Tuesdays With Toby: Shady, Cool Places to Take the Pup

Sometime’s it’s just hot. Stinking hot. And that’s when I lose my brain.

I’d been going on morning walks to shake out some of the winter kinks for about a month. As you probably remember, the hot weather sneaked up on us like a prowling tiger. Toby was enjoying the sunrise walks with Mom and all the exciting things to sniff along our route.

One day got off to a slow start and we went for our daily constitutional in the mid-afternoon. We went down Queensbury Road and made it to Riverdale Park. It was there that I realized how exhausted and overheated Toby was. He was panting profusely and dragging along way behind me.

I tried to run through the sunny areas and take it slow through the shaded places so Toby could regain some strength. I was seriously worried that we wouldn’t make it home. Do they have doggie ambulances?

Thankfully, we did make it home and both tumbled into our apartment. I whisked my 75-pound blondie into the bathtub and ran cool water around him and let him drink from my hands. He lay down but still couldn’t catch his breath.

So, that got me thinking—Where’s the best place around Hyattsville to walk the dog during hot weather?

Here’s what I came up with:

• Try the fountains at the Prince George’s County building on Route 1. I’ve been known to let Toby hop into them and splash around a bit.

• You can hit the Anacostia path in , but you probably need to make sure your dog gets proper medicine to avoid any bacteria poisoning. Also, consider avoiding the area off Crittenden Street where there's construction and possibly things that could harm your bestie.

• Longfellow Street is lined with huge old trees that form a canopy over the road. Your pup might like all the sweet scents from the flowers along the way too.

• Check out , Hyattsville’s hidden park, on Oliver Street. There’s a lot of tree coverage there and not much traffic!

• If you’re in the northwestern neighborhood, take a pass through and see if the fountains/geysers are on. There are usually kids playing in the water and you can grab a bite at Wild Onion while your pooch pie waits outside.