See Safety Tips For Dogs At Pennsylvania State parks

PENNSYLVANIA — As more Pennsylvania families head out to state parks in the summer weather, officials are offering tips on how to protect their dogs while enjoying parks.

Pennsylvania's departments of Agriculture and Conservation and Natural Resources Friday offering tips to keep their pets and others safe as they enjoy the outdoors together.

Tips for bringing pups to parks include ensuring vaccinations are up to date, possessing a current Pennsylvania dog license, keep dogs under control and on leashes to avoid bites, clean up dog waste, and never leave dogs unattended, especially in vehicles.

Regarding pets in vehicles, Gov. Tom Wolf signed the Motor Vehicle Extreme Heat Protection Act in 2018. This law protects law enforcement or other public safety officials who remove a pet from an unattended hot car and believed to be in danger. Buthe law does not protect citizens, so any person that sees a pet in a car and believes they’ve been neglected or are in danger should immediately call local authorities.

Officials also warned of potential health concerns in state waterways.

Conditions such as nutrient rich water, calm/low-flowing water, shallow water, warm temperatures, and high sunlight exposure at state park lakes can create an environment to trigger or exacerbate algae bloom, according to officials. Cyanobacteria blooms, often called blue-green algae, can result in serious illness or death for dogs. Dog owners, and the public in general, should follow the simple rule of "when in doubt, keep pets out, and "if it’s green, don’t go in," as colored water can indicate a harmful algae bloom.

Pets should not swim in, play in, or drink discolored or scummy water.

Pennsylvania State Parks allow pets in 56 designated campgrounds and 26 state parks allow pets to stay in cabins, cottages, or yurts.