Would you turn your oven on to 130 degrees and then put your precious dog in there? Not even for a few minutes while you run to the store? No?
Well, leaving your dog in your car in this heat is the exact same thing. That car is an oven, and it will roast your dog in a matter of minutes. Even with the windows cracked!
Area police departments are warning the locals to be smart and compassionate in this latest heat wave. Loudoun County, Va., police had an incident on Monday that shows how dangerous the car can be. Daisy, an 11-year old cocker spaniel, was left in a car in a Sterling parking lot while her owners ran inside a store. They left the windows rolled up but opened the sunroof. It was 2 p.m., and the temperature outside was 97 degrees.
The owners' "quick trip" into the store was long enough for the police to get a call and to arrive to find the dog near death. It was 126 degrees inside the car, and Daisy's body temperature had risen to 106 degrees. She was rushed to the veterinary hospital where she is expected to recover. Her owners have been charged. It is a crime to leave a dog in a vehicle. You cannot leave an animal in a hot car even for a minute.
The Animal Protection Institute did a study that shows how quickly a car heats up. If it's 82 degrees at 9 a.m. that car can become 109 degrees in a matter of minutes. It's the hot house effect. Remember how cozy and warm your car felt in the winter after it sat in the sun outside your office. It was 35 degrees outside, and your car was warm. Now add 50 degrees -- it's an inferno.
Imagine how awful you'd feel. It's a horrible way for your precious little pet to die. They don't deserve that.
Just don't take your dog with you on hot days. Leave them home in the air conditioning. And never, ever leave them in the car. Not even for a minute. That's all it takes.
