People who leave their dogs in hot cars!!!

[Cherry]

I’m out in public a lot and I swear, if I see one more person doing this I’m going to become unhinged!!! It has been so hot and humid here in southeastern PA lately.

What is wrong with people? It seems to be young people doing it (in their 20’s). Do they really not know what the consequences are? What about common sense? :rolleyes:

I think they’re working on a bill in the PA legislature that will absolve Good Samaritans and police of damages when they have to break out car windows to free animals that are stuck in hot cars–really? It’s about time!!!

I’m nearly overcome in this heat and humidity as the air conditioning doesn’t work in my truck and, due to some malfunction, I cannot turn the heat off (yes, truck is going into the shop this Monday to be fixed).

The local Humane League used to have cards addressing animals in hot cars that one could leave under wipers on cars–guess I have to break down and get more. Not much upsets me more than this issue. :mad:

[StGermain]

Can’t you call your local police? Here in TN you’re allowed to break a car window to save an animal or child.

StG

[S1969]

Well…I think it requires common sense on both sides. I have friends who have had notes on their windshields threatening to break out their crated dogs on 50F cloudy days when there is clearly no threat of overheating.

I know many people who train their dogs for field work that leave them appropriately crated in their vehicles, but realize that many people don’t know the difference between “appropriate” and “inappropriate” crating in a vehicle.

I would not call the police or break someone’s window without careful observation for more than one minute. Just because a dog is in a car, does not mean its life is in danger. I do think it is true that some people are careless and some are downright negligent, but I think that the zeal of some may be over enthusiastic.

[Jhein12]

I’m with S1969 on this one. I left my dog for literally 1 minute the other day. Ran into Starbucks to grab my coffee that I ordered ahead. I was right back to the car in 1 minute or maybe less. What infuriates me is people that bring their dog to a dog friendly store like Petco or Petsmart but leave them in the freaking car while they shop!! I see it a lot and they are shopping for more than a few minutes too.

[MsM]

I can sort of see how someone can be ignorant that their dog can overheat in a closed car on a sunny 70 degree day. But I totally do not understand the depth of stupidity that can leave a dog in a closed car when it is 90 degrees!

[shiloh]

I think they should be locked in a hot car.

I saw the other day a news story about a woman who was arrested for locking her dog in a hot car and all the way to the police station she kept whinging on about how hot the cage area of the patrol car was. Well, boo hoo - now you know how your poor dog felt, you cow.

[D_BaldStockings]

You are hot in your car. I get that. Many people react poorly to heat and humidity at levels that don’t bother me in the least.

Not everyone and not every dog is going to have the same reaction to being in a car with the windows down on a borderline 70 - 80 ish day…

I have been yelled at when I was sitting in the car WITH my sleeping dogs on a return trip from a beach run and stopped at a grocery: passenger went in to get cold drinks and dog chews.

I have seen people call the police on a person who put his dog in the car while he returned back into the vet office to pay his bill…

Yes, I know what heat stress looks like and IF I saw it would get a child or animal out if I had to break something.

But the number of well meaning cray-crays out there is disturbing.
Not in favor of giving them carte blanche on destroying my property.

[khall]

Call the cops or AC, let them be the bad guys. That is what I did when I came across a dog in a hot car (90’s in GA) in a parking lot of sit down restaurant.

[Cherry]

Well, the last time I witnessed this deed, the windows were down a couple inches, but the dog was panting rapidly. His people were in an air conditioned convenience store–both of them; it wasn’t just for a couple of minutes either! One of them could have stayed outside with the dog (out of the car), as there was a cool breeze going. Neither one of them offered the dog a drink of water either. :mad:

Yes, I was on the verge of calling the police–they patrol the lot of this particular store rather regularly looking for miscreants, but there’s never a policeman around when you really need one. No, I wouldn’t personally break out someone’s car window, but would have no problem watching a policeman do it. I’m pretty sure if the message came from a law enforcement officer it would make a bigger impression than if it came from me!

When I had dogs, if I absoutely had to take them out on a hot day, I would leave the car running with the a/c on, and doors locked. I can count the times on one hand that that would have happened.

[StGermain]

I called the police once for a dog in a hot van. Windows cracked maybe 1/2". Day in the '90’s. I went into Walmart twice to have them announce over the speakers about the van. Waited at least 20 minutes. Called the police. They showed up and hemmed and hawed for a while - he wasn’t comfortable breaking in while the dog was still moving around, barking. Finally, after another 10-15 minutes, the grandmother comes out with 3 grandkids with ice cream cones and an air conditioner in her cart. “Oh, but I can assure you I was only in there 5 minutes at most.” The cop told her he’d been there longer than that, and that the call came in 20 minutes before. Dog was okay, but stressed.

StG

[Bicoastal]

Yeah, my perspective has changed over the years. It isn’t black and white, and stupid people doing stupid things produce laws that need decisions/actions to be black and white. My state now has a law protecting non-law enforcement that break car windows to release a dog in distress.

I have a cousin-in-law whose social media is full of “Don’t buy while pets die!” slogans and such. She is frequently posting to her peers to save dogs trapped in hot cars, with everyone eagerly commenting about how they are ready to go vigilante to save the suffering and are actively seeking out dogs in cars. Um, you better LOOK at my situation first before a knee-jerk reaction that’s been whipped into a frenzy on social media. I acknowledge some people are still idiots and dogs do die every summer from heat. But use your eyes before your fists.

Some of the viral videos of good samaritans ‘rescuing’ dogs in cars show a dog not in distress, simply looking around, responding to observers, A-Ok. A dog panting or barking does not automatically equal distress. After you break a window, open my car, and open the crate, now what are you going to do? My dog would bolt. Or maybe bite someone. Then what? My dog gets hit by a car or disappears never to be seen again; or he’s declared dangerous.

My crate is covered so it’s harder to tell it is a crate and that a dog might be in it. I also have tinted windows, sunshades, water, fans, and AC. I’m not stopping with my dog in the car in July and Aug but a 9-hr roadtrip in Aug will be the exception. Eventually, I’m going to have to pee. I’m afraid someone will read my doggy bumper stickers, make out a crate in the back, then break a window -even if there isn’t a dog inside.

Lots of people have similar concerns and now I’m seeing dog people make signs like “No Dog in Car” that reverses to, “Car is temperature controlled and monitored” or making a sign that asks good samaritan to contact owner if concerned. I think some people would skip contacting the owner and break a window for a sense of glory. Or believing the owner is unfit, a la PETA.

Was this dog in distress? https://www.thedodo.com/dog-hot-car-…856403009.html

[furlong47]

@Bicoastal

Eventually, I’m going to have to pee. I’m afraid someone will read my doggy bumper stickers, make out a crate in the back, then break a window -even a dog inside.

Lots of people have similar concerns and now I’m seeing dog people make signs like “No Dog in Car” that reverses to, “Car is temperature controlled and monitored” or making a sign that asks good samaritan to contact owner if concerned. I think some people would skip contacting the owner and break a window for a sense of glory. Or believing the owner is unfit, a la PETA.

Something like this could have happened to my Uncle… he was driving from PA back to NC with his small dog in the car. Stopped at a rest stop and left the dog inside while he went in to use the bathroom - only out of the car for 2-3 minutes. He came back out, got the dog out, and took him for a walk. When they got back to the car there was a cop peering in the windows. Good thing someone only called the police (then apparently left) and didn’t break into the car :uhoh:

I certainly agree that leaving pets in a hot car needs attention when it is a truly dangerous situation. But there are times when someone is alone and may need to run into somewhere, truly for just a minute or two, that they can’t take the pet.

[Callista17]

I agree, there are a lot of idiots out there. If someone broke my window, they would be paying for it. I am worried there will be one. I do, ONCE IN AWHILE, run into the grocery store for possibly 3 items at most. I am hesitant to leave my windows open more for fear some one will stick their hand in, and my little dog probably would bite.
The trip from Sunday dinner from my parents house to my house, then back to the grocery store would be an extra hour trip.
I don’t do it on extremely hot days, the A/C was blasting before and will after.

[sisu27]

On my news feed this morning:

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/animal-cruelty-charges-laid-in-calgary-after-dog-dies-in-hot-car/ar-BBEGzzw?li=AAacUQk&ocid=spartanntp

I am not a fan of people having to take their dogs absolutely everywhere anyways but on hot days when you are shopping why?? My dogs are much happier at home in the air conditioned house.

I would be upset if someone broke my car window for no good reason but I prefer that to dogs dying in cars because their humans are stupid.

[Sunsets]

@Bicoastal

Yeah, my perspective has changed over the years. It isn’t black and white, and stupid people doing stupid things produce laws that need decisions/actions to be black and white. My state now has a law protecting non-law enforcement that break car windows to release a dog in distress.

I have a cousin-in-law whose social media is full of “Don’t buy while pets die!” slogans and such. She is frequently posting to her peers to save dogs trapped in hot cars, with everyone eagerly commenting about how they are ready to go vigilante to save the suffering and are actively seeking out dogs in cars. Um, you better LOOK at my situation first before a knee-jerk reaction that’s been whipped into a frenzy on social media. I acknowledge some people are still idiots and dogs do die every summer from heat. But use your eyes before your fists.

It’s great that people want to prevent dogs from suffering, but man, does this lead to a lot of ASSumptions.

Case in point: My friend and I took our dogs to our local bar last Sunday. The place allows dogs on their shaded patio. Every time I walked through the inside to the bar, the woman sitting at a nearby table would declare loudly to her husband that “IT’S SIMPLY TOO HOT FOR DOGS TO BE OUTSIDE”

Never mind that we picked the dogs up from my air conditioned house, drove them 6 blocks in my air conditioned car, and were sitting with them in the shade under 2 misting fans, and they had a bucket of water each. In her eyes our dogs were clearly dying of heat exhaustion.

[MsM]

The police just arrested a guy in CT after his dog died after being left in the car. He took the dog to the vet who reported him as this was the Second dog of his that died this way!
It sounds like this guy is having cognitive/memory issues. Hopefully he will be barred from having more dogs.