If we're independent contractors, they aren't allowed to mandate it by law. An independent contractor has the authority to decide how to go about accomplishing tasks, and does so without the employer's input. If they continue to 1099, which they will otherwise there are additional expenses and logistical nightmares for them, they cannot mandate the "how" we do our jobs. I will completely and totally argue this. It takes time away from the dogs, I have one lady that I do drop ins for with SIX dogs, how the heck am I supposed to keep track of who did what when they are going into a fenced yard? Almost all my stops are multiple dogs and this uses up a lot of data over the month between the tracking and all. If I'm charging 15+ for a drop in, and you're trying to get me to use this and I'm spending an extra $40 in data.... it really cuts into profits. It costs me money, it costs me time, and it costs me attention. I would rather have full focus on the dogs, type out the message I want and go about my business.

It depends on the dog. Like the other Rover sitter above, if the heat index is above 100 I don't walk. If it is extremely hot or overly humid, I gauge how the dog is doing on the walk. My other concern is the pavement temperature. I try to stay to grass areas but in some of the neighborhoods pavement and asphalt are unavoidable. I place my bare hand on the asphalt and see if I can stand it for 10 seconds. If I cannot, then it is too hot for the dog paws. Depending on if it's borderline or not I may consider either using a protective salve (available in many pet stores) on their paws or carrying smaller dogs over the asphalt to a grassy area. Cold weather/long hair/ thick coated dogs I am especially cautious with. Check for uneasiness in their breathing, excessive drooling, whimpering, "high stepping" on the pavement, etc. There are lists of heat stroke symptoms online and I'd definitely check one of those out and possibly keep them with you. If it's over 90 degrees I often scale back the walk and seek shade when possible.