As a devoted dog owner, you already know that planning ahead is key to ensuring your furry friend's comfort, safety, and of course, fun. Let's say you booked a yard for your dog in advance, but now the day is here, it's feeling a bit toasty, and now you're wondering if it might be too hot for your dog during the time you scheduled.

How can you tell for sure if it might be too hot later in the day? Here are two steps to help you decide whether to stick with your plans or use our rescheduling feature to find a new date or time for a fun and safe play session:

Check the heat index, not just the temperature

While the thermometer reading is important, it doesn't tell the whole story. The heat index, which combines air temperature and relative humidity, gives a more accurate picture of how the weather will feel to your dog (and to you).

Most weather apps provide the heat index or "feels like" temperature. As a general rule, if the heat index is:

• <75°F: Generally safe for most dogs.

• 75-85°F: Use caution, especially for very young dogs, brachycephalic breeds, or senior dogs. Make sure the yard you're visiting provides water (check their amenities), or bring water yourself.

• 85-90°F: Short visit may be fine if absolutely needed, but consider rescheduling.

• >90°F: High risk for all dogs, reschedule!

Pro Tip #1: Make sure to check the weather more than hour before your scheduled time! Rescheduling is only allowed more than 1 hour in advance. After that, a booking cannot be rescheduled.

Pro Tip #2: Read more on safe outdoor play for your dog here. This is where the Rome team got this information from!

The "5-Degree Rule"

Some dogs are more sensitive to heat than other dogs. We touched on this a bit above, but here's quick tip (that we completely made up, but we think it makes sense). If your dog is any of the following, subtract 5°F from the temps above to make your "it's going to be too hot for my dog" decision:

• Young puppy

• Senior dog

• Dog with thick coat

• Dog with short nose

• Dog adapted to cooler climates

So, for example, if you have any of these kinds of dogs, you should definitely reschedule your Rome visit if it's 85°F or above.

Of course the Rome team wants you to visit a yard through our app! But what do we absolutely not want? A dog that overheats during a Rome visit. So now that we understand how to predict if it'll be too hot during a Rome visit, let's learn how to reschedule a visit if that's going to be the case.

Rescheduling a visit on Rome

Whatever the reason, here's how to use our rescheduling feature effectively:

1. Open the Rome app

2. From the map page, go to your profile by clicking the "r" in the top left corner.

3. Under "Upcoming Reservations", select the reservation you want to reschedule.

4. Scroll to the bottom, and click "Reschedule".

5. Select the new date and time you would like to visit, and click "Reschedule Reservation"

You'll notice that (for now), you cannot change the yard, duration, and number of dogs you are bringing with you with the "Reschedule" feature. This is because we want to ensure that the host doesn't lose the earnings they expected with this booking. Further, it's built for your convenience so that you can easily shift your already scheduled reservation. If you want to change any of those details about your reservation, you will need to use the "Cancel" feature instead.

Stay ahead of the heat, and make the most of your Rome yard adventures!