Annual issue: Dogs left in Cars

Veneficus said:
and that my friends is why spring loaded center punches were invented...
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Gold!

If I ever see an infant left in their parents car (on a hot summer day) I will be sure to break the window and call PD.
 
RustyShackleford said:
"You can judge a society on the way they treat their animals".......
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Isn't that the truth. My dog loves sleeping in the car and does not make a sound sitting in the way back of my Subaru so I gotta be careful to not to forget him in the summer.

In other news he recently tore his "ACL" and now needs surgery. This while getting in a car. He can jump a four foot wall but struggles with the tailgate...
 
Tigger said:
In other news he recently tore his "ACL" and now needs surgery. This while getting in a car. He can jump a four foot wall but struggles with the tailgate...
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Both of our dogs have done that. One, four or five years ago and the other one last year.
 
Last I checked, only 14 states have laws on the books regarding the leaving of pets in vehicles, some referring to the act as cruelty to animals and listing the act alongside "torment, torture, maim, hang, poison, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, or needlessly mutilate a living animal or creature" (New Jersey).

Of those states, only 11 make provision for someone in a position of authority to take action when they see an animal (some states say any animal and some specifically provide for certain species). Just curious, does anyone live in a state where they (as non law enforcement) are legally allowed to smash in a window and rescue that animal? In California, the law only allows for a peace officer, humane officer, or animal control officer to remove the animal from a motor vehicle. Most of the states with such a law have similar wording, but I have seen a few that expand that power out to "a local or state public safety employee" (Maryland), "volunteer or professional of a fire and rescue service" (Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, and Vermont), "governmental officer or employee whose primary duty is to ensure public safety" (Nevada), and "member of a search and rescue organization under the direct supervision of a sheriff" (Nevada). I really like Nevada!!!
 
In Calif not only can't you smash the window for an animal without facing civil and maybe criminal charges, but if the critter runs into traffic or get stolen, guess who is holding the bag?
 
mycrofft said:
In Calif not only can't you smash the window for an animal without facing civil and maybe criminal charges, but if the critter runs into traffic or get stolen, guess who is holding the bag?
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I would keep the little guy until the owners come out. Honestly though, I would rather go to jail or pay a few thousand in legal fees for something I did, then live with a dead baby, or worse a dead animal in my conscious.
 
For a human, the emergency makes it OK to break the window, just do it in a prudent manner.
We once saved a baby from a hot car who was seizing while Mama was visiting baby-pappa in jail. Happily three other kids in the car rolled the windows al the way down and called for help. I still have the letter of thanks, and Mama got booked.
 
The piss poor way animals are treated by some people absolutely infuriates me... to the point of tears sometimes.

If you wanna take your dog with you everywhere, there is a rather convenient solution for both you and the dog.... remote start/remote lock. Leave the car running with the doors locked. Keeps the AC going for Fido, and as an added bonus, the car is cool when you get back into it.

Not that I've given this any thought.
 
armywifeemt said:
The piss poor way animals are treated by some people absolutely infuriates me... to the point of tears sometimes.

If you wanna take your dog with you everywhere, there is a rather convenient solution for both you and the dog.... remote start/remote lock. Leave the car running with the doors locked. Keeps the AC going for Fido, and as an added bonus, the car is cool when you get back into it.

Not that I've given this any thought.
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Sounds good to me, but you'd probably end up with some dumb tree-hugger that thinks your car is "killing the earth" when you leave it running.
 
TB 3541 said:
Sounds good to me, but you'd probably end up with some dumb tree-hugger that thinks your car is "killing the earth" when you leave it running.
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Sucks for them! Be careful though, many states have laws against leaving a car idling unattended. I almost got a ticket for leaving my (automatic) mustang idled *and locked* in front of a 7-11.
 
exodus said:
Sucks for them! Be careful though, many states have laws against leaving a car idling unattended. I almost got a ticket for leaving my (automatic) mustang idled *and locked* in front of a 7-11.
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What's the offense? Is it a 'green' thing?
 
Chimpie said:
What's the offense? Is it a 'green' thing?
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Although it varies, it generally IS a green/environmental thing. In fact, the EPA/NHTSA/DOT prohibit idling mechanisms from being installed in vehicles (that allow for more than ~15 min of idling). If I recall, some states (CA comes to mind) have stricter laws (5 minutes, I think).
 
Idling car left unattended except for an animal in it? What could ever go wrong with that?;)

Remote start...won't it time out and stop without a key in it?
And if the key's in it, I know remote unlock won't work.
And Willy Windobasher takes his rock, excuse me , center punch and makes off with your car AND your dog. Or the dog runs him off and then escapes.

Some models of cars (try 1995 Windstar,. for starters) also can have a defective "parking pawl", which allows it to slip into drive from park. (And , no, the parking brake won't hold it).

Then, there's this....

14_07_2008_0790920001216043365_kakofoniacom.jpg
 
I can't imagine a situation in which I would leave my dog unattended in my car for more than 15 minutes anyway. It just doesn't take that long for the car to get hot (what did she say.. five minutes to get to an uncomfortable temp for the poor dog?), which is why you'd leave it running and locked with the AC going. If it was going to be more than 15 minutes, I suppose you had probably better keep that in mind and make sure you're able to start it again when it times out. I know the second I turn my car off during the summer and the AC kicks off, I can immediately feel the heat so... I sure as heck wouldn't wanna make my baby deal with that if it was preventable, even if I was only going to be a minute or two.

As for an "unattended" I would make the argument that my car was being attended by my dog, and since she is smarter than a great deal of human beings I know, I feel that is perfectly reasonable. Just sayin' :P

Seriously, I suppose if they tried to ticket you for leaving your car idling while unattended with your dog in it, it wouldn't be very hard to fight. "I left it idling so the car wouldn't get hot, and harm or kill my dog." Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
 
mycrofft said:
And if the key's in it, I know remote unlock won't work.
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I use the remote to lock my truck while it is on with the key in the ignition if I stop at 7-11. It's better for the engine to idle for a few minutes rather than having to restart.
 
Wow, that's a first for me. Remote unlock car while it's on and key's in the ignition? Not the best if your spouse or a zombie with your other keys chases you, no?
I guess I buy the wrong type of car? (NO!).;)

Not going there about idling a few minutes versus shutdown. Some cars in Europe (coming to a country very near yoU-SA) are designed for agile starting and stopping at traffic signals.

Anyway, just don't take the pooch out when it's too hot.
 
Teach the dog to turn on the car when it gets too hot and have the A/C preset.
We had a "parent " do that once, with her kids.
 
bigbaldguy said:
So I would assume cooling down a dog in severe distress, you do it the same way as a human. Cold packs, cool water, remove to a cooler environment.
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Apply cold water or alcohol to the paw pads works great, and if you're up to it a cool water enema will surely bring the dog's temp down.

And don't get bit. I was on a rabies quarantine where a good Samaritan tried to 'save' the dog from the heat, and got bit in the face.
 
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