ONE doggy daycare captured the impact of the heat wave and advised dog owners to avoid walking their furry friends.

Hairy Poppins Hampshire, a family run dog grooming and day care service, posted a picture on Facebook captioned “The day care slayings”, with a number of their clients’ dogs passed out on the tiled flooring.

The spell of extreme hot weather is now coming to an end, with rain and thunderstorms now forecasted. But even at temperatures as low as 20 degrees Celsius, dogs are at risk of heatstroke

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Flat-faced, overweight, older and unwell dogs are at an increased risk of heat related illness, with exercise being the biggest trigger of heatstroke.

Following the hot weekend, Samantha Brooks and Tracey Haines, owners of the Sparsholt day care in Stockbridge Road said: “We are very lucky, both the grooming room and day care have air con to keep everyone safe and comfortable. 

Offering their advice for caring for dogs during a heatwave the mother and daughter added:

“Most importantly it is okay if your dog is not walked, there are many other options such as scattering or hiding their food in the garden or around the house.  As we've heard a lot lately, a dog will not die from missing a walk, but a walk in this heat could kill them. 

“Dogs use 40 per cent of their brain when sniffing, doing something like this tires them out far quicker than taking them for a walk, and is much safer in the hot weather without risk of heatstroke or paws getting burnt.

“Paddling pools are a good option if your dog enjoys the water, but as with children they should be supervised.

“You can always give them ice cubes or frozen yoghurt/fruit as a cooling treat. 

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“If you have to take dogs for a walk, make sure to avoid pavements and head for shaded areas. Our favourite is the local woods. 

“Cars, and particularly the back of vans get very hot and have little air flow so keep this in mind if travelling with your dog. 

“One of my favourite things to do at the day care is to bring in my clean recycling, put it in a big pile and throw some food in it for the dogs to hunt out.” (See photo of a client’s Labrador Cerberus below).

Hampshire Chronicle:

Mother Tracey said: “The weekend was hard, we didn’t take our own dogs out, just did training in the house and garden. Luckily, they were sensible enough to stay in the cool.”

The canine service is currently taking on new clients, offering dog grooming, day care and training within the Winchester area.

For more go to hairypoppinshampshire.co.uk/.