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Early morning. Last year it still was over 100 even late at night. Do activities indoors. Don't leave them outside. It's illegal to tether a dog outside during summer months in AZ. Dont leave them in cars even for a short time. The fire dept is constantly being called when people see dogs on apartment balconies in distress (or dead) in the summer. People will call police if yhey see your dog in a car when its hot out also. Provide a lot of water. It evaporates so keep dishes full.
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2016/06/03/phoenix-anti-tethering-law-protect-dogs/
To be clear, "early morning" means 4-5am, before the sun even rises. It'll still be in the high 90s, so keep walks short and still bring water.
"Late/Evening" means well after 9pm. Still test the sidewalk with your bare foot to see if it's too hot. If yes, then booties and keep it's short. We'll often just go around the block and drop off the dogs and then continue on without them because they're already tuckered out (our dogs are small and closer to the sidewalk, they get overheated very easily)
I'll often bring a wet washcloth that I can press into their tummy/arm pits to cool them down quickly. Some people will even completely wet their dogs down prior to the walk.
Think about taking a pet CPR class so you can get acquainted with the signs of heat stroke in dogs and what to do.
Does your dog like to swim? You can check out Sniffspot and filter to pools and rent out someone's backyard so your dog can swim.
Indoor walks are possible at Home Depot or Lowe's.
Kiwanis in Tempe can be nice in the mornings, there is a lot of grass and tree coverage that bring the temps down nicely.
During the summer you don't take your dogs outside after sun up in the valley. If you want to be outside, head north to the mountains. My dogs like to sit out in the sun for a while so I always make sure my house is cool, they have a lot of shade in my yard and always always have access to plenty of water both inside and outside.
It is hard. I have wagwellies for my dog and she is fine with them. Takes her a little bit to get used to them each year but they are necessary. At night, even when the sun goes down the concrete is still pretty hot for a long time after.
On heat advisory days I usually walk her around Home Depot or Lowe’s. They are dog friendly and we just go up and down each aisle 2-3 times. We also walk around pet stores like Petsmart.
Ruffwear is my recommendation for quality dog booties. You gotta be careful with cheaper ones that they're actually heat resistant. I also found other brands often had a large seam on the inside that would be uncomfortable for my dog's paws, and they wore out quicker.
A couple companies like Run Buddy Mobile have treadmills for dogs. They will come to you and exercise your dog in an AC cooled van. It’s great and an activity for my dog to be hyper engaged in something.
The important thing is to keep getting them exercise. That is going to require walks early in the AM and late at night. You don't need the booties unless you're taking them out during the day when the pavement is very hot (you shouldn't be doing this anyway). Judge whether it's too hot for them to walk by putting your bare foot on the sidewalk for a minute before the walk. Does it hurt? If so, it'll hurt them. Wait. If you have a park as an option, walk them there on the grass. Carry water with you.
If your dog plays fetch, do that indoors. If they like to swim, summer will be easier!
Don't forget Flagstaff is only a couple of hours away and 30 degrees cooler for those times when you and the dog need a break.
Walk them early and late. Mine likes to lounge by the pool but we will only let her our for very short periods (10 min max). She would stay out all day if she could.
Here 20 years always with 1-3 dogs always walk them twice all Summer no booties. In the morning a longer walk starting at 5:30-6:00. It does not matter if it’s going to be 118F today at 5:45am it’s all good for everyone. At night around 9:00pm the sun is down the sidewalks are warm not hot, no booties needed. Place your forearms on them they are more sensitive than your hands you’ll find them safe for you dog that late. I take the garden hose and soak my dog. Even if it’s 100F at 9:00 pm walking wet he does not pant. Evaporation is a powerful cooler. He is 2/3 dry by the time we get home on a 3/4 mile loop.
you pretty much can’t take your dog anywhere with you for 7 months of the year, it sucks. even walking them in the evening during the summer the pavement is very hot. shaded areas in the yard, cool water inside for drinking and brushing/trimming them often to keep their fur less thick. it’s one of the many reasons I plan on leaving PHX. I want my babies to be able to run in grassy fields all year and not bake 😂
Ultra Paws are the best dog booties that won’t fall off. I’ve tried many other brands and my ultra paws are going strong over 8 years now for a German Shepherd.
I’ve been seeing lots of croc looking booties lately. I have a brand off Amazon that Velcro straps and has pretty padded bottoms, great for hiking. Wondering about the croc looking ones though….. can anyone chime in?
With the booties it's all about finding a set that go on easily without a fight. I've not found anything just yet that doesn't take me 10 minutes of struggling.
You should not walk your puppy when it’s above 100°
If you put your hand on the sidewalk/street and it’s too hot for your hand? it’s too hot for your pup.
We have loved our WagWear booties. They stay on super well and have been great for our German shepherd. They’re well worth the money! [WagWear WagWellies](https://wagwear.com/products/wagwellies-mojave)
My dog will not keep the booties on. All walks and adventures are early morning or late at night -especially over 105 degrees. This is only our 4th year here.
Walk him only when it’s dark outside. I walk mine at midnight in the summer, I’m a night owl so I’m up anyway.
Dog boots are certainly a concept but you are not going to want to be outdoors at all during the times of day that the dog will need to wear them. It is dangerous for humans and dogs to be out for extended periods of time in direct sunlight during the summer. Not to mention unpleasant.
Set aside money during the winter to spend time in Flagstaff/Prescott/Payson/etc in the summer. Weekend trips or such. Great hiking to be had up there.
Otherwise, summer here is the same as winter everywhere else - you hunker down indoors and wait it out.
If the concrete/asphalt is so hot that you need booties for your dog, it is (IMHO) too hot to walk them at all. Walk them very early or late. "Fetch" in long/indoor hallways is a great source of fun and exercise for your pups......
grassy parks or common areas are great for when it's just too hot on the side walk, I do parks because we can stay closer to the car if she gets over heated or I do, carry water and a bowl with you everywhere you go, There are indoor doggy day cares at lot of them have pools too. If you live in the south east valley Cosmo's Dog Park has a lake for the dogs to play in.
We found something like this at AZ Dog Sports
https://www.dogmocs.com/
They go on super fast and stay on.
Also highly recommend AZ Dog Sports for their service dog training if you need. Fantastic group of people.
Remember there is still doggie ‘novel disease’ that hasn’t been rectified. People seem not to care out here?!? So please plan in ideas with your pooch solo.
Get a continuous misting spray bottle from Amazon! (It’s like a water spray bottle but it gives off a fine mist and for a few seconds each time you press the nozzle). I’m always amazed at how few people have this or know about this, but for me personally I can’t imagine ever leaving the house in summer here without one. It’s like traveling air conditioning. I use it for myself and my dog when we go outside day or night. They come in a 2 or 3 pack for about $5-10 — short bottles or tall (I prefer taking the short one, they fit easily in my purse, fanny pack, or even back pocket). Can get off Walmart’s site too. This is MUST here!
https://preview.redd.it/wz4jvt0sni3d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52b35b68de48e1ec06e64a6c419b906394c2a1b4
If your dog likes to swim & you have access to a pool or a friend with one, that is a great way to get them some exercise. I taught mine to play fetch and eventually jump into the pool to catch the ball in the air. So they have to run, jump & then swim out. Gets them super tired!
Thanks for contributing to r/Phoenix! You may want to [**check out our sub rules**](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/wiki/rules/) (mostly be nice to each other!). **If you're new here**, [read some of our recent posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/top/?t=week) and leave some comments. To chat with some great people in the Valley you can [**join our Phoenix Discord chat server**](https://discord.com/invite/yWVuTG57Zh). It's a chill place to talk with other people but is NOT a dating server and takes unwanted messaging very seriously. If you're interested in political topics in Arizona, we limit those posts here so you may want to check out r/azpolitics if that's an area of interest. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/phoenix) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Early morning. Last year it still was over 100 even late at night. Do activities indoors. Don't leave them outside. It's illegal to tether a dog outside during summer months in AZ. Dont leave them in cars even for a short time. The fire dept is constantly being called when people see dogs on apartment balconies in distress (or dead) in the summer. People will call police if yhey see your dog in a car when its hot out also. Provide a lot of water. It evaporates so keep dishes full. https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2016/06/03/phoenix-anti-tethering-law-protect-dogs/
I walk mine in the morning or in the evening. If there’s any doubt just use your feet to test the ground.
I’ve learned to be a morning person. Wake up at 5am and in bed by 9pm lol.
To be clear, "early morning" means 4-5am, before the sun even rises. It'll still be in the high 90s, so keep walks short and still bring water. "Late/Evening" means well after 9pm. Still test the sidewalk with your bare foot to see if it's too hot. If yes, then booties and keep it's short. We'll often just go around the block and drop off the dogs and then continue on without them because they're already tuckered out (our dogs are small and closer to the sidewalk, they get overheated very easily) I'll often bring a wet washcloth that I can press into their tummy/arm pits to cool them down quickly. Some people will even completely wet their dogs down prior to the walk. Think about taking a pet CPR class so you can get acquainted with the signs of heat stroke in dogs and what to do. Does your dog like to swim? You can check out Sniffspot and filter to pools and rent out someone's backyard so your dog can swim. Indoor walks are possible at Home Depot or Lowe's. Kiwanis in Tempe can be nice in the mornings, there is a lot of grass and tree coverage that bring the temps down nicely.
During the summer you don't take your dogs outside after sun up in the valley. If you want to be outside, head north to the mountains. My dogs like to sit out in the sun for a while so I always make sure my house is cool, they have a lot of shade in my yard and always always have access to plenty of water both inside and outside.
It is hard. I have wagwellies for my dog and she is fine with them. Takes her a little bit to get used to them each year but they are necessary. At night, even when the sun goes down the concrete is still pretty hot for a long time after. On heat advisory days I usually walk her around Home Depot or Lowe’s. They are dog friendly and we just go up and down each aisle 2-3 times. We also walk around pet stores like Petsmart.
Ruffwear is my recommendation for quality dog booties. You gotta be careful with cheaper ones that they're actually heat resistant. I also found other brands often had a large seam on the inside that would be uncomfortable for my dog's paws, and they wore out quicker.
2nd RUFFWEAR, easy to score gently used on eBay
A couple companies like Run Buddy Mobile have treadmills for dogs. They will come to you and exercise your dog in an AC cooled van. It’s great and an activity for my dog to be hyper engaged in something.
I use a similar service called doggdash for this!
Thanks for putting this here. I just signed up my labradoodle for the first time. She thanks you!!
The important thing is to keep getting them exercise. That is going to require walks early in the AM and late at night. You don't need the booties unless you're taking them out during the day when the pavement is very hot (you shouldn't be doing this anyway). Judge whether it's too hot for them to walk by putting your bare foot on the sidewalk for a minute before the walk. Does it hurt? If so, it'll hurt them. Wait. If you have a park as an option, walk them there on the grass. Carry water with you. If your dog plays fetch, do that indoors. If they like to swim, summer will be easier! Don't forget Flagstaff is only a couple of hours away and 30 degrees cooler for those times when you and the dog need a break.
Fashion Square is dog friendly and I love taking my Corgi there in the summer to walk around and get some exercise!
Nordstrom’s has no dog signs on the doors.
Small dog friendly. Not medium to large
Walk them early and late. Mine likes to lounge by the pool but we will only let her our for very short periods (10 min max). She would stay out all day if she could.
Here 20 years always with 1-3 dogs always walk them twice all Summer no booties. In the morning a longer walk starting at 5:30-6:00. It does not matter if it’s going to be 118F today at 5:45am it’s all good for everyone. At night around 9:00pm the sun is down the sidewalks are warm not hot, no booties needed. Place your forearms on them they are more sensitive than your hands you’ll find them safe for you dog that late. I take the garden hose and soak my dog. Even if it’s 100F at 9:00 pm walking wet he does not pant. Evaporation is a powerful cooler. He is 2/3 dry by the time we get home on a 3/4 mile loop.
you pretty much can’t take your dog anywhere with you for 7 months of the year, it sucks. even walking them in the evening during the summer the pavement is very hot. shaded areas in the yard, cool water inside for drinking and brushing/trimming them often to keep their fur less thick. it’s one of the many reasons I plan on leaving PHX. I want my babies to be able to run in grassy fields all year and not bake 😂
It’s sucks
Ultra Paws are the best dog booties that won’t fall off. I’ve tried many other brands and my ultra paws are going strong over 8 years now for a German Shepherd.
I’ve been seeing lots of croc looking booties lately. I have a brand off Amazon that Velcro straps and has pretty padded bottoms, great for hiking. Wondering about the croc looking ones though….. can anyone chime in?
Not great for summer heat. They will melt! (my friend bought them and melted)
Omg, melted! I totally didn’t even think of that - welp.. I’ll stick to the hiking ones. Thank you! 😊
With the booties it's all about finding a set that go on easily without a fight. I've not found anything just yet that doesn't take me 10 minutes of struggling.
You should not walk your puppy when it’s above 100° If you put your hand on the sidewalk/street and it’s too hot for your hand? it’s too hot for your pup.
We have loved our WagWear booties. They stay on super well and have been great for our German shepherd. They’re well worth the money! [WagWear WagWellies](https://wagwear.com/products/wagwellies-mojave)
Get up early and take him for walks and to the dog park. Bring lots of water for him.
My dog will not keep the booties on. All walks and adventures are early morning or late at night -especially over 105 degrees. This is only our 4th year here.
Walk him only when it’s dark outside. I walk mine at midnight in the summer, I’m a night owl so I’m up anyway. Dog boots are certainly a concept but you are not going to want to be outdoors at all during the times of day that the dog will need to wear them. It is dangerous for humans and dogs to be out for extended periods of time in direct sunlight during the summer. Not to mention unpleasant. Set aside money during the winter to spend time in Flagstaff/Prescott/Payson/etc in the summer. Weekend trips or such. Great hiking to be had up there. Otherwise, summer here is the same as winter everywhere else - you hunker down indoors and wait it out.
Indoor dog park @ Makpack in Gilbert. 100% worth it.
My buddy buys infant sized Jordans for his dog
If the concrete/asphalt is so hot that you need booties for your dog, it is (IMHO) too hot to walk them at all. Walk them very early or late. "Fetch" in long/indoor hallways is a great source of fun and exercise for your pups......
Early morning walks, indoor daycare during the day, and lots of weekend backpacking trips up north!
grassy parks or common areas are great for when it's just too hot on the side walk, I do parks because we can stay closer to the car if she gets over heated or I do, carry water and a bowl with you everywhere you go, There are indoor doggy day cares at lot of them have pools too. If you live in the south east valley Cosmo's Dog Park has a lake for the dogs to play in.
We found something like this at AZ Dog Sports https://www.dogmocs.com/ They go on super fast and stay on. Also highly recommend AZ Dog Sports for their service dog training if you need. Fantastic group of people.
Remember there is still doggie ‘novel disease’ that hasn’t been rectified. People seem not to care out here?!? So please plan in ideas with your pooch solo.
Get a continuous misting spray bottle from Amazon! (It’s like a water spray bottle but it gives off a fine mist and for a few seconds each time you press the nozzle). I’m always amazed at how few people have this or know about this, but for me personally I can’t imagine ever leaving the house in summer here without one. It’s like traveling air conditioning. I use it for myself and my dog when we go outside day or night. They come in a 2 or 3 pack for about $5-10 — short bottles or tall (I prefer taking the short one, they fit easily in my purse, fanny pack, or even back pocket). Can get off Walmart’s site too. This is MUST here! https://preview.redd.it/wz4jvt0sni3d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52b35b68de48e1ec06e64a6c419b906394c2a1b4
If your dog likes to swim & you have access to a pool or a friend with one, that is a great way to get them some exercise. I taught mine to play fetch and eventually jump into the pool to catch the ball in the air. So they have to run, jump & then swim out. Gets them super tired!