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Do not leave pets in hot cars
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| No defense: Dogs have no defense when a owner leaves them in a hot car. As temperatures rise, the outcome to the animal could be death. |
By Anna Griffith
special for the News-Sun
It can take less than 20 minutes to kill a dog left inside a hot car, a fact stressed by local veterinarian Nancy Leverenz of the All Creatures Veterinary Service. Though the weather outside may be a nice 78 degrees, inside the car, the temperature is 90, and that's if the car is parked in the shade. If the car were parked in the sun, temperature inside can reach a scorching 160 degrees.
"It basically cooks their body," said Leverenz.
According to paw-rescue.org, if left alone inside a car, a dog is likely to succumb to a heat stroke or even suffocate to death. A dog's body temperature can increase to dangerous levels, and without the ability to cool down, they can die within 20 minutes. They become dehydrated, and panting increases in an effort to cool themselves off. The dog also starts to drool more. Drooling and panting are symptoms of a heat stroke. Dogs can also suffer from diarrhea and kidney failure if left in a hot car too long.
When asked if there was a safe temperature to leave a dog inside a car, Leverenz replied, "It's hard to say," recommending pet owners should never leave their dogs in the car. Leverenz also stressed that leaving one's dog in the back of truck beds is no safer than leaving them inside the actual car; it's just as hot. The hot metal can hurt the dog's paws, and there is also the risk of the dog getting thrown out of the truck bed, according to paw-rescue.org.
In Arizona, it is prohibited to leave any animal inside an unattended car. Doing so is punishable under anticruelty statutes that forbid leaving dogs or cats inside hot cars. The owner could also be faced with a large fine. Benson City Magistrate Judge Joe Knobloch stated that as a class one misdemeanor, leaving one's pet in a hot car could result in a fine of up to $2,500. The owner can also be sentenced up to six months in jail and three years of probation. If you see an animal left inside an overheated car, take down information of the car such as its color, model, make, and the license plate number and have the owner paged inside the store or call the police.
It can take less than 20 minutes to kill a dog left inside a hot car, a fact stressed by local veterinarian Nancy Leverenz of the All Creatures Veterinary Service. Though the weather outside may be a nice 78 degrees, inside the car, the temperature is 90, and that's if the car is parked in the shade. If the car were parked in the sun, temperature inside can reach a scorching 160 degrees.
"It basically cooks their body," said Leverenz.
According to paw-rescue.org, if left alone inside a car, a dog is likely to succumb to a heat stroke or even suffocate to death. A dog's body temperature can increase to dangerous levels, and without the ability to cool down, they can die within 20 minutes. They become dehydrated, and panting increases in an effort to cool themselves off. The dog also starts to drool more. Drooling and panting are symptoms of a heat stroke. Dogs can also suffer from diarrhea and kidney failure if left in a hot car too long.
When asked if there was a safe temperature to leave a dog inside a car, Leverenz replied, "It's hard to say," recommending pet owners should never leave their dogs in the car. Leverenz also stressed that leaving one's dog in the back of truck beds is no safer than leaving them inside the actual car; it's just as hot. The hot metal can hurt the dog's paws, and there is also the risk of the dog getting thrown out of the truck bed, according to paw-rescue.org.
In Arizona, it is prohibited to leave any animal inside an unattended car. Doing so is punishable under anticruelty statutes that forbid leaving dogs or cats inside hot cars. The owner could also be faced with a large fine. Benson City Magistrate Judge Joe Knobloch stated that as a class one misdemeanor, leaving one's pet in a hot car could result in a fine of up to $2,500. The owner can also be sentenced up to six months in jail and three years of probation. If you see an animal left inside an overheated car, take down information of the car such as its color, model, make, and the license plate number and have the owner paged inside the store or call the police.
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| Council approves four items in short meeting | Plenty of benefits in owning pets |
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
Alexis Raymond wrote on Jun 17, 2009 11:46 AM:
The My Dog is Cool Campaign operated by United Animal Nations lets people know that leaving a dog in a car for even “just a few minutes” may be too long.
To order or download educational fliers and posters, or to enter your zip code and find out if it is too hot to bring your dog in the car, visit:
MyDogIsCool.com "