As New Canaan faces sustained severe heat this week, with daytime temperatures expected to top 90 degrees, Animal Control officials are urging residents with dogs to avoid taking their pets on walks—let alone jogs—except early in the morning or after sundown.
New Canaan Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. Photo by Mackenzie Lewis
Dogs at high risk for complications from heat exposure include puppies and seniors, as well as dogs whose bodies swing low to the asphalt (dachshunds, Bichon Frises) and breeds that have more difficulty breathing in any case, such as pugs, bulldogs, French bulldogs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and boxers, according to Officer Allyson Halm of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section.
Owners should keep in mind their dogs’ “limitations,” she said.
“We can choose to go the extra four blocks or the extra six blocks, but the dog at the end of the leash—you have no idea what they are capable of in this weather,” Halm said.
“I always see people who start jogging as soon as soon as the winter is over, jogging eight miles, and they think that just because it’s a dog it should be able to keep up on day one—it’s not true,” she added.
Neither veterinarian in New Canaan has reported local cases of heat stroke to this point in the summer, Halm said.
In addition to the dangers of heat stroke, which can quickly become fatal for a dog, owners should be mindful of the hot asphalt or concrete underfoot on streets or sidewalks, she said. Dogs can develop ulcers and blisters as a result of burning their paw pads.
Thank you so very much, Ms. Halm, for this really important warning to pet owners. Please also remind them to carry water for their pet to drink during these walks.