Owning a Dog in PHX (power lines, house, scorpion)

[A1Precious4]

Hello, I have a furry shih tzu and a furry cavapoo. I am thinking of moving to PHX. How do dog owners help their dogs to cope with the heat? Can they only go out at certain times? Also, does anyone have grass in their backyards or is that difficult to maintain? And sort of a random question that I hope no one takes offense...but has anyone ever had their dog bit or attacked by a spider, scorpion or snake? Is it safe for them to be let out into the yard? Thanks!

[Bungle]

Hello, I have a furry shih tzu and a furry cavapoo. I am thinking of moving to PHX. How do dog owners help their dogs to cope with the heat?
I typically walk my dog three times a day. In the hotter months we try to avoid the middle of the day. In the event I do need to take him out during the peak hot times I have boots for him to avoid the heat of concrete and asphalt. I'll sometimes switch from three walks to two longer walks. One early in the morning and one later at night. He also has a doggy door that allows him to come in and out as he pleases and he actually loves laying in the sun during the summer. When he gets hot he'll come inside.

Can they only go out at certain times? Also, does anyone have grass in their backyards or is that difficult to maintain?
Avoid mid-day walks if possible as I mentioned above. I do not have grass in my yard but our community park does and I'll walk him down there and let him run around a bit.

And sort of a random question that I hope no one takes offense...but has anyone ever had their dog bit or attacked by a spider, scorpion or snake? Is it safe for them to be let out into the yard? Thanks!
I've never had an issue with this.

[DetroitN8V]

Do you leave your dogs outside 24/7? If not, then the heat is a non-issue. Let them out to do their business and play and back inside when they get too hot. My dogs love it here. They bake on the patio like lizards and swim daily in the summer. We do have grass for them and maintenance is as simple as watering and mowing. Fortunately, my dogs have had no encounters with critters but they love chasing lizards in the summer.

A little common sense and they'll be just fine. Don't leave them outside unattended due to predators. Make sure they have plenty of water. Don't walk them in the middle of the day in the summer due to hot concrete that can burn their pads.

[sargeant79]

Originally Posted by A1Precious4

Hello, I have a furry shih tzu and a furry cavapoo. I am thinking of moving to PHX. How do dog owners help their dogs to cope with the heat? Can they only go out at certain times? Also, does anyone have grass in their backyards or is that difficult to maintain? And sort of a random question that I hope no one takes offense...but has anyone ever had their dog bit or attacked by a spider, scorpion or snake? Is it safe for them to be let out into the yard? Thanks!

An individual dog's tolerance to the heat will vary just as much as a person's. I have two larger dogs, an 11-year old pit bull and a 2-year old pit bull/shar pei mix (both extremely friendly, trained, and well socialized with people, by the way). The 11-year old wants no part of the heat and won't spend more than 5 minutes outside in the summer, but the younger one is a different story.

The 2-year old seems impervious to the heat and will run and play and even lay down in the sun on all but the hottest days. We monitor closely of course while she is outside, but when my wife and I spend an afternoon in the pool, she'll be out there the whole time with us and we just hose her down every ten minutes or so to keep her cool, making sure to keep a water dish full as well. She won't get in the pool itself, however we do have a little kiddie pool that we keep filled that she will actually splash around in. You just have to keep a very close watch on how your dog reacts to the heat and ensure that if they spend more than a few minutes at a time outside in the summer, monitor closely for signs of dehydration and ensure that they have access to water and ways to cool off.

Regarding interaction with other wildlife... how likely there is to be an issue with that is going to be dependent on where you live. The closer you are to mountains and open desert, the more likely your dog is to encounter critters that could potentially be dangerous. I live two blocks from mountain preserve, and we get more than our fair share of wildlife on our property. We have occasionally had snakes in the yard (they wind up in the pool and drown a few times a year) although nothing poisonous. We have even found black widows a couple times, which of course we have killed immediately followed by spraying for a few weeks. Scorpions in the yard are a fairly regular occurrence and the younger dog was actually stung by one last summer. The left side of her face swelled up pretty good but she didn't seem to be in noticeable distress. We called the vet, gave her a good amount of benadryl, and watched her closely. Fortunately the swelling went down several hours later and there were no other effects, but I suspect it would be far more serious of an issue if your smaller dogs were to be bit.

Besides the smaller critters, there are coyotes around, and we have had the occasional owl perched on the power lines behind the house as well, which are both two more things to watch for with smaller dogs. Bottom line is it is definitely safe to let your dogs in the yard, but I would highly recommend not leaving them out unsupervised. I think that's a good rule to have regardless of where you live, but it probably is a little bit more important here in Arizona.

[AZJoeD]

The same rule applies to dogs as to people. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Never leave your dog outdoors without a water source and always have fresh water available for them. Dogs are smarter than you think, they will find shade and water if it is available.

Because we live in an area where snakes are commonplace we had our dog snake trained. It was very effective. She will not approach a snake and growls a funny sound if she see one. Depending on where you live this might be something to consider.

[ElleTea]

I have 2 Chihuahuas. One LOVES the heat and I have to literally drag him in when it is 110, he'd rather lay in the sun. My girl prefers the shade, though she tolerates heat just fine. I know neither of them missed the cold or having to use a potty path shoveled in the snow!

My greatest fear with my little dogs are birds of prey. They will snatch up a tiny dog just like it was a rabbit or other prey. I have seen black widow spiders in my yard, so I take care of them as I see them, to keep my dogs from being bitten. Black widows like corners and all it would take is a curious dog sticking his nose in and sniffing the wrong spot! Otherwise, I don't think it much of a concern as long as you watch them.

I also would never walk them in the heat of the day in the summer, and remember the pavement can BURN doggie feet. I always test with the back of my hand on the hottest days. If the pavement feels hot on the back of your hand, it will feet hot to the pup's tootsies.

When I take them with me I bring their own water and offer it to them often.

And of course, NEVER leave them in a hot car. If it is much over 65, I don't leave them in the car. It heats up way too fast in there.

[ajonesaz]

When my dog was a puppy she couldn't be in the house when I was gone because she would chew everything. I bought her one of those $10 kiddie pools and she loved it. She would hop in every few hours and splash around. It kept her cool to the point were she would have rather been outside than in.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

When my dog was a puppy she couldn't be in the house when I was gone because she would chew everything. I bought her one of those $10 kiddie pools and she loved it. She would hop in every few hours and splash around. It kept her cool to the point were she would have rather been outside than in.

A crate and a good dog trainer would have been far better choices!

[AZPam]

My dogs love the pool and prefer to be in it with us. It's very important that you teach your dog how to get out of the pool if you have one too. If they fall in my mistake and don't know how to get out, they can drown.

Our "granddog" will alert me to a scorpion. She is a great little scorpion hunter. Have never had one stung, but my Mom's dog was. He was about 14 at the time, not in good health, and that did do him in.

[A1Precious4]

well thank you everyone for your help! this def puts my mind at ease.