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Leaving Your Pet in a Hot Car is Not Cool

Wednesday, Jul 12

Each year, hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion after being left in vehicles on a hot day. Even if it’s just a “quick trip to the store”, what most don’t realize is how quickly the temperature in the car rises to a dangerous level ultimately compromising your pet’s health.

The temperature inside your vehicle, with the windows cracked, can rise almost 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes.  So on a 70-degree day, within 10 minutes, your pet is sitting in a 90-degree car.

What can we do to help protect animals from unnecessary death? 

These are steps you can take if you come across a pet left in a hot car:

• Take down the vehicle’s make, model, and license plate number.
• If you have a camera, it never hurts to take photos.
• Contact the non-emergency number of the local police departments or a Humane Officer to report the incident and stay by the car until responders arrive.
• Monitor the pet’s condition while you wait. Ask others to help you attempt to locate the owner while you wait for responders to arrive.
• Be sure to know what the laws are in your area regarding removing an animal from a hot car by a good samaritan. 
• The best thing you can do for your pet is to leave them at home on hot days. Don’t take a chance because it’s not worth risking your pet’s life.