#dogs were pet bred sibes with more coat than my mals they looked. HOT.

[darkwood-sleddog]

because i had to (politely) warn/criticize an acquaintance musher who was out on the trail in 86% humidity and 80F weather running their dogs on a rig when i was there today, i thought now was a good reminder that:

dogs do not cool down effectively when it is more humid

dogs that have previously suffered heat stroke are more at risk of developing it again and will do so more easily than a dog who has never had heat stroke. This ALONE is a great risk to sled dogs.

in the northern hemisphere a majority of dog heat stroke incidents take place in July (which is the month I'm writing this).

most mushers do not recommend running dogs in harness over 50F. No your dogs are likely not an exception. All dogs can develop heat stroke.

HERE is a post with a helpful chart from the Australia Sledding Sports Association about how to determine a safe combination of humidity and heat to run in. (it is in Celcius, but the combination of what we walked in today was easily a 26 on this chart.)

Some mushers CAN train dogs during the summer. Those that are in much more arctic conditions where early am may sometimes be frosty this time of year are clear to do so. Although the Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Sled Dog Welfare Guide has some warnings about the risks running dogs in hot weather poses. Their description of heat stroke even mentions snow which, yes, is true. Sled Dogs can easily overheat even in snowy conditions. Even then though, the summer mushers i see (who are in like...the Yukon...) are regularly monitoring temperatures and not running when it is above 50F.

and look. I've been at the receiving end of weather temperature criticism myself. I once ran Sigurd and Zombie on a like...60F degree evening in summer as a novice and my mentor tore me a new one. I felt bad (and cried lol), but it is what it is and i never did it again. It's also why working with and/or seeking advice from sport veterans is important. I will also never stall or refuse to tell somebody they're posing a risk to their dogs, not only bc i care for their animals well beings, but because mushers pushing dogs like this does reflect badly on the sport.

The one thing i do to make sure i'm aware of how hot my dogs may be besides monitoring the temperatures? I overdress whenever i take them out.