Call police stay with the car
- Very thing happened this am. Called the cops, I waited 10 minutes after I saw the dog. Woman showed up before cops, I told her off she ignored me and drove off.
- —Guest Cyn
Pets left in a hot car
- My dogs love to go with me and they usually do. My solution has been to leave my vehicle running and lock the doors with a key fob. They ride in a strapped down and secure kennel crate and I carry a small ice chest with crushed ice and water for us all. I had two times where people didn't realize my engine was running with the air conditioner on full blast and I graciously thanked them for their concern and just asked them to please just check to see if the motor is running next time. I reported a dog in a hot car just today no air conditioning running. I called animal control no water. I know I am taking a risk of someone smashing my window and stealing my vehicle, but sometimes it can't be avoided. But if I know I will have to stop somewhere they get left at home. Sandra
- —Shiloh64
I don't take my dog on hot days
- My dog loves to go everywhere with me. But on hot days he stays home where it is cooler and therefore safer. But one afternoon, I left him home with the windows open and the fan going. He barked and the neighbor heard him. This ignorant neighbor had the nerve to suggest that I should take my dog with me on a day when it was in the 90's and he would have to be left in the hot car. This neighbor has been educated now on why the dog was left in the much cooler house rather than the hot car. I do not take my dog in those conditions. If I see a dog in a hot car, I report it. I try to help the dog if I can. I love all dogs and cats. I have even seen cats left in hot cars. It takes only a few minutes for a pet to die from heat stroke, and we need to educate people to this fact.
- —Guest Donna Parlow
Walmart
- Pulled in to the Walmart today here in Fonatana CA. It's been in the 100's this week. I hear a dog crying in a car. I go looking for the cry. In the back seat of a Camry, in full sun, is a miniature Poodle crying. I look to see if the door is locked. It's not. I open the door and look around for the owner. Another lady sees what I'm doing and asks if that was a dog crying in the car. I say yes. The windows are all up except the drivers side window that is 2 inches down. It is an oven in the car. I stand there waiting for the owner. Out comes a man with his child who has a new Buzz Lighyear toy. He yells at me........Hey, Thats my car. I say Oh, is that your dog? I tried to talk to him. He had nothing of it. Told me to not touch is F__g car or his F__g dog. People are morons. You just can't fix stupid.
- —Guest Toni
Be Gentle When Helping Our Furry Friends
- If you do decide to confront an owner, do it without being too combative. Your objective is to help the animal and not humiliate the owner. Let them know how hot a car can get in temperatures as low as 75 degrees and explain that the dogs do not have sweat glands. Chances are the owners really love their pets and will be willing to correct their behavior. However, if you use this as an excuse to be self-righteous, judgmental and unleash pent up anger, it is not going to have the same effect. Assume they are good people making a mistake (because we all make mistakes). Your aim is to educate the owner and protect the animal. You can even offer to watch the dog for them if they express that they do not have another option.
- —Guest Judy
Dogs in Hot Cars
- (This took place in the Detroit, MI area...not a particularly hot day, maybe 70 degrees. The black Mercedes sedan was parked in full-sun, with one window cracked about an inch.) About 15 years ago, I saw a German Shepherd locked in a car...he was in obvious distress, he was vomiting, frothy drool from his mouth, visibly wet from sweating. I went into the store where the vehicle was parked, asked them to page whomever owned the vehicle; no response. The store owner called the police, who came...smashed the car window but, sadly, it was too late...the dog had passed away in the few moments it took for me to get help. To this day, I regret my decision to try and find the owner...wishing I'd smashed the window myself! When the owner returned from an adjacent shopping center, she was furious at the police for breaking her window...! I will never forget this...
- —Reenthequeen
Someone confronted me - I thanked them!
- I have an assistance dog in training. One hot day, I pulled up to the grocery store and got out. On my way around the car, I stopped to get grocery bags out of the back. Before I got to the passenger side to let my pup out and put on her service vest, a woman approached my car and said "it's very hot out here, you should leave your dog at home rather than in the car". I gave her a huge smile (she looked really nervous) as I thanked her for having the courage to approach me and then told her that the pup was going into the store with me. She was very relieved to walk into the store with us.
- —Guest Robbin
animals in parked cars on hot days
- I take pictures of the license plate of the car they were left in, take pictures of the car itself as well as the animals that were inside the hot car. I then phone the police, the animal control as well as the local humane society. I show all 3 places those pictures I took on my phone. This way, they will have proof the animals were actually left in the super hot car, & they can locate the owner & press charges against them. I tell all 3 of them that I want to press charges for animal cruelty/animal neglect and want to be notified when the court date/ time to appear in court will be, then I show up to court with the police,humane society,& animal control, & Plus, I also bring some animal rescue groups along to court too. We all make sure that ignorant pet owner gets stiffly fined & jailed for what (s)he did to their precious pet(s).I also have the humane society/rescue groups put this pet owner on their Do Not Adopt list,preventing them from ever adopting another animal again.
- —Guest Wisconsin animal lover
Police/fire dept didn't help
- I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where its 90+ half of the year and people still leave their dogs in hot cars while they shop. The two times I've call 911, I was made to feel like I had done something wrong. The owners laughed it off saying "look the dogs fine" and shook the officers hand. Why isn't there a law in Florida against leaving dogs in parked cars?! EDITOR'S NOTE: Call animal control or your local shelter for assistance - hopefully they will be more proactive.
- —Guest Willow
I expressed my opinion
- Just recently I went to the grocery store and that day was the hottest day of the summer. Heat index was at 100%. It had to be about 93 degrees. A couple was looking at the inside of a car and I found out that someone had left their dog in the car with just a 1/2 inch crack in one of the windows. I marched to the customer service desk and asked the manager to have the owner report to the desk. The manager asked me to stay because she couldn’t say anything but I sure could. When they did not show up, I decided to go back to the car. The owner was just walking to her car with several bags of groceries. And I asked her if this was her dog. I let her know (in not a very polite way) that what she did was WRONG. She simply told me, "You cannot tell me what to do." I just kept informing her of how wrong she was and I was about to call the police. This is illegal in Michigan and most states. When she opened her car she was hit by the heat and I think she realized how hot it was.
- —Guest Kimmie C
Helping Animals Left in Cars
- We see this sometimes in the parking lot next to our building. I have called local police on a couple of occasions, asking them to hunt down the car owners (small town, so usually doable). There have been a few times I was tempted to break a window. It's sad. Just sad.
- —Guest Janet Wickell
Dogs in hot cars
- I have seen this particular situation on a few occasions and it is extremely distressing that people can be so calloused. I have seen this happen at stores and I have gone into the store to have the person paged and then confronted them (in a not so kind manner) when they came out. I have also called the police. Leave your dogs at home!!
- —Guest DoggieLover
Don't Leave!!!!
- I never leave a dog that is in that situation. I call animal control, the police, or the SPCA. You can always call a local animal shelter to ask how the issue is normally handled in the locality where you see the problem. Thankfully, I live in a small town and the cops do respond if there isn't a more pressing human emergency.
- —dogdiva
Hot Car
- Since there was no response to paging the owner of the car about the animal in the car, maybe page them and say their vehicle is being towed, that should make them come running. I once wrote a nasty note and placed it on the wind sheild, waited a bit and then left. I've always felt bad for leaving, next time I will stay there until the owner returns. It's the least I can do for the animal(s).
- —Bellaluna62
Police would not help dog in hot car
- I was in a BJ's parking lot getting ready to shop when I saw a dog in an SUV. It was summer and hot. The window was cracked just a bit but I know it must have been stiffling and the dog was barking. I called 311 and told them what was going on and they said they couldn't do anything about it. I was furious... I never knew what happened to the poor little pooch because I left without even shopping, I was too upset. I don't understand how anyone would not know not to leave a pet or human for that matter in a hot car!!!
- —Guest Debra
