Summer is heating up, and with the rising temperatures come some of society’s worst kind of people: dog owners who leave man’s best friend inside of hot cars.
So far this year, Denver Animal Protection has received more than 300 calls about pooches being left inside vehicles on days when temperatures are high, according to Denver’s Department of Public Health & Environment.
“Dogs don’t sweat like humans,” said DAP officials in a July 12 press release. “They sweat small amounts through their paws and nose, but not enough to release excess body heat.”
Furthermore, “they release heat primarily by panting, exchanging hot for cool air. So if a dog can’t expel heat, their internal body temperature begins to rise,” according to DAP. “A dog can suffer life-threatening heatstroke, which can cause organ failure and death.”
No dogs have died or been seriously injured after being left in hot cars in Denver this year, according to officials, but a German Shepherd did perish earlier this month after being left in a vehicle at the Foothills Golf Course in Jefferson County.
During the past five years, DAP has received an average of 26 calls between June 21 and July 12. This year, thirty calls came in during the same time frame, according to the agency.
Many of these incidents happened at family entertainment destinations like the Denver Zoo, the Denver Aquarium and Elitch Gardens, says Tammy Vigil, spokesperson for the Department of Public Health & Environment. Denver will soon put up more signs to remind people not to leave dogs in the car, she adds.
“It happens at many of the more touristy locations,” Vigil says. “People shouldn’t be leaving their dogs in the car while they go to the zoo and look at animals, but that’s what’s been happening.”
Anyone who does leave a dog in their car should know that a person passing by has the legal right in certain situations to break the car windows and let the dog out. The Colorado Good Samaritan law allows people to break windows, pick a lock or take any means necessary to get into a locked car to rescue a dog, a cat or any animal or person from the heat.
However, the law has a few caveats, warns DAP lieutenant Josh Rolfe, who says that acting too impulsively can backfire.
The first thing a person should do if they see a pet trapped in a car is call DAP Officer Dispatch at 720-913-2080. The dispatcher will tell the caller when responders are expected to arrive.
“If they feel like whatever timeline they’re given for emergency responders to come out onto the scene isn’t soon enough, then they are okay to intervene and break a window and pull the animal out themselves,” Rolfe says. “But they have to have met those qualifications or they could open themselves up to liability or potential criminal consequences themselves.”
The best way to tell if a dog or cat trapped in a hot car is in serious trouble is if they start to look weak. “The biggest indicator is if the animal starts to act very lethargic and is not really responsive to you knocking on the window or trying to get their attention,” Rolfe explains. “They’re just laying there or become non-responsive, where they just passed out or lost consciousness. Those would definitely be the clear indicators.”
If anyone feels unsure about whether they have the right to break into a car to save a pet, they can call 311 to ask city hotline workers about the Good Samaritan law and whether they’re protected, DAP advises.
People should also recognize the signs of a dog in urgent distress, which means they should call 911.
“Is the vehicle — on a hot day — in direct sunlight and there’s not water present and the animal is actively giving some signs that they might be in distress from the heat, like panting, trying to get into a cooler area of the car,” Rolfe says. “Then definitely they should be calling 911.”
The situation might be less serious,” he adds, “if “the dog seems okay, but you’re concerned about, ‘If the animal is left there for a long period of time, what can happen?’ I would recommend calling into our normal dispatch line and having an officer come out and check on it.”
In both cold and hot months, DAP also hears from callers worried about “animals left outside without access to water and shelter, and the law in Denver is that any dog or cat or domestic animal has to be afforded food, water and adequate shelter at all times,” Rolfe says.
Pets don’t have to have food in their bowl at all times, he notes, but “the expectation is that the animal has shelter to keep it out of the snow or heat, and that it’s provided with water on a routine enough basis that it can cool itself down.”
People who leave their pets in an overheating car could stand trial for animal cruelty and, if found guilty, could be hit with a fine of up to $999 and even 300 days in jail.
Temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit in just minutes, even if temperatures are mild and windows are open, DAP warns. The risk is worse if a pooch suffers from obesity or has pre-existing medical conditions. It can put them at a “much higher risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke,” the agency says. “Puppies, elderly, long-haired, dark-haired and flat-faced dogs are also more at risk for overheating.”
“Temperatures are getting hotter — we’re right in the middle of the summer months — so it’s critical at this point that people pay attention to this,” Rolfe says. “Leave your pets at home. There’s not a lot of situations that necessitate your dog coming with you.”
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