‘Sweltering’ Las Vegas valley heat forces service dog, owner out of RV, more cooling stations needed

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Boogie has spent 14 years doing what his name implies, but the Las Vegas valley’s extreme heat has brought him to a pant.

This dog is the center of Mark Potovsky’s world. The 63-year-old adopted him at eight weeks old in 2010, and soon after became his service dog.

The pair lives in an RV, where the AC gave out when the heat moved in. After years of service, Potovsky is now struggling to support Boogie through the extreme temperatures.

“It’s sweltering hot. It’s like being in an oven on low,” Potovsky said inside the Whitney Recreation Center Wednesday afternoon. “I tried to call some hotels to see some room rates, but they’re too expensive and most of them won’t accept dogs.”

He told 8 News Now that diabetes and heart complications have left him depending on social security and a tight budget. It means his RV will likely remain an oven and his dog will continue to show signs of distress.

“I just feel like as his dad, that I need to provide a safe place for him, and when the AC went out in the RV, it was no longer a safe place for him to be,” Potovsky said, wiping away tears while looking down at his dog. “He is panting constantly.”

He was left with nowhere to turn but the Whitney Recreation Center, which doubles as a cooling station in extreme heat. Patrons like Potovsky believe these stations are saving lives while the county says they’re occasionally in short supply.

Krishell Hadsell has the same task annually: find the water, air conditioning, bathrooms and space to cool off without judgment. The social service manager says Clark County is dependent on volunteers.

“These are public spaces that have just agreed to let anybody come in that needs respite from the heat,” Hadsell said during a virtual interview Tuesday while discussing the current cooling stations. “We do try to reach people who are out in the elements, people who sleep and live outdoors. But, also, we see people who, maybe their air conditioner is not working properly, or they have really bad health concerns.”

There are 39 cooling stations across Clark County, with a majority located within the Las Vegas Valley. She adds each location does not receive payment for their spaces.

A pass or payment typically required to access certain recreation centers or libraries is not required when activated as a cooling station. Hadsell says this is to limit barriers for vulnerable populations that can be sensitive to receiving the help.

“They’re not going to get questioned or asked, you know, why they’re there,” Hadsell said. “We don’t want people experiencing homelessness to think that they’re going to be looked down upon or labeled, or for people not experiencing homelessness that might think ‘well that’s not for me.’”

But, there are not enough cooling stations that can stay open on holidays or weekends. On July 4, Hadsell said only three were open throughout Clark County as the valley approached 120 degrees Fahrenheit days later.

Clark County needs more volunteer stations, so those like Boogie can boogie on.

“We need to help people get relief from the heat, because we want to do everything possible to avoid seeing another increase in heat-related deaths,” Hadsell said. “We’ll take anybody who is willing to be a cooling center, but especially if anybody is a church or rec center or just a space that’s available and open on Sundays and holidays.”

“Until I get my AC repaired, I’ll be here every day,” Potovsky said, watching Boogie drink water provided to him at the Whitney Recreation Center.

A full list of cooling stations can be found here. Clark County has extended their activations until Friday, July 12. Service animals are the only kind of pets allowed inside most of the locations.

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