“Never stand between a dog and the fire hydrant.” – John Peer
Winter.......you either love it or hate it! I tend to like it; growing up in the South, it has always been a nice reprieve from the heat. And here in the Bay area, we are lucky enough to have generally mild winters. But that doesn't mean we don't have our cold, nasty days, and if you live in Silicon Valley, winter is also our rainy season. Yeah, I know the rain is good for the soil, yada, yada, but this girl is spoiled by the normally beautiful California weather. Plus, at Tails Up Pet Care, rain does NOT stop us! We are like the mail carriers: snow, rain, sleet, or hail. So how cold is too cold to walk your dog? And is it okay to play in the rain? All good January questions....
So, obviously, your dog has to go outside to use the bathroom. However, the weather will determine whether it's a quick potty break with you bundled up head-to-toe, shivering, hopping around to stay warm, telling your pup to hurry up and just go already versus a nice leisurely stroll or romp at the park. So how do you know if what is cold for YOU is too cold for your pups? After all, they are lucky enough to be born with cruelty-free fur, and us humans were not! Well, enter Dr. Kim Smyth, who is a veterinarian at Petplan, the pet health insurance place. Dr. Smyth was kind enough to do some research and make us a handy dandy chart to simplify this question. Check it out...thanks, doc!
Winter.......you either love it or hate it! I tend to like it; growing up in the South, it has always been a nice reprieve from the heat. And here in the Bay area, we are lucky enough to have generally mild winters. But that doesn't mean we don't have our cold, nasty days, and if you live in Silicon Valley, winter is also our rainy season. Yeah, I know the rain is good for the soil, yada, yada, but this girl is spoiled by the normally beautiful California weather. Plus, at Tails Up Pet Care, rain does NOT stop us! We are like the mail carriers: snow, rain, sleet, or hail. So how cold is too cold to walk your dog? And is it okay to play in the rain? All good January questions....
So, obviously, your dog has to go outside to use the bathroom. However, the weather will determine whether it's a quick potty break with you bundled up head-to-toe, shivering, hopping around to stay warm, telling your pup to hurry up and just go already versus a nice leisurely stroll or romp at the park. So how do you know if what is cold for YOU is too cold for your pups? After all, they are lucky enough to be born with cruelty-free fur, and us humans were not! Well, enter Dr. Kim Smyth, who is a veterinarian at Petplan, the pet health insurance place. Dr. Smyth was kind enough to do some research and make us a handy dandy chart to simplify this question. Check it out...thanks, doc!
So, obviously, some dogs are made for colder weather; your big furry dogs, dogs that live in cold climates and are accustomed to it will be able to withstand lower temperatures better than....oh say, your little Yorkie. Those little dogs are going to have a lot less body fat to keep them warm. If your dog starts miles beneath the surface of his fur coat, you can bet he can withstand some cold! You can see that the chart adjusts for the size of your dog and their coat.
Clever Dr. Smyth also adjusts for wet conditions in her chart. For us dog handlers, this is very helpful. As I mentioned, we DO play or walk your dog in the rain, unless it's raining...er....cats and dogs. Then, we just take them out to go to the bathroom and call it a wet, soggy, day. But a light drizzle? Well, most of our pups think that is FUN! They don't mind getting dirty, and they certainly don't mind when they and their handler smell like wet dog!
For more information and advice from Dr. Smyth about cold and wet weather, you can check out the full article here: https://lifehacker.com/is-it-too-cold-to-walk-your-dog-1821814473
Happy January, Happy New Year, Happy Wet Dog!
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