Readers Respond: A parked car can be a deathtrap on a warm day

Each year, animals die in cars. If you saw an animal left unattended in a car, would you call for assistance? Have you helped animals in this way before? Viewers say yes - they have helped.

Please post your experiences and tips here then print out flyers and posters to help spread the word. You may save a life.

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

Black dog, black truck, black interior

Last summer at Home Depot, as the title says, black dog in a black truck with black interior and windows cracked about 6 inches not parked in the shade. The poor dog was pacing,barking, panting and drooling. I went inside to have the owner paged, nothing. In the meantime I gave the dog water from a cup supplied by the barbeque cart guy. Others passed and commented they were glad someone was doing something about the situation. The owner still didn't show so I called the police, just before the officer showed up, the owner walked over from the other side of the parking lot. "I was only gone a few minutes" he said, I was there at least 30 minutes others said the dog had been there for some time. We told him he could be fined and that I had called the police, he said "I better get out of here then" and did. What a jerk, no concern for the dog but didn't want a fine!

—mswilma

Hot car

My response was not a good one. I saw a black lab mix in a van with the front windows cracked and the dog was pacing frantically with its tongue hanging out. I went into Wal-Mart to ask that they tell the owner over the loud speaker that their dog was in distress. No one answered the message. I then called the 911 and was told the officer was on another call and he would get there when he could. I couldn't stay on scene, but I left a Hot Dog flyer on the windshield. Later that day I got a call back from the officer that told me in a situation like that, there is NOTHING they can do! He said there could have been a bowl of water on the floor that couldn't be seen. What?! So the bowl of water was 105 degrees as was the inside of the van sitting in the hot sun on the asphalt parking lot. And that would have helped how? I asked "What if it had been a child?" I was told that would be a whole different matter. How do you get authorities to respond when an animal is being abused?

—Linda457