Va. Cafe Owner Finds Cool Way to Keep Dogs Cool
This summer's high temperatures have forced everyone to find creative ways to stay cool, including man's best friend.
That task is easier for dogs in Urbana, Va., thanks to a local café owner who has bought out the small town's supply of kiddie pools to keep dogs hydrated and cooled.
"I saw a story about a couple of dogs who died of heat stroke because they were chained up in their owner's backyard," said Megan Brockman, the owner of Café Mojo in Urbana. "It was during that hot spell in Virginia when the heat index got up to about 110 [degrees] so I thought, 'What can I do?'
"A friend of mine has a kiddie pool for her dog and I thought, 'There you go,'" she said.
Brockman, who opened her café in the town of nearly 700 people about 10 years ago, purchased 11 kiddie pools from the local Dollar Store and put them in front of her restaurant along with a sign that read, "If Your Dog Has To Be Outside…Please Take a Pool To Help Keep Them Cool."
"If the kiddie pools are gone, I'll replace them as soon as I can," she wrote, signing it, "Thanks, Megan."
Brockman has gone through about 30 pools since she put the first 11 out a few weeks ago. She's now relying on her family, who live about an hour away, to bring her pools when they come to visit and searching for them on her own in other towns near Urbana.
Last weekend, Brockman's generosity caught the eyes of two passersby, Brittany Magill and Matt Rogers, who were visiting Urbana and spotted the sign and the pools on their way out to dinner.
"My boyfriend saw it and said, 'Oh, look at that sign. How cool is that?,'" Magill, a kindergarten teacher from Falls Church, Va., told ABCNews.com. "We just thought it was really sweet and generous for someone to offer up all these doggie pools."
Magill posted her photo of the pools and the sign to Reddit, where it was quickly shared and commented on by hundreds of users.
"I posted it on Reddit so other people could see how nice it was," Magill said.
Brockman hopes the attention her act of kindness has received will inspire others to keep paying it forward.
"If we can spread awareness and have people care more about all the living creatures then that would be amazing," she said. "People aren't the only creatures on the planet. Dogs can't help themselves. People have to do it."