To tell MIL not to walk the dog in this heat?

[crazycatgal]

MIL thought it would be a great idea to take the dog out for a walk at 1pm when the temperature was 28 degrees.

DP and I have had to argue with her to get her to keep the dog inside. We've told her that the advice from the RSPCA is to walk early morning or evening, her response is that she's had dogs for 30 years so knows what she's doing.

Were we being unreasonable to tell her to keep the dog inside? We ended up in an argument because she couldn't accept that she was in the wrong although she eventually gave in.

You know YANBU. A local dog has severe burns after a lunchtime walk. Tell her to walk barefoot on the pavement in this heat.

Just read an article about a fit and healthy dog dying on a walk in 20 odd degrees.
Tragic. Maybe send mil some articles?

metro.co.uk/2018/06/30/fresh-warnings-dog-dies-taken-walk-sun-7673131/

A dog died after getting heat stroke on a walk at 9.00 am,

Here's one for starters!
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/dog-dies-heatstroke-morning-walk-1736945

Depends on the dog, depends on the walk

This is a useful visual aide to show her:

(Um, I just added a pic but now it isn't showing on my refreshed screen - so this is a link to the same image: me.me/i/the-five-second-rule-place-the-back-of-your-hand-on-11720179)

He's an 8 year old dog that is overweight and unfit (was only adopted a week ago and isn't used to exercise) and he has a long double-coat.

Where is she walking him? Is it shaded, like in the woods/forest or out in the direct sun?

In this weather they need to be walked very early in the morning but I do think it also depends on where the walk will be ( the park near me is all shady with trees, so although warm as long as you took water for the dog and drove to the park it would be fine, walking on the streets however would be too hot after the early am)

Make her go and stand on the pavement barefoot.

@GreatDuckCookery She was wanting to walk him in the local park, there's not really any shade so he would have been in the direct sun.

I think it depends on many many factors. My jack russell was a heat and sunshine addict . He literally never got hot and loved being in the sun. My doberman is a different kettle of fish. He gets very very hot quickly. But even he is fine on limited walks in shaded areas.....I always take water and if the daft bugger wont drink I chuck water on him. So I do think that if she has had a dog for 30 years it might have come across a little bit like you telling her to suck eggs....

I have also justed walked outside on the pavement in bear feet to pop to my neighbours and the concrete is no where near hot enough to burn my feet, and certainly not his giant thick pads.....

I cannot abide people who tie their dogs outside playgrounds or leave them in cars - that is plain cruel but we really cant judge how ill advised this was from your OP

I agree with you, but if she is an experienced dog owner and it is, at the end of the day, her dog, you may have been overstepping by telling her what to do.

YANBU at all. Even in the shade it's very hot - at least around here, and particularly for older or very furry dogs.

Do and I went for a walk in local park around 6 pm yesterday - it was still v hot and I felt so sorry for a very big, very furry and evidently older dog, who was standing panting near the entrance and just watching as the owner strode off with her other dog.

Anyone could see that was just far too hot for him/her. I did see the woman come back eventually but I hope to goodness she didn't try to force or chivvy the poor thing into going on.
It would have been way cooler if she'd waited until 9 pm ish. .

bare not bear..... I do not have feet like a bear!

My dog was out at lunchtime for an hour no matter what the weather & survived just fine for 14 years.

Good for you and your dog, and dogs used to be let out every morning to roam the streets, crapping everywhere and biting whoever they fancied and that was fine too at one time no one gave it a second thought. Things change as we become more aware; mostly for the better. Honestly though I never really understand this "well we did it and we survived" stance. The ones that didn't aren't here to talk about it are they? Obviously dogs don't talk, but you get the gist

I've been walking my dog much earlier than usual. He's a very active boy usually getting restless with less than two hours out a day but this past week he hasn't been getting in my face for his walks at all; he's feeling the heat too.

Definitely depends on the dog and the walk. We're walking our guy. He's got a big coat but he seems fine. We're keeping an eye on him. I know people mean well, but some have lost the head a bit. Someone gave out to me for bringing my dog in the car last week.

Should clarify there was a baby and myself in the car too. Air con was on.

It is too hot for me to walk barefoot, around 27° here in Cornwall. My NDN's dog found it too hot outside in my garden. NDN's ex has just taken him swimming in the sea, we are 2 mins by car from the beach.

I put a wet towel round dogs to cool them off in hot weather. I wouldn't be taking my NDN's dog out during the day.

Shouldn't be walking dogs in this heat. They can't cope with it and the scorching ground will burn their paws.

Hate seeing people walking dogs in this heat

We've been walking our dog early and late in the day the last few weeks but occasionally have gone into the woods where it's cool during the day, taking a bowl and water with us. He's been more than happy to do this.

I walk my dog before breakfast as I usually do (between 6-7am) but we've dropped the lunchtime walk in this heat. It's a close call as to which of us is the lazier so neither of us is complaining

Prior to this heatwave however, and the current warnings, I didn't know that dogs could get heatstroke so easily. (I grew up with dogs but have only owned one myself as an adult for the last three years). Funny thing is my Labrador is an absolute sun-worshipper, she loves lying in the garden in the full sun. It seems so odd that she doesn't find the heat oppressive.

Is this your dog or your MILs.
Obviously you are right, any living thing can overheat and become ill or die due to heat exhaustion/stroke. But if this is your dog then she is even more in the wrong.
I've had this, thinking it was nice to take my dog out for walks on nice sunny days so he could enjoy the weather. No it is not! And it's my dog, so sod off! Annoying.