(by Rebecca)
It’s such a common sight to see a dog inside a car in a parking lot. Maybe, he’s barking a warning to stay clear or his tail is wagging, excited that someone is willing to exchange a greeting. We go about our business and think nothing of the dog in the car. Do we really know how long that dog has been in the car, a few minutes, an hour, more than an hour? The dog waits for his owner to come back, but they can’t defend themselves against the heat. When it’s a hot summer day, the temperatures inside a car can reach 120 degrees even with the windows slightly down.
You might ask yourself what you can do to ensure the dog’s safety?
Take a closer look at the dog and see if it displays any of the following signs as these could be symptoms of heat stress. Heavy panting, glazed eyes, rapid pulse, unsteadiness, vomiting, deep red or purple tongue.
If you’re unsure of these signs go back into the store and tell them about the dog. The store might be able to send a message over a loudspeaker to the owner of the dog. If the dog is in grave danger a call to the police can be made.
Dogs deserve to be treated just like us. If you can’t take the dog in the store with you leave your dog at home in the air conditioned house or under a shade treee in the yard.
If these few small things would have been followed it could have saved the life of a Labrador Retriever that was left inside a parked car. On a very hot day in Southern California, after four hours in the car, the dog died of heat exhaustion.
September 26, 2007 at 8:00 pm
It is heartbreaking but true, a in the last three years or so a few children have died because of it, one man broke a car window in a parking lot because a chid was in the car. These we hear about because they are people. But what about our other children,they not dogs they are my CHILDREN!!
May 7, 2008 at 8:28 am
I can’t believe people would leave their pets, let alone their children in the car! I would never dream of leaving my baby alone even to run in and pay for gas. I wouldn’t leave my dog in the car while I went to the mall, that’s why you leave them at home. Some people shouldn’t be allow to have children or pets!