Walking dogs in this heat — shouldn’t they have booties?

[Anonymous]

Dogs sweat through their paws; booties that aren't explicitly for summer, light and vented, can be dangerous and increase the risk of heat stroke or exhaustion, which is much more dangerous and lethal than a hot paw. If you put the back of your hand on the pavement and it's ok, it's fine to walk. Always good to stay in the shade and privilege grass over pavement, walk early morning/evening, give frequent water breaks, maybe use a cooling vest, etc. but you have to be careful with the bootie thing.

And no, taking your dog out without them isn't the equivalent of putting them into a fight ring to be killed. Get real.

[Anonymous]

If it's a short stretch of pavement/asphalt they have to walk across, carry a bottle of water and spray some water to cool off the road before they walk on it. That's what I had to do when I lived abroad in SE asia and we had to cross a paved street to get to a grassy area. I would also squirt water all over my dog to keep him cool, including his legs and paws. Man, I don't miss that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I check the asphalt with my palm before I walk my dogs. The past week or so we have only been doing walks early and late to avoid the midday heat. On the one day we did do a midday walk I took them to a park where they could walk on grass.

I have seen dogs out being walked in the middle of the day on really hot days over the past week and felt concern.

I live in Arizona. This is what I do too. If you can hold your palm on it for 5 seconds it's ok to walk. My dog hates booties but I have seen other small dogs wearing them.

We walk before 7:30 or not at all. It's still 93 by then but not humid so bearable. We have a walled in yard so we do let her out during the day but I won't walk her any later.

[Anonymous]

We walk primarily in the shade, because most of the paths we take in my neighborhood have tons of trees. We work, so our dog doesn't go out mid-day all the time (he doesn't need to) and if he does go out mid-day it's in our backyard which is grass.

When I walk him in the afternoon/evening I take a water bottle for him and give him water as needed.

[Anonymous]

Concrete sidewalks generally aren't that bad. Fresh asphalt, yeah, try to minimize that.

[Anonymous]

Certainly don't walk on black top. Grass is fine, shaded sidewalks are fine. I get up earlier to give my dog a long walk really early (like 7am) before the heat sets in, and then another long walk around 7:30pm. He gets let out several times a day to do his business but just for short times. Most dog walkers in my neighborhood have adjusted similarly.

OP, if you can't avoid black top for any length of time, booties are helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I check the asphalt with my palm before I walk my dogs. The past week or so we have only been doing walks early and late to avoid the midday heat. On the one day we did do a midday walk I took them to a park where they could walk on grass.

I have seen dogs out being walked in the middle of the day on really hot days over the past week and felt concern.

I see a dog walker in my neighborhood dragging a huge heavy coated golden retriever around. The dog stops often and she tries to drag him. He needs water and a break in the shade. She now throws dog treats up the street to get him to move. She doesn’t notice he is overheating. It’s awful to see. I’ve thought about offering water but she’s pretty unfriendly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I check the asphalt with my palm before I walk my dogs. The past week or so we have only been doing walks early and late to avoid the midday heat. On the one day we did do a midday walk I took them to a park where they could walk on grass.

I have seen dogs out being walked in the middle of the day on really hot days over the past week and felt concern.

I see a dog walker in my neighborhood dragging a huge heavy coated golden retriever around. The dog stops often and she tries to drag him. He needs water and a break in the shade. She now throws dog treats up the street to get him to move. She doesn’t notice he is overheating. It’s awful to see. I’ve thought about offering water but she’s pretty unfriendly.

As an owner of 2 Goldies, this is bad. I do take my dogs out during the day, on grass and in shade with VERY frequent cold water breaks and cooling vests refreshed with ice water. If you know the owner, let them know, this is not ok.

[Anonymous]

I walk my dog in the middle of the day when my dog begs to go for one. We turn around when he’s had enough — could be 2-3 houses away or the end of the block. I wonder what people think but I promise I’m very aware of his paws and limit steps on asphalt or concrete.