BARK is committed to ensuring all dog owners recognize the collective responsibility in caring for our four-legged companions. Responsible pet ownership is a journey, and the commitment that comes with proactive pet ownership takes time, training and effort.
Regardless of if it is for work or leisure, dog owners will continue to bring their dogs into the wilderness and backcountry with them year-round. There may be a seasonal influx depending on the purpose of the owner and dog’s activity, however dogs are at risk of sustaining numerous different traumatic injuries year-round.
Summer 
Heat stroke/hyperthermia, insect bite anaphylaxis, automotive accidents (hit by car), drowning or near drowning, foxtail grass impalements, porcupine quills, burned paw pads (pavement, rocks, hot sand), mushroom toxicity, snake bites, spider bites, external parasites, fish hook injuries.
Fall 
Fermented fruit intoxication, dietary indiscretion of compost or fermenting yard waste, seasonal food toxicity (Halloween chocolate), entrapment in hunting snares, hunting injuries, conflict with wildlife, rodenticide poisoning, cold-related illnesses.
Winter 
Hypothermia, antifreeze or rock salt toxicity, ski-edge laceration, frostbite, seasonal holiday food toxicity, cold weather may worsen conditions like arthritis, ice accumulation between toes and pads causing cracking or lacerations of pads, strains/tears from slipping on ice.
Spring 
Common time of year for seasonal forestry employees to start working in the bush with their dogs. Stick impalements and other penetrating injuries, dog fights, ticks and tick bite paralysis, wildlife conflict, porcupine and skunk incidents.
Year-Round – overuse injuries, altitude sickness or fatigue, automotive accidents, drowning or near drowning, foot pad injuries, dehydration, abscesses and infections, cuts and bleeding wounds, airway obstruction, diarrhea and vomiting, electrocution, eye and ear injuries, hyper/hypothermia, poisoning, seizures, torn nails, lick sores and hot spots, tail injuries, tooth damage, bladder or urinary tract infections, dietary indiscretion, gastrointestinal upset, foreign body obstruction, stomach torsion and bloat, barbed wire laceration, environmental/dietary/seasonal allergies.
We recognize and acknowledge the many forms dog ownership may take. Pet dogs, therapy dogs, service dogs and other working dogs are being included in workplaces more frequently and their presence may introduce additional hazards and concerns in the work environment. Despite such risks, dogs are becoming more commonplace within workplaces. Any workplace that considers itself dog-friendly should incorporate dog-specific first aid kits and first aid training in consideration for the health and safety of both employees and dogs. There is significant value in adding dog first aid into these standard operating practices.