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?

YANBU @Lazierdays I think anyone walking their dogs outside this weekend should be made to walk barefoot along the footpath and road, for half an hour. See what their feet are like after that!

And yeah, @SmidgenofaPigeon it IS more likely to be an owner of a staffy who is aggressive. I don't mean every staffy owner is aggressive, but they are more likely to be aggressive than the owner of a red setter, a labrador, a border collie, or a fucking poodle!

@AbsolutelyPatsy

i had to carry my dog in the supermarket since i dare not leave her in the car or leave her outside for fear of face book retribution.

Are you fucking serious?

I should bloody well hope you DID carry your dog around the supermarket. Who the fuck leaves a dog in a car in THS weather? You're taking the piss. You HAVE to be.

If you're not, you should really get your dog rehomed. PLEASE let someone have her who will take care of her. My heart breaks to think she is with someone who would happily leave her in a hot car, and only takes her with her, 'in case someone says something.'

@Brazilianut

Some people on here sound hysterical.

Another poster who should definitely NEVER own a dog.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

You told a random stranger off for taking his dog a walk? You sound bonkers.

And you sound very rude and obnoxious. Telling a stranger on a message forum they are 'bonkers.'

Because most people are surgically attached to their dogs....cannot possibly leave the house without it.....we've gone dog mad

"Very rude and obnoxious"
Thanks - think I'll ask DP to put this on my gravestone.

Mine hasn't been walked for a couple of days. He'll be fine without a walk til it cools down. He's currently lying on his back in range of a fan

I got up an hour earlier this morning to walk my dog at 6am. DH has told me he hasn’t moved off his cooling mat since I left him at 8.30am. Dog has refused all DH’s efforts to take him 5 steps outdoors onto the grass in the garden for a wee.

I’ll take him out around 10pm tonight.

I cannot believe the number of dog owners I have seen walking their, obviously, hot, panting, uncomfortable dogs today in this heat. Not to mention they are walking them on melting tarmac! Poor dogs 🥲

There’s a time and a place for minding your own business, and when the welfare of animals or children is involved is not it. Sad that some posters see interfering as the worse offence here.

Good for you, OP. Hopefully the guy was being defensive but will think again in future.

I’m not 100% sure what you wanted the owner to do if they were already nearly back at their car? Maybe they realised just how hot it was during the walk and won’t repeat it.

To be fair I question the authenticity of this post altogether, seems a bit like a virtue signalling bit of fiction but I’m quite a sceptical person.

@Fiddliestofsticks
erm, not today as said already

@FlaminEckVera

not today, Read what people have written!
who made you the boss?

People are fucking stupid, poor dogs!

I was taught to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves and I will do so.

Good for you OP 👏

My Staffy (!) is currently convalescing from major surgery and can only have 15 minute - but very frequent as his bladder is being retrained - walks a day. We gave him 2 really early this morning before it got hot (and we drive to where he can walk on grass only) and since then, it's quick outings to the garden when he says he wants a wee.

Dogs should not be walked in this heat, stick to early mornings/ late evenings when it is cooler. Dogs take weeks to acclimatise to the heat. The temperature has been very up and down so they haven't had that chance. Why risk your dog dying of heat stroke?

We live in a hot climate. In summer our BOTTOM temperature (in the middle of the night) is 23 degrees - generally it stays above 30 degrees in the middle of the day for 6 months of the year.

Obviously our pets are used to the heat - but we have to walk them. So we go at 5am or after dark.

too true @iBrows

To those in hot climates, do you see many big fluffy dogs or are they all short coated types?

I have big hairy giants with huge double coats and they won’t move at anything above 20! They have spent all day wallowing in the pond and are really not happy. I often wondered if they just don’t exist in hotter countries

Also why would you need to take your dog to the supermarket just leave it at home surely.

Quite Gadday. When I lived in a hot country we got up at 5am to do all the animals. We had long siestas from 11-3 and resumed work with them in the evening (horses). Even the humans didn’t do anything in the heat.

Maybe we should all share this on fb. People can be so dim. Our pup is walked early (7:30 this am ) and maybe a wee evening walk if she's up to it. Poor pup is struggling with the heat!

Our dog was out early this morning but has been panting around the back garden all day, chasing the shade and drinking from the paddling pool (despite his water bowl being constantly filled). He won't be going out again until much later, its 26⁰ in the shade and I'm struggling myself, let alone him!

Presumably those who live in hot climates might select breeds that better tolerate the heat too

[quote Lazierdays]@AbsolutelyPatsy but why can’t you offer helpful advice if a dogs looking about to collapse?! I was perfectly polite and his dog was suffering. He was rude and ignorant. So sad people can’t make a comment anymore without abuse.[/quote]
You weren't polite, you was telling the man what he should be doing. Ultimately it's none of your business and not for you to tell others what they can and can't do.

"You weren't polite, you was telling the man what he should be doing. Ultimately it's none of your business and not for you to tell others what they can and can't do."

Would you take that approach if a parent was mistreating a child?

@LimitIsUp I think you need a time out

Common sense approach, walk early walk late - how dare you assume I’m uniformed. The graph explains it clearly.

@LimitIsUp

Presumably those who live in hot climates might select breeds that better tolerate the heat too

I suspect that's true, but dogs do acclimatise. The issue is, we never have long stretches of heat in this country, so they don't get a chance to acclimatise, lol.

Dogs die every summer in this country due to heatstroke - it's not sanctimonious or hysterical to warn other owners who may not realise how dangerous it can be. I saw a post recently from a young lad whose bully breed died of heatstroke not far from me. He posted a photo of the dog about 30 minutes before it died and thought it was a happy dog on a walk - the photo showed a dog in extreme distress who was already very overheated, but sadly, he just didn't realise.

Some people genuinely don't know the signs and don't understand when their dog is suffering (as opposed to just panting due to general exercise and heat).

@warmfluffytowels7
why did he think he looked happy?