Seeing a dog in a car while it is 80 degrees even 70 degrees is torture. You are cooking your dog in the car. I know people probably think “oh I will just run into the grocery store and I will be right back!” or “I cracked the windows….” but are those excuses really going to make up for your dog being sick or even dying. The temperature inside a car rises almost 20 degrees in just 10 minutes and as time goes up the heat just rises higher and higher. On a 70 degree day it can be 110 degrees inside your car and your dog is sitting in that.
There is a California law (Cal. Penal Code 597.7) to save dogs from being in this situation. It is illegal to “leave or confine an animal in any unattended moter vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well being of an animal due to heat, cold, of lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering disability, or death to the animal”. Whoever leaves their animal in the car is guilty of a crime punishable by a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment in a county jail, imprisonment in the state prison, or both fine and imprisonment. Sooo… leaving your animal in the car is pretty serious and you can go to jail for it and be charged up the wazoooo. So do yourself a favor and leave your dog at home in air condition.
If you see this situation while you are walking to the store and you see a panting dog with no air condition or no owner you can save them. You can call the cops, try to find the owner, or tell a manager in a store. If you wouldn’t want to sit in a hot car what makes you think its okay for your dog to sit in a hot car. Dogs are like humans. Treat them like how you would want to be treated.
