Leaving dogs in cars is dangerous all year round, even winter, study shows

[skinnydipper]

Leaving dogs in cars is dangerous all year round, even winter, study shows | Nottingham Trent University

People are being warned about the dangers of leaving their dogs in parked cars after a study found that internal temperatures were hot enough all year round to pose a risk to dog health.

www.ntu.ac.uk

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Well, in that case I'd better sell my car, sell the fuzzies and stay home 24/7 apart from dog walking at midnight......

Driving a car is dangerous and many other things are dangerous to dogs, its finding ways to manage or mitigate a user friendly way.

 

[CorvusCorax]

My dogs have loved their road trips all over Europe and have lived into double figures to tell the tale

 

[bonny]

It’s surprising, if that is true that they even bother to put heaters in cars!

 

[ycbm]

My dogs have loved their road trips all over Europe and have lived into double figures to tell the tale

Struggling to understand how it can be dangerous to leave a dog in a properly ventilated car in the shade on a day when the temperature is 20c or less.
.

 

[bonny]

Struggling to understand how it can be dangerous to leave a dog in a properly ventilated car in the shade on a day when the temperature is 20c or less.
.

I’m struggling to understand why a university team spent two years looking into car temperatures.

 

[Rowreach]

I haven’t bothered to comment on the other thread bc I can’t get excited about a non-event, but this has just annoyed me. I hope enough people have the necessary common sense not to take it literally.

At this rate all the judgy people will be insisting that only those of independent means who spend 24/7 at home with their animals are allowed to own them (with Waitrose delivering all the food) so that dogs never get to go anywhere except on paws.

 

[CorvusCorax]

The article was published in 2020.
There are movements on the continent, backed by a very vocal AR lobby, which aim to pretty much end all dog sports and hobbies by stealth. Punitive regulations for anyone travelling/parking/staying overnight with dogs is one of the first steps.

The day that all I am allowed to do with my dog is let it lie on the sofa and take it for a toddle around the block is the day I take up keeping hamsters.
And we can kiss goodbye to all our service/assistance dogs and police dogs too, cause those are even more stressful jobs.

In my lifetime I can think of three incidents where dogs died in vehicles, none at events at which I was present. Obviously coincidentally, every single owner was a man and also absolute twonks to begin with.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

Best that all agility is banned then ! Most dogs spend the majority of the day in the car. Well ventilated and covered in silver sheeting too. Dogs in their cool coats. Far worse issues out there.

 

[silv]

I’m struggling to understand why a university team spent two years looking into car temperatures.

Just shows the standard of education, how depressing!

 

[druid]

Seems like a waste of research money

 

[skinnydipper]

Dogs die in hot cars. People should be made aware of the danger no matter which time of day or time of year.

I'm not sorry for trying to raise awareness.

5% of stolen dogs are taken from vehicles and I'm not sorry for drawing people's attention to that either.


From 2019

Heatwave sparks dogs in hot cars calls as reports hit three-year high

BVA has teamed up with a coalition of rescue and rehoming charities, police, and welfare organisations to launch this year’s Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign to highlight the dangers that warm weather can pose to dogs.

www.bva.co.uk

 

[MurphysMinder]

I don’t think anyone here would argue about the risk of leaving dogs in cars in warm weather without adequate precautions, but some of the statements in that report are a bit daft .
Yesterday I was at an agility show, there was a cold wind and it was cloudy . I started off with the tailgate open , but shut it later as wind was blowing straight in so for most of the day I had just rear windows down about 6”. There were 3 dogs in the car , Gsd and 2 Lancashire heelers . Every time I went back to the car they were fast asleep .

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Dogs die in hot cars. People should be made aware of the danges no matter which time of day or time of year.

I'm not sorry for trying to raise awareness.

5% of stolen dogs are taken from vehicles and I'm not sorry for drawing people's attention to that either.


From 2019

Heatwave sparks dogs in hot cars calls as reports hit three-year high

BVA has teamed up with a coalition of rescue and rehoming charities, police, and welfare organisations to launch this year’s Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign to highlight the dangers that warm weather can pose to dogs.

www.bva.co.uk

I think just about all on here already aware of this.
Yes, I was flippant last night, apologies.
However, mine is often in the car when I ride in cool or winter weather as more warm for them than cool hay barn - which is where I keep another open crate for warm or hot days.
I food shop with v cool understore car park, in winter I might need to coat dog up, but on all apart from well over 30 degrees, the car is fine.

 

[skinnydipper]

AAD is an open forum, it isn't only registered members who read the posts.

 

[skinnydipper]

I’m struggling to understand why a university team spent two years looking into car temperatures.

I didn't go to university so I have no idea how much time and money is wasted there.

 

[Clodagh]

If you can’t leave your dogs at home as it’s cruel, and can’t take them in your car as it’s cruel are you only ever allowed, for the whole of the dogs span, to go to places you can take it with you? On foot!?

 

[skinnydipper]

This thread is getting rather silly.

 

[Jenko109]

You can leave your dog in the car all year round. You just need to take steps to keep the car cool, of which there are plenty of options.

I imagine more dogs get stolen from people's homes than they do from people's cars.

 

[druid]

You can leave your dog in the car all year round. You just need to take steps to keep the car cool, of which there are plenty of options.

I imagine more dogs get stolen from people's homes than they do from people's cars.

If only 5% of thefts are from vehicles then the majority must be from homes, you'd assume.

 

[skinnydipper]

If only 5% of thefts are from vehicles then the majority must be from homes, you'd assume.

Gardens

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Gardens

Oh gosh! Better not let the dog play in the garden then! I wonder why the rescues insist on 6ft fencing, in that case.

 

[DabDab]

I found the original paper that this article is talking about. I'm not sure how much it helps with my own awareness of anything really.

They put temperature loggers in the boot of four cars owned by people working at the facility. Not all of the cars were data logged for the full two years, in fact none of them were, and then all the data collected was mashed together and smoothed in Excel, before pulling out means and standard deviations. The mean and std dev data is about what most of us would expect in the UK, but most of the analysis and what has been reported in subsequent articles is based on the maximum temps found. Fair enough when looking at the temperatures of car boots for storing vetinary medicines (as many vets do when on call/rounds), but didn't completely make sense to me when applied to people transporting dogs in cars when presumably you would behave quite differently (coolers on, windows open, etc etc).

Also, some of those maximum readings are just really whacky (as in seem like statistical outliers) and there is no explanation or hypothesis in the text as to why. E. G. I'm not sure what someone is doing with their car to clock up 30 degrees in the boot at 10pm in February (in the UK), but that surely warrants extra enquiry rather than just publishing that cars can reach almost 30 deg C in February.

The most interesting figure for me was that (even with presumably most outliers left in), 15% of the readings were over 25 deg C between May and August. Which I think is about what I would expect for cars parked up in exposed parking most of the day without ventilation and then used 'normally' outside of office hours.

 

[Clodagh]

Oh gosh! Better not let the dog play in the garden then! I wonder why the rescues insist on 6ft fencing, in that case.

I don’t let my dogs stay out in the garden unattended. Because of theft risk.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I don’t let my dogs stay out in the garden unattended. Because of theft risk.

Ours play outside with the kitchen door open. We have 6ft fencing with all gates, 1 to the drive and 3 to the fully enclosed land, locked with coded bike chains. I would be absolutely amazed if anyone could steal one, especially as the brown one is very vocal.

 

[Clodagh]

Ours play outside with the kitchen door open. We have 6ft fencing with all gates, 1 to the drive and 3 to the fully enclosed land, locked with coded bike chains. I would be absolutely amazed if anyone could steal one, especially as the brown one is very vocal.

That’s fine, horses for courses. Mine can go in the garden well separated from the road as well, but only if one of us is out there.

 

[blackcob]

I imagine more dogs get stolen from people's homes than they do from people's cars.

And most dogs experiencing heatstroke do so as a result of exercise, not being left in a car.

 

[Rowreach]

I found the original paper that this article is talking about. I'm not sure how much it helps with my own awareness of anything really.

They put temperature loggers in the boot of four cars owned by people working at the facility. Not all of the cars were data logged for the full two years, in fact none of them were, and then all the data collected was mashed together and smoothed in Excel, before pulling out means and standard deviations. The mean and std dev data is about what most of us would expect in the UK, but most of the analysis and what has been reported in subsequent articles is based on the maximum temps found. Fair enough when looking at the temperatures of car boots for storing vetinary medicines (as many vets do when on call/rounds), but didn't completely make sense to me when applied to people transporting dogs in cars when presumably you would behave quite differently (coolers on, windows open, etc etc).

Also, some of those maximum readings are just really whacky (as in seem like statistical outliers) and there is no explanation or hypothesis in the text as to why. E. G. I'm not sure what someone is doing with their car to clock up 30 degrees in the boot at 10pm in February (in the UK), but that surely warrants extra enquiry rather than just publishing that cars can reach almost 30 deg C in February.

The most interesting figure for me was that (even with presumably most outliers left in), 15% of the readings were over 25 deg C between May and August. Which I think is about what I would expect for cars parked up in exposed parking most of the day without ventilation and then used 'normally' outside of office hours.

Thank you for that

 

[I'm Dun]

Gardens

so what its saying is that its dangerous just to be a dog, but if you are a dog, you are safer in the car than at home. Interesting!

 

[Rowreach]

Well surely common sense, circumstances and a knowledge of your own dog/s comes into play whether it’s leaving them in a car or the garden or within your own home, and I don’t need a dodgy piece of “research” to help me decide on any of those things.

I might be swayed by some proper data.

Dog currently in her crate in the boot with the lid open, weather cool and a bit breezy, might rain (in which case she could get damp) I’m going to ride in the arena and then walk horse off in the newly cut field. Dog will not overheat, run away or get stolen *in these circumstances* and would be very cross if she’d been left at home