AIBU to be upset my parents walked the dog in this heat?

[rollinginthedeepsea]

My parents are looking after our dog this week whilst we are abroad. They’re not dog owners themselves so I had messaged them a few days ago reminding them to not walk above roughly 20’c with the dog as that’s the rule we go by in summer. I wouldn’t expect them to be able to walk at 7or 8am as they are in their early seventies so presumed they would use common sense and just skip any walks . Checked ring camera for a parcel today and seen they walked our dog at 10.30 in 26’c.
I've called them out on it and they’re acting like I’m being completely over the top and that the dog was fine. AIBU?
The dog is not a risk breed or elderly but I’m upset at the principle of ignoring what I’ve asked.

It’s all got a bit ridiculous. How do people think dogs survive in Greece or Africa? Fine if tarmac is melting I see the sense then but a short walk around in 26 degrees is not going to harm your dog!

It's not about the heat of the tarmac. It's about their ability to breathe under exertion in extreme temperatures. Like people, dogs can have heat stroke and it can happy quickly and be lethal especially if someone is unaware of the signs.

People aren't always educated about how much a dog can be put under strain when it's hot i.e. playing fetch, running, walking fast etc. If left to their own devices, most dogs will lounge in the shade or nap during the heat of the day. But, often, owners feel a strange compulsion to exercise their dogs when they should just be left alone.

I’m with you OP totally unacceptable. Rule is you put your hand on floor (pavement will be hotter) and if it’s too hot then think about their paws! Some people are just pure selfish

20 degrees is an incredibly low cut off point for walking - unless your dog is elderly, brachycephalic or unwell in some way?

Yeah and at 20 or even 26 the pavement will be just fine so ok to crack on.

Me and DH (both in our 70's) walked our dog at 7am and then 11pm yesterday. It was far too hot to walk at 10.

I’d be really upset and very worried about the rest of the holiday. You literally gave them the easier thing to do (miss the walk entirely rather than get up early). I would just never leave the dog with them again in the warmer seasons. Professional dog sitters/kennels wouldn’t risk pavement walks in those temperatures, especially if you had specified not to. They may even have access to shaded land/AC transport for such occasions. Dog businesses close to me offer this as there are woodland enclosed dog parks they can hire.

Where we live it is well over 40 degrees at the moment, and will go over 50 by the time the summer is over.

We walk our Maltipoo around 7am and 7pm. We keep walks short (he’s a lazy bugger anyway), try to walk mostly on grass, and take water for him. A lot of people put their dogs in shoes during the summer.

Why did you go on holiday and leave your dog in this situation?

The dog should be a member of your family.

All these threads about walking dogs in hot weather seem to invoke hyperbole about "wearing a fur coat"!

Having fur is not like "wearing a fur coat", any more than having hair is like wearing a wig. (Believe me, I have to wear a wig and it is hot hot hot, in a way that simply having hair is not not not.)

Unless you have acquired a dog that has the kind of heavy coat intended for sub-zero landscapes (in which case, why did you do that?), or you are failing to clip a dog whose coat needs appropriate clipping, it is very likely that your dog's coat is providing him/her with insulation against heat in summer, as well as against cold in winter.

This is why mammals in hot countries are not routinely bald. (Shout-out to elephants and rhinos, though. I'm sure they have their own, distinct, strategies of protection against heat.)

Us usual on these threads, there are also several horrified mentions o of dogs panting! You might just as well be horrified by humans sweating.
Panting serves the same function for dogs that sweating does for humans. Both are a totally fine adaptation to heat, and are not, in themselves, a sign of distress.

I can't see in any of the OP's posts what breed her dog is, how old it is, what health problems it may have. So I'm assuming she feels that no dog should be walked at temps higher than around 20 degrees. I can't for the life of me think why this should apply to dogs in general, any more than it should apply to humans in general.

Unless the OP's dog is one of the unhealthy breeds, or is old or ill, I'm guessing that any temperature-and-activity combo that is comfortable for a couple in their 70s is comfy for the dog. If the OP doesn't trust them to make their own day-to-day commonsense judgements about the dog, it probably wasn't fair on them to ask them to take responsibility for it

There have been hot waves for years now, so technically dogs here should be acclimatised too. My dog is heading towards his 3rd summer, all of which had heat waves.

Absolute rubbish. A couple in their 70's may well love hot weather but I can guarantee a dog doesn't.

My dog, after being walked at 7am just lay around all day until walked at 11pm. He never normally just lays around. When he moved he only moved to different spots where he could feel the fan we had on.

Also, unless the 70 year old couple are walking barefoot, the dog should not be walked on hot pavements

Should have specified to only reply if you are in the UK! We follow this rule in the uk which won’t apply to other countries:
No one has ever had shoes for dogs here!!!! Ridiculous people from abroad are commenting!!
Everyone is missing the point, my parents insisted to look after her, I politely asked not to walk and they ignored it. I was a bit miffed. There’s no major argument or fall out, they’re not going to never do the dog again another time or ever not talk to me again. Some of you are so stupid these replies have made me LOL.

There was a health warning issued for high temperatures. This principally is a warning for older people and infants.

Yet your concern isn't for the well being of your elderly parents walking in high temperatures. I note you assume they are already so decrepit that they are unable to get up early in this context.

Instead your concern is for the dog and 'the lack of respect' they have shown towards you for ignoring your request about temperature.

Frankly do you want the dog walked or not? And do you give much of a shiny shit about your parents? They are doing you a favour after all.

You just sound ungrateful and unreasonable.

Heat stroke kills elderly parents.

Where's your pretty infographic on this?

If they feel okay to go for a walk with a dog, the dog is more than likely going to be ok.

If they think it's too hot for them, their judgement on this is probably going to reflect similar thinking to the dog.

Surely the dog needed to go out first thing though? That's the bit that baffes me? Maybe you could have arranged a dog walker to do a 7 am walk if you didn't want to ask your parents.

Which part of the PP’s post are you referring to as ‘absolute rubbish’? Because her points about their coats and panting are perfectly accurate.
I have a 2 year old beagle. I wish she’d lain around all day in the heat! Instead she behaved exactly as she normally does… running round the garden with socks she’s stolen out of the laundry basket trying to get us to chase her and thinking it’s the best game ever, for example. Granted she took herself off to the shade to sleep rather than deliberately seeking out the sunniest part of the house and garden like she normally does, but otherwise there was no real change to her behaviour.

Can't get past "I wouldn’t expect them to be able to walk at 7or 8am as they are in their early seventies"!

MN The home of ageist crap.

Oh come on… there is absolutely nothing wrong with going on holiday and leaving your dog with trusted carers.
DH and I are going away for 3 days without our kids today (they’re staying with grandparents). Doesn’t mean they’re not members of our family.

Geez in Australia we walk dogs at 26 degrees. Maybe 31 you might think twice. What an overreaction. Dogs can pant to keep themselves cool.

You should not let her run round when it is do hot. Dogs don't always do what is best for their health do they? Some dogs lie in hot sun and then get heat stroke.

A friend of mine is a vet nurse and every summer she sees dogs with burnt pads, dogs with heat stroke etc. Sadly some of the dogs with heat stroke die. All because of stupid owners

Yes dogs pant to keep cool just as we sweat but it's not some miracle things that stops them getting overheated, heat stroke or even dying.

Geez there are some idiots on this thread

Oh course I stop her running around, I’m not an idiot 🙄 , my point being that just because your dog lies around all day in the heat, not all have the same inclination.

I wouldn’t walk my dogs on pavement at 26 degrees so I agree op. However I’d be more pissed off they ignored my request/instructions as that’s just rude.

WOW some dog owners are nutty. Your being over the top and quiet pedantic.