By Steve Dale
Are you still unsure of how hot your car can actually become in the summertime? Watch Steve Dale get to the bottom of it and experience himself how unbearable it actually becomes in the car for your four-legged friend.
Each summer, there are dogs who suffer and sometimes die from being left in a car. Plenty of people make the mistake of thinking dogs can withstand the heat, even if only for a few minutes.
“Dogs don’t cool themselves as efficiently as humans do,” says Pet Expert Steve Dale. “Even leaving your dog in the car for 10 minutes can be extremely detrimental.”
Even with the window cracked, cars can heat up to unbearable temperatures within a matter of minutes. According to peta.org, “on a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes.”
16 states have laws to protect dogs left in vehicles. If you see a pet in a parked car, there are things you can do to help. According to humanesociety.org, the best things to do are take down the car’s make, model and license-plate number; notify managers or security guards of nearby businesses; and if the owner can’t be found, call the non-emergency number of the local police of animal control and wait for them to arrive.
To learn more about heat-related first aid best practices, download the Red Cross Pet First Aid App.
