Two chocolate Labs had no choice but to suffer the sweltering heat, they were locked in a car and the temperatures were climbing quickly. When the police were finally able to break the driver’s side window the dogs were trapped for over 30 minutes.
In this day and age there is just no excuse for this!
“Officers were in that car for 30 seconds and were struggling to breathe so goodness knows what these poor animals were going through.”
The two dogs were immediately rushed to a veterinarian where they were treated for heat exhaustion. The tired dogs were drooling excessively, which is a sign of heatstroke. They were given cooling baths to try to bring their body temps down.
During the summer months, we hear this way too many times. The RSPCA stated “over the past two weeks, the animal welfare charity has received over 625 calls — about two calls an hour — regarding animals in hot environments, most of which were dogs left in cars.’
Dog owners underestimate how quickly the temps in the car can become dangerously high. Thus, putting their animals in danger.
“Cars heat up very rapidly in hot — or even warm — weather,” the RSPCA said in a press release. “Air conditioning can disguise the danger that a dog will face once the engine is turned off.”
Shade, cracking window, leaving a sunroof open are not ways to keep the car cool.
What makes it even worse it that dogs don’t sweat like humans.
“Unlike humans, dogs pant to help keep themselves cool,” the RSPCA said. “The effectiveness of panting is reduced at high temperatures and humidities.”
Overheating can cause death in 10 minutes some dog breeds are even more affected by the temperature changes. Senior dogs and puppies are at a greater risk of death.
“People don’t believe it will happen to them or they tell themselves they’ll only be a minute, but it simply isn’t good enough,” Barber said in the press release. “We’re pleading with people not to take the risk and to leave their pets at home where they will be safe and happy.”
If you see a dog trapped in a hot car, look for signs of distress, such as excessive panting and drooling, vomiting, lethargy and unresponsiveness call 911. Go into the store and try to find the owner. Some states allow “Good Samaritan’s” to break into a hot car to free an animal. Some still treat it as a criminal act so be careful what you choose.
We hope that by writing this and sharing the story that we can help save animal lives this summer.
