Please Leave Your Pets at Home in Hot Weather
08/25/2010
Temperatures around the nation have been off the charts lately and nothing upsets me more more than discovering a helpless pet locked in a hot car on a warm day. WHAT IN THE HECK are these people thinking!?! Living in Southern California, I spend more time running around grocery stores and strip malls trying to find the clueless owners of these poor pets who then proceed to tell me they "...just ran into the store for a minute..." or "...left the windows open, so he should be fine..." My answer to them: No - your pet is not fine and here's why:
Point Number One: Even on a relatively milld 85 degree day, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of your car to reach 102 degrees - even when the windows have been left open an inch or two. Within 30 minutes a car's interior can actually reach a staggering 120 degrees. Your car is now an oven.
Point Number Two: Even if the temperature outside is a pleasant 70 degrees, the inside of your car may be as much as 20 degrees hotter. Parking your car in shade does not offer protection on a hot day because the sun moves.
Point Number Three: While humans have sweat glands all over our bodies that help regulate our body heat, dogs cool down mostly by panting, which is much less efficient than sweating. In only a short amount of time, a dog with a high body temperature can suffer critical damage to his nervous system, heart, liver and brain.
Do Something! What You Can Do
At least 14 states and many municipalities have enacted laws to address the problem of animals left in cars in extreme temperatures. Under these laws, you, police, animal control agents, peace officers and others may be authorized to enter a vehicle by whatever means necessary to remove an animal. Learn more about the regulations in your area here >
If you’re out and about on a hot day and see an animal alone in a car, you should immediately try to find the car’s owner. If you have no luck, or if the owner refuses to act, contact local law enforcement and/or animal control.
In my opinion, if the local law enforcement or animal welfare officer can't arrive quickly enough, I say get the dog out of the car - keeping in mind that you shouldn't put your life in danger either. As well, the ASPCA has created these handy Pets In Hot Cars flyers (pdf) which you can print out and distribute in your neighborhood to help educate people about the danger of leaving pets in hot cars.
I am going to keep these flyers stocked in my car glovebox - I encourage you to do the same!
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I have always left my ac running for my dog! I wouldnt leave my kids in there and I love my dog just as much. I had no idea the car inside can get that hot and I am sooo glad you have posted this. Great info for animal lovers! Thank you
Posted by: jodi howison | 08/25/2010 at 05:24 PM
Tyvärr de är envisas och strunt i hundarnas lidande för att hund kan ej tala de gör så som missbrukar och utnyttjar,alldeles fel.STACKARS HUNDAR SOM LIDANDE!!!!SJÄLVKLART ATT HUNDAR ÄR OSKYLDIG KOM TILL VÄRLDEN VARFÖR BEHANDLA ILLA HUNDARNA?????
Posted by: IDA LANG | 08/26/2010 at 01:42 AM
I would never take my animals out on a hot day and leave them in the car while I went shopping. It's called common sense!! Would the owners sit in a hot car? I think not!!! Leave them at home when the weather is hot!!!
Posted by: Lynn Reither | 08/26/2010 at 10:15 AM
I just don't get why people don't understand this. Hot cars, kids and pets don't mix.
Posted by: Keyword Academy | 10/08/2010 at 04:24 PM
unning around grocery stores and strip malls trying to find the clueless owners of these poor pets who then proceed to tell me they "...just ran into the store f
Posted by: hindi wishes | 06/29/2011 at 02:01 AM
I have always left my ac running for my dog! I wouldnt leave my kids in there and I love my dog just as much. I had no idea the car inside can get that hot and I am sooo glad you have posted this. Great info for animal lovers!
Posted by: demotivators | 07/21/2011 at 06:35 AM
I always let the dog run AC! I left the letter there, and my children that I love my dog too. I had no clue inside the car can not get that hot and I am sooo glad you're here. Info for animal lovers! Thanks
Posted by: Testking 650-987 | 08/16/2011 at 01:23 AM
I never take my animal on a hot day and leave them in the car while she went shopping. It's called common sense! Owners would sit in a hot car? I think not! Leave them at home when the weather is hot!
Posted by: garage shoes | 08/16/2011 at 01:28 AM
Very irresponsible to leave a pet in a hot car.
Posted by: Alan | 10/17/2011 at 10:15 AM
I see people doing this all the time, but when I see someone leave the animal in the car with the windows up it really irritates me!
Posted by: Windows Boise | 09/08/2012 at 10:40 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:49 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:49 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:49 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:49 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:49 PM
My opinion is that like you, it’s very
funny, but I don’t know how it could be judged by him.
Posted by: c9gold | 02/06/2013 at 07:50 PM