DC Dog Mom Summer Tips

1. Invest in a collapsable water bowl.

   • In DC, it's pretty easy to find water in public restrooms or going to a CVS (most allow dogs, with some exceptions). The difficult part of keeping your dog hydrated in my opinion is finding a vessel for them to get enough water.

   • You can find them at Ace Hardware, Petco, Unleashed, and Target.

   • There aren't many local businesses with water bowls outside.

2. Choose parks with ample tree shade

   • Places we avoid in the summer: The National Mall has shade, but it's a water desert. The Arboretum has some trees (but most paths are not shaded) but again a water desert. There are trees at Hains Point but it's pretty far out/I don't risk it because overheating. No trees at Kenilworth. Mitchell, Lincoln, Kalorama Park are nice, but not enough shade. Same with Logan Circle.

   • Places we love in the summer: Dumbarton Oaks, Rock Creek Park, and Theodore Roosevelt Island--ample tree shade, and water to wade it, but make sure to bring drinking water! Rose and Malcom X Park don't have many trees, but have water bowls by the bathroom.

3. Do a "Tour to Neighborhood"

   • Often I'll walk to Georgetown from Adams Morgan early in the morning when it is still cool, and spend the day hiding from the heat while window shopping with Luna.

   • Sample Itinerary #1:

     • Adams Morgan. Walk into Ace Hardware and Lost City Books. Grab a coffee at the Line Hotel (if in the mood) or order an ice water from Starbucks if necessary.

     • Dupont Circle. Stop in Kramers Books and Emissary for coffee (allow Luna to cool off in coffeeshop). Stop by CVS for water if necessary.

     • Georgetown. While crossing M St. Bridge, stop by Rose Park for a water pit stop. (There's a hose bibb by bathroom).

       • Georgetown (M St.). Stop by the following dog-friendly stores (*I don't know if they're dog-friendly technically but has never been an issue, +there's water available to refill a dog bowl—whether bathroom or store sink):

         • Free People

         • Paper Source*

         • Outdoor Voices

         • Lush+

         • Anthropologie+

         • H&M*

         • JCrew*

         • Sephora

         • Lululemon

       • Georgetown (Wisconsin Ave.) - 0.8 miles

         Stop by the following dog-friendly stores

         • Apple

         • Take Care

         • Duly Noted

         • Shop Made in DC

         • The Phoenix

         • Scilla + Luna

4. Plan how you will get home. I have often made the mistake of going to a shaded beer garden, or a far away destination and not considered how hot it will get during the day. I end up stranded somewhere till the sun sets and it cools off before walking home. If your dog is less than 80lbs, you might be interested in a dog backpack (we like the K9 sportsack brand) if you are going far away from home. Why? You can use public transit and won't have to wait on Ubers/be turned down by drivers.

5. You can always leave them at home. This is something I have learned the hard way desperately knocking on doors on Kansas Ave. asking for water for Luna when she was just overheating. It wasn't fair for me to put her in that position. Similarly I don't run with Luna when it's hot and I can't guarantee water or ample shade. A lot of this is common sense, but DC summer can be really hot!