A dog’s normal temperature is anywhere from 101 to 102.5 degrees, or a few degrees warmer than a human’s.

So compared with humans, dogs might seem to have more protection against the 90-degree heat wave sweeping through Western New York.

But dogs are ill-equipped for heat, largely because they don’t sweat.

“They haven’t bred a dog yet who can perspire,” said Gina Browning, public relations director for the SPCA Serving Erie County.

That’s why SPCA officials, veterinarians, dog wardens and pet owners are shouting from the rooftops this week about the dangers of the heat on their pets, especially dogs.

“Every year, I hear a couple horror stories of dogs that are lost, that die, because they went into heat stroke and suffered brain damage,” said Dr. Louis Budik of Transit Valley Animal Hospital.

The risks may be greater this year, with the National Weather Service calling for the official high temperature to reach 91 or 92 degrees today and Thursday, the first time the local temperature will have topped 90 degrees

since September 2007.

Browning and other experts specifically caution against the two most obvious risks: leaving dogs in parked cars or taking them to a summer festival on the super-hot blacktop.

But this year has brought an increase in a third risk: leaving dogs for hours on second- floor porches or balconies.

“People leave for work, and they think they’re going to treat their dog to a day outside,” Browning said. “But they leave them outside in the sun, with no access to shade or water.”

Aaron Kandefer, a cruelty investigator for the SPCA, said he has removed three dogs from upper balconies so far this season.

Kandefer has witnessed cases in which the blacktop covering a balcony has melted and stuck on the dog’s foot. He also has seen such severe burns on a dog’s paw pads that the skin starts peeling off.

In one case that led to animal-cruelty charges in May against a dog owner in the city’s East Delavan-Grider area, investigators said the dog had been on an outdoor balcony for at least three hours.

“I witnessed that dog jump head-first into the glass door to try to get inside at least five times,” Kandefer said. “That dog also was falling on its side and was on the verge of heat stroke.”

As allowed under the state’s Agriculture and Markets Law, the SPCA used a ladder to rescue the dog.

While such treatment can result in animal cruelty charges, authorities say they don’t believe it is intentional.

“I think people just have no idea that it’s so hot out there, that upper balconies can reach about 130 degrees,” Kandefer said.

Dog owners also might not understand how quickly heat stroke can strike.

Experts say dogs can suffer moderate heat stroke when their body temperatures rise to 105 or 106 degrees, while severe heat stroke often occurs at 107 and 108 degrees.

The most obvious hazard for dogs in the heat is being left inside a locked car, even if the windows are open a crack.

While the outdoor temperature, the amount of direct sunlight, the material of the car seats and the amount of wind can vary, a number of experiments have shown that temperatures inside a car can reach 130 degrees or more in 15 or 20 minutes.

So a dog can suffer serious brain damage if its owner, intending to be gone only 5 to 10 minutes, is delayed.

“People realize it can happen, but they don’t think it can happen that quickly,” Browning said, advising owners: “Don’t take the animal [from the house]. Why tempt fate?”

Browning’s other pet peeve is street festivals.

“Bringing dogs to the Taste of Buffalo, to Allentown, to the Italian Festival, I don’t know why people do it,” she said, citing the hot pavement and the distress signs that a dog owner might ignore, including gums changing color, panting and lethargy.

In the house, experts suggest keeping the blinds down, having a fan nearby and providing lots of cold water. If the dog goes outside, make sure some shade is available. Dog owners are advised to walk their dogs as much as possible in the morning and evening, to avoid the heat of the day. They’re also advised to limit their dog’s strenuous activity. And when owners spot initial signs of heat distress, they can use ice packs, hose down their dogs, or spray rubbing alcohol on their paws.

Early Tuesday afternoon, as the temperature rose into the high 80s, few dogs and owners could be found in “Barkyard,” the city’s off-leash area for dogs in LaSalle Park.

Joe Sturtz, 74, of Grand Island, said he was experiencing the same heat symptoms that he noticed in Lucky, his Yorkshire terrier.

“The heat slows me down, and he’s not running as much as he normally does,” Sturtz quipped.

In the large-dog area, Ken Rutkowski, 42, of Buffalo, and Scott Roberts, 37, of South Buffalo, watched the low-energy antics of their dogs, both part black Labradors.

Although the dogs frolicked and played with each other, they didn’t venture far from the shady area under a small tree.

“They’re really lazy,” Rutkowski, who runs the Outer Limit recording studio, said of his dog, Kismet, mostly a black Lab. “They’re just not doing much. They keep ending up in the shade, lying down.”

“We’ve just got to watch them, make sure they’re drinking water, keep them in the shade and don’t let them run too much,” Roberts said of Kismet and his black Labrador shepherd, Bailey.

As Rutkowski said, it’s the “Dog Days of Summer.”