Originally Posted by maxdog (Post 4559747)

I am not sure there is an "other side" to this thread because I believe the rants here are directed at those "idiots" who leave their dog in a car on a hot day. The story that started this was one of those people. She said she was only gone 5 minutes but all the witnesses said it was a lot longer. She was probably getting her nails done while her dog was roasting. Responsible people like yourself would not do that, but there are boneheads who would. I agree with you that common sense must be used before breaking someone's window but once it has been established that an animal could be in grave danger - find me a brick.

I am fortunate to have a remote starter and there has probably been 3 times that I have left Max and/or Sasha in the car. Not only were they comfy in the car (winter or summer) but I NEVER let them out of my line of sight. I am more afraid of someone trying to steal them!

Originally Posted by ironmike86 (Post 4559981)

I agree there is no other side. But leaving your car unattended in MY STATE is only legal on Your Private property.. Public streets or public places its illegal. Me If its hot and I have my dogs almost any convenience store will let me bring them in. MY 6lb 10 oz Moki and 3lb 8oz Winnie I can easily carry with one arm. But hot weather I always have water on hand for all of us . So most likely wont need to get a drink. Ever been stuck in a traffic jam?? It can happen and has to me. 3-4 hrs not moving. Hot weather. Water should always be with you no matter what. Hot or cold. JMO

Originally Posted by Britster (Post 4559680)

Those were just examples off the top of my head. Of course I go through drive-throughs whenever possible. Very occasionally, it's something that cannot be bought through one, and I'm not going to drive home when it's a perfectly breezy day and Jackson is totally content in the car, I even have a small fan and a cooling pad even though I wouldn't ever leave him in the car long enough (or at all if hot enough) for them to be necessary anyway.

I have sat in the car, all windows up before on a 70 degree day and was perfectly fine for at least 30 minutes in a shady spot.

My only point is that YES by all means save a dog in true distress but other measures should be taken first before busting open someones window. If someone did that to my car while I ran into 711 for 2 minutes to grab something, Jackson would likely bite if tried to be picked up, or run away and possibly into traffic.

Are there idiot owners out there who simply... don't care? Yep. And it sucks. I have called the cops before when a friend and I were in the mall parking lot eating with our dogs in our car and we saw a dog in a car on a pretty hot day for at LEAST 30-40 mins. To me that's just plain stupid. I would never ever leave Jackson in a car to run into a mall, or a grocery store, or anything where I couldn't see him through the windows or knew I was going to be longer than 5 mins. But those of us who are responsible dog owners shouldn't be punished because of certain idiots. And I know it's a fine line, it's hard to be so black/white, because I get it. I do. It's better to be proactive than not caring. But if you see a dog in a car, just WAIT, think, before calling police or busting open windows and ask yourself the questions that I posted in my last post.

Originally Posted by YazminD (Post 4559372)

My son shared this story on my FB page last night. It's horrible that the owner insisted the man to be arrested, it should've been the other way around! :mad:
Man Busts Window to Help Dog, Gets Arrested Anyway - Life With Dogs

I work in a restaurant and I'm always shocked at customers who leave dogs locked up in hot cars! One summer there was an elderly couple who left a Maltese in a car with leather seats! It was 97 degrees that day and the humidity was horrible! Within less than five minutes that poor dog's face was drenching wet with sweat and she was panting terribly with no way to escape the hot sun! I confronted the couple and asked them if I could give her water and could they please roll down the windows at least enough that the dog could breath fresh air! The elderly man spoke up immediatly and said that there was no way he'd crack the windows, that he was sure someone would try to steal her while they ate! He then proudly told me how he and his wife had just rescued the dog from a kill shelter in Florida a few days prior to arriving in Ohio! :eek: OMG! Fortunately I was able to convince him to stay with the dog until their meal was ready and then he allowed each waitress to sit with her while each of them took their breaks. Unfortunately, I see this abuse all too often but it's been a lot less since I posted a "Don't Cook Your Dog" at the front door entrance for all the customers to see before they enter!

Originally Posted by Britster (Post 4559376)

I'm somewhere in the middle on this one. I do get it, the guy was trying to help and I think it's great that he was concerned. But I don't think this new fad of 'breaking windows open' should start happening too often. I see posts all over FB and I'm glad there's awareness but I shouldn't be afraid to leave my dog in the car while I run into the drug store for less than 3 minutes to grab a bottle of water or something. I travel a lot with Jackson, I travel between houses, I'm a pet sitter, and it's not always feasible to bring him back home. If I have 4 let outs for the day and all of them are dogs that he enjoys and gets to walk/play with, I'm not going to leave him home simply because I may have to run into a store quickly to... drop off a prescription, or buy a bottle of water, or something. Jackson would be traumatized for LIFE if someone busted open my window and tried to grab him. I'm not an idiot and I won't leave him in the car at all during most of the summer when it's hot and humid. But there's nothing wrong with cracking the windows open on a 75 degree day and parking in the shade.

This post sums up my thoughts:

Originally Posted by Maximo (Post 4559994)

We walk near restaurants that are popular with interstate travelers and often see dogs left in the car. :( Thankfully not on hot days, but if this does happen, I will pick up my dogs and walk into the restaurant to have the manager find the person. If that doesn't work, I'll call the police. They are usually nearby for the hospital.

Originally Posted by YazminD (Post 4560059)

I know this question's a bit off subject but I have to ask! Lol I described finding a dog in a hot car as sweating and panting. If dogs don't have the ability to sweat then how would anyone describe Yazmin's condition in the photo below? While playing YHR's trivia game on YT last July, Yazmin was playing soccer with her favorite ball on a very hot, humid day. Within 5 minutes I had to hide her ball, fearing she'd suffer from a heat stroke. I posted Yazmin's photo at the time only to have people ask me if I had turned a water hose on her to cool her down at the time...No...In my mind she was sweating! Lol

Originally Posted by Britster (Post 4560092)

Lol, no idea except maybe dew from the humidity and grass? I've never seen a dog get 'wet' looking just from being hot.

Do Dogs Sweat?

Originally Posted by shinny (Post 4560565)

Originally Posted by KazzyK810 (Post 4560600)

As her name is now all over the internet, she 's probably not so keen on pressing charges against the man.

Originally Posted by shinny (Post 4560565)

Originally Posted by Shelby&Seymour (Post 4560939)

I am glad that the hero didn't get charged... Can't believe they even considered it!