OTTAWA -- It’s hot in Ottawa. Really hot. Some say too hot. But not only for us, our pets as well. 

Walking your dog in the heat can be dangerous for them if you don’t take the right precautions to keep them safe in this type of weather. 

“When we’re outside I keep him off the pavement and try to walk on the grass,” says dog owner Amanda Wahab. “Luckily close to where I live there’s a lot of grassy areas. And I’ll pick a shaded route each time.”

Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for Ottawa. Temperatures hit 32C Saturday afternoon, with it feeling closer to 40 degrees with the humidex. 

Beaches were packed on this first day of summer. The City of Ottawa also opened up multiple cooling stations to give residents a break from the heat. The five cooling centres will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 102 Greenview Ave.

• Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre, 3320 Paul Anka Dr.

• Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington St. W.

• Sandy Hill Community Centre, 250 Somerset St. E.

• St-Laurent Complex, 525 Coté St.

If there is one thing most kids love, its summer. And that's no exception for Daniela Guidoccio’s family. 

“Oh the kids enjoy it for sure,” says Guidoccio. “To them they don’t feel it. They are resilient to the weather. They want to be outside as often as they can.”

Guidoccio’s daughter Angelina says, “It’s really fun to play outside except for when the sun comes right in your face, then you can't see anything.”

Although outdoor play and exercise are important for kids, Guidoccio knows that heat stroke and exhaustion can happen fast when it's this hot.

“You don’t have to be exposed to the sun very long for it to happen,” says Guidoccio. “So having to stop their play to come in and take breaks is a struggle sometimes but it’s definitely important.”

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips says this weather is just the beginning. 

“This is the opening act to what we think will be a hot and rather dry kind of summer coming up,” says Phillips. “All the models seem to suggest that's the case from the next month right through until Labour Day.”

So if you have not already, I think now might be a good time to stock up on that sunscreen.