Dangerous heat is making life difficult for shelter animals in Owasso, but a local organization has stepped in to help.The Best Friends Society awarded a $500 grant to the Owasso Animal Shelter to fund a shade structure for the facility's outdoor play yard, giving animals more time outside during brutal summer temperatures.WATCH: The Owasso Animal Shelter gets shade relief for animals during dangerous heat The Owasso Animal Shelter gets shade relief for animals during dangerous heatMonday's temperatures hit the lower 100s. With the heat index factored in, it felt like 115 degrees.Brandon Hemsoth, an Owasso Animal Control officer, said the timing of the donation could not have been better."The Best Friends Society donated this umbrella to help us out with the animals and provide them with some shade in the Oklahoma summer heat, which gives them some more time in the yard to play with other animals," said Hemsoth.The play yard had limited natural shade before the structure arrived."As you can see, there is only one tree here in the play yard, and that's why this shade has had such an impact," Hemsoth said.The shelter also uses a misting system alongside the new shade structure to help keep the animals cool."Obviously they have fur coats, so any kind of shade will help with keeping them cool. We also have a mister out here to help keep their temperature manageable where they can enjoy more time outside," Hemsoth said.Staff monitor the animals closely and let them set their own limits when it comes to outdoor time."They kind of give us as much as they want, and they kind of tell us when they are ready to come inside. We will let them stay outside all day if they want, but most of them, with this heat, they want to come in within 30 to 45 minutes," said Hemsoth.The shelter currently has 11 dogs and 3 cats available for adoption. Volunteers are also needed to help the animals get exercise and playtime.This story was reported onair by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere -- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices. Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube ...read more read less