Why are dogs still dying in hot cars?

catkins

Now I don't profess to be especially intelligent but I realise if I leave a dog in a car in the sort of weather we are having, even if the windows are open slightly, there is a very good chance the dog will die. Not a nice way to die.


Knowing that though obviously makes me intelligent compared to all the morons still leaving dogs in cars despite the publicity about the dangers, despite articles about dogs dying.


Almost every day of the nice weather I have read about a dog left in a car. Yesterday I read about two (separate incidents). Thankfully one survived but the other didn't.


I have just read on facebook about a couple who left their dog in a car at Bluewater for over 2 hours. The police were called but the couple returned to the car before they needed to break the car window. There is a picture of the guy and he is certainly not young but obvious proof that age doesn't necessarily bring sense or brains.


I have also seen a post by someone warning about the dangers of heat stroke. His dog was running round the garden yesterday, collapsed and the vet could not save her. Why do people not realise about heat stroke?


I am so sad for the poor dogs but also very angry. Our pets depend on us to feed them, provide them with all they need and keep them safe. I just wish people would think about the dangers of sun/heat a bit more. Someone should not have to post about the dangers of heat stroke, pet owners should already know.

sulphate

Simple fact is people don't know, no one leaves their pet in a hot car and goes away thinking "my dog will probably suffer heat stroke"

They just don't realise the dangers, or even if they do they think it'll never happen to them. Same thing about other aspects of pet ownership, like people are ignorant of the dangers of fly strike to rabbits etc.

It's about education and awareness. Just because articles and reports exist about it doesn't mean the right people actually read them. My mum had no idea about it and thought a dog would be fine in a hot car for an hour as long as a window was open a little. She has never had a dog but she'd obviously never read any of the articles you mention.

moggymutt

I got a puppy out of a car last week- it had been in the shade, but the sun had come around. I could check that the car was not yet hot, but it was pretty obviously going to heat up quick. Although only one window was open a few inches I managed to squeeze my arm through, luckily I have ridiculously long arms, and managed to pull up the lock, and so open the door. The owner had totally misjudged when the shade was going to disappear. If the car had already felt hot inside and I hadn't been able to reach the lock, I would have smashed the window furthest away from the pup.

Daft thing was, many people had already seen the pup, moaned about it being left there, but then did nothing.

McKneff

I don't think I would smash a window but if I saw a dog in distress, I would ring the police in a heartbeat,
they have no problem opening doors.

catkins

sulphate wrote: »

Simple fact is people don't know, no one leaves their pet in a hot car and goes away thinking "my dog will probably suffer heat stroke"

They just don't realise the dangers, or even if they do they think it'll never happen to them. Same thing about other aspects of pet ownership, like people are ignorant of the dangers of fly strike to rabbits etc.

It's about education and awareness. Just because articles and reports exist about it doesn't mean the right people actually read them. My mum had no idea about it and thought a dog would be fine in a hot car for an hour as long as a window was open a little. She has never had a dog but she'd obviously never read any of the articles you mention.

Well people should think before they do something like leaving a dog in car. Even in the winter there is a chance the dog could be stolen or do people not think of that either?


You say people don't realise, but why don't they. Do they not have the brains to think things through and realise on a hot day like today or yesterday it is going to be even hotter in a car? Are they really that stupid?


You say your mum doesn't realise but if she has never had a dog then that's is more understandable. I just don't know what has to be done before people stop killing their dogs this way. I have seen posters in vets, pet shops, all over facebook etc and yet still it happens, not just occasionally either. Those owners should be charged with cruelty because that is what it is. I can't begin to image the fear and pain a dog must go through.


One thing for sure, if I see any dogs in distress in a car I will be breaking a window to get them out and if the owner doesn't like it well tough !!!!

Person_one

catkins wrote: »

One thing for sure, if I see any dogs in distress in a car I will be breaking a window to get them out and if the owner doesn't like it well tough !!!!

Please take care to assess whether the dog is in immediate danger before smashing windows and making a hazard out of broken glass flying everywhere.

chris_n_tj

HAving seen 2 dogs locked in a car in full sun and dying, and had the police not already been there then YES I would break a cars window to get a dog out. These 2 dogs were not lucky, they died. It was heartbreaking, when trhe owners came back they didnt think they had done anythiong wrong.
Yes we take our dog/dogs out in the car and yes on hot days. We run the Aircon on full and make sure they have water if they want it. If its too warm and we can leave them at home then we do, but sometimes we have to take them with us. We would never leave them alone in the car. Just like we wouldnt leave our Grandchild to boil.

Some people are just morons that dont really care about the welfare of their animals. x

Paradigm

chris_n_tj wrote: »

These 2 dogs were not lucky, they died. It was heartbreaking, when trhe owners came back they didnt think they had done anythiong wrong.

I wonder if these owners would subject themselves to sitting in the car for an hour or more in direct summer sunshine with the window open an inch? I doubt it.

To say that people don't know what may happen is ludicrous, anyone (most of us at some point) stuck in a traffic jam in blazing hot sunshine knows how quickly the car heats up & how quickly things get uncomfortable.

chris n tj got it spot on.... morons!

moggymutt

If the dog was in distress then I would break the window furthest away from the dog if I could not get in quickly by other means and then call the police, or ask somebody else to ring whilst I was getting in. If the dog is in distress then time is vital. I'd hope someone could film it on their phone in the hope of getting the owners prosecuted.

Money_maker

In a Trago store in the west country last week. 3 times the store put out an announcement with registration number asking owners to return to the car as dogs were distressed in the heat.

This meant the dogs suffered longer than they should have. One announcement giving the owner 10 minutes to get back to their car before the window was broken would have been much more sensible.

moggymutt

Money_maker wrote: »

In a Trago store in the west country last week. 3 times the store put out an announcement with registration number asking owners to return to the car as dogs were distressed in the heat.

This meant the dogs suffered longer than they should have. One announcement giving the owner 10 minutes to get back to their car before the window was broken would have been much more sensible.

That is wrong and if the dogs were already distressed then the window should have been broken asap. People need to learn, and possibly thinking that their cars WILL get damaged if they leave their dogs in a hot car will finally get the message through to the moron section of the community that still do this to their dogs.