We all know this but sometimes it’s good to share or remind ourselves! Save our soles!
Paws for thought.
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An important reminder for us all @Highfive - thank you for sharing!
I was wondering if any of our members have any specific tips around keeping dogs safe in hot weather - this might be a nice place to share some?
I hope you don’t mind but I updated your post title slightly just to see if anyone would like to come and share any tips.
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We’ve previously lived in the desert, and these are some of the things we’ve done to keep our dog safe and cool:
- Walk during cooler hours of the day.
- Test with our hands or feet how warm the road, sidewalk or sand is before allowing our dog on it.
- Walk him on grass. We lived in a golf course community and drove him to parks.
- Use chilling mats made for dogs. They’ve got chemicals inside that produce a cooling effect.
- Use elevated mesh dog beds / cots. They don’t get hot from body heat the way normal dog beds do.
- Use portable air chillers (you pour in water, which the device uses to create a cool breeze). These USB-chargeable devices were especially handy as we got into a hot car and waited for the air conditioning to kick in. We had multiple ones, in case one failed.
- Carry a mister bottle and portable water bowl, as well as water, when we took him on walks or adventures.
- Use USB-chargeable fans with bendable legs that wrap around parts of the car interior, so you can easily direct the breeze. We also have one for a dog stroller, which we use sometimes, because our dog is reactive.
- In the summertime, we never leave him in the car. At other times, weather obliging, we park in shade and leave windows open enough.
- The car we ride with him in most has built in sunshades with holes for ventilation, so we can pull those down as well.
- We keep him groomed, of course.
- I bought him shoes, but he freaked out when we put them on.
Our dog is selective about walking anyway. If it’s too hot, raining, snowing, etc., he often balks at walking. Sometimes, he decides he’s had enough and just stops, so we have to carry him back home. (He was found as a stray and probably disliked hobo life. He’s always happy to come home.)
At a previous home, I considered having contractors put in artificial grass under a second-story deck, so he’d have a sheltered place to poo or pee during inclement weather, but we ended up deciding to move cross country. Now we live somewhere more temperate and have a contained part of the yard and a porte-cochère, so he has easy places to poo and pee when he won’t walk.
When we travel in our RV, we can leave the air conditioning on, with a generator aboard, powered by solar. That way, he can stay safe and cool in there if we visit sights that don’t allow dogs. We monitor the temperature on an app via our phones and walk outside to check on him periodically.
At two houses, we had pools, but unfortunately he didn’t enjoy swimming, like some dogs do. Otherwise, I’d get him a dog pool now.
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We are sitting with two dogs in the Cotswolds this week, and most homes here do not have air conditioning. We are breaking the dogs’ walking routine as for most of the year, their owner can take them out to walk at tea-time, but this week that is the hottest part of the day. We are keeping windows, drapes, and blinds closed, which helps keep the air inside the house cool, until the late afternoon breeze picks up. When they need to go outside, they go into the garden for a few minutes and then come back inside. They get a longer early morning walk when it is much cooler outside. I like the tip for taking water and a bowl for them on walks.
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I love central air and always have that in my homes. But something I realized when my husband replaced the thermostat in my home office with a “smart” one that sensed motion (without motion after a spell, it would automatically lower the heating or cooling, with the idea of saving you money). The problem was, if you didn’t move near the thermostat, that would kick in automatically. Like I’d be sitting at my desk in another part of the large room and it would be a while before I realized that the thermostat had adjusted. For a human, that’s just an inconvenience. But imagine if you left a pet alone with such a thermostat and they’re too little or far away motion wise to keep the heating or cooling going strongly enough.
I know to check that now when I sit. We happily sold that home, so I just won’t ever have a motion-sensing thermostat going forward.
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Many great points here Maggie8k. I’m thinking we should get a book published lol! Let me pick your brains further!
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I’ve sat for hosts who used these kind of water bottles, with a drinking tray built in. They can work well, but I was refilling one and saw black mold growing inside the screw off bottle cap. Who knew how long the dog had been drinking tainted water. I washed it out and later told my hosts, so they could check that periodically.
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I keep these in our vehicles and you could hook one onto a leash if going out. Even if you can’t carry water, you usually can buy it or ask someone at a restaurant or shop to fill it.
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Absolutely true. I love this photo I took . I wonder if the generous Home Owner has a pet of their own but thanks from so many passing pets in the growing heatwave here! I may be stopping and stooping myself if it gets much hotter!
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I appreciate the kindness in people putting water out for dogs, but I try to avoid my dog or sit dogs drinking from them.
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Make a walk interesting in a heatwave take advantage of pet shops with air conditioning-this morning I took Zorro to visit the pet shop rabbits….
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Hot dog hot tips:
For folks taking pups on golf cart rides, stroller rides, beach days- cover the pup with a soaked towel to help them cool off.
Use mushers paw wax once a week on paw pads and nose to keep them from craking.
Freeze berries, peas, diced carrots, etc to give as snacks.
Walk pups before and after peak sun
Always touch the floor with your hand if it feels super hot. If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws.
Soak your dogs fur before walks or have them wear a wet cooling vest.
Dogs with pink noses burn. Keep that in mind, if the skin on their nose turns super red, get them to some shade.
Get a beach tent and let your dog cool off.
Always wash sand off off dog paws.
You can use unscented doggie bags as makeshift water bowls. Always bring water for your pup.
I stay away from communal water bowls but if you let your pup partake, make sure they’re up to date on vaccines.
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We’ve got heat advisories for the next few days here in the US Midwest. Expecting temps up to 97F (36C) and high humidity. Fortunately, I’m sitting two indoor cats in a house with central air.
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I saved this years ago, about grooming to help keep dogs cool:
It’s interesting that they recommend not getting the pet groomed and coat cut. On a hot day I’m tempted to have a severe haircut, but it’s best to preserve what is there for solar protection!
I think they’re saying to groom, but not too much, because of this:
“Much like a thermos keeping a cup of coffee hot for hours, the fur inhibits these cooling mechanisms and greatly slows the rate of heat loss to the environment. This is great in cold temperatures but not good in hot ones. A thick fur coat may reduce the discomfort of stepping from a cool house into the hot summer sun, but over time a thick-coated dog is going to have more trouble staying cool than a thin-coated dog. A thick-coated dog can’t release heat as easily as a thin-coated one.”
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Funny thing with our spoiled dog: He decides when it’s too hot, cold, rainy, etc., and just says no. Like I went on a bagel run with him this morning and he wouldn’t get out of the car once home, because it was raining.
I dropped my stuff in the house and came out again and he still wouldn’t get out. But once I moved the car under the porte cochère, he immediately hopped out. 
I had meant to leave that free for house guests who are staying with us, but our dog indirectly called dibs.
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Very interesting article Maggie8K. Thanks for all your contributions to date.
The comments that followed it show some pet owners aren’t convinced by the science over experience! The fact dogs, wolves etc naturally shed their winter coats for a lighter summer one seems effective in cooling down too. I certainly don’t grow a beard in the summer… in the winter though.. Hair warmth is most welcome!
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