Leaving Pets In HOT Vehicles = DEATH!

Via My Dog Is Cool!

I was so upset the other day. I parked next to someone that left their two Boston Terriers in their vehicle on a warm day so they could go into Petsmart. Yes, I said Petsmart! You know, the store that not only allows pets but welcomes them. They left their dogs in their vehicle for over 20 minutes with only a small crack in two windows. This is NOT adequate ventilation for air to flow through your vehicle. I went inside and had the license plate called over the intercom. When the vehicle owners didn't respond I called the police. The dogs were overheating so bad that they were about to pass out. The people finally showed up and said the typical line, "We were only in the store for 5 minutes." Ugh! That pisses me off so bad. I have seen dogs die in vehicles before and until now (a new law has been passed in South Carolina and other states) you couldn't do anything about it or the police would put you in jail for opening up someone else's vehicle to save their animal. Needless to say, I gave them a good stern talk about the dangers and gave their dog's some water. I don't like having to talk to people about this but if it saves just one animal then it is worth it.

I continue to see this happen over and over again and  I just DON'T get it! Intelligent people, ignorant people and just plain stupid people do this. The problem is that they just don't think....think about anyone else but themselves. Can you tell that this really upsets me?! Sometimes, I think that there might be good intentions there. People want to bring their animal along because they love car rides. They think that they will only be in a store "for just a second" and then they wind up leaving their pet in a car for longer than anticipated.  

Here's a tip - If your pet's love car rides then make a special trip and take them for one. Drive slow and crack the windows so they can feel the air on their faces. The car ride doesn't have to take long - just a trip up the road and back. Your pet's will be so happy and you won't have to worry about leaving them in a hot car and killing them.

When the temperature outside is over 55 - 60 degrees....don't leave your pet in a vehicle! The vehicle (even on a cool cloudy day) can heat up very fast. Just think about it this way. Think about a very large glass cake cover. You then place this large glass cake cover on asphalt in the hot sun and then place yourself in it. Within minutes (sometimes seconds) the area within the large glass cover starts to rapidly heat up and the air in the glass cover gets hot and dry. It gets harder for you to breathe the longer you are in there. Next comes heat exhaustion and then you feel like you are going to pass out. Then comes heat stroke and after that comes death! Yes, DEATH!

Obviously, I am very sensitive and passionate about this subject. So many people say they love their animals but they don't act like it. I did a blog post last summer about this very important subject. Click here to read it. It just may save your pet's life!

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