Dogs in hot cars

[happycat]

Ugh! Some people! I just found a dog, practically screaming it was so hot. It was in a car on a burning day panting and yelping. I could hear it from in my apartment. We sat outside, ready to call the cops and giving it water. It was in there for probably 20 minutes. After a while a lady came out of the building and said "Oh yeah its fine, we only left her for 5 minutes to get some water" (it was obviously a lot longer then that, but even if it was 5 minutes thats not okay.)

Well, I'm glad that dog was okay, it looked like it was having a heat stroke, but I wanted to take that dog away from those owners! (it was cute, I wouldn't mind having it around hehe)
Seriously though, that was just so irresponsible. If you ever see a dog in a hot car, make sure you call someone! Dogs can die of heat stroke in just 15 minutes.

 

[labell]

I am the kind of person that will break a window on someone's car to get a dog out, in fact I carry a baseball bat in my car for that very purpose!

 

[JerseyWendy]

 

[DanR]

I am the kind of person that will break a window on someone's car to get a dog out, in fact I carry a baseball bat in my car for that very purpose!

Agreed... I wouldn't even hesitate.

 

[Runnergirl]

That is the worst thing ever to see. I can't ever believe people care so little about their animals!

 

[getwozzy]

How careless and irresponsible of the owner- maybe they should sit in the car with the windows up for 20 minutes and see how they feel!!!

I would've called animal control or the non-emergency dispatch number with the vehicle info. And depending how long till authorities got there, I might break a window to get them out. Same for a child.

 

[happycat]

How careless and irresponsible of the owner- maybe they should sit in the car with the windows up for 20 minutes and see how they feel!!!

I would've called animal control or the non-emergency dispatch number with the vehicle info. And depending how long till authorities got there, I might break a window to get them out. Same for a child.

The doors were unlocked and we were just about to take the dog out but we have heard horror stories about people taking dogs out and them running away and getting hit by cars. :52: I don't even think we should have hesitated for as long as we did (which was only like 6 minutes, but still)
But wow! Its 84 degrees out right now and it was hotter earlier. That dog was SCREECHING. And the most that person can say is "yup, its fine." I wished we gave them a lecture about how they almost killed their dog. Poor baby.. :/

 

[getwozzy]

That's why it's probably best to call the non-emergency dispatch for the police so they can send animal control out if you're not prepared to wrangle a stranger's dog. I would feel horrible if I tried to save an animal only to have it run off or get bit [emoji51]

 

[sonja]

No way I would have waited 20 minutes, especially with the dog in such distress. Break the window, or in this case, just open the door, at the same time you call 911. You do not have to call non-emergency just because it is an animal. If the animal is in as much distress as you say, it was an emergency. Plus, getting the police or animal control involved will lead to consequences for the owner, so perhaps she'll think twice about doing it again.

 

[Kiwibird]

What I don't get is WHY people INSIST upon dragging their animals out when they are not going to be able to keep them with them at ALL times. Do they really think Fido/Fluffy/Polly wants to sit in a scorching car with the window ever-so-clightly cracked whilst they run errands/have lunch/whatever? The pet would be better off at home if they aren't going somewhere 'pet friendly'.

Then those who leave children in cars are on a whole other level than animals. There are *truly ignorant* people out there who just don't get how sensitive animals are, which isn't right but theres a certain level of maybe they didn't realize. But NOBODY doesn't 'get' children cannot be left in hot cars. Even worse are those people who 'forgot' they didn't drop Jr. off at daycare and come back to their car after work and find their kid had died. WTH? I dunno, if I'm running 5 errands, and 4 are places Kiwi CAN come, he still isn't coming because of the one place he can't. He's better at home with his toys and food and water and climate control. When we have KIDS there is NO WAY for even a second I would consider leaving them in a car. If the elements don't get them, some pervert will. Ugh.

 

[TessieB]

I broke a car window once with an overheated dog inside. And it was I who was taken to the police station. This was long before cell phones but thankfully a witness came along to verify why I behaved like I did. You'd think the gasping dog would have been a clue. But you know how it goes.....

 

[getwozzy]

You do not have to call non-emergency just because it is an animal. If the animal is in as much distress as you say, it was an emergency. .

I was not implying that an animal in a hot car is not an emergency. By all means, call 911 or the non-emergency number -they both get the same results. But when you call your local dispatch phone number you may actually get a faster response than calling 911 and having them route the information to the appropriate authorities.

 

[Abigal7]

I have to agree with everyone here. Why take your pets out when you have to leave them in the car?

 

[happycat]

No way I would have waited 20 minutes, especially with the dog in such distress. Break the window, or in this case, just open the door, at the same time you call 911. You do not have to call non-emergency just because it is an animal. If the animal is in as much distress as you say, it was an emergency. Plus, getting the police or animal control involved will lead to consequences for the owner, so perhaps she'll think twice about doing it again.

Oh no, I didn't know it was in there for 20 minutes. I definitely would have done something. Like I said, I could hear it yelping from inside but I didn't know it was in a hot car. I only waited about 5 minutes before calling. (or about to call)

 

[Terry57]

No way I would have waited 20 minutes, especially with the dog in such distress. Break the window, or in this case, just open the door, at the same time you call 911. You do not have to call non-emergency just because it is an animal. If the animal is in as much distress as you say, it was an emergency. Plus, getting the police or animal control involved will lead to consequences for the owner, so perhaps she'll think twice about doing it again.

Here where I live if you call 911, they will then tell you to call the non emergency number. So you are in fact wasting time by calling 911 to start with. Things are run differently in every area and people should make sure they know the proper procedure in case you need to call someone to help an animal in distress.

 

[Sterling1113]

What I don't get is WHY people INSIST upon dragging their animals out when they are not going to be able to keep them with them at ALL times. Do they really think Fido/Fluffy/Polly wants to sit in a scorching car with the window ever-so-clightly cracked whilst they run errands/have lunch/whatever? The pet would be better off at home if they aren't going somewhere 'pet friendly'.

Then those who leave children in cars are on a whole other level than animals. There are *truly ignorant* people out there who just don't get how sensitive animals are, which isn't right but theres a certain level of maybe they didn't realize. But NOBODY doesn't 'get' children cannot be left in hot cars. Even worse are those people who 'forgot' they didn't drop Jr. off at daycare and come back to their car after work and find their kid had died. WTH? I dunno, if I'm running 5 errands, and 4 are places Kiwi CAN come, he still isn't coming because of the one place he can't. He's better at home with his toys and food and water and climate control. When we have KIDS there is NO WAY for even a second I would consider leaving them in a car. If the elements don't get them, some pervert will. Ugh.

I live in Texas, anyone who has ever been here/lived here in the summer knows how quickly heat stroke can take a victim, even outside in the breeze!!

On what you said about children in cars.. I actually saw something not long ago about 'tips to not forgetting your child in the car'

One of them was to leave your CELL PHONE in the car seat so when you GRAB YOUR PHONE, YOU REMEMBER YOUR KID... Uhm.. What?!?
Are today's parents really THAT ignorant?!
I always keep an eye out for any living thing in a car.. I won't even bring my animals to the car unless the AC has been on long enough to cool it beforehand, opening a car door is like opening a pre-heated oven!!

 

[lucy1]

Sorry for the lengthy post but this is something I feel strongly about as I deal with it regularly in summer here!

I work as a dispatcher and call taker for a good size force here in the UK. Our local dog wardens are all but non-existent, and the RSPCA? Good luck getting them to even answer the phone- in 8 years of my job i have only known them attend ONE incident of a dog left in a hot car, and that was only because they were at the supermarket doors fundraising and got dragged over by a member of the public!

Obviously we work somewhat differently with animal control/ local police etc here in the uk, so this won't apply to many, but I don't know a single one of my workmates who would refuse to deal with a dog in a hot car call on 999 (the rest of us would lynch them!). Also, no matter how busy we are, we will always manage to find an officer to attend such calls.

As a call taker we cannot advise a member of the public to break a car window. *However*, we can give "advice" to the caller... The offence of criminal damage has various points to prove, including 'without lawful excuse'. Section 5 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 provides a list of circumstances whereby it would be held to be a lawful excuse and therefore a defence against a charge of criminal damage. [which includes] 'If the damage was caused during the protection of that persons own property if that property was in immediate need of protection and that the means taken to protect that property were in fact reasonable.' Under UK law dogs are regarded as property, so you could argue you were damaging an item of lower value property (window) to protect a higher value property (dog). Not your fault if you misjudged a £500 fancy power window as less value than a 'worthless' mongrel- you acted on good faith

I have this bit of legislation available to give to callers when we get the inevitable calls when the warm weather starts here. To my knowledge my force has never even come close to considering prosecution against a member of the public acting in good faith to rescue a dog left in a hot car.

Sorry for the legal gumf in the middle, but there are likely similar definitions in most countries to give us all that flexibility to act when needed. If I saw any animal suffering in a hot car I would act as I saw fit and to hell with the consequences, but it's nice to know that every once in a while our stupid laws sometimes can be twisted to protect us too

 

[Allee]

It's hard to believe this ever happens, but statistics show it happens all too often, with human children. There's never a better time to make a scene. Make your calls, make a lot of noise, get as many people as possible involved and wait by the car until the owner or the authorities show up. That way you have witnesses if you need to break a window. Don't leave the animal, but if possible send someone inside with a description of the car to have an employee make an announcement to locate the owner.

 

[happycat]

It's hard to believe this ever happens, but statistics show it happens all too often, with human children. There's never a better time to make a scene. Make your calls, make a lot of noise, get as many people as possible involved and wait by the car until the owner or the authorities show up. That way you have witnesses if you need to break a window. Don't leave the animal, but if possible send someone inside with a description of the car to have an employee make an announcement to locate the owner.

Urgh! I wish I had made a scene! That dumb owner just rushed out with a casual "its fine" and zoomed off. It makes me sad how little people care about their pets. Its kind of hard caring as much as I do about animals, because not too many other people do. See, it would be kind of wrong to say that I care about animals as much as people, but it do. :I
I think of it as someone leaving a baby out in a car, and I know if someone had left a baby in a car it would have been a much bigger deal than it was. If I told someone a child's organs would have collapsed if it was in the car much longer it definitely wouldn't have been "fine". But that poor animal, unlike a baby, wouldn't have any crime scene if that happened to it.
I guess I care about animals a little too much. I said to my sister when I first saw it that we should take it out or break the windows if the doors were locked but she was concerned we would get it trouble. I don't ever consider those kinds of things when I see an animal in trouble.

 

[Allee]

I have personally made a scene on several occasions, once for two toddlers and an infant, the others for dogs locked in cars. It's bad enough this happens at all, but even worse if someone sees it and doesn't want to get involved. You have to act fast. It's amazing how quickly a crowd will join a hysterical woman or man on a mission. Use your outside voice. I've never had to break a window and never been arrested. I have demanded that store managers stop what they are doing and put their store speakers to good use. Another bonus is a large crowd of onlookers is not usually a welcome sight when the owner shows up. You can't love animals too much, just like you can't be too smart or too rich.