As many areas experience record-high temperatures this summer, it’s more important than ever to protect our pets from the hot weather, as they are very susceptible to heat stroke. Tragically, every year many dogs are left in hot cars, which can cause severe distress or even death.
When dogs are left in hot cars, the clock is ticking until it’s too late, so sometimes you have to take action to make sure they survive. Recently, officers shattered the window of an SUV to save the overheating dog inside.
On August 2, the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office, in Florida, shared video of an incident in which they had to rescue a dog from a scorching hot car, parked in a lot outside the courthouse.
The car was turned off and the windows were all rolled up. The department wrote that the dog was heavily panting and in “obvious distress.”
The dog had been left in the vehicle for 30-45 minutes, more than enough time for the vehicle to reach dangerous heat levels. The department said that it was 88 degrees outside and about 120 degrees inside the car.
“In just 10 minutes your vehicle heats up 20 degrees,” the sheriff’s office said.
With the car doors locked and the poor dog suffering inside, the sheriff’s deputies were authorized to break the window, allowing them to reach inside and open the car door.
Most states have laws against leaving dogs in hot cars, which typically make it legal for authorities to break into cars in order to save a dog’s life. Many states also have Good Samaritan laws protecting citizens if they do so as well.
“We hate when we have to do this,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
The little dog was very relieved, and the officers gave the pup some much-needed water. “You’re okay, baby,” one of the deputies tells the dog.
The owners were later found inside the courthouse and admitted to leaving the dog in the vehicle. They were later charged with animal cruelty.
The department shared the story on social media, hoping that it will serve as an urgent reminder to people of how hot their cars can get. “If it isn’t good enough for you, it’s not good enough for a pet or child,” the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office wrote. “Cracking a window doesn’t help much at all so don’t consider that to be an option. Just don’t do it.”
“Thankfully this pup turned out ok but there are way too many situations where that isn’t the case.”
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Indeed, there have been many similar cases just this summer that ended in tragedy. A puppy died after an owner left her four dogs in the car while she dined at Disney Springs, and earlier this month a police K9 died after the air conditioning in a patrol car malfunctioned.
Hot car deaths are tragically common, and we all need to do what we can to prevent them. Thank you to the officers who intervened and saved this poor suffering pup!
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