In animal art, the wrong foot is often forward. The way four-legged animals move has been well-known since the 1880s, when Eadweard Muybridge's motion-capture photographs revealed the sequence of leg movements. Animals walk this way: The left hind leg moves forward, followed by the left foreleg, right hind leg and right foreleg, in order. You'd think that since this knowledge has been around for well over a century that artists, taxidermists, toy designers and others responsible for depicting animals would get it right. But a study published in the journal Current Biology showed that out of several hundred depictions of walking animals in museums, veterinary books and toy models, the leg positions are wrong in almost half of them. The researchers from Eotvos University in Hungary studied depictions where it could be determined unambiguously that the animal was walking, and not trotting or running, as the leg movements may differ in those gaits.

Our dogs love spring and summer -- longer days, less inclement weather -- but they always seem a little disappointed when they realize they're not going to be getting as many rides in the car.

That's because in the winter there's not much risk to letting a well-mannered dog wait in the car during a quick pop inside the bank, drugstore or any number of local businesses that make up a morning's errand run.

But when the days get warmer, it's no longer acceptable to leave a dog in the car, even for a few minutes, even with the windows down. That's because the heat can build up quickly, even on a day that's just pleasantly warm, putting any pet in the car at grave risk for heatstroke.

Car rides and errands aren't the only risks to pets in warmer weather. Take care of your pets by watching out for these fair-weather hazards:

Heat risks. Cats have enough sense to nap on warm afternoons, but dogs do not. If you let them, they'll go where you do, even if it's too hot. Dogs are not good at keeping themselves cool, and they rely on us to keep them out of trouble.

Limit exercise to the coolest part of the day, no matter how happy your dog is to participate when it's warm. Even in the coolest part of the day, watch for signs of trouble: Glassy eyes and frantic panting indicate a dog who needs immediate veterinary help.

Remember that older, obese or short-nosed dogs are less heat-tolerant and that all dogs need constant access to shade and an endless supply of cool, clean water.

Gardening risks. Protect your pets from poisonous plants, troublesome garden materials or yard chemicals. Check with the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center (www.aspca.org/apcc) to be sure your plants are pet-safe, and put any ones that aren't safe on the other side of a fence from your animals.

Be sure to use any pesticides or fertilizers according to label directions, and let lawn chemicals dry before allowing your pet access to the yard. Snail and rodent bait can kill pets, so do not use it in areas where animals have access.

Other outdoor problems. If you hike through open fields or wooded areas, be sure to check your dog afterward for foxtails and burrs. The spiky seed carrier of dried grasses, a foxtail, will burrow deep into the ears or flesh of an animal, and it will need to be removed by a veterinarian if it gets in a place your pet can't reach or is left to fester. Depending on where it ends up, it can even be fatal.

Warmer weather also means mosquitoes, and that means heartworms.

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes, which pick up the microscopic heartworm larvae called microfilaria when they draw blood from an infected animal. They share the parasites when they bite another animal. Once in a new host, the larvae make their way to the heart, where they grow to be 9 to 14 inches long, blocking the flow of blood and causing severe damage and possibly death.

Most infested pets are brought to the veterinarian after their owners notice them coughing at night, coughing after exercise, or experiencing a general decline in their physical condition. By the time the symptoms are noticed, however, a great deal of damage has usually been done, not only to the heart, but also to other organs such as the kidneys, which rely on a steady flow of blood to operate.

Because of the risk and expense of treating a heartworm infestation, preventive care remains an essential part of a pet's well-being. Monthly heartworm prevention has been shown to be safe and effective for most pets. Don't ignore this essential protection: Talk to your veterinarian about heartworm preventives for dogs and cats.

Don't tolerate ticks: Prevent those you can and immediately remove those you find.

Tick prevention in pets means topical treatments, typically spot-ons available by prescription from your veterinarian (or from retailers with a prescription from your veterinarian). Talk to your pet's health-care provider about which product suits your animal best. In some areas, ticks may respond better to one product than another. In areas with heavy tick infestations, additional protection may entail the use of a tick collar. Again, talk to your vet.

Whenever you've had your dog out in an area with ticks -- and that could even be a green city park -- you need to go over your dog carefully to hand-pick any pests that hopped a ride. Don't wait for the preventives to kill them. Feel for tiny lumps and part the fur to get a good look at the skin.

When you've located a tick, don't use methods you may have heard of, such as applying alcohol, petroleum jelly or the tip of a hot match to remove them. They don't work. Instead, choose a direct method: Either use a tool to pull them off, or protect your fingers with a thin glove.

For tools, a curved-tip jeweler's forceps ($25 to $50) is probably the best, and well worth searching out and keeping on hand if you live in an area with lots of ticks, especially small ticks. Various tools with slots that fit under the parasite -- such as the Ticked Off spoon ($5.50 from retailers) -- also work well.

Start your tick hunt with a little bowl of isopropyl alcohol at hand. No matter if you're using a tool or your gloved fingers, get ahold of the tick close to where the mouth is attached to your pet and apply steady, even pressure to remove the pest -- no twisting required. Once out, flick the tick into the alcohol to kill it and then dispose of the dead ticks at once.

Use a mild disinfectant on the de-ticked areas, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water when you're done clearing all the pests from your pet. Keep an eye on where the ticks had been embedded for any sign of infection, and contact your veterinarian if you have any concerns.