The Most Avoidable Cause of Death in Dogs

When it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the temperature inside your car will hit 99 degrees in 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, it reaches 109 degrees. You may not have known the numbers, but the fact that it's a lot hotter in your car than it is outside shouldn't be news to anyone who has ever driven home at the end of a summer work day, or even just a trip to grocery store. So why are people still leaving their dogs in these ovens-on-wheels?

A few days ago, the owner of Harkins Theatres in Scottsdale, Arizona was cited for animal neglect after leaving his Corgi in the car for over an hour. Scottsdale is a hot place to be this time of year — people wrap towels around door handles because they become too hot to touch during the day. Dan Harkins claims his dog wasn't in distress, but if she was left in the car long enough for someone to spot her, call the police, and then for officers to arrive, it was too long. Police said the temperatures were in the triple digits that day; if a car can reach 99 degrees in 10 minutes on an 80 degree day, the math isn't pretty. Unless Mr. Harkins had his air conditioner running (which he didn't), his dog was in danger.

A woman in California is facing charges after her dog died of heat stroke related trauma from being left in the car. And that was back in April. Earlier this month, a dog in Nebraska died after suffocating in an SUV. These deaths, and the others like them that will happen throughout the summer, are completely avoidable.

It may not seem that hot outside, or you may think you're only jumping into the store for a few minutes, but when you leave your dog in the car this time of year, for any length of time, you're gambling with his life. Cracked windows on a summer day won't make a difference (but will leave your dog more susceptible to being stolen). Leave him home when you're out running errands. If you're driving from a trip to the park with your dog and you think it would be oh-so-convenient to stop at the store for a pint of ice cream on the way home, don't do it. All it takes is a slow cashier, and in three minutes your dog could be dead. There is no flavor of Ben & Jerry's that's worth your dog's life.

What should you do if you see a dog baking in someone else's car? Call the police or your local humane society, and take down the car's make, model and license plate number. If the owner can't be found, the authorities can break into the car without you having to go all vigilante. Even if the owner is nearby, as in the case of Harkins, they should be cited for endangering their dog. You should also head into the nearest store or business and ask them to page the vehicle's owner.

Check out United Animal Nations' My Dog is Cool website, where you can find posters (like the one below), as well as fliers to leave on parked cars where animals have been left inside. You can find information on Animal Legal Defense Fund's website about local ordinances that address dogs left in cars — whether there's already one in your area and how to make it happen if there's not.

Update: Dan Harkins has issued an apology for this incident, saying there is "no circumstance that justifies leaving an animal in a car, especially in Arizona. I promise you this will never happen again." Not only that, but Mr. Harkins has put his money where his mouth is and pledged $200,000 toward a new campaign being launched by the Arizona Animal Welfare League, the Arizona Humane Society and other animal welfare organizations to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars. You can read the full apology at DogFiles.

Photo credit: Just chaos