Sep 2, 2026

Heat and Dogs in Scottsdale: 90 Degrees, and a Cruelty Warning

Ninety degrees at any point in the hike, checked against the hourly forecast rather than the daily high. Plus the two agencies that give opposite advice about cooling a dog with water.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Scottsdale, Arizona10 min readPet Care & Services

Scottsdale's number is 90 degrees. Its neighbour's is 100. And Scottsdale attaches a sentence to its guidance that no other city in this series puts on a parks page.

Verbatim from the Preserve page:

"The desert heat can kill them with little or no warning, and you could be charged with animal cruelty under State law."

That is what a 90-degree threshold is doing there. It is guidance in form, and the paragraph around it tells you how the city thinks about ignoring it.

The threshold, and the wording that matters

The rule as published, split across two lines on the page:

"If it is over" "90 degrees at any time in your hike, it's too hot for your dog."

"At any time in your hike." Not the temperature at the trailhead when you set off. The temperature at the furthest point from your car, an hour later, on a slope that has been in the sun since dawn.

Stated again, plainer, on the same page: "Check the hourly weather forecast BEFORE bringing your dog to the Preserve. If it will be more than 90 degrees during your outing, leave your dog at home." The capitals are the city's.

Hourly forecast, not daily high. That is the practical instruction, and it is a better one than most cities give.

How many days that rules out

The city answers this itself, verbatim: "Starting in May to about September, we will be experiencing triple digit temperatures almost every day."

Five months. For most of May through September, the honest answer to "can I hike with the dog" in Scottsdale is no.

And the general heat panel does not hedge. Among its bullets, verbatim: "Hike before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m." and "Leave pets at home". Separately: "PLEASE leave your dog at home; they cannot regulate heat effectively."

What the ground does

Scottsdale's own pairing, verbatim from its dog heat panel: "90 degree atmospheric temp/ potential surface temp of 135 degrees". And, verbatim: "Sidewalk/natural rock surface can radiate very high temps".

90 degrees of air, 135 degrees of surface.

Maricopa County publishes a different table for asphalt, on its pet heat safety page:

Outside temperature	Asphalt temperature
77 degrees F	125 degrees F
86 degrees F	135 degrees F
87 degrees F	143 degrees F
102 degrees F	167 degrees F

The county puts 135 degrees at 86 degrees of air. Scottsdale puts it at 90. Two government sources for the same metro area, four degrees apart, on different surfaces and by different methods. We are printing both rather than choosing.

What the county adds is the consequence, verbatim: "Skin damage can occur in ONE MINUTE when asphalt temperatures are above 125 degrees. It's hot enough to fry an egg when asphalt temperatures are above 135 degrees."

One minute. And on the county's own table, 125 degrees arrives at 77 degrees of air temperature, which is a pleasant spring morning.

The test to carry, verbatim from the county: "Place your bare foot or the back of your hand on the pavement for 7 seconds, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for pets too!"

Do it on the surface you are about to walk on. Pavement outside your house, rock at the trailhead. Our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the physiology behind all of this.

Why dogs lose this fight

Scottsdale's explanation, verbatim: "Dogs do not actually sweat. They exchange heat through panting and to a minor degree, through their feet" pads. It adds that dogs do not tolerate high environmental temperatures as well as humans do.

Panting and paw pads. And the paw pads are in contact with the 135-degree surface, which is the part that makes desert heat different from humid heat.

Risk groups, verbatim: "The risk groups are much the same as humans: old, obese, suffer from medical conditions or take medicine. Certain breeds are more susceptible to heat emergencies than other breeds. These breeds with a broad, short skull: Boxers, Bulldogs, Pugs, etc."

Causes, verbatim: "Strenuous exercise in hot, humid weather" and "Sidewalk/natural rock surface can radiate very high temps". One further item on the city's list we are paraphrasing rather than quoting, because the word it uses is one our house style does not print: it names higher temperatures arising from the air temperature combined with contact with a hot surface.

The warning signs, in the order they arrive

Verbatim from the city:

"Begins with heavy panting/signs of difficulty breathing" "Tongue/gums appears bright red with thick saliva" "Skin elasticity (when pinched, does not snap back)" "Worsens if dog vomits, becomes unsteady, lethargic, unwilling to move (Core temp in the 104 degree range)"

And heat stroke, verbatim: "lips/membranes become blue/gray" / "Rapid on-set collapse, seizure, unconsciousness and death".

"Rapid on-set collapse." There is no long warning period at the end of this sequence, which is what the city means by "little or no warning".

The first aid conflict, and how to handle it

Two government sources, opposite instructions on water. We are printing both and telling you what to do about it.

Scottsdale says, verbatim: "Immediate cooling of body with water, cool packs to groin, where legs meet the body, neck" / "Remove from heat immediately" / "Get to Veterinarian (Consequences of heat emergency = kidney failure, heart irregularities, other system failures, death)".

Maricopa County says, verbatim: "Do not attempt to rapidly cool pet with water or ice; this may cause shock" and "Do not force water".

The county's full list, verbatim: "Move your pet out of the heat" / "Place a cool wet cloth on their belly, paws, and neck" / "Place a fan so that it is blowing on your pet" / "Do not attempt to rapidly cool pet with water or ice; this may cause shock" / "Do not force water" / "Do not leave pet unattended".

They agree on two things: get the dog out of the heat immediately, and get to a vet.

They disagree on how aggressively to cool. Scottsdale says water and cool packs. The county says a cool wet cloth, and specifically warns against rapid cooling with water or ice.

What to do: ring the hospital while you are moving and follow the instruction of the vet on the phone. They will ask about the dog's presentation and give you an answer neither page can. Our emergency vets in Scottsdale guide has the 24-hour numbers, two of them in the same ZIP code, and our pet first aid basics guide covers the general principles.

Prevention, as the two agencies frame it

Scottsdale's list, verbatim: "Know your dog's limitations/abilities" / "Assess the environmental conditions" / "Carry plenty of water for both you and your dog" / "Cool vests and trail booties for dogs are available and are very efficient".

The turnaround rule, verbatim: "Bring ample water for you and your dog. When it is half gone, turn around."

And the county's alternatives, verbatim: "Limit your pet's time outside and try to stick to the mornings or evenings when the temperatures are cooler." / "Consider play activities that involve water such as a hose or sprinkler." / "If walks on pavement are necessary, consider getting dog booties to protect your pet's paws."

A sprinkler in the garden is a legitimate summer exercise plan here, and it is the county's own suggestion rather than ours.

Where to go instead, May to September

A dog park at 5:30 a.m. Two of Scottsdale's four dog parks open at 5:30 a.m. year-round, which is before the gates of the Preserve open on most days of the year. Our Scottsdale dog parks guide has the hours and the weekly maintenance closures.

Grass rather than desert. All four dog parks are turf with water fountains, and one is a retention basin the city says floods after storms, which is worth knowing in monsoon season.

Not the Preserve, and not Pinnacle Peak at all. Pinnacle Peak bans dogs from its trail outright, whatever the temperature, and our Pinnacle Peak Park and dogs guide covers that.

And indoor work. Scent games and training sessions are the only exercise that is temperature-independent, which in this climate makes them worth learning properly.

The car, and the Arizona law about windows

Maricopa County states the position on hot cars, and we are quoting it as the county states it because we have not read the bill itself.

The county describes Arizona HB 2494 as providing protection from civil liability for a person who uses reasonable force to remove a domestic animal from a motor vehicle when the animal is in imminent danger, subject to conditions including contacting law enforcement or emergency services first.

Our position, stated as ours: never leave a dog in a car here, at any time of year, for any length of time. In a city where 77 degrees of air makes 125 degrees of asphalt, a parked car is not a shaded space with a window cracked. Our Phoenix dog heat rules guide covers the hot-car provisions in more detail.

A month-by-month version

November to March. Preserve season. Below 90 most days, gates from roughly 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Watch for snakes on the warm days, because the city puts their active range at 60 to 90 degrees.

April and October. Check the hourly forecast every time. This is where the 90-degree line gets crossed without the calendar warning you.

May to September. Dog parks at dawn, sprinkler at home, and accept that the trails are a winter activity. The city's own words: leave your dog at home.

Any month. Seven seconds on the surface. Water for two and the half-gone rule. And the emergency number already in your phone.

If you are visiting, our pet-friendly hotels in Phoenix roundup and Phoenix hotel directory are the nearest PetCompass listings to Scottsdale, and our hotel stay with a dog packing list covers the kit.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is too hot to walk a dog in Scottsdale? The city's Preserve guidance is that over 90 degrees at any time during your hike is too hot for your dog, and it advises checking the hourly forecast and leaving the dog at home if it will be more than 90 degrees during the outing.

Is 90 degrees a law in Scottsdale? It is published as guidance on the city's Preserve pages rather than as an ordinance. The city adds that the desert heat can kill a dog with little or no warning and that you could be charged with animal cruelty under state law.

How hot is the ground when the air is 90 degrees? Scottsdale pairs a 90-degree air temperature with a potential surface temperature of 135 degrees. Maricopa County's asphalt table puts 135 degrees at 86 degrees of air temperature and 143 at 87.

How do I test whether the ground is too hot? Maricopa County advises placing your bare foot or the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds. If it is too hot for you, it is too hot for your pet.

What are the warning signs of heat trouble in a dog? Scottsdale lists heavy panting or signs of difficulty breathing first, then a bright red tongue and gums with thick saliva, then loss of skin elasticity when pinched, then vomiting, unsteadiness, lethargy and unwillingness to move with a core temperature in the 104-degree range.

Should I cool my dog with water or not? The two local sources disagree. Scottsdale advises immediate cooling with water and cool packs to the groin and neck. Maricopa County advises against rapidly cooling with water or ice because it may cause shock, and recommends a cool wet cloth on the belly, paws and neck plus a fan. Both agree on getting out of the heat and to a vet, so call the hospital on the way and follow their instruction.

Sources

Heat guidance and thresholds change. Check the city and county pages before relying on any figure here.