Lawns Too Hot for Dogs in Warm Weather

Ground temperatures in a residential yard used for exercising dogs were measured and evaluated. The study involved four environments (sunny and dry, sunny and watered, shaded and dry, and shaded and watered), each with three measurement spots (green grass, brown grass, and bare ground). Measurements were made at two-hour intervals from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on August 15, 2020. Air temperatures ranged from 82.4 °F at 8:00 a.m. to 100.8 °F at 6:00 p.m. Ground temperatures varied considerably more, from 80.9 °F at bare ground in a shaded and watered spot at 8:00 a.m. to 148.2 °F at brown grass in a sunny and dry spot at 4:00 p.m. Over all times, median temperature ranged from 86.0 °F (range 80.9-87.9 °F) at bare ground in a shaded and watered spot to 125.4 °F (range 86.0-142.8 °F) at bare ground in a sunny and dry spot. For all spots, median ground temperature ranged from 82.6 °F (range 80.9-86.3 °F) at 8:00 a.m. to 128.0 °F (range 87.0-143.7 °F) at 2:00 p.m.