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My neighbor in Phoenix told me to quit walking my lab at 6am, and I hate that she was right
I had walked my lab, Duke, at 6am every day for two years. Same loop, 2.5 miles around the neighborhood, pavement the whole way. My neighbor Carol stopped me at the mailbox in March and said the asphalt was burning his paws before most people were even awake, and I brushed her off. Then I touched the sidewalk with my own hand one morning at 6:15 and yelped. Now we do a shaded canal path at 5:30am or we wait until after dark. Duke's limp went away in about a week. So what time are you all walking your dogs in the summer, because I feel dumb for not figuring this out sooner?
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simonhunt27d ago
The 6am pavement thing got me too, but here's the part nobody talks about: it's not just the air temp, it's the sun angle. In Phoenix in June the sun is already high enough by 6:15 that dark asphalt has been soaking up rays since 5:30, so the surface runs way hotter than the air. I grabbed one of those cheap infrared thermometers off Amazon for like 15 bucks and started checking surfaces before we head out. Black asphalt on my street hit 138 degrees at 6am in July, while the dirt shoulder next to it was only 89. Concrete was around 105. That 7 second rule people repeat is decent but it varies a ton by surface color and shade, so the thermometer takes the guesswork out. Makes you realize how many dogs are out there limping on hot blacktop while their owners have no clue.
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