Scorching weather puts pet dogs at health risk

Scorching weather puts pet dogs at health risk. August. 06, 2018 08:01. empty@donga.com.
Record-breaking high temperatures put not only humans but also their pet dogs at health risk, causing a burn, skin disease, and even a death. Min Hee-eun, 32, an owner of five dogs, said that it is the first time that all her dogs have got burns on their paws. Obviously, this summer is the worst-ever period for her dogs in twenty years since she began raising her own dog.

So much so that people refrain from walking a dog in such a hot weather. Park Ji-seon, 33, owns an Akita. Previously, she spent almost two hours walking her dog every day. However, she has reduced the time to 30 minutes. She complained about the recent series of tropical nights, saying that her pet does not feel happy while walking.

Instead, people bring their dogs to indoor shopping malls where pets are allowed. Last Saturday, several dozens of pet dogs attracted attention walking leashed or being seated in a pet stroller at a shopping complex in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. A dog owner, surnamed Na, said that the scorching hot weather did not allow him to go outside with his dog, leaving him with no option but to bring his dog to an indoor space.

Dog pools and cafés are seeing a large inflow of customers. A dog pool facility located in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, has witnessed a five-fold uptick in the number of customers, compared with last year. An owner of a dog café in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said that the heat waves have led to a surge in the number of customers.