Dog owners know the joy their pets have when having a walk. Just putting on the leash or saying phrases like "walk," can send your dog into a frenzied state of excitement.

If it's the hottest day, even at night, the day's worth of sunshine and temperature (above the 80°F) can be accelerated on black asphalt. What this means is that the surface temperature could reach 140 degrees. Human skin can be burned at these temperatures. This is the reason we wear shoes, and the skin on our dogs' feet is equally likely to get burned on those surfaces.

Go to the web and search for the term asphalt-burned pet feet, and you will find a gruesome collection of images that prove this. Skin that is burned and raw can cause extreme discomfort to our pets, which happens frequently.

The most straightforward option is to avoid going on walks on asphalt surfaces. Evenings are a good time to avoid them because the denseness of asphalt retains heat throughout the night. Mornings are the best option because the evening air cools off, but not completely, especially during the case of a heat wave, which brings scorching temperatures every day and cooler nighttime.

However, dogs have to (and ought to!) exercise more than once a day. The advice from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is to walk the dog on grass "wherever possible, and avoid walking in the middle of the day."

Pavement with shade from trees will always be the best option, too. There are efforts underway to transform black asphalt into a white surface, which will reduce the amount of sun's rays which has been proven effective with roofs over the last 15 or more years.

There are some preliminary data that suggest this isn't an ideal solution for reducing temperatures in all. The first is that the reduction in temperature is only 10-15 degrees which aren't enough to spare animal from pain. Furthermore, the reflection of light actually increases the air temperature around and above the street, which can reduce the benefits. Painting the street white can nevertheless reduce the overall heat gain in the region; however, it's more complicated than it may initially appear.

As an animal lover who is responsible, we should never leave our pet in a car on an extremely hot day; the person also wouldn't walk his dog on pavements on an early day. Choose grass and plan your walks for early morning and late evening at a dog-friendly park.