PHOENIX — If dogs could talk, Tia would tell you she’s a survivor.
The 5-year-old bull terrier was rescued last month with all four paws severely burned and suffering from heat exhaustion. She’d been homeless and had walked the hot summer pavements in Phoenix possibly for weeks.
“She was used for fighting and we know she was heavily bred,” said Monique Hebert. “She was in horrible shape.”
Hebert runs Dogs Day Out AZ, a volunteer and donation-based rescue that provides dog shoes, cooling blankets, wagons and care packages for people who are unsheltered and their pets across the Valley.
On May 22, Tia was spotted by a volunteer with a young man who was living in the streets near 51st Avenue and Baseline Road. The next day, Hebert and part of her team met them to provide help.
But Tia couldn’t walk. The padding on her paws was gone entirely or peeled back.
“She was non-responsive and couldn’t move,” Hebert said. “We were going to give them shoes and a wagon, but her case was critical.”
After some convincing, the man allowed Hebert and her team to take Tia for medical care. Days later, he surrendered her.
Tia’s paws were severely burned that the padding had to be surgically removed. Doctors also removed three infected teeth and found a Stage 2 mast cell tumor.
“Thankfully they got clean margins when they removed the tumor,” Hebert said. “Had she not burnt her paws, we never would have caught cancer and she would have died on the streets.”
With a lot of love, and care, and three surgeries later, Tia’s paws are slowly recovering.
Dog paws can burn in 80°F weather
Tia’s story is a brutal reminder of the unforgiving dangers summer heat can bring, not just for homeless pets, but all dogs.
“As low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit is when the pavement gets hot enough to burn paw pads,” said Dr. Erin Greenwoods, veterinarian, and medical director at Gilbert Queen Creek Emergency Veterinarian & Specialty Center.
“It’s hard this time of the year because we all want to get our pets out and walk them and get them some exercise, but in 85 degrees they are in danger of burning paw pads,” Greenwoods said. “The pavement is about 130 degrees Fahrenheit with only 80 degrees.”
The concrete and asphalt are usually 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the actual temperature, veterinarian Greenwoods said. Dog paws can burn in 60 seconds on an 80°F day.
“The best rule to follow is, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for them,” said Greenwoods. “You can’t walk barefoot, neither should they.”
During Arizona’s hot summer months, Dr. Greenwoods recommends walking your dog early, walking them in shaded areas, limiting sun exposure, and using dog shoes.
If a dog stumbles or limps when walking, licks its paws or has blisters, redness, or a darker tone on their padding, it could have burned its paws.
“But overall, it’s not just their paws, it’s the danger of getting overheated as well that we have to be careful about with these guys,” Dr. Greenwoods said.
Dogs Day Out AZ rescue
Monique Hebert created Dogs Day Out AZ rescue in the summer of 2020, after seeing the situation at the ‘Zone,’ where about 1,000 unsheltered people and their pets have camped out in downtown Phoenix.
With the help of donations and volunteers, this summer they have put over 600 pairs of shoes on homeless dogs. They also provide care packages that include food, bowls, water, treats, harnesses, leashes, cooling blankets, and sometimes wagons.
“We take care of 1,800 homeless dogs every month,” Hebert said. “In the wintertime, they all get blankets and sweaters. It’s such a huge need, that these dogs can’t survive without us.”
Hebert said they are still another 1,200 homeless dogs they would like to reach out and help. The organization also provides care packages to the pet owners too.
If volunteers encounter a dog that needs medical attention, the rescue will take the pet to an animal hospital and with the help of donations pay for that animal’s vet bills.
“We don’t have the backing for that usually, but we make it happen. God always provides,” Hebert said. “When they are healthy, they are returned to the owner. And when they do, they are the sweetest videos being reunited with their parents who love them dearly.”
Hebert said since “nobody is out there helping the dogs,” she and her volunteers spend every weekend packing and delivering the much-needed items to homeless pets and their owners.
“We are not in the business of taking dogs away from their owners,” Hebert said. “They love their pets, and we are just there giving them a helping hand. We care for them. It takes a lot of love and compassion.”
The organization’s hope is to prevent injuries like Tia’s.
“Summer is hot,” said rescue volunteer, Jordan Zeller.” Arizonans know. You wouldn’t walk on the asphalt without shoes, so why should your dog.”
Tia is looking for her fur-ever home
After suffering severe burns, Tia’s paws are slowly healing and growing back. Heber has been caring for the Bull Terrier as she now begins her search for her forever home.
“She is just a sweet, sweet girl,” Hebert said. “If we had not found her with burnt paws, we wouldn’t have found the cancer and she wouldn’t have survived the cancer had it not been taken care of.”
Doctors were able to remove Tia’s tumor, so she is cancer free. Despite her medical problems, “she’s had nothing but a smile on her face,” Hebert said.
Tia loves hugs, playing, kissing and being a lap dog. She is house and kennel trained and loves people. Because she was used to fighting in the past, she must be the only animal in her new home.
“She’s got a lot of life left to give,” Hebert said. “She is a true inspiration of how forgiving dogs can be, how much unconditional love they have and she’s ready for a new home.”
Anyone interested in Tia or volunteering with Dogs Day Out AZ can reach out to Monique Hebert through their social media group.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: El calor extremo significa un alto riesgo de quemaduras para los perros.
Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.