Many pet owners take their dogs with them to the gas station or fast food joints and leave them in the car for “just 10 minutes.” In the summer, this mistake in judgment can be fatal. Even on a cloudy day, the temperature can rise drastically in mere minutes.
“On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes” -RedRover.
Contrary to popular belief, keeping the windows cracked open barely slows the rapid rise in temperature! The lack of shade and added heat coming off parking lot pavement speeds up the heating process in a car.
This summer when you’re out shopping, if you notice a panting dog in a car “take down the car’s color, model, make, and license plate number. Have the owner paged in the nearest buildings, or call local humane authorities or police. Have someone keep an eye on the dog and be your witness if you need to break the car window to save the animals life. Stay with the animal until authorities arrive.” – PETA.
Signs of heatstroke:
Excessive thirst, thick saliva, heavy panting, lack of coordination. lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and loss of consciousness.
At particular risk: Long-haired dogs in warmer climates should be trimmed short. Bulldogs and pugs often have small tracheas and long soft palates, which decrease their ability to cool themselves. Senior dogs and young pups are even more susceptible to heatstroke.
As a responsible pet owner, try to leave pets at home or with a pet-sitter when you travel. Don’t be like the tourist parked at the Washington DC Holocaust memorial. He was arrested on animal cruelty charges after pedestrians got police to open his minivan. His two dogs had been inside the vehicle for an hour, barking to get out, and suffered severe heatstroke. The smaller chihuahua died.
Ways to bring down the animals temperature: 
1. Applying cool, wet towels on the stomach, chest, groin and paws but do not to use ice
2. Get the pet to an air-conditioned car
3. Place dog in front of fan
4. Immerse in a tub of cool but not cold water
5. Help them drink small amounts of cool water
Just this month, a Wake Forrest woman left her two dogs in the car while she went shopping at Walmart. It was 84 degrees outside and she cracked her windows. Two hours later, pedestrians noticed the barking, panting dogs locked inside and called police. By the time they arrived, both dogs were dead. Their owner had been shopping for three hours. When she came out, she was charged with Animal Cruelty. Last year, it was a Carrborro woman that left a service dog in the car on a stormy day for two hours. It died when interior temperature reached 124 degrees!
Remember, no matter the weather, never leave your dog unattended in a car for more than 10 minutes. You don’t want a hot dog, so be cool and leave them at home!
