Watching our dog run and play with our son’s dog this past week made me rethink the heat that we’ve all been sweltering in lately. They ran around like little kids sometimes do and didn’t seem to have a care in the world about how hot or humid it was.

Meanwhile, I had so much sweat in my eyes as I was picking blueberries in the backyard that I started wondering if I was snagging berries or grasping at something that was going to take a bite out of me instead since I couldn’t very well see where my fingers were going.

The two pups aren’t quite as young as they used to be — but then again none of us are either — so they just went full force back and forth for as long as they both seemed to be enjoying the activity, then plopped down in the shade to pant a bit and catch their breath. I probably should have done the same thing but never did until I got back inside and chugged a big gulp of Gatorade and felt the air conditioning work its magic for awhile.

It got me thinking about getting older and grayer, or slower and shakier. We all change just a little bit as we age, but everybody goes through it a little differently, some taking it easy and some kicking and screaming against those ravages of time. As for kids, they don’t think anything about such things that trouble adults.

Much like pups, they enjoy each day as it comes, especially if there are treats.

They also don’t spend much time worrying about sweating in the hot sun, but instead get out and play as hard as they want to and as much as they can until it’s time to come back inside or move on to something else. You might convince them to drink something, but I remember hearing those tales about getting eight glasses of water a day and thinking, I’ll drink when I’m thirsty and then stop, one glass or whatever.

The younger the kids are, the more likely they are to want to rest for just a bit and then go back at it as fast as they can go. That’s just what the two dogs did in the backyard — enjoyed the shade a bit, and then went sniffing around to see if they could find one of those elusive rabbits that are out there hiding somewhere but not likely to jump out so the dogs could get a clear sight of them.

We’ve got the extra dog around this week to keep ours company. And when I say we, I mean me, since my wife is away on a trip with her sister and niece. Only girls were allowed on this trip apparently. So I get to take care of the two pups while my son works on the road somewhere. It’s not always easy keeping two decent sized pets from getting into trouble inside or outside the house, but it is fun and they add a little spice to the otherwise sultry days that can become a drag this time of year.

And I guess they keep me from getting into trouble on my own if I have too much time to think about such things as home repairs and trying to replace a noisy ceiling fan, which I know is not really in my skill set, or taking on some other project that I probably shouldn’t jump into while the supervisor is away.

Maybe I’ll just enjoy taking it easy a little while longer in the shade.

Paris Goodnight is editor of the Post.