Every dog handles the heat differently.

Coat color, coat thickness, body size, and even personality all play a role. Just as some dogs love winter, others seem perfectly happy on warmer days.

How do I handle walking during the hot, humid days of summer in southeastern Wisconsin? Simple: if it’s too hot to walk, we don’t.

If the temperature is above 90 degrees, it’s too hot—period. When the temperature is in the 80s, we have a Triple S Day: slower, shadier, and shorter. We also walk on the grass as much as possible to help keep those paws from getting burned.

During summer heat waves, I’ll often adjust my schedule and walk a couple of hours earlier so we’re finished before the hottest part of the day.

Dogs can’t tell us when they’re overheating, so it’s our job to recognize the signs before it becomes dangerous. On hot days, I’m constantly watching each dog’s body language. If their tongue is hanging to the side, their head and ears are down, and their tail is hanging limply, I know it’s time to get back to the house as soon as possible. Fortunately, on a Triple S Day, we’re never far from home anyway. And if we need to sit in the shade and rest for a few extra minutes, that’s exactly what we’ll do.

After fifteen years of walking dogs, I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as “just another hot day.” Every dog is different, and my job is to make sure they get home happy and safe—even if that means cutting a walk short or skipping it altogether. At the end of the day, no walk is worth risking a dog’s health.