Just a reminder from Jack and I that it is never safe to leave a dog in a car in hot weather. Even if you are parked in the shade and the windows are cracked. Even if you leave them water. Even if it is just for a minute. It only takes a few minutes on a hot day for the inside of a car to reach 48 – 50° c (120° f.)
Dogs are unable to sweat and their panting can lead to dehydration. Because of this it’s especially hard for dogs to cool themselves, making them quickly prone to heatstroke which is a life-threatening emergency.
If you see a dog alone in a hot car call 911. If you think the animal cannot wait for emergency assistance and you intend to break into the car please advise emergency services about what you intend to do before doing it.
Be smart. Leave Rover at home and pass the word. No Hot Dogs!
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
Excellent advice. I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer for the car I drove to work every day. During the summer, at the end of the day, often over 100℉ up the heaven knows as the readings stopping at 130℉. Leaving open the windows slightly dropped the temperature maybe 10℉. While a moon/sun roof also to left ajar would drop the temperature some more, don’t make presumptions. Keep your pet/child safe by not leaving them.
timgueguen says
Jack looks like he’s ready to drive himself home.
chigau (違う) says
I expect Jack would drive as goodly as most of those going through my neighbourhood at rush hour.
Probably more courteously.
Anne, Cranky Cat Lady says
The local Blick Art supply store has a sign on the front door -- don’t leave your pets in the car, they are welcome inside. That’s really good of them, I think.
rq says
Jack wants you to stop taking pictures and get in the car otherwise he’s leaving without you. Well, he’ll turn the engine on and give you another half hour or so. He might rev the engine a bit, too. But it’s not like he’s in a rush or anything.
Charly says
Well, from the top of my head, here in CZ we already had three children rescued from overheated cars by police/bystanders. And one child dead in SK. Mother hasl left her in the car and went to a physician. She was gone for an hour.
And this despite the warnings about not leaving children in closed cars alone in this weather being aired on TV almost daily for the last few years.
Giliell, professional cynic -Ilk- says
Yeah, I just wanted to add “and no kids either”.
Ice Swimmer says
How does air conditioning figure into the equation? Aircon does put a drain on the battery so it can’t run forever, of course.
jazzlet says
Ice Swimmer people who eg take dogs to dog shows take a range of precautions to keep the temperature in their vehicles low enough, from reflective sheeting and solar powered fans up to air conditioning run on a separate battery. But these are people who know that they are likely to have to leave their dogs in their vehcles at some point and have thought about the best ways of keeping the vehicle cool enough, not people ‘just popping into a shop’.
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
Ice Swimmer, the car’s fans run off the battery. The AC compressor, and hence the evaporator/heat exchanger, runs directly from the motor though a clutch assembly. The motor must be running for continued cooling.
I had an ElderCare transport yesterday, and we arrived long before the office opened up (first appt. for the day). Within about 5 minutes, the fans stopped blowing cool air, as the compressor was off and the heat exchanger had warmed up. I had to turn the motor back on to keep us cool.
jimb says
He looks properly attentive to the task. Jack can share my commute any time.
Ice Swimmer says
Thank you, jazzlet and Nerd of Redhead. I may never need this info myself (no car, no dog), but it’s good to know and I’m sure somebody else may have wondered about that.