Was I wrong here

Penny Less

Penny Less

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10 March 2009
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I will be ashamed if I am. I have never left dogs in the car when Im shopping before today. Took dogs out to nearby park (one cant walk far)
on the way back I popped into Pets at Home to collect prescription food. I have privacy glass, the temp gauge said 18, and I was no more than five minutes, as I timed myself. window was open. Got it in the neck from a man because shouldnt have left dogs. Maybe Ive been wrong but i thought the privacy glass acted to keep glare of sun out. Dog s perfectly fine and temp gauge still showed 18. Its hotter in my house !
 
Good God, he needs to get a life.
I know had the police knock on the family home door in Christmas day to ask me to open the windows in case the dogs got too hot.
2 of the dogs were wearing coats as it was so cold, they had duvets for beds and we're snuggled up together asleep, they were out there for an hour whilst we ate our main course.
I pointed out the weather to the police and they happily ambled off.
Theft is more of a risk in some areas these days depending on where you are.
 
I'm sure your dogs were fine, but Pets at home is frequented by dog lovers, so it's not surprising that some one raised concerns. I hope he was polite though and was reassured that your dogs were ok.
Next time, bring the dogs in with you as PAH are dog friendly, unless they've banned them at the moment ?
 
I won't leave mine for very long at all in hot weather but he just sounds like a donkey. If I see a dog in a car I have a look to see if they seem ok but I certainly wouldn't have a pop unless I knew they'd been left a while - as in I went past on my way in, spent some time shopping and they were still there on the way out - and even then really only if the dog was distressed.
I do always remove all collars and harnesses if I leave them even for 5 minutes as the thought of them getting trapped horrifies me
 
No, not in the wrong at all, I have tinted glass and foil reflectors in my vehicle so nosy parkers can't see in, makes life a lot easier, they've managed to survive several trips to the continent over the years without expiring from the heat.
If the vehicle is in direct sunlight for a protracted amount of time with no cover, the dogs are clearly in distress then yes, totally would intervene, but some people just like to be social justice warriors. However I would never leave dogs loose in the body of the car anyway, travel boxes and foils offer some level of protection from both the sun and potential thieves.
 
Holy moley! I had to Google how hot 18 C is in F, temp is the one thing that I can't quickly rough guess into English measure, but that is cool compared to what it often gets to here. I would have put up my sunblocker in the windshield and rolled all 4 windows down some but not worried. My dogs do travel in crates and I have a hitch lock if I think I need to prop open the back tail gate. That man needed to just mind his own business.
 
GSD Woman, extremes of temperature are relatively rare. That's why our dogs suffer more when these extremes do happen, why owners are sometimes ill-prepared (I've known of dogs that have died in hot cars and after exercising in the heat even though this is a much cooler country than most) and why our dogs suffer more from the heat at the bigger competitions - most of us would go about a week or two early to the continent to acclimatise!!
Just my opinion but people here also seem have a different attitude to travelling with dogs, because it is a relatively small place there is no need for long car journeys, so dogs are never really prepared for or used to it or it is seen as somehow unnecessary or even cruel to take a dog (or leave it for a period) in the car, whereas in other countries it's just normal and people have the gear you describe to make things more comfortable.
 
I would have done the same had Bear not lamed himself yesterday, it was my plan to go straight to PAH after his walk rather than go home and go out again.
 
It seems to be a relatively new thing that strangers feel the need to get involved when dogs are left in cars. I wouldn’t leave my dogs in the car on a hot day for any length of time but yesterday wasn’t hot (pleasantly warm, yes) and you were gone just a few minutes and left a window open so I cannot see a problem in that at all.
 
Even with tinted glass the temperature in a car can rise alarmingly quickly and there have been some tragic accidents - even some police dogs died in this way. I am sure your dog was fine but I can understand someone being concerned. I have to fight my dog to stop him coming when it is hot - he just loves the car and to be with me!!
 
sport horse said:
Even with tinted glass the temperature in a car can rise alarmingly quickly and there have been some tragic accidents - even some police dogs died in this way. I am sure your dog was fine but I can understand someone being concerned. I have to fight my dog to stop him coming when it is hot - he just loves the car and to be with me!!
Click to expand...

Those dogs were left for hours on an extremely hot day. ?
 
5 mins unattended is no problem. Sounds like the guy was being a busy body. However, the trouble is that everyone who leaves their dogs unattended in cars will insist that they’ve only left them for a few minutes, they’ve left a window open a tiny bit, their dogs are fine, so bog off and mind your own business :rolleyes:.

The police do not seem to be immune from cooking their own dogs.

I, for one, will continue to get involved if I see a dog left unattended n a car on a hot day. This has happened a few times in supermarket car parks.

RSPCA advice.

Help a dog in a hot car
  • Establish the animal's health and condition. If they're displaying any signs of heatstroke dial 999 immediately.
  • If the situation becomes critical for the dog and the police are too far away or unable to attend, many people's instinct will be to break into the car to free the dog. If you decide to do this, please be aware that without proper justification, this could be classed as criminal damage and, potentially, you may need to defend your actions in court.
  • Make sure you tell the police what you intend to do and why. Take pictures or videos of the dog and the names and numbers of witnesses to the incident. The law states that you have a lawful excuse to commit damage if you believe that the owner of the property that you damage would consent to the damage if they knew the circumstances (section 5(2)(a) Criminal Damage Act 1971).
Once removed, if the dog is displaying signs of heatstroke, follow our emergency first aid advice. This could mean the difference between life and death for the dog.

If the dog isn't displaying symptoms of heatstroke
  • Establish how long the dog has been in the car. A 'pay and display' ticket could help.
  • Make a note of the car's registration. If the owner returns, but you still feel the situation was dangerous for the dog, you may still report the incident to the police.
  • If you're at a shop, venue or event ask the staff to make an announcement to alert the owner of the situation.
  • If possible, get someone to stay with the dog to monitor their condition. If they begin to display signs of distress or heatstroke, be prepared to dial 999.
  • You can also call our 24-hour cruelty line for advice on 0300 1234 999. However, if the dog's in danger, dialing 999 should always be the first step.
 
Tiddlypom,

The temp was only 18 degrees C which is under 65 F. The dog should have been fine given the circumstances. Leaving a dog in a hot car is totally different.
 
People get funny about dogs in cars. It really does depend on time frames and exposure though.

Unfortunately as some humans have no common sense and leave Animal in cars long enough and in hot enough weather to die by heat stroke the rules tend to be made to prevent the worse not manage the norm.

In Ireland my dog used to stay in the car frequently when I was on call as a vet. unless it was hot she was in the van...and stayed in it when on calls. she loved it I loved the company and on hot days she stayed at home sulking.
I wouldn't every try the same thing here in Australia as a.-its illegal in most states regardless of if aircon is running(malfunctions happen and the dogs die in those cases) and b. its also very uncomfortable very quickly and c. if I was delayed or had something happen my dog would likley die if left in the car for a prolonged period regardless of shade etc the temps here are higher and its a confined space.

You knew you were only gone for 5 minute.....the guy who seen your dogs in the car and monitored them to make sure they weren't in danger did not know that.
If an unlikely situation where something had happened to you he would have been able to do something to help your dogs if you didn't return and they started to suffer.

I wouldn't have brought mine in the car at 18 degrees in Ireland or left her in it at that temp. It is high for the British isles.

Heat stroke from a car is not pleasant to treat and I've seen more die then survive it. Usually here these are the dogs who love the car-jump in when no-one realises and get locked inside.
It is not a nice way to go and takes 3-5 days to see if their kidneys have survived the temperature change even if they show improvement in the first 24 hours :(
 
I would have been the "passer by" who'd got concerned if I saw dogs in a car, even with a window open.

The problem is that YOU might know you'll "only be five minutes" - but no-one else does; and now the sun's getting hotter (at last, thank goodness!) there WILL unfortunately be a lot of people who leave dogs in hot cars.

So yes, think passer-by was right to be concerned.
 
At 18 degrees and in the sun, I would not even have gone to pay for the petrol in a petrol station.

I will leave my dog alone in the car for 5 minutes if is is below about 9 degrees if the sun is out, with both windows cracked open in that situation. The sun can warm the interior of a car up very quickly even if the temp is not so high outside.
 
CC explained that you all don't get the extremes of temps that we do here and that most people don't have the equipment in their cars to keep it comfortable. I wouldn't leave a dog in a car in Australia either and I don't here when it is much over 65 F. I've dealt with dogs with heatstroke and it isn't pretty.
 
I think with a lot of things it's down to common sense and knowing your own dogs. Mine have been in Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy during summer/autumn and have coped OK, the more heavy coated one didn't seem to notice at all in fact, but again, the vehicle was kitted out and provisions put in place and frequent checks made.
Maybe put a note in the window next time OP, with your time of departure!
 
I’m a bit funny about dogs being left in cars. I don’t like it. I will pop to fill up my tank with the dogs in the car on the way to or from a walk (pre-Lock down, of course) but that’s about it.

I suppose a member of the public had no idea how long the dog has been left and I suppose at least they are looking out for them. In some cases that could potentially save a dogs life.
 
sport horse said:
Even with tinted glass the temperature in a car can rise alarmingly quickly and there have been some tragic accidents - even some police dogs died in this way. I am sure your dog was fine but I can understand someone being concerned. I have to fight my dog to stop him coming when it is hot - he just loves the car and to be with me!!
Click to expand...
On this note, it depends on the tint among other things, some are much better at blocking heat than others. A good tint well done actually makes a huge difference.
I was helping a friend at a car show one day, they ran a guess how many balloons competition for the kids and filled a tinted mini with balloons, along with tying lots on the outside. Very hot sunny day, all the outside balloons popped from the heat, none inside did.
Ive got in to a tinted car myself on a hot day, and its vastly cooler than an untinted one, but equally I've been in tinted cars where the tint makes no difference. So if you have a tint do research it
 
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