We love Fido! But we also CARE about Fido!

It’s so important to protect dog paws during the heat of summer. For starters, have you ever walked barefoot across asphalt on a hot day? Then you know how much it can hurt! Your dog has fairly strong paw pads but they are not immune to the heat radiating off the pavement every summer. Paws are naturally made for navigating through nature, not scorching hot man-made concrete and asphalt. A simple walk around the block on hot pavement can create painful damage to your dog’s paws.

To make matters worse, dogs regulate their body temperature through their paws. When suffering from hot paws it’s hard for the rest of your dog to cool down, increasing the risk for heat stroke.

The ground at the school is VERY hot during the summer. We know you love your pets so we are asking that you look out for their poor paws. For the past few Saturdays we have witnessed the “hot dog dance” too many times.

DO THE TEST

You can check the pavement to see if it’s too hot for your dog by holding the BACK OF YOUR HAND to it for 10 seconds without flinching. If it’s bearable to you, it’s likely tolerable for your dog as well. If not, keep your dog safe at home.

At 77°F, the asphalt reaches temperatures as high as 125°F. When it’s 87° outside, the asphalt can reach as hot as 143°. Now imagine how hot the asphalt gets when temperatures creep up into the triple digits!

We will ask you to remove your dog if we feel the dog is not safe on the pavement.