Too hot for paws? Check before you go

Here's a thing every Florida dog owner learns the hard way: the asphalt is brutal on paws long before the day feels brutal to us. By late morning a sunny path can cross from "warm" to "ouch" - and a dog won't tell you until it's too late.

So we built a Dog Park Weather Report. One glance tells you whether right now is a good idea.

What it tells you

• A plain-English verdict - somewhere between "Paws up - go play" and "Too hot for paws." No squinting at numbers required.
• The best window today. If midday's a no-go, it'll point you to the cool morning hours instead.
• The details - feels-like temperature, humidity, and how the day's shaping up - for when you want them.

The important part: the heat line is set for dogs, not people. A 92-degree afternoon that a golfer would shrug at trips the dog-park report into "go early." That's on purpose - we'd rather be a little protective of the pups.

Players, too

While we were at it, we made the same thing for the two-legged crowd: a pickleball weather report (wind is the enemy of a good dink) and a golf weather report. Same idea, tuned to each game.

It's free, there's no login, and it works great on your phone. Check it before the next outing - your dog's paws will thank you.