It’s always one of the biggest controversies during the summer months.
People underestimate how hot the inside of a car can get in a short amount of time and leave their dogs in that heat while they run a quick errand.
Even on the mildest summer days, however, a car can turn into an oven, with potentially deadly consequences.
Think of how you can start a fire using nothing but a magnifying glass and the sun.
“On a 25 degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 38 and 48 degrees in just minutes,” PETA says. “On a 32 degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 70 degrees in less than 10 minutes.”
A person isn’t surviving long in 70 degree heat and a fur covered dog is going to succumb to the heat even quicker.
The Canada Safety Council did a similar study to PETA’s, which was funded by General Motors of Canada.
The study produced similar results to the one done by PETA, but they added that leaving a window slightly open did very little to prevent the inside of the vehicle from becoming dangerously hot.
PETA also offers tips on what to do if you encounter a parked car that has a dog inside.
“If you see a dog left alone in a hot car, take down the car’s colour, model, make and license plate number. Have the owner paged in the nearest building or call the local humane authorities or police. Have someone keep an eye on the dog. Don’t leave the scene until after the situation has been resolved.”
If authorities are unresponsive, the owner is nowhere to be found and the dog’s life appears to be in imminent danger, that is when you may want to take matters into your own hands.
PETA says find at least one witness that will back up your assessment on the dog’s safety and take whatever steps are needed to remove the animal from the car.
At that point, provide the dog with water to drink and, if possible, spray it with a garden hose for two minutes to lower internal body temperatures.
Thousands of dogs die every year from being left in hot cars, but it’s not just dogs.
Since 1998, 705 children have died of heatstroke from being left in cars, an average of 37 a year.
