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.