People are really mad about dogs and heat stroke?

[Brayndrayn]

In Italy there are dogs out in the midday sun with no shade with their owners for bloody hours. Personally I walk my dogs very early in this heat but it is kicking OFF on the local FB page about dogs being out today. People shouting at those with dogs as they go past in a car etc. Nobody knows others’ circumstances or where they are going or for what reason. Yes I know about paws on hot pavements but by Christ those pavements/sand in Italy were boiling and the dogs didn’t seem to care. My dogs also ran out of the house onto my patio and wanted to stay there this afternoon. I’m not saying there is no risk but this country loses the plot over dogs to point of being really very rude to other people about it. Realise I’m probably going to get flamed…

Yabu. I'm currently in Spain. I haven't seen anyone walking their dog during the day, the dogs I've noticed on evening walks are wearing uv protection dog booties.

It wasn't like this 30 years ago before FB, anon keyboard warriors. We used common sense about walking our own dogs, knowing them best.

Honestly my dog of the 90's wouldn't survive modern day. You opened the door, she would go out, walk 5 metres, think "fuck this" and we would go back in. Other days she would be fine but still turn back when she'd had enough. I'd listen to her. I didn't need anyone telling me. Just my opinion. She wouldn't have entertained the lead on a day like today. But if we offered a walk after 5pm and she wanted to try it, I'd try it. She never have gone far if she wasn't comfortable. She was pretty thick as dogs go. But she knew her own mind.

True. I do also wonder about all these coats on dogs (esp working dogs) these days. I’m not sure x number of years of central heating have undone 10s of thousands of years of breeding for the weather…

Its the same with people and heat.

You've got people wanging on about fans and wet towels in their beds and getting new blinds and stuff and its like...guys, its 30C. Come on now 😅

You also have to check the pavement with your hand because it gets really hot and it's on the dog's bare feet.

With prolonged heat, blood chemistry changes. So familiar weather is fine.

Another issue at the moment, it doesn’t cool much at night. It’s finally down to 25 here, having been 31 earlier. No chance to cool properly at night, the heat of the day lasts longer because it doesn’t need to heat up in the morning… it’s unpleasant.

In the south east it’s been over 30 degrees for a few days.

It’s been raining all day here.

That’s so interesting - tho I guess it is in the 40s there? Certainly not my experience of Italy there (mid-late 30s)

We make adjustments in the same way pet owners do. Today my dog had a 15 minute walk at 0730, again at 1145, again at 1700 and we're about to go out now for about 20 minutes. I walk on the shady side of the street and give him sniffing time under trees. I carry him if the pavement is too hot (he's comfortable with that - he's a spaniel). My car and office are both air conditioned. He had a frozen chew this evening. It wasn't his favourite type of day but it was okay.

Edit: the walks are gentle sniffing walks under trees in a park.

Flying around 😂😂

Someone taking their dog to the vet-in an aircon cooled car-was screamed at. It's funny how the interfering ones don't bother to speak up about issues that really hurt dogs, such as dog fighting, people that don't look after dogs being allowed to breed/own them, banning them from off-lead exercise etc. These people don't seem to bother about children either. Now I like dogs, but children matter-there are many people that do things that hurt their children, but a lot of people don't speak up about that.

We live in the south of France it was 35 degrees today and has been 30s for most of June. I think it’s just about using common sense. I have a very fur healthy dog so walk him before 10am and in the shade of trees and a river to swim in, second walk is around 9pm. If I had a frenchie I probably wouldn’t walk it at all.
I probably also wouldn’t walk my dog without shade above 25 degrees but if people are taking a quick walk in the sun to get to the woods- fair enough!

I ended up snapping at a woman this weekend over this - not my finest moment but she pulled up alongside me in her Range Rover to tell me off about walking my dog in the heat.

We were away for the weekend and couldn’t exactly just sit in the hotel room (which was hot anyway) for the entire weekend. I changed my entire plans around my dog’s comfort which meant mainly just mooching from one shaded area to another forgoing all original plans.

I’d just spent over an hour with her in the shade in a pub garden with plenty of water and was doing a maximum 5 minute wee walk before we got in the air conned car to go find another shaded spot to sit in somewhere else.

Despite agreeing with her ultimate view - it was so bloody patronising I couldn’t help but snap at her that I was “an actual fully grown adult and didn’t need her help”.

I do think people are a bit OTT with the messaging but equally you have to know your dog and their limits and plan accordingly. We’ve been walking early in shady streams areas. But my dog loves the sun- he will choose sunny spots to lay in until he gets too hot then move into the cooler areas. I have water bowls everywhere, and fans, and I’ll shut him in the cooler rooms if needed. I think cars are the hardest things- my car was registering 37 degrees this afternoon so I ran the AC for a few minutes to cool it down before he got in. It seems sensible to be that it’s the variability that must be hard for dogs to handle- I notice that on the first cooler day after a heatwave he will sleep very soundly. I wouldn’t leave him in the car in this heat even for 10 mins.

Ah sure, the vets are obviously lying about the dogs that have come in and died as a result...

Dogs in countries that are reliably and predictably hotter tend to be better acclimated, haven't still got a massive thick coat (Which two out of three of my dogs needed just a month back) and are generally much more used to managing dogs in the heat.
Quite crucially, in other countries they either have aircon or they have houses designed to stay cool in hot weather. We have neither, so your overheated dog comes home from his stupid walk, and into a hot house ... and still can't cool down rapidly, or usefully.

And dogs do still die in other countries, its not as if its ONLY here!

The 20c in the car - you realise that in 10 minutes its heading over 27 in a car parked in full sun, windows down or not.

Time yourself next time you hop out of the car to nip into a shop, chances are you think you're five or ten minutes and you're easily double that.

Most people do not have a car with a dog-mode aircon system, so to leave the aircon running they need to leave the engine idling which isn't legal here.

Our friend’s dog also died of heatstroke after an evening walk in what they thought was a bit cooler temperatures. He was only a year old.

I’m on holiday in Cornwall at the moment and it’s been a much more bearable 22 degrees or so here not the 30 + degrees everywhere else is getting. Our golden retriever has still been panting for Britain all week, he can’t cope in it.

I’m not sure what we’re due. It said hot in the forecast for today but I wore my fleece until about 11! Then it was really hot for about four hours. And then foggy again.
I will look out of my window and see what we’ve got when I get up!

My dog won’t wee in the garden, rather than her getting upset I take her out for 10 minutes at 12 before the heat starts to peak at 3:00 so she can go to the loo before the temp starts
to drop again. Often I’ll get someone telling me off- it really makes things unpleasant and ruins my day. But I am not going to stop- she doesn’t understand why if she’s desperate for a wee I am ignoring her needs.

A dog may never have died from missing a walk, but some certainly get very upset, and it makes them harder to keep cool when they are getting anxious and upset.

'Yer but how ya gonna show ya bully off if you're not parading it round town??'

There was a total and utter stupid bitch of a woman at a fun fair I went to on Saturday. Had a bulldog there, mid afternoon, about 27c. The poor thing was really struggling. It's chest was heaving trying to breathe. Stupid, stupid bitch. She looked utterly gormless. Had a child with her as well so sadly looks to have passed on her useless prick genes.

These people should be sterilised for the benefit of everything that has to breathe the same air as them.

(And yes, I also checked the temp of the pavement with my own foot before we set out before anyone chips in about that…). Still feeling defensive as you can see.

God some people need some actual real problems in their lives 🤦🏻‍♀️ imagine having the fucking headspace to worry about someone else’s dog burning its paws.

It’s good to be cautious when you live in a mild climate. Dogs will acclimate to wherever they are, so most dogs in Britain won’t be used to heat. Dog feet will toughen and soften just like our feet, and they can get blisters on their pads just like we do. Sled dogs’ feet get used to cold temperatures and miles of running on snow and ice and dogs in hot climates will be used to walking on warm surfaces.

That said, yelling at people on Facebook is always stupid and unreasonable regardless of the reason so YANBU. 😂

Breed dependent!

You’ve articulated exactly why it annoys me when people take it upon themselves to tell strangers off about this sort of thing!

What you did with your dog sounds fine to me