Animals bring us a special kind of joy each day they’re with us, whether that be security, comfort, physical and emotional support. With as much positive benefits our pets give us, we as their owners must take the responsibility to ensure their safety and well being as well.
Our Pets love to join us everywhere we go, even when we find ourselves in a hurry with daily life obligations. It is common to be unable to bring them inside the store while running errands or in a building that does not allow pets. This is how the danger of leaving our furry companion in a parked car begins. Just like humans, animals are very sensitive beings, and staying in a hot car, where the temperature can be rising by the minute, puts them in immense danger.
Even on warm days with a cool breeze, people often assume that rolling down the car window will help with controlling the temperature inside. A Stanford Medicine study (1) demonstrated how when it is 72 degrees outside, a car’s internal temperature climbed to 116 degrees within one hour. This information further confirms that studies show how cracking the windows on a car has little effect on a vehicle’s internal temperature.
Every year we’re reminded how high temperatures in cars can cause animal health damages and may even lead to deathly situations. Every year, PETA reports statistics on their site about animals who have died after being left in hot cars per state (2) .
To avoid these dangerous situations, its important to become aware with the tactics and resources that can be implemented as prevention.
Always Keep in Mind:
1. Do not leave an animal in a vehicle unattended, even when the windows are rolled down.
2. Call for help if you see an animal in danger and showing signs of distress while entrapped in a vehicle.
Signs of animal distress may include (3):
- Wide eyes.
- Fervent barking.
- Intense scratching or digging at windows or doors trying to escape.
- Excessive panting with exaggerated long tongue.
- Extreme drooling, salivating.
3. Vow to help protect animals who may be a victim of car entrapment.
4. California legislators recently passed the Right to Rescue Act, which, as of January 1st, 2016 allows concerned citizens who see dogs left in a hot car to break in to save the animals’ lives (4).
5. The Resqme® Car Escape tool helps break the car window in case of emergency and when seconds count!
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge2B6m8wIF8
Sources:
- Stanford Medicine: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2005/07/parked-cars-get-dangerously-hot-even-on-cool-days-stanford-study-finds.html
- PeTa: https://www.peta.org/features/dogs-and-other-companion-animals-suffer-heat-related-deaths/
- Red Rover: https://redrover.org/2012/06/13/hot-cars-deadly-dogs-even-windows-rolled-down/
- DogTime: https://dogtime.com/trending/47275-new-california-law-lets-good-samaritans-break-hot-cars-save-dogs