With temperatures hitting the triple digits in many parts of the country, pet safety is more important than ever. Specifically, what to do if you see a pet left in an automobile on a hot summer day.
image: sport car buzz
In just a matter of minutes, the temperature in an unattended, parked car can reach over 120 degrees, even with the windows cracked! Dogs don’t come equipped with the same cooling system that humans do, and as a result, they are much quicker to suffer organ damage or even worse-death.
Here are a few tips from the ASPCA about what to do if you see an animal trapped in an unattended, parked car:
Step 1: Try to Locate the Pet Parent
Call mall, store, stadium, or parking lot security, who may try to locate the owners via loudspeaker, intercom, telephone, by foot, or some other method. (You can ask most stores to do this.)
Step 2: Educate
If you find the owners, explain the dangers of leaving a pet in a hot car. Make sure the pet gets out of the car as soon as possible.
Step 3: Call 911
Fourteen states have enacted specific laws that protect dogs in hot cars, as have many municipalities—but even in places lacking such a law, leaving an animal in a hot car may constitute cruelty.
Step 4: Pat Yourself on the Back
Pets are counting on people like you to save their lives.
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