As clever as our dogs are, they still rely on us to take care of them.
Now summer finally seems to be making an appearance, our canine chums will need us more than ever to make sure they don't get too hot.
Unlike us, dogs can't sweat, so succumb to heatstroke (which can be fatal for them) much quicker than humans - so we really do need to look out for them.
This includes checking to see if the ground is too hot for them when going on a walk.
Fortunately, The Moon Valley Canine Training center in Northern California released a tip which is well worth reminding dog owners of.
The five second rule trick
The centre instructs: "Place the back of your hand on the pavement. If you cannot hold it for five seconds, it's too hot to walk your dog."
A dog's paws are just as sensitive as human feet and are therefore susceptible getting painfully burned and can suffer these burns even on days you wouldn't consider overly hor.
If the outside temperature is a pleasant 25C , there’s little wind and humidity is low, asphalt and tarmac can reach a scorching 52C.
In extremely hot weather , The Blue Cross advises, "Dogs should only be walked first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
