by the wonderful folks at Laveen Veterinary Center, 3536 W Baseline Rd #128 Laveen, AZ 8533. Contact them at (602)559-9600 or office@laveenvetcenter.com

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When the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project links Laveen to the rest of the Valley, local Realtors predict an uptick in Laveen home prices, which were some of the state’s most devastated after the housing market collapse in 2007.

“The 202 South Mountain Freeway will offer new growth opportunities for Laveen and the surrounding areas,” predicts Sam Lawmaster, a Laveen Realtor for ReMax. “Having access to I-10 will make Laveen more connected to the rest of the Phoenix metro area and may potentially have a positive home value impact on many of the properties around the area.”

But just how much of a boost will it be? About 10 years ago, people were trying to outbid each other to purchase Valley homes, and Laveen was one of the areas riding high on those soaring prices. When the bubble burst in 2007, local homeowners were hit hard and suffered drastic declines in home prices.

“One can never be sure how any event will affect real estate,” says Doyle Perry, owner of Black Belt Realty. “There have been way too many surprises.  But, a general rule is that more traffic and convenience means more demand for housing.”

Last year the median price for a home in Laveen was $175,000. The median is the point where half the homes sell for more and half sell for less. Compared with 10 years ago at the height of the housing market, prices are still down 29 percent when adjusted for inflation. However, prices in 2014 were up about 8 percent from the previous year, and overall prices are up about 22 percent over the past five years, even adjusted for inflation.

Jeffrey Hale, co-owner at Turf Realty, is sure the freeway will be help prices, but he cautions that there are other factors to consider, such as the national housing market and interest rates to name two.

“I am certain it won’t hurt our values, and I believe that it will help,” Hale acknowledges, “but it will be too hard to measure the exact impact it has among all of the other factors influencing value.”

For example, Hale said that if property values were to see an immediate 10 percent rise once the freeway opened in 2020, then that would be an easy correlation.

“But that won’t happen,” Hale said. “Values rose when the freeway was approved. They will rise when construction begins. They will rise as we get closer to completion and the connecting arterial roadways are completed. They will rise as the freeway opens, and they will continue to rise as commercial businesses invest along the freeway corridor.”

There are some other points, too. Perry said that because the route is in the western area of Laveen, it won’t change downtown commute patterns for residents living east of 51^st Avenue. “It won’t have the impact that it would have if it helped us get downtown,” he said, “But, it comes under the heading of every little bit helps.”

Hale added that while the roadway is being built over the next five years, there also will be an increase in the number of investors who sell their inventory and swap out renters for homeowners.

Census statistics show that about 75 percent of Laveen residents currently own their homes. Lawmaster said that neighborhoods with high percentages of owner-occupied homes tend to be more stable in value. “For owners, it means a tax deduction; it means pride of ownership. And usually homeowners want to retain the resale value of their home, so they have an incentive to keep up with maintenance and take care of their home.”

But as Hale said before, Laveen isn’t isolated from outside economic influences.

“There will be natural and historical market adjustments that influence values,” Hale said. “There will also be larger state and national economies at play, which will affect our local market.  With all of the other factors affecting home worth, it will be hard to calculate the exact impact the freeway itself has in raising our property values.”

So the consensus is that the freeway will definitely help but the significance of a longterm positive impact will be difficult to predict.

“Yes, it will increase demand for housing in Laveen,” Perry says.  “No, it will not be dramatic.  And to the disappointment of many, with a freeway interchange, Laveen is becoming less and less of a village.”

The print version of this article appears in the June edition of the South Mountain District News.

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What started as a frolic in the fields of her father’s home near Estrella and 51^st Avenue, turned in to three days of anguish for Dinahlee Ochoa, 21, a lifelong resident of Laveen, and Coco, her 4-year-old Shih Tzu.

But thanks to the power of social media and a community’s love for of animals, the two are together again.

Dinahlee lives in the Rogers Ranch neighborhood near 43^rd Avenue and Baseline Road, but she said that they decided in late May to visit her dad’s horse property off 51^st Avenue to give Coco some room to run around in the fields and play with the other dogs. Except on May 18, Coco didn’t come back from his rambles.

Two hours of searching and calling for the little white dog brought no luck. Dinahlee returned home, worried about coyotes and fearing for Coco, but decided to take a chance and asked her cousin if he would post on some of the Laveen Facebook pages about her missing dog. She doesn’t have a Facebook account herself. So Esteban posted:

Esteban Ochoa

May 18 at 7:41pm

My cuzins shih tzu Coco ran off from our ranch on 51st avenue and Estrella in Laveen. South of dobbins. He’s white and is very furry. He was wearing a gray collar with silver rhinestones. He was last seen between Estrella and Carver down 51st ave. If found please call 480 822 8367 or 602 476 9567.

Four days later:

Nick Smith

May 22 at 5:32am

As I was on my way to work this morning I find this little guy stuck in a tumbleweed on 51st av and carver! He has a collar so I’m hoping he has an owner. But judging by the condition of his fur it looks like he hasn’t been cared for in a while! If you recognize him please contact me!

A flurry of comments followed Nick Smith’s post, with dozens of offers to help from people who had remembered the first post about Coco from three days before. By midmorning, mutual friends had connected Nick to Dinahlee, who gave a positive ID for her missing dog. After he finished work on May 22, the founder drove Coco home to his joyful owner.

“Within three days he was home,” Dinahlee said, a few days after her reunion. “I couldn’t believe that the Facebook post worked and we got him back safe.”

TAGLINE: Writer Rose Tring is a long-time journalist and owner of AZ Media Maven, a Laveen-based marketing and public relations company. She is also the founder of FinditinLaveen.com, a local business directory and free community calendar. Email her at rose@azmediamaven.com

Read the Laveen Village Voice Blog in this month’s South Mountain District News.

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