We had to go to Home Depot for something over the weekend and I saw this dog in this truck and it started a conversation between my husband and I about when is it too hot for a dog to be left in a vehicle. So I thought I’d see what you guys thought. It was 71 degrees out, slight breeze. What do you think, too hot or okay?
If it were in deep shade, the windows partly open, with a nice breeze blowing, 71 degrees might be okay. But it isn’t something I’d do to a dog, or any other living thing. A good way to answer the question might be to test the situation yourself by sitting in a closed vehicle, in the sun, with the windows barely cracked. Maybe the owner of the that dog could be the test human.
Thar’s a great test!
Windows always need to be opened , a bit..enough for the dog to get his nose out to sniff a bit also. And that is in cool weather! The trouble is, how long is the owner going to be gone? Leave them home in very warm & HOT weather. We bring our dog everywhere we go but when it gets too hot I sit in the car while my husband runs in to get what we need….I’m in the car with the windows all the way down.(even so, if it ever reached HIGH HIGH HIGH we leave her home) NEVER think “I’ll be quick before the car gets too hot”..it’ll be an oven in a few seconds. The absolute worst spot is the CASINO..do you really think the owner will be “right out”? Poor babies.
Sharon’s suggestion is a good one. If it seems warm and we have the dog with us, one of us stays in the car with him. The truck above is worrisome: the windows are barely open, it’s black so it absorbs heat, and the Home Depot lot has virtually no shade so the pavement is warm/hot, too. Seems borderline to me. I hope the dog’s person came back soon. (“Just one pack of bolts” can take a long time. . .they move stock, are out — can you find a substitute? — or you remember, “Oh, yeah! I need one of those, too. Now where do they have them?”)
In NM, we have parents that do “that” to their kids. Some get arrested for child abuse. Unfortunately, some get arrested because the child dies. I’ve read of stories here of people calling the police for pets as well. Once in a while you read some good citizen breaking the window to save the child or animal.
why didn’t they take the dog in…Home Depot is pet friendly. I see dogs in there all the time…and I think it is too hot to leave an animal in a car anytime it is over 50 degrees. I have no scientific basis for my feeling…just the way I feel.