Weather or not to leave your pooch in the car….

Here in Western Washington, it’s uncommon for us to experience unseasonably warm weather and today is sure to be one of those days.  While running errands for the clinic earlier this week (cooler than today, overcast and in the morning) I sat in my car while returning phone calls and answering email.  In the 20 minutes that I was doing so, the temperature in the car rose and was uncomfortably hot.

When I left the car to run my next errand and walked through the parking lot, I was dismayed to see the number of pets in their owner’s cars-windows up, them yapping wildly, panting, hot and frantic.  And it’s only MAY!

This isn’t about what I did, but what you should do with your own pets. 

We urge you to consider that the interior of your car can warm up dramatically even on cooler days.  In just 10 minutes on a 70 degree day the interior of the car can warm to 90 degrees; on an 85 degree day the interior can reach 130 degrees in 30 minutes…with the windows cracked open!  Most the heat increases in the first 10-20 minutes.

So what should you do when you see a distressed pet in the car?  You can go into the business the car is parked and ask the manager to page the person that owns the car (have the license plate) providing the animal is not in severe distress.  Otherwise, call Animal Control or 911 if you don’t know the number for Animal Control.

You can also visit www.redrover.org search for ‘my dog is cool’ and you can read more and download flyers to raise awareness.