It Takes Only Minutes: Please Don’t Leave Pets in Hot Cars!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 9:45am
Dog Left In Car

Each year, thousands of beloved companions succumb to heatstroke and suffocation when left in parked cars. It happens most often when people make quick stops—the dry cleaners, the bank or the local deli. Folks, we need to be clear on this: It takes only minutes for your pet to face death—and it doesn’t have to be that hot out. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can reach 160 degrees. Even with the windows cracked. 

You can help save pets from dying in hot cars. Simply take the following actions: 

  • Educate people. Hang this printable flyer [PDF] up in your local grocery store, veterinary hospital, animal shelter and other local businesses.

  • If you see something, say something. If you see a dog alone in a vehicle, immediately call animal control or 911. Local law officials have the ability to enter vehicle and rescue the pet. Do not leave until help has arrived.

  • Try to find the car’s owner. If you are out and you see a dog locked in a car, tell the nearby store manager immediately. Don't be shy.

  •  And please, no matter how much your dog loves to go along when you run errands, don't take a chance. Leave her home where she is safe. 

For more information, visit our Summer Safety Tips!

Tags: 
Dog
Pet Care
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Comments

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 10:57 — maureen (Visitor)
I'd call ARL, if no action from them or the police in a very short time I'd break the window and get the dog out, it would be worth any trouble it got me into. Heck, I may not even wait for the police!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 10:57 — Marti (Visitor)
I would break the window THEN call the police. No tolerance for such stupidity and abuse!!

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 23:05 — Debbie (Visitor)
I agree! I have a baseball bat in my car for such a rescue operation, should it arise. The police can sort it out when they get there. I just want the animal to be safe.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:07 — Gail (Visitor)
I would call police, AC, and check in stores, AND crack the window any way I could! People are so 'mindless' - how would they like to be stuck in a locked up car and no a/c, or even a COLD car, etc. If thats' how they treat their pets - how in the world do they treat their children, grrrr

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 17:54 — Dee (Visitor)
WTH?!?! Shouldn't that be the other way around?? If that's how they treat their children, then...

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:10 — Tiffany Featherson (Visitor)
I'd first try to open the door,...If locked,..I'd call local law enforcement and probably bust a window to release the pet and worry about getting in trouble later,....

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:11 — Happy Place (Visitor)
In these circumstances, every second counts. If we take the time to discuss, wonder and hesitate then the animal or child would suffer a hideously tortured slow death. So, I would break the window and ask questions later.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:13 — Denise (Visitor)
I'd bust open the window and save the dog/cat. Then call the police. Oh yeah and I'd take a picture first as proof for the police.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:15 — Jill P (Visitor)
I would...Go inside the store and have it announced over the loud speaker that some a**hole left their dog in the car to suffocate. (O.K. I wouldn't be so rude) But pleaaase!!! Perhaps calling Ac first would be smart!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:17 — Christy (Visitor)
I would do what it takes to get dog out while calling police. Dog comes first. If I am fined then so be it. I wouldn't bother with the owner forst. Chance are if they are stupid enough to do this. they will be not be cooperative about fixing it.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:22 — Michelle Docchio (Visitor)
I would bust the window if the doors are locked and then call the police. This crap can only be done by the incredibly stupid and abusive people!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:22 — Jaclyn (Visitor)
I would definitely be tempted to bust a window. Realistically, I would alert whoever was in charge of the location we were at, then call the police. It depends where we were and if I saw the driver. There's a regular customer at the retail store I work at that leaves her car running with the windows up and the A/C or heat on when she leaves her dog to shop.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:56 — rocky reuter (Visitor)
as some have already stated, i too would first break the window to make sure the dog didn't suffer any further, then call police and wait for them to show.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 11:58 — Jagdish Mittal (Visitor)
Dogs must not be locked in cars in stead they may left at home where they will feel more comfortable

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 12:11 — Stacey B. (Visitor)
Call 911. Break the window. Pray that Jesus keeps me from smacking the stupidness out of the owner. Take pic of owner & put on animal abuse website.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 12:30 — Vicky (Visitor)
As many have stated I would break the window but would be very nervous about the consequences. Any police officers out there to tell us what trouble we would be in afterwards ?

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 12:35 — TriTexan (Visitor)
The actions I would take would be the same as I would if it were a child locked in a hot car...why act differently?

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 12:53 — Kris Ruffner (Visitor)
Well, I had the same idea to request permission to hang a flyer on the door of my local Publix in Florida. Their response was that they do not allow any flyers to be posted regardless of content on their entry doors for any reason, but that I was welcome to contact their corporate offices. Makes me reconsider shopping there.

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 14:16 — Tatiana Chavez (Visitor)
I Publix defense I want to let you know that I managed to get persmission from several store managers in Miami to place flyers either by the entrance or on their messages board for the big mega adoption event that a local shelter was running. My advise if it doesn't work with one manager, try another during a different shift. And when you ask nicely and explain that it is for the helpless animals help, normally you get a good response.

Sun, 07/22/2012 - 16:19 — Erin (Visitor)
Tatiana, you've inspired me. :o) I'm going to put a few fliers in my car, and find public homes for them.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 13:01 — Taran (Visitor)
Seen in too many times and i have called the cops and they do nothing.. i have opened doors and takin dogs to police stations. i dont beleive a window crack is gonna help.. its selfish and cruel..

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 13:04 — Beth (Visitor)
I did just that yesterday. Hunted down the owner who left their Great Dane in a Mustang (!) with a window open. Did I mention it was 97 degrees out?! I gave him quite the lecture, then called the cops. He told me to "shut up", but I don't care. It was exactly the same situation described, "I was just paying my cell phone bill, it will be two minutes" He had already taken that much time just to argue with me!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 13:39 — lori (Visitor)
break the window and call the police, then give the dog some water to drink very slow

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 14:04 — Elizabeth (Visitor)
I tried unsuccessfully to locate the owner/driver of the car. Then parked behind the car and called the police. Before the police arrived, the owner/driver approached the car and I (tried to) kindly told him how dangerous it was to leave an animal in a car even in moderately hot temps. He became enraged and told me to move my car or he would. As the interaction escalated, a lady bystander pleaded with me to move my car -- that it was not worth getting assaulted over--she was in tears. But I (even if I am a 5'2 female) can defend myself against this jerk or have him arrested if he touched me. Fortunately (well so I thought) the police arrived and ... well told me to move my car. Okay, I didn't get the remedy I wanted (expected), but maybe next time this pet parent (I use the term very loosely) will consider our encounter and take better care of his dog.

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 14:19 — Tatiana Chavez (Visitor)
What you did is great. No property damage, but this is definitely will teach a lesson. We can't just silently observe this irresponsible and cruel act. We have a right to express the opinion.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 14:06 — Jennifer (Visitor)
I came across this very situation, went into the supermarket to ask the manager to make an announcement saying, 'anyone owning a green civic please come to customer service.' HOWEVER initially the person at customer service said to me, 'I don't want to upset the customer!' so I just said no problem I'll call 911. Fortunately the car was gone when I returned.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 14:27 — cindy (Visitor)
I would break their window and call the cops!!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 14:54 — Peggy Yost (Visitor)
If we followed the directions given by the ASPCA, a pet or child could die. The first thing to do is not call 911, or look for the owner or anything time-consuming thing like that, it's obviously to break the window and get the victim out of the car, hydrate him or her, and then call for emergency help 911. It's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Life and death folks.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 15:00 — SHIRLEY MEZORI (Visitor)
I carry something typed up that I leave on their windshield. A few weeks ago my husband and I spotted a dog in a car with windows slightly down, we went to eat at a nearby fast food place and I asked my husband to return to that car and dog was still in car half an hour later, so I went into Kohls, Louisville, Kentucky and asked Customer Service to page the person who owned the car, gave registration, etc. to please return to their car. Customer Service would not make an announcement but she called the manager and he promised he would. Many years ago I took a small dog from an unlocked car and stood with it in the shade until the owner returned. I will not tolerate this kind of thing with pet owners that do such a thoughtless act.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 15:06 — jennifer (Visitor)
I did call 911 - they wanted to arrest ME for mis-using the service. Another time, I went in to the business and asked them to page the person who left the dog in the car and call the police - they refused any action and told me to leave the property. Ohio, The Heart of it All.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 15:11 — jennifer (Visitor)
I would break in to the car and let someone call the police, since they would obviously rather respond to a B&E w property damage instead of rescuing a living being in distress.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 15:48 — Richard H (Visitor)
I would mind my own business. Sites like this ignore common sense to incite lawlessness. I have personally, this summer, sat in a car with my 87 year-old mother and her Chihuahua in 99 degree heat with windows rolled down less than that one in the picture (so the dog wouldn't jump out), no engine or AC running, for more than half an hour. Guess what? No one died or even suffered any ill effects. People today are so used to jumping in their air conditioned car they cannot conceive of anything living through sitting in a car for a few minutes without the AC going. So they will believe anyone that tells them an animal could die sitting in a car in 78 degree weather in just a few minutes, all facts and common sense to the contrary. The window in the car in this picture is down at least six inches. Before you encourage peope to vandalize other people's cars, maybe you should get a reality check.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 16:00 — Richard H (Visitor)
My apologies. You did not say explicitly that people should break into other people's cars, therefore you did not incite them to lawlessness. You did set the tone and then allowed every visiter to your site to incite others to break the law. There is a difference, however, and I offer my sincere apologies for my false statement.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 20:24 — TriTexan (Visitor)
Hey, it's great you and your mom and her dog were able to sit in the hot car for so long. Kudos to you. But you had the option to get out of the car anytime you wanted should the temp inside the car get too hot. A pet locked in a car doesn't have that option. Recklessly endangering your pet is as much lawlessness as breaking a window to free a pet in obvious distress. I get your point about inciting people to go nuts, but I think most folks are capable of telling the difference between an animal in distress where breaking a window is reasonable and just doing so because they are mad. And I think picture displayed was simply a picture...I don't think it was meant to be representative of how much a window would be rolled down in a given circumstance.

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 04:17 — sadiesmom88 (Visitor)
i want to note that humans produce sweat to cool themselves, dogs don't. so while humans can handle the heat by sweating, dogs cant, they can pant which helps some but they cant sweat to cool themselves so when they get too hot they die. So while you were sweating the dog was probably extremely uncomfortable and could have been close to death.

Sat, 07/21/2012 - 17:00 — Joan Lando (Visitor)
You must have a high tolerance to heat, I am a nurse, the elderly many times are always cold, but do not know the dangers of heat, and your dog cannot speak, so one must take responsiblity and care. doing nothing can cost a life.

Sun, 07/22/2012 - 16:29 — Erin (Visitor)
I would encourage caution in such high temperatures. According to WebMd's Pet Health site, heat exhaustion sets in when the dog's internal temperature reaches 103 degrees. (Reference: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/heat-stroke-dehydration-dogs) The temperature in the car, in this situation, could have easily surpassed 103 degrees. And while it turned out okay this time, a similar situation in the future may not.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 17:05 — Nancy Wilchenski (Visitor)
I would try to figure out what store the owner was in and have a store employee announce over the speaker that someone has a concern about the dog in vehicle, etc. If that didn't work within a few minutes, I would call the police and animal abuse and tell them the situation. Of course, all these avenues depend on the condition of the animal at the time. Whatever I decided to do, believe me, that animal would not suffer any longer in the vehicle! I would take immediate action, but I don't think I would break a window, it would probably scare the animal to death. .

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 17:35 — Rhonda Keen (Visitor)
I would call the police and stay there with the dog until the police got there!!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 18:10 — BeanTownSteve (Visitor)
You got to have some common sense if you encounter this situation. As one of the others said, she was in the car as well and no one died. Same happened to my wife when we were in Redding CA with 105 weather. I went into the bank leaving my wife and Terrer Mix Bandit in the car. Some Samaritan started to open the car to get the dog! On the other hand, pets and children DO suffer sometimes in these situations, up to and including death. I have several times confronted this and remained with the car until the owner returned in case I DID have to intervene. Of course, I was the one lectured about "minding my own business".

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 18:13 — Karen Fillinger (Visitor)
I would call the cops then break the window!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 19:54 — Michelle (Visitor)
break the window then call 911!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 19:54 — Michelle (Visitor)
break the window then call 911!

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 20:58 — canoehead (Visitor)
Call 911, have them paged, all of the above. But stand by the car with a tire iron. The cops will come faster, and so will the owner, but you will not have broken any laws.

Wed, 07/18/2012 - 21:46 — lindalee76 (Visitor)
I would call 991, with tag #, take a pic of the car with the dog(s), tag #, send to local tv station stating location of car. Go in store, have owner page with msg stating police & local tv crew on their way. Go back to car, have water waiting for the poor little animals. This type of person does not deserve an animal!!

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 07:25 — kenda wade (Visitor)
I'd bust the windshield, that way the owner may have to walk home in the heat.

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 08:20 — dONNA fOOTE (Visitor)
I would report it immediately and make sure that they let the pet out!!!!!!!!!!! Should not be!!!!!!!!!!! GRRRR

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 13:22 — kay stice (Visitor)
I have gone into the store and had security call the police. People you think you are doing them a favor by letting them go with you. If you think it doesn't get hot put a thermometer in you car and check after a few minutes.

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 01:48 — Alexis (Visitor)
In Lewisburg, TN the only animal shelter is a small 20 dog capacity building. Last week they had 28 dogs on the premises. They were contacted about the adoption of 9 of these dogs. The were claimed for adoption. Unfortunately, the shelter, (knowing that the dogs were to be adopted within a matter of hours) decided to euthanize 13 dogs. All the 9 dogs claimed for adoption were killed. After receiving a small amount of media attention this shelter has vowed to euthanize all dogs every three days. Please sign this petition to demand investigation into this matter. https://www.change.org/petitions/we-demand-an-investigation-of-lewisburg-animal-shelter-s-practices# Thank you for your time.

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 06:37 — Cheryl (Visitor)
I printed up some flyers that I put on the windshield. If the dog is in distress, I'd break the window and call the police. Typically I'll follow the dog owner and tell them that its too hot out and their dog could die and I'll call the police if they do not return to the car right away. This has worked in the past...I've had 2 people leave stores and return to their cars. I'm shocked at the ignorance of people who will still take their dogs for rides on warm or hot days just to sit in the car. Anything can happen and they are better off at home safe.

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