Denali – Just Chilling

August is known for warm and humid days.  People tend to refer to them as the dog days of summer due to the extreme heat and humidity. Because of these extreme temperatures, most dogs will spend most of their day resting just to stay cool.  Our Exhibit Pack wolves are no different.  We are often asked why is August worse when July can actually have hotter temperatures?   In July, wolves have fully shed their winter undercoat, leaving a comfortable set of guard hairs, but no dense undercoat.  They stay relatively cool even on a hot July day because of their summer pelage.  By mid-August, wolves begin growing their undercoat. The combination of a dense undercoat and the August heat, makes it a challenge to stay cool.  Add the humidity of August that reduces a canid’s ability to evaporate heat when panting, and you have a behavioral need to remain inactive.  So why grow an undercoat in August?  Fall nights start to cool down and those of us who live in a northern climate know that winter is right around the corner.