Friends Don’t Leave Friends in Hot Cars
Summer is only getting hotter, and it takes just minutes for a dog left in a vehicle on a warm day to succumb to heatstroke and suffocation. Most people don't realize how hot it can get in a parked car, nor how quickly! On a 78-degree day, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees – and within 30 minutes or less, hit a scorching 160 degrees if parked in the sun!
Even when the outside air temperature is in the 60s, temperatures inside vehicles can reach the danger zone in the sun. Rolling down a window or parking in the shade doesn't guarantee protection, since temperatures can still climb.
Dogs don’t sweat as humans do. Instead, they cool off by panting and sweating through their paws. With only overheated air to breathe, they can collapse, suffer brain damage, and possibly die of heatstroke. Just 15 minutes can be enough for a dog’s body temperature to climb from a normal 102.5 to deadly levels that will damage their nervous and cardiovascular systems, potentially leaving them comatose, dehydrated, and at risk of permanent impairment or death.
Heatstroke symptoms are not always visible right away but may include vigorous panting, an unsteady gait, lethargy or agitation, thick saliva or frothing at the mouth, a rigid posture, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, collapsing, and signs of shock.
When you see a dog in a hot car, your first instinct might be to free it by any means necessary, but there are specific steps to follow under Colorado Statute 13-21-108.4 to avoid criminal and civil liability.
First, the person rendering assistance must have a reasonable belief that the animal is in imminent danger of death or suffering serious bodily injury.
A concerned citizen must first attempt to locate the vehicle's owner or operator and document the vehicle's color, make, model, license plate number, and location. Before acting, law enforcement, the fire department, animal control, or 911 needs to be called. If responders arrive, one cannot interfere with or fail to obey a lawful order from first responders.
After taking these steps, use no more force than is reasonably necessary to free the pet. After acting, remain with the animal and reasonably close to the vehicle until a law enforcement officer, emergency medical service provider, animal control officer, or other first responder arrives at the scene.
If it is necessary to leave the scene, leave a notice on the windshield of the vehicle that includes your name and contact information and the name and contact information of the location where the dog has been taken. The same information should be shared with law enforcement and animal control.
Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.