Mike Russell regularly checks the weather before work. He\u2019s the co-owner of J&M Dog Walking, so weather plays an important role in deciding how much time his clients spend outdoors.<\/p>\n
When Russell saw the advisory for poor air quality Thursday morning, he \u201cdidn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d he said. Still, he told walkers to take dogs out quickly and to spend more time inside with them instead.<\/p>\n
But Russell, 43, quickly realized the pollution was going to be a larger issue. Many of his North Side clients canceled their scheduled dog walks because they didn\u2019t want their pets to breathe the polluted air \u2014 or because they weren\u2019t going into work themselves, Russell said. That night he worried about comparisons in the news between breathing the outside air and smoking multiple cigarettes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike, a dog has never smoked a cigarette,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s hazardous air quality didn\u2019t affect just humans, experts say. Fine particles known as PM2.5, which were emitted by wildfires from Minnesota and Canada, were the main drivers of this week\u2019s elevated air quality and had animal caretakers scrambling to pay special attention to their charges who have wings or tails.<\/p>\n
PM2.5 can be harmful and sometimes be deadly. Initially, fine particulate matter may cause a burning sensation in the eyes and nose. But because of its small size, it can settle deep in the lungs and cross into the bloodstream.<\/p>\n
![\"Shravan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-FRIDAY-SMOKE02_264837719.jpg\")
Shravan Raghuram, with J&M Dog Walking, takes Roo out for walk in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood on July 17, 2026. Raghuram wore a face mask while working due to the wildfire smoke affecting the city. (Terrence Antonio James\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Dave Bernier, the general curator of Lincoln Park Zoo, said zoo employees are keeping an eye out for labored breathing, changes in activity levels or less movement from animals to see if they\u2019re uncomfortable in an environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be probably pretty similar to what is recommended for people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s bout of poor air quality, no zoo animals lost access to outdoor spaces, Bernier said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt that it would be actually more stressful on some of the animals that we thought potentially could be at risk for the air quality, to be kept inside, solely inside,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The main change Thursday was the animals\u2019 eating habits. Bernier said zoo staffers normally \u201cmake eating harder\u201d for the animals, to mimic foraging conditions in the wilderness. This can involve scattering food around a habitat.<\/p>\n
Trying to keep strenuous activity to a minimum, feeding was simpler Thursday. The zoo\u2019s staff also scattered more food indoors for certain animals like great apes to limit time outside.<\/p>\n
Bernier said zoo employees pay close attention to their animals, and the same should be done for pets at home, even if owners are already attentive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be subtle, so you may have to watch them a little closer, make sure their overall breathing or their panting isn\u2019t more excessive than it normally is, or their activity levels are the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The presence of major pollutant PM2.5 quadrupled the previous record<\/a> set for air quality in Cook County on Thursday, according to data<\/a> from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. AirNow listed levels Thursday and Friday as representing \u201cemergency conditions where everyone is more likely to be affected.\u201d<\/p>\n