HEAT WAVE! Public Service Announcement!

I'm a native Texan, a few things happen every summer, some are great, some are unwelcome, some burn me up! We all hear about pets dying in cars, it happens every summer. The statistics are staggering. A child left in a car in this heat is unthinkable, tragic and a criminal act but this thread is about dogs that lose their lives every summer, far too many die in their own back yards, one innocent life is too many.

This summer alone, I know of two young women who planned a week long family vacation. They happily packed for the trip with the intention of leaving their dog in a fenced back yard and having someone check on the dog and bring food. Thankfully, in both these cases, a wiser friend or family member offered to babysit the dogs in their own homes while the families were away. Most veterinarians offer boarding facilities for their four legged clients. Boarding fees are usually minimal but standard vaccinations are required. It amazes me how many dogs are never vaccinated. Vacations are expensive, often the money for the family pet, vaccines and boarding fees, just isn't there. When the temperature reaches three digits it is beyond cruel to subject a dog to a confined area with no relief and expect him to survive.

Backyards vary in appearance, danger of heat stroke doesn't. A story I heard years ago still haunts me. A sweet St. Bernard died of heat stroke in his owner's backyard oasis, 107 degrees Fahrenheit, the owner found his dog's lifeless body when he returned home from work, the body was a few feet from the fenced in ground pool and about twenty feet from the owner's locked mansion.

A word about shoes, dogs don't wear them, we do. If you walk your dog on pavement, concrete, asphalt or sidewalks be aware that while your own feet are cool and comfortable, your dog may be suffering. It isn't uncommon for a dog to walk or run beside their master until the pads of their feet are torn off and said master doesn't notice until he or she sees the bloody foot prints. This can happen fast, being aware of how fast it can happen can prevent your friend from wearing bandages for a week after a single walk. Check your pup's pads often, if you don't want to give up your walks during a heatwave, at least avoid hot surfaces or invest in shoes for your dog.

Keep your dog hydrated if he travels with you even for short distances, a small thermal case for lunches makes an excellent bug out bag, fill it with a bowl and a few bottles of water, when your fur baby starts panting, give him a drink.

Vehicular dog slaughter! I'm a pretty mellow person but seeing a dog inside a vehicle in a parking lot triggers a white hot rage, no pun intended. I carry a tire iron in my car and I will use it and suffer the legal consequences if I must (I have yet to see a vehicle more valuable than a life, a windshield can be replaced). Once you see a dog being treated for heat exhaustion and fighting for life, you can never unsee it, I worked for a vet, the number of dogs brought in to one small clinic for heat related emergencies was unbelievable.

I apologize for the rant, we all have our buttons. Get involved, stomp out loud, inform others. Save an innocent life.

*I used dogs in this thread because the statistics are higher but of course any pet deserves the same consideration as the family dog.

If you have any doubt about the conditions any being lives in walk a mile and see for yourself. Spend time in those conditions. They did a test on a news channel here last year. The reporter bet he could last 15 minutes in the 90 degree Texas heat sitting in his car with all the windows up. Paramedics who where monitoring the experiment called it off after 11 minutes due to risk of heat exhaustion. I was surprised and I've lived here all my life. That was an adult. Children and pets heat up much faster.
The greenhouse effect is very effective and very dangerous in certain situations.
Nothing wrong with public service announcements about it on any forum.
Stay cool man, someone's life may depend on you.

Well said Allee.

"When it’s 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour."

This is from the RSPA site in the UK for folks on this side on the pond, it isn't just hot enough in Texas to accidentally kill your pet. Be safe, think!

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/dogsinhotcars

An excellent P.S.A, beautifully written as always, Allee!!

Many U.S. states have laws pertaining to hot animals in cars. This link highlights the specifics of who can break into a car, and what animals are protected. Interestingly, New Jersey and West Virginia are the only states prohibiting *anybody* from breaking into a vehicle to save a hot animal.

Overview of State Laws: Leaving Unattended Animals in Vehicles | Animal Legal Defense Fund

Disclaimer: Posting from an animal advocacy group does not imply PF endorsement, but it was the only comprehensive list I could find.

Thank-you, for the Public Service Announcement Allee! Well Stated as always!

Just an FYI: Although a Lug Wrench is a worthly tool for opening a car, truck, SUV, etc.... Do Not Take On The Windshield! Only side windows, please! Windshields are designed to be harder to break than other windows. The easy window to break is the smallest window! Since, speed in opening the car ASAP is very important, target a door window!!!

NOTE: Auto Glass breaks into very small pieces, it is one of the very few time I would ever recommend closing your eyes before hitting something! But Auto Glass is just dangerous when it breaks as it commonly come back toward you!!!

I should probably add a disclaimer, these opinions are my own and should in no way be associated with the views of ParrotForums.

I'd also like to make it clear that resorting to vandalism is seldom necessary, before you actually wield a tire iron at any vehicle there are other steps that can be taken and in most cases they are affective. If the car is parked on a street or in a small parking lot and there is a limited area to search for the owner, by all means, quickly try to locate the owner. Everyone carries a cell phone, call the police immediately or ask someone else to. As Scott mentioned, law enforcement personnel are better qualified to handle the emergency, if you have trouble convincing the authorities it is a police matter, let them know if someone doesn't show up with a key, you will break a window. Stand beside the car and watch the dog for signs of serious distress, time is of the essence, every minute counts. Enlist the help of Good Samaritans or even curiosity seekers, I personally hate drama, sometimes it's unavoidable. In most cases when a tragic death in a hot car occurs, several people have walked by and noticed and made the safe decision not to get involved. I'm just asking you to be the voice of the victim in the car.

In a bigger parking area or a crowd of people, put your smart phone to good use, call the manager of the main attraction, give him a description of the car, tell him there is an animal inside, the police have been called and ask him to make an announcement.

If and when all else fails and you know the dog may not recover unless immediate action is taken, as Sailboat pointed out, choose the smallest window farthest away from the dog. He's right, those chunks of glass are sharp.

Haha, I do not normally condone vandalism of any kind, this is my exception. The best argument to defend yourself if it comes to that is, I saved your pet, you should thank me.

Scott and Sailboat, thanks for the link and the voices of reason. Sorry, heat of the moment.

Allee, fantastic and important thread. I get so tired of reading about dogs being left in hot cars while people are shopping in air conditioned comfort.
I have never understood that at all.