Hot sand and pavement: the summer paw rule on Cape Ann

The AVMA's heat guidance is blunt about surfaces: asphalt gets very hot and can burn a dog's paws, so walk on grass where you can and keep outings to early morning and evening. Dark pavement holds heat well after the air cools, which is why the 6 PM walk down Main Street in Gloucester on a July evening can still be too hot for pads. Dry sand on an open beach behaves the same way, and so do the black rubber of some playground surfaces and the steel plates of a boat ramp.

The test that saves a dog is the back of your hand held flat on the surface. If you cannot leave it there comfortably for several seconds, the dog does not walk on it. Our how-to on testing pavement and sand temperature gives the full method, including the difference between light concrete and dark asphalt in the same lot. A dog that limps or licks its feet after a hot walk needs a vet, not a wait, and the AVMA lists heavy panting, drooling, weakness and collapse as signs of heat stress that need care right away.

The summer dog on Cape Ann gets its long walk before 8 AM or after the sun has left the pavement, and a short shaded outing in between. Carry water and a collapsible bowl; the AVMA notes dogs cool themselves by panting and need water to do it. Teach the dog to walk on the grass verge rather than the pavement edge, and to stop and settle in shade on cue. A dog that pulls toward the harbor at noon is a dog that will burn its feet, so loose-leash walking is a summer skill as much as a manners one.

Short-nosed breeds, heavy-coated dogs, puppies and seniors overheat first, and the AVMA is clear that no dog should be left in a parked car in summer for any length of time, windows cracked or not. On the hottest days the best thing a Cape Ann dog can do at 2 PM is nothing, in a cool room, with a frozen Kong. Save the sniffing for the evening, once the stones have given back their heat.

The summer heat and humidity page covers the whole season, from May humidity to the September thunderstorms; this page is the paws. The Cape Ann dog beach calendar has every town's reopening date, so you know when the sand comes back: Rockport's beaches after September 15 and Gloucester's from October 1 at the time of writing. The how-to on testing pavement and sand temperature and the how-to on cooling a dog down after a hot walk are the two to save on your phone.

For the visiting dog, the summer visitors page explains the beach bans and the short-notice care options, and the dog-friendly patios page lists where a dog can settle in shade in Gloucester and Rockport. If your dog has overheated and your own vet is closed, Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open around the clock; the AVMA's advice for a dog showing signs of heat stress is to get it to a vet immediately.