dogs left in car - was I over-reacting?

[rosiejosie]

I was working in my mums shop today, I noticed a jeep type thing pull up outside as I had the door open with it being a nice day. I didn't notice the dogs in the car until I heard whimpering and looked up to see a small whippet/minature greyhound type dog trying to climb out the window on the passenger side. I rushed out to stop it jumping out or catch it if it did, but it couldn't quite squeeze through. There were two dogs in the car, all windows were open a bit and the windows in the back half of the jeep were tinted. However both dogs were panting a lot, I couldn't see any water left anywhere for them, and one of the dogs was quite distressed, crying and whimpering and alternatively trying to sqeeze out the window and climb on the dashboard and press himself against the windowscreen as if looking for a way out. The other dog wasn't as upset but neither was it just lying down waiting. Now, this was sometime after 12, so the hottest part of the day. It was sunny for a while and to me it felt very hot in the sun, (probably not so hot to most of you living in America). I went to a pub and got some ice cubes for them to lick but they weren't really to interested in them. The owners were gone for well over an hour, probably closer to two. The second dog had started to bark just before they came back. I had gone out to try the ice cubes again when the family returned, so I decided to say something. Not being great at confrontation I probably could have approached them about it a bit better than "Are these your dogs? You shouldn't leave them alone in a car in weather like this..." I told them that they had been upset, crying and trying to get out the windows and that I thought it was too hot to leave dogs in a car for any length of time. In return I was told "oh thats just their temperament, we were just gone for food, we bring them everywhere, the windows are tinted so it's not that hot in there".
These were tourists, who had driven over from England and brought their dogs with them on holiday, so why leave them in the car? It was a warm enough day to sit and eat outside and there are plenty of places to do that here. And if it had been me, I would have thought that part of the responsibility of bringing your dogs on holiday might mean eating in the car or having a picnic somewhere if it saves your dogs from being left in the car in the sun. So I thought it was wrong of them or was I over-reacting as the windows were all open and tinted? Was it ok to leave them, even though they obviously weren't happy being left alone like that.

[elisabeth_00117]

I have actually called the police 2 times for dogs left in the car.

One was a young lady who was grocery shopping, left her lab mix in the car in the middle of an afternoon in July. Police pulled up, smashed the window, grabbed the dog and we sat in the shade with him until the owner came out. She got a huge fine but left with her dog.

The second time an elderly couple left their 2 Saint Bernard's in a car (same month in the same parking lot!). They were in there for over 3 hours (I worked in the plaza and had a 3 hour shift, they were there when I went in to work and there when I came out). My boss called the police, they opened the door (it wasn't locked) and called AC to come and get the dogs. Not sure what happened after that.

I have also confronted other people about it, in a NOT SO NICE VOICE.

IMO, you did good.

[kiya]

No, I probably would have done the same, I try to be "nice". Once it starts getting warmer out I never leave my dogs in the truck, which usually means there wont be many truck rides unless there is a specific destination, like the beach.

[JKlatsky]

I don't know. I suppose that to me it depends.

When we work our dogs they are in crates in the car (and yes we train in the summer as well when it gets to be well into the 90s). The dogs have water, we park in the shade, and we leave the windows open but having been yelled at by well meaning people before about how my dogs are panting and cannot be in the car at all (yes I know they are panting but that doesn't mean they're about to expire) I tend to be more hands off when people choose to leave their animals in a vehicle. I think a hot closed car with no water is definitely a bad idea...and would have called the police on animals showing signs of heat distress, but probably would have left animals that looked fine alone.

Although I am inclined to agree. If I brought my dogs along, if possible I would have them out to eat with me.

[onyx'girl]

If the dogs are in a parking lot in the hot sun, I do have the store announce over the PA or sometimes they do call the police. I don't hesitate and have done it several times. The reason I know the dog is in there is because they are frantically barking. What would happen if everyone ignored this situation and the dogs were brain damaged or dead? I will leave a note on cars with dogs in them, wait around after contacting store employees to get the owners. They usually come out with a full grocery cart, not just a run in type visit.

If the weather is nice, no big deal, but heat kills...

I also train, leave my dog in the truck with a fan on him and water, we don't always have shade but I have a mesh reflective blanket-check on him alot.

This is on my FB status right now:

Wall Photos
Summer is here everyone.... DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PET IN YOUR HOT CAR!!!! PLEASE!!! Not even for "just... a minute"... That excuse kills your pet.
By:Barking Mad LLC

See More

[LaRen616]

I take my dog everywhere with me unless I am going into a store. I do not leave him in the car alone. I dont need some weirdo putting their hand into my car and getting bit or unlocking the door and letting my dog out. There are just too many creeps in this world. I would also never leave my dog in the car without air conditioning. Not only is Sinister a furry beast but he is a solid black furry beast.

I do not have air conditioning in my house. It has gotten up to 78 degrees, I leave every fan in the house on high, when I leave for work I place a standing fan on high in front of Sinisters kennel and leave him with water

[Liesje]

I have my dogs in my van at times year round. Any time it is more than 50 degrees, I have all the windows open (they are crated and I can lock my crates). If it is more than 70 degrees, the only time they are in the car more than 10 minutes is at training, in which case the doors and back hatch are open, plus I use screens and white sheets to shade certain areas. When my friend and I met for training last week it was so hot and humid with no shaded parking I actually took both sets of keys and had the AC on full blast while the dogs were taking turns. All the crates have water bowls and I use damp cloths or shamwow for the dog to lie on or have draped over their back.

If someone truly thought my dogs were in danger I'd rather have them call on me just to be safe. I'd rather explain myself than have that person pass on a dog that truly was in peril.

[elisabeth_00117]

Keeping a dog in a crate in a cool spot, with all the windows open, water dish avaliable, fan blowing/AC on, sitting in the shade with YOU CHECKING ON THEM while at training is a totally different story that leaving them in a car, with the windows down a crack in the middle of a parking lot.

I leave Stark in the car, in his crate with a crate fan on. We park in the shade, ensure there is a lot of water and are always checking on the dogs to ensure they are okay. They are also in ear/sight range incase something happens.

Two totally different things.

[JKlatsky]

I suppose it depends. We lived in a very animal rights active area and dogs could not be unattended in car PERIOD. Windows open, tailgate open, water, fans, even if your AC was on, Heck 45 degrees in December...you had to be in the car with your dog at all times if you were within City limits or you could be fined or your dog taken by AC. And I thought that was a little ridiculous, even if it was well intentioned, so I think it's made me a little defensive about dogs in cars.

Leaving pets loose in a vehicle unattended is a great way to come back to a dead dog and/or a destroyed interior. To me 78 degrees would be a beautiful spring day and not particularly hot at all and I wouldn't feel the least bit concerned about leaving my car parked with windows down, dogs in crates, in the parking lot. 50 degrees and I would have gloves, 2 sweaters, and the heater running. Now that we're hitting 90 it's what I would consider Hot. So I find temperature to be relative to the area that you live in and what your dog is acclimated to.

What bothers me more is the stress the dog showed when left alone. That mental stress combined with the heat could put the dog into distress. I would never leave my dog alone in my car unless he showed every sign of being perfectly comfortable. The dog freaking out and trying to get out the window could easily hurt himself, so without even focusing on the weather situation I would say that this was a bad idea for these people and their dog.

[Jelpy]

I was at a dog show once and this message come over the loudspeaker:

"To the idiot in the red chevy who left their dog in the car. You no longer have a window and you no longer have a dog."

I think that says it quite nicely.

Jelpy