It’s said that dogs are man’s best friend, and we often want our furry sidekicks riding shotgun, hanging their heads out the window while we run errands. With the rising temperatures that summertime brings, dog guardians must consider the heat factor when deciding if it’s safe to load up their besties for a joyride around town.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cars can become 30 degrees warmer than outside temperatures in 20 minutes of being parked. And it doesn’t have to be scorching hot for a car to become unsafe for a pooch awaiting their owners return. A pleasant 75 degree day can become an unpleasant 110 degrees inside a car in just 30 minutes.
This summer, Captain Greg Burroughs of the Lebanon Police Department estimates they receive up to three calls a week from concerned citizens observing dogs locked in vehicles. Many of those calls are made from the Walmart parking lot, according to Burroughs. To his knowledge, none of the dogs have died from the encounter, but each summer many dogs in the country aren’t so lucky.
Although 16 states currently have laws that regulate pets in vehicles, Oregon is not one of them. Burroughs confirmed that Linn County also has no specific “hot car” laws. For now, it’s up to owners to educate themselves on the dangers and to make responsible decisions about leaving their dogs while they shop or dine.
It doesn’t take long under the right conditions for harm to come. The ASPCA estimates damage can occur in as little as 15 minutes. Exposure to high temperatures can cause brain or organ damage, heatstroke and death.
The majority of dog owners who leave their dogs in their car do so out of the love of their companionship. A concerned passerby who sees a dog in a car is also often reacting out of love for our four-legged friends. The question then is, when does someone take the situation into their own hands?
Burroughs gives insight into the issue.
“For a civilian to just break a window out of a car there really has to be justification or it can result in civil or criminal activity,” said Burroughs.
If the police respond to such a situation and decide not to press criminal charges, the victim with a broken window could file a civil suit against the concerned citizen.
“There’s a possibility in a civil charge they would have to pay for damages,” said Burroughs.
Burroughs recommends that people don’t take action into their own hands, but instead they should call the police.
“Let us go down there to make the determination of what will happen,” he said.
If they do find a case of abuse or neglect, they have authority to break windows, remove animals, and charge the owner with a crime. Each situation is assessed on its own and will determine if the owner acted irresponsibly and put the dog in imminent danger.
“It’s going to depend on how hot the day is, what type of car, how much the windows were cracked,” Burroughs said of factors to consider.
However, most experts say that leaving your dog at home is the best option.
Although many dog owners try and accommodate their pawed passengers by cracking the windows, according to studies by the AVMA, that does nothing to relieve the animal from rising temperatures. They also report from other studies that the interior color of the car, whether it’s parked in the shade, or whether it’s overcast does little to relieve trapped dogs.
Leaving the car running with the air conditioning on can also invite tragedy. Air conditioning systems can shut down with an idle engine because they become too hot and will then blow hot air. Dogs have met their fate in past summers for this reason.
Even leaving water in the car does little to beat the heat. Dogs cool themselves by panting and by the paws of their feet. If their tongues are hanging out of their mouth exposed to the hot air and their paws are pressed on hot seats, there is little opportunity for them to cool and their body temperature can rise to the danger zone.
So when deciding to take your companion in the car this summer, consider leaving them at home. They may miss out on the joyride, but tails will still be wagging when you return.
