THE sun is shining, the temperatures are soaring, people everywhere are feeling the heat, and the first warnings on social media about the absolute insanity of daring to step outside with your dog between the hours of 7 am to 11 pm have been spotted.

People across Abergavenny are busy pressing their hands to the pavement and gauging the temperature. It may not be warm enough to fry an egg but my god it could burn that tough leathery skin on the paws of your dog in a microsecond.

That is if you were dumb enough to walk them down Castle or Swan Meadows where they could cool off in the chilling waters of the Usk or Gavenny.

Dog owners may think they know their pets. After all, there may be a world of difference between what a greyhound and a husky can handle in the heat.

However, the helpful types on social media dictate otherwise and have begun to issue the first of many friendly reminders to dog walkers who would probably run their beloved pet into the ground out of sheer ignorance.

Alongside handy charts informing us of the sort of temperatures that could kill our dogs, we have the usual comments about “only idiots would walk their dog in this weather,” as others queue up to repeat the modern mantra of “Well said!”

The thought of someone taking their dog for a walk to cool off in water is far too much for some concerned animal lovers, and they have issued threats about giving any dog walker who dares walk through town with their defenceless pet a "right ear-bashing.”

If all other arguments fail to dissuade reckless dog walkers, then the adage about how you wouldn’t walk around in this heat with a fur coat and a hat on usually works. Until you realise you probably wouldn’t walk about naked and barefooted in the bleak midwinter either, but guess who does? Woof! Woof!