It’s more than four

Off for a stroll at sunset? Cool enough for a dog to traipse about? Paws protected?

It's not just the paws. Heat rises. A still-warm asphalt or cement surface shimmers upward with heat. Dogs, especially the low-slung ones, feel that heat on their tummies as they march about listening to other dog owners say, "We go out when it's cool!"

Cool to a Bernese Mountain Dog is a four-foot snowbank. Cool to a Chinese Crested is 75 degrees. Cool to a Labrador is a Michigan pond resplendent with quackers. You, five feet and more above the too-warm asphalt, do not experience the cement as Charlie does. 

As we head into the Dog Days of Summer and the evening 'when it's cool' walk, put your palm on the cement and leave it there. After three minutes (you might want to bend your knees), either whistle up the pooch or retreat to the recliner for a few more hours.