But With Summer Fast Approaching, Know When To Reign Fido In When That Summer Sun Is At Its Hottest!
You’ve taken up walking to build up your stamina and maybe lose a few pounds at the same time, right? Great! Walking has been and probably always will be one of the best things you can do as a beginner to get your body moving and allowing you to feel healthier about yourself. But walking alone can be a little bit of a trial if you're accustomed to being around people all of the time. Some folks take this outdoor opportunity to walk with their pets. After all, they need exercise too, right? And walking your pet on a daily basis can provide you with that reason for lacing up your walking shoes and heading out the door each day. After all, you need to walk your pet, right?
But with summer 2018 now here, in fact, it just began this morning at 6:07 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, on Thursday, June 21st. You're going to need to pay attention to the forecast in order to know when it just might be too hot to venture outdoors for that exercise both you and your pooch look forward to. But do you really know when hot is too hot to walk your pet, or for that matter for you to be outside?
Well, a lot depends on your own location. After all, it's going to be a lot hotter in southern California then it will be in Maine, at least normally that is. This year as in the past few, the weather has not really been acting in its normal patterns. So you do need to pay attention to both the immediate and the long-range forecasts in order to plan just how you and your pet are going to get that much-needed exercise.
During the summer, in some parts of the country, it can get really hot mid-day and create a very unsafe environment for walking your dog outside. In most cases it’s the cement or streets that get so hot it can burn the paws of your dog very quickly. This can cause your best friend some serious pain and long-term damage to their paws.
So, let’s go over exactly at what temperatures will cause damage to the paws of your dog.
TEMPERATURES THAT CAN AND WILL CAUSE PAIN OR LONG-TERM DAMAGE TO YOUR DOGS PAWS.
120 Degrees Discomfort and possible damage if overexposed to this temperature for long periods of time.
140 Degrees Can cause permeant damage to paws inflicting serious pain on your pet.
150 Degrees (DANGER) Serious damage even after a few seconds of walking on the pavement.
HOW TO TEST AND SEE IF THE PAVEMENT OR STREET IS TOO HOT FOR DOG WALKING?
The easiest way to test and see if by placing your hand on the pavement and if you cannot hold it there for more than 5-10 seconds then it’s way too hot for your dog. You will know within seconds if it's too hot for your to even test as well as walk your dog on the hot pavement.
So, just when is it safe to walk your dog during the summer months? Well, the most common-sense answer is: Just don’t walk then during the hottest times of the day. For most locations, that means between the hours of noon and 4-5 o’clock. Some areas it might be as much as waiting until after 6 pm to take that long walk outside. Again, this is based on just where you live and the kind of summer temps you deal with on a normal summer day. Now there are extremes to every rule. Some summers you may experience a heat-wave, where the temperatures are out of there normal bounds and you day after day of extreme heat. You need to pay attention to the outside air temperatures and remember your pet does not come equipped with footwear. Yes, you can purchase slip-on footwear for them, but it’s a lot easier to get up a little early in the morning, before the sun starts its climb in the sky and get your walk in at that time. This is what I do. My dog and I go out between 5A.M and 5:30A.M. and you’d be surprised the difference it will make, both on you and your pet when you’re not dealing with that oppressive heat as you walk to get in your normal distance goal.
Another great benefit is the dogs normally will be nice and calm for the day because of the morning workout. If they seem like they need more I take them back out early evening and give them extra time.
So be smart and plan ahead when taking your dog out in the summer months because you and your pet will be glad you did.