Personal PetCast

How cool is this? Mom can get a personal petcast for me each day from weather.com. Just go to www.weather.com/pets and put in some information about your pet.

Dog or cat? Dog of course!

Pet's size? Hmmm. Mom chose small for this field.

Hair length? Short, but lots of it!

Pet's age? Mom chose adult because I'm not a puppy and I'm definitely not geriatric.

Pet overweight? I told Mom to select no, but according to the doctor I am overweight at 22.5 lbs.

Zip code? 60060

Pet's name? I wanted to use an alias, but Mom told me it would not be polite to use Rudy's name.

After Mom hit 'submit' I got my forecast for today and tonight. In addition to the usual information like sunrise and sunset times, temperature, and precipitation, I got a dog comfort index.

Dog Comfort Index = 3 paws

Best Time to Walk Your Dog 3PM-5PM
Mosquito Activity: Low
Best Time to Walk Your Dog 6PM-11PM
Mosquito Activity: Low

Mom clicked on the dog comfort index link and this is what it said:

Many factors impact your dog's comfort level in various weather conditions, including its hair length, age, weight and size.

For example, dogs with double coats are more likely to experience heatstroke because they retain more heat than dogs with single coats, like Poodles and terriers. Small, young, short-haired dogs are less tolerant of cold conditions than large, bulky dogs or dogs with thick coats, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.

Using a 0-5 scale, the Dog Comfort Index estimates how comfortable your dog will be outdoors in forecasted weather conditions. This may influence whether you leave your dog outside or opt to bring him/her indoors. The scale works as follows:

4-5 paws: Most Comfortable

2-3 paws: Moderately Comfortable

0-1 paws: Uncomfortable

I can be walked at almost any time today since I got three paws. I may be moderately comfortable on my walks today but it's raining and I don't like to get wet. Translation: no walks for me. Just a quick step out in the yard to do my business and then a sprint back into the house where I race by Mom who is standing with a towel in her hands.

I know that Mom knows that I cannot tolerate the heat, rain, or snow, but I like a personalized petcast just for me. I know you guys would like one too, so go check this cool tool out to see how many paws you get for today.