With the arrival of summer heat, it seems some people still lack common sense when it comes to our 4 legged friends!

While waiting outside my car for my granddau to finish her shift in a local Walmarts(it was too hot to sit in my car), I heard a dog whimpering...in a nearby car, with windows barely cracked, was a Bengi type long haired dog stuffed in a small dog crate--the kind with solid top and bottom with a few air slats.

I don't know how long the car had been there before I arrived, and needless to say I was concerned about the dog...I wrote down the car's license plate number and make of the car and asked the store manager if they would page the owner and tell them they needed to check on their dog....the manager said he "would monitor the situation and if the dog's owner did not show up he would page them".

I went back to the car. 30 minutes later the owner still had not shown and no store personnel (I told them the row # the car was in) had come out to check on the dog. The dog no longer was crying but panting heavily. I thought, ok, you've got 10 minutes and I'm calling 911...

5 minutes later a young mother with two kids hanging off a loaded cart came up to the vehicle...the mother looked at me as I stood by her car. "Your dog is getting pretty hot!" I said. "Oh?"she said, a scared look on her face...I wondered how she would have explained to her kids the dog cooking to death in the car if she had been much later...

I wasn't going to say anything more because of the kids, but then, I was mad..."I wish I could put you in a fur coat and stuff you in a crate and stick you in a hot car!" and I walked off before she could reply. She was lucky because I was just about to call 911...

The whole thing took about 45 mins...I have no idea how long the dog was in the car before I arrived: should I have called 911 sooner?

I definitely would have called 911 (or animal control). With all the alerts that go out on TV and radio this time of year about not leaving pets in cars in hot weather, even with the windows cracked open, the woman should have known better. Why didn't she just leave the dog at home while she ran her errands?

it was about 5:30 and I figured animal control wouldn't be around...i hate being ugly to people and thought a friendly page over the store intercom might remind the owner of the dog but when the manager didn't want to page right away and I saw no one from the store checking I decided I would call 911 if the lady didn't appear within ten minutes...

What bothered me about the whole thing was my own hesitancy in not calling 911 right away...but I didn't want the owner claiming to have been gone only 5 mins so I waited...had the dog died while I waited I would have felt horrible...temp was in the high 80s outside. If there is a next time, I'll have the store page the owner "their car lights are on"--probably get a quicker response! Failing that, if its hotter, I'll probably call 911 immediately. Probably will be a next time: either kids or animals in distress usually seem to come across my path...I who am not particularly fond of confrontations!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOcCQ-y3OY

How Hot Does it Get in a Parked Car Dr Ernie Ward

When temperatures outside reach 70 degrees, the temp in your car rises to about 100 degrees. Even with the windows "cracked", your car turns into an oven.
As the temps rise throughout the summer, the danger grows:
75 degrees outside = 118 degrees in your car
77 degrees outside = 123 degrees in your car
81 degrees outside = 138 degrees in your car
90 degrees outside = 143 degrees in your car
94 degrees outside = 145 degrees in your car
So, if it's above 70 degrees, leave your dog at home.

http://safepethiddenfence.com/when-is-i ... -car-.html

Cannalee, if we had a VOC Good Citizen Award, you'd get my vote.

Thanks for helping a dog in need and (hopefully) teaching someone some common sense.

You should have called 911. I don't know why you didn't. The dog might have died.

Personally - yes - I would have called within a minute or two. I don't have a cell phone anymore but I would do my best to get a call in right away.

i agree: to be truthful, wasn't sure at that hour if 911 would respond quickly (thought paging the owner over store intercom would be quicker) and when it became clear manager was not going to do anything, I resolved to call 911 within few (10 mins)--lady showed up in 5--but i absolutely agree with you, the heat in the car coupled with being in a crate, I did wait too long...

i freely admitted "that my own hesitancy in calling 911" bothered me: so beat me with a stick! i have an abhorrence of being a "busybody" but have butted my nose in before (on behalf of children left in cars in frigid weather/hot weather) without hesitancy... Why I was hesitant this time is what bothered me: I think it has to do with being unsure of Arkansas law and just how hot it has to be outside before warnings sound--Chaos's chart helps a lot and I am going to keep a copy of it in my car for the "next" time...

I don't deserve the good citizen award this time for sure--maybe next time!

While the state doesn't have any specific laws concerning leaving children or animals unattended in vehicles, common sense dictates using extreme caution when doing so, especially during periods of excessive heat or cold. If you see an endangered child or animal, call 911 and give the vehicle location.

http://www.dmv.org/ar-arkansas/safety-l ... nattended-

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Is it illegal to leave your dog in a parked car? The answer to this question, of course, depends on in the state in which you live. Actually, only 14 states (AZ, CA, IL, ME, MD, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NY, ND, SD, VT, and WV) have statutes that specifically prohibit leaving an animal in confined vehicle. The next factor important to the question is the condition under which the the animal is left in the vehicle. Most of these laws provide that the animal must be confined or unattended in a parked or stationary vehicle. Further, the laws add that in order for a person to violate the law, the conditions have to endanger the animal's life. Some of the statutes specifically state that extreme hot or cold temperatures, lack of adequate ventilation, or failing to provide proper food or drink meet this definition. Other laws are more vague and just require that the conditions are such that physical injury or death is likely to result.

While not all states have laws that address animals in parked vehicles, numerous local ordinances prohibit this, and more may be enacted. It is critical then that owners are aware of their local laws concerning this subject. Even with out a state or local law, this action could still constitute cruelty under some circumstances. In fact, in the Texas case of Lopez v. State, the defendant left his dog in his car on a hot day to go and watch a movie in a theater. He was ultimately convicted under the state's anti-cruelty law. Notably, Texas does not have a statute that specifically addresses dogs left in parked vehicles. Below is a table that describes these laws by outlining the major concerns within the laws.

http://animallaw.info/articles/State%20 ... otcars.htm

Oh sure, because it makes a difference what state you're in when it's 90 degrees out? Ugh.

Oh sure, because it makes a difference what state you're in when it's 90 degrees out? Ugh.

For sure you are right Chaos, which is also what my heart was telling me (I was too chickenshit and waited too long!) Luckily the dog did live! Another little shocker: several people heard the dog crying as they walked by, and I even said to a few there's a dog cooking in there...no one seemed to care. Not the store manager who could simply have paged, other people, etc. It was clearly my dilemma and I didn't do quick enough...

My word: i will call within a minute the next time! That was the purpose of the thread: to get feedback on should I have called immediately or wait and give owner chance to show up (and doggie chance to cook) For sure I was wrong to wait so long, but one of my few virtues is honesty in admitting when I'm wrong!

ugh. I can only imagine. it was 40 degrees with the humidity today (sorry yanks, we use those Canadian Celsius type degrees up here--I don't know what it is in f, but it's just fuck ass hot)

I couldn't sit in the car to wait for my husband for 2 minutes. I can't imagine a furry dog in a car for half an hour. she couldn't have taken the crate out and put it beside the car at least?

I get the hesitancy. Hindsight is twenty twenty. but with summers getting warmer and warmer, I think this is a situation I will be on the lookout for.

40C = 104F

9/5C+32=F

40C=104F!!! Holy crap!

Here's a simpler way to do + temps. Not accurate, but close enough. Double it and add 30.