Are People Still Leaving Their Dogs In Cars On Hot Summer Days?

Unfortunately, the answer is Yes. A co-worker shared this story with me just this week that she heard from a mutual friend. Our friend went to a local (Tampa, FL ) restaurant for lunch with her friend and they spotted a dog in a car, a window slightly cracked. This is not the type of restaurant you go to for take out and being dog lovers, the women were very concerned. I should mention we are already experiencing a nice hot summer here in Florida and this was mid day, easily in the high 80's. Fortunately, one women's husband works with the police department and she made a call. Within minutes, an officer met them in the parking lot and immediately went in to find the owner of the dog. The women wandered into the restaurant and found the officer talking to two people at a table. They all went outside and a few minutes later, only one of them came back in, retrieved some to go boxes for their food and left.



This story has a happy ending. They do not all end well. According to mydogiscool.com,



- Even on seemingly mild days, an enclosed car can be deadly. In a Stanford University study, when it was 72 degrees outside, a car’s internal temperature climbed to 116 degrees within one hour.

- Enclosed cars heat up quickly. In a study by San Francisco State University, when it was 80 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car rose to 99 degrees in 10 minutes and 109 degrees in 20 minutes.



If you see a dog in a car you can call your local police department or animal control, especially if the animal looks distressed already. You may also be able to find the owner of the dog/vehicle in nearby businesses.



I am not in the habit of leaving my dogs in the car for any reason, so I am not sure what people are thinking when they do this. I also thought everyone was aware of the dangers, but apparently not. Please help educate the public on this often tragic practice by going to http://www.mydogiscool.com/ and learning more. There are even free downloadable posters you can print and distribute.

What is your dogism?

ism
Pronunciation: \ˈi-zəm\
Function: noun
Etymology: -ism
Date: 1680
1 : a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory
2 : an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief

Concise definitions from Merriam-Webster, yet so open to interpretation and affected by personal experience. Focusing on definition # 1 (wishing to ignore definition #2, but knowing I will have to address it eventually) I asked others “What is your dogism”?

Having no idea what to expect and struggling with my own personal dogism, I was pleasantly surprised to see common underlying themes. Unconditional Love and Companionship. Maybe a little cliché, but so true. One dogism expressed “pure love… all the time” while another suggested that we humans could learn a thing or two from our dogs about the concept of unconditional love. Then there was the classic “I wish I was as wonderful as my dog thinks I am”.

One dog owner wrote “Dogs are the best foot warmers on a cold night, or any night for that matter!”. To me, that dog owner is not really looking for warmth, but the comfort a dog brings. Probably my favorite so far is “Have fun with your dog!”. It really can be as simple as that.

So What Is Your Dogism?

Please share with me here, or email sharewithus@yourdogism.com.
Check out all dogisms at www.dogism.com and click on Paw Pages for dogisms, photos and more!