Hot Dogs

I was cleaning out the dog van the other day, not a job to be undertaken by the faint hearted. Tucked away down the side I found the coat I use in the winter, or times of heavy rain. Giving it the quick sniff test, I felt it best to give it a summer wash. Well it’s the sort of thing you do on these lovely summer days isn’t it!

The following day I headed off to work in shirt sleeves, scorching hot day, leaving the dog jumper and coat at home. Of course by 10.00 it was tipping down and the dog warden was called out to a straying dog in an alleyway in Sittingbourne.  Fortunately I found my old high visibility jacket in the office, which afforded enough protection against the elements to carry on as normal. So here’s the point, the weather is very changeable, one minute it’s raining hard, the next it’s full sun.

You need to pop out in the car; it’s quite overcast, so you take the dog with you. Parking up somewhere it’s still overcast,  you leave the dog in the car, the windows open an inch (2cm) , you can’t leave them open any more in case someone tries to break into the car. The queue in the post office was a bit longer than expected, you needed to pop to the bank, on the way back you meet an old friend you haven’t seen for years. No need to hurry, you paid for an hour parking just in case you took longer than expected. After a nice chat you pop to the chemist and make your way back to the car with 5 minutes to spare. It’s only now that you realise the sun has been shinning for the last 45 minutes. You rush to the car to find your dog collapsed in the foot well.

Please please please, if you can’t take your dog with you, leave it at home, 20 minutes is all it takes to kill a dog in a hot car. Below is the RSPCA guidance.

Don't leave your dog alone in a car.

If it’s very warm outside and you’re going out in the car, think very carefully about what you are going to do with your dog. You should never leave a dog alone in a car.
It can get unbearably hot in a car on a sunny day, even when it’s not that warm. In fact, when it’s 22°C/72°F outside, the temperature inside a car can soar to 47°C/117°F within 60 minutes.
Unlike humans, dogs pant to help keep themselves cool. In a hot stuffy car, dogs can’t cool down – leaving a window open or a sunshield on your windscreen won’t keep your car cool enough. Dogs die in hot cars.

Under the Animal Welfare Act you now have a legal duty to care for your animal and if you put your animal at risk, you could face prosecution. You would also have to live with the fact that your thoughtless action resulted in terrible suffering for your pet.

If you see a dog in a car on a warm day please call the Police on 999.

Find out more about Dog Control at http://www.swale.gov.uk/dog-control-orders/