26/05/2026
Borrowed from Laura @ Cognitive canine but just as relevant to me.
This heatwave is hitting our pet industry hard.
Over the last few days, many of us, myself included, have had to make the tough decision to cancel classes, workshops, walks, 1-2-1 sessions, grooms, activities and other events.
As small businesses, every cancellation has an impact. We lose income, spend hours reshuffling diaries, absorb unrecoverable costs and lose sleep over the fact we have let people down by cancelling or rearranging bookings at the last minute! Shoutout to all my amazing clients who have been affected & been so understanding ✨
But, as responsible pet professionals :
✨ Dog welfare over profit. Every single time. ✨
No training session, walk or activity is worth risking your dog’s health in this weather, even when it's the harder business decision.
I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media over the weekend saying that with the right precautions, you can still compete, train, and take part in dog sports in this heat.
But I’m going to be honest .... I disagree.
Just because WE want to take part in these activities doesn’t mean it’s fair to ask our dogs to push through this temperature. Some dogs might appear to cope, but many don’t and often for reasons we can’t immediately see e.g age, breed, coat type, weight, and underlying health issues all play a massive role.
What we do know, once a dog becomes too hot, things can go downhill very quickly.
Even before we factor in all the individual risks, heat itself poses a serious danger to our dogs and when a dog gets too hot, their emotional thresholds drop, and the ability to regulate their impulses and reactions is impaired! So, I need to ask myself ..... even if they "look" like they are coping - do they want to, and are they able to participate in an activity safely and is the benefit worth the risks ?
Keeping dogs safe always comes above anything else.
So today, if you know a dog trainer, walker, daycare, groomer, hydrotherapist, physio or any other pet pro who’s been affected by the weather but still putting your pets needs first, tag them below and give them a follow ❤️
Supporting small businesses costs nothing, but can honestly make a huge difference. Sometimes just liking, sharing or interacting with their page helps them get seen in a world where there is so much noise online!
Lets shine a light on all those amazing people who care for our dogs every day 🧡🐾
