It’s officially Fall, but that doesn’t mean those parked cars are going to be getting cooler anytime soon. Yup, even though the air feels brisker, the sun is still no joke. What would you do if you were left in a hot car? You’d simply unlock the door and get out, right? Dogs don’t have that same luxury.
Most would think this is common sense not to leave your dog locked in a car on a warm day, but those who don’t find ways every day to prove to us that more education on this subject, and people taking action, is necessary.
You see, dogs are unable to cool their bodies down like humans do. Humans are able to sweat through their pores, whereas dogs mainly use panting to cool themselves down. Other than the occasional paw pad sweat, their bodies are physically unable to perspire. Add complete panic mode to the mix and this combination could turn deadly. While some of you don’t need to be told this is wrong to do, some of you do need it. If you’re one of them, please watch veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward’s hot car experiment before you continue reading. It will surely open your eyes.
Storytime
In the beginning of August, my family and I went out to breakfast at a local diner. What started out as a nice meal turned into a bout of carelessness by another fellow breakfast-goer.
While exiting the restaurant, we heard a very loud barking sound coming from one of the nearby cars. After further investigation, it appeared that someone had left their puppy in their car while they went into the air-conditioned building. Needless to say, I was livid. Yes, the windows were cracked, but it was a very hot day. Those small slits in the window were doing absolutely nothing for that puppy other than raising the temperature second by second.
Every person that came out of the restaurant was making a comment towards the puppy, but no one stopped to help. The owner actually came out at one point and rolled the windows down an extra .2 inches (how kind…🙄), but retreated right back in. It was then that I realized I had to do something for that poor puppy.
That’s when I decided to do what we’re all told to do (but never have the guts to do it) when faced with a situation like this. Rather than bashing in one of their windows, I called the local non-emergency number and notified the police. It was completely anonymous, and we didn’t have to be there when they arrived, but we did have to provide the car’s make and model as well as the color and license plate number.
The lesson of the day? Well, there are a few of them.
- Don’t leave your pup in the car when you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time. It doesn’t matter if you’ll be right back or if it’s cool out, with no real air circulation, it will get hot and you may not get that second chance at fixing your mistake, and your fur baby will be the one paying for it.
- If you’re ever put in the situation where you find that a person has left their pet inside their car (it doesn’t matter what type of animal, we’re all animal lovers here), make sure to write down all of the information to report to your local non-emergency police department. The location, car information, etc. You may feel silly about it at first, but at the end of the day, you could be saving that animal’s life.
- Leave your pup at home. It’s not worth the risk.
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