It’s yet another bitterly cold day in Southeastern Minnesota. When I arrived at work this morning, the weather widget on our station website said it was still -12 degrees Fahrenheit. Not the kind of weather we expect at the end of February. And not the kind of weather you’d expect people to be walking their dogs in, either.

Yet, on my short commute in, I saw no less than three people out taking their "best friend" for a walk in these weather conditions. None of those involved, human or animal, seemed to be enjoying the stroll one bit. And it got me to thinking, is it even safe to have your pet out for a walk in these conditions?

There are definitely some factors that go into deciding whether to walk your dog in weather like this. Breed type, age and general health can all factor into making the call to get them out for some exercise.

Even taking that into account, a quick search of the internet suggested that today it is simply too cold to be walking your dog. One website, Exercise My Dog, suggests that any temperature between 0 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit should be a shortened walk day, while days when the temps are below 0 degrees should be “no-walk” days. They’ve even got a $0.99 app for your phone or tablet called ‘Weather to Walk – for Dogs’ that will tell you if the weather conditions are appropriate for taking your dog outside for some exercise.

On a day like today, though, you’d think that common sense would prevail, wouldn’t you?

What do you think?

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