Keeping Ping Cool When the Pavement Burns

By early afternoon in Silom the pavement is hot enough to fry an egg, and Ping, our seven-year-old poodle, learned that the hard way. She started lifting her paws and whining halfway through our walk. Now I check the ground with the back of my hand first. If I cannot hold it there for five seconds, it is too hot for her feet.

We walk before eight in the morning or after sunset, and we stick to shaded grass wherever possible. I carry a small bottle of water and a collapsible bowl. When we get home her paws get a quick wipe with a damp cloth, and I check between her toes for cracks. Ping still loves her walks, so we just adjusted the timing.