Should be common sense…
But apparently it isn’t.
Dear ABBY: Leaving dogs in hot cars is considered cruelty
DEAR ABBY: For the second time this week, I saw a dog left in a car while its owner went shopping.
Please remind your readers that any time it’s over 70 degrees - or even 65 on a sunny day - can mean that the inside of a car will quickly climb to more than 100 degrees!
The dog today, an adorable pug, was panting desperately against the window, which had not even been cracked a couple of inches in an attempt to do the right thing. Abby, the car had a couple of doggie decals on it, as if the owners believed themselves to be animal lovers!
Please also let your readers know it’s OK to leave a polite note on a car, telling the owner that it’s too hot to leave a dog in a car, and to alert the manager of the store (if they know which one) so an announcement can be made that a dog is in distress.
It is worth the extra minute to try to courteously educate and alert the careless animal owner.
- No Dogs in the Car After Memorial Day
DEAR NO DOGS: Thanks for your important message.
I spoke with Capt. David Havard, of the Los Angeles SPCA, who kindly provided the following information:
“Leaving a dog in a car can be considered neglect or abuse. There are laws governing cruelty to animals, and enforcement of those laws would fall under local jurisdiction.”
So, readers, if you see a pet left in a parked car, the first thing to do would be to alert security personnel for the parking lot.
And if the lot has no security personnel on duty, notify the police. Leaving a note on the offender’s car is not enough, because the poor animal could be dead by the time the owner returns.
Today’s Dear Abby column seems particularly timely in light of these stories:
Dog left in hot car dies
Police receive 6 calls in 1 day; investigating 2
By Susan Nolan
August 06, 2007PORTSMOUTH — A Chihuahua died Friday after being left in a closed vehicle outside of Home Depot in 95-degree weather.
“We’re investigating this as a prolonged exposure to heat inside the vehicle,” said Capt. David “Lou” Ferland.
Police received a call from Home Depot at 2:23 p.m. Friday that the dog was in trouble. The owner had come running into Home Depot with the dog and had thrown cold water on it and put it in front of a fan in an attempt to revive it, Ferland said. By the time police arrived, the dog and owner were gone.
The owner had taken the dog to a local animal hospital where it was pronounced dead.
The dog death was the most serious of six calls police received Friday for dogs locked in vehicles during the scorching heat.
Man arrested after his dog dies in hot car
He faces animal cruelty charges after apparently leaving his 2-year-old Labrador retriever unattended for at least four hours.
By Ari B. Bloomekatz
August 3, 2007A 56-year-old man was arrested this week on suspicion of animal cruelty after his 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever apparently died of heat exhaustion inside the man’s BMW, Los Angeles police said Thursday.
Bennett Ira Goldberg of Simi Valley apparently left the dog unattended in the car in the 6800 block of Owensmouth Avenue in Canoga Park for at least four hours Tuesday afternoon while temperatures continued to rise inside the vehicle, police said.
A neighbor heard the dog barking inside the car and called police about 1 p.m. By the time officers arrived, the dog had died, officials said.
Becky :: Aug.06.2007 :: Dog Blog, Health, Travel :: No Comments »
