People are still walking their dogs here

[Lazierdays]

It’s 29 degrees by the temperature app and the car says it’s 33.
I spoke to a man, whose staffy was being walked and had ran to a tiny bit of shade and lay down panting it’s head off, and told him he needed to get it cooled down and he told me it was ‘fine’ and to not be a ‘fucking snowflake’ .
I darent say anything else after that as he seemed menacing and I didn’t have any water on me to give the dog so couldn't be any help, and now I can’t stop thinking about that dog and the other dogs being walked in this heat.
It’s all over my friends Facebooks and local pages to not walk dogs in this heat and yet people still are . What on earth can we do to get the message out?

@Soubriquet

of course not ha ha
it is just irritating, op apparently approached a man about walking his dog in the heat and the rest of the thread, myself included, are about peope not walking their dogs in the heat. so competetive

We have a gravel / paved back yard, and DDog will only toilet on grass. She’s getting a 10 minute walk early in the morning to go, and her walk last night was 10 pm. We brought her out to the grass verge for a quick wee in the afternoon. If she gets desperate she’ll deign to go on the gravel.
There’s no way she’s going anywhere else in this heat.

@Noterook
some times, I go out for a walk, via the car, and pop in to the supermarket on the way home, accompanied by dog., shock horror

@Noterook, not today of course, far too hot,

Well I've walked my dog. He is a rescue dog and will not under any circumstances step foot in our yard. So it was walk him or have him shitting and weeing in the house. I walked him at 6am this morning, he will have to go for a very short walk around the block this afternoon. Then we will do his last walk as late as possible. Its the best we can do, if someone came up to me telling me off fkr walking him I wouldn't be best pleased.

I think if a dog has unrestricted access to outdoors and can react to weather they very often make their own decision.

I have a Doberman and they are not all weather dogs. Rain - no. Wind - no. Rain and wind - definitely no. Fallen snow - yes. Blizzard - are you fucking kidding? Temperature above 23 degrees and sunny - hell no - wtf - I am literally wearing a black fur coat!

My pup would go mad without his walks, even in the heat. Yabvu to think anyone who walks their dog in summer is cruel!

@Hellocatshome that situation is absolutely nothing like the one I described . Your dog is not laying down fast panting and nearly collapsed in about 30 degree heat!
I walk my dogs very early too!
It’s is not hot very early in the morning . But why would you not be happy if your dog was in danger and suffering that someone spoke politely to you? Wouldn’t you want to know it that situation? I would!

It's 31 degrees here. I've seen 3 dogs out today. One a very fluffy dog. I didn't say anything but felt sorry for the dogs. We've only walked ours late in the evening before bed. A few missed walks won't kill a dog but heat stroke will.

These may be helpful to help people judge..

@KOKOagainandagain

I think if a dog has unrestricted access to outdoors and can react to weather they very often make their own decision.

I have a Doberman and they are not all weather dogs. Rain - no. Wind - no. Rain and wind - definitely no. Fallen snow - yes. Blizzard - are you fucking kidding? Temperature above 23 degrees and sunny - hell no - wtf - I am literally wearing a black fur coat!

My greyhounds are the same. It’s literally like walking Goldilocks. This days too hot, this days too wet, this days juuust right 😂

perhaps you should make up leaflets and hand them out, coming on here wont further your cause

@AbsolutelyPatsy

perhaps the staffy owner went home and felt guilty, so as you were brave enought, you might have done some good

It's possible he might consider this in future - but he's never going to admit it to the OP.

Well done OP, you have to at least try and advocate for the dog even if the owner is a complete tool

I often wonder what people.in much hotter countries do with their pets. My niece lives in a European country where the summers are 3-4 months of temperatures in the high 20s to high 30s, sometimes low 40s.

The vast majority of.dog owners live in appartments and seem to walk their dogs as normal when I've been there ( admittedly in spring and autumn when the temperature is more mid to high 20s). The temperature is often 28+ Deg at night . It only gets marginally cooler between about 1 am and 5am . Do all those dogs stay inside months on end? I know people and dogs do occasionally die from the heat but .they don't have mass deaths of dogs every year because of the heat.

@Hellocatshome

Well I've walked my dog. He is a rescue dog and will not under any circumstances step foot in our yard. So it was walk him or have him shitting and weeing in the house. I walked him at 6am this morning, he will have to go for a very short walk around the block this afternoon. Then we will do his last walk as late as possible. Its the best we can do, if someone came up to me telling me off fkr walking him I wouldn't be best pleased.

6 am? Hardly an analagous situation is it

mad dogs and english men go out in the mid day sun

i dare not leave her in the car or leave her outside for fear of face book retribution. So not for fear that your dog might suffer from being left in a hot car then ...

People don’t like people who interfere, I would have thought that’s common knowledge. You have a right to say what you think to a person you don’t know about an animal that doesn’t belong to you and he has a right to tell you to bugger off. People rarely like being advised or told what to do, surely you have even found that amongst your own partners, family and friends why would a random stranger be any better?
So if you felt better that you spoke up and were criticized then be content that that is exactly what happened.

I walked my dog at 7am today because he runs around like an idiot so I figured it was best early on.

However I am totally understand why someone would be annoyed about being given unsolicited advice aka judgement from a stranger. If the dog was in trouble e.g. in a car then that is absolutely right to intervene but if walking about then really how do you know whether the dog has just been under cover and was just seeking shade having pottered about. I also think it really depends on how you deliver your message. It's no good annoying them and therefore not helping the dog as you haven't achieved anything whereas if you frame your comments as non judgemental then people might be more open to what you are saying.

@OrchidLass
and now mumsnet retribution

i shall hold my tongue in future

@Comebloodyon

Random question but what do you do if you live in an apartment block and you have to take the dog out during the day to pee? Just take it as close as possible? Not everyone has a garden.

Er yes - take it as close as possible. A dog is not going to expire when popping out for 5 minutes on a hot day to pee on the patch of grass verge near the apartment block, but it may well keel over on a 'proper walk' in these temps

We went for a shade walk to the river in the woods early. Back out about 8pm.

Perhaps he lives just round the corner with no garden and the dog needed a wee?

Hot pavements can hurt dogs feet. Im amazed folk take their pets out in this.

Yanbu. I saw some panting dogs at 11am (middle of a sunny common) and did think their owners were taking the piss.