Shopper left dog in car

[DevilishDiva]

I was in my local supermarket earlier and whilst I was walking back to my car, a woman and her daughter got out of their car which was parked next to me and I noticed they left their dog in the car with no windows down. It's a lovely day here - it was reading 18 degrees on my phone but it felt much warmer than that. This car was parked in the direct sunlight.

Anyway, I went back into the shop and reported it to security who said they would put a call out for the owner of the car. They never responded to the call out and they came back to their car 20 minutes later and drove off without checking the dog and the windows were still up!

Anyway, it's just not sitting right with me. I know this probably happens all the time but I'm honestly so angry at this woman.

I took a picture of the car with the dog in view and a picture of when they came back to the car so I had the time stamp.

Would I be unreasonable to report it to the local animal welfare? Part of me thinks there's nothing else that needs to be done but at the same time, it's really annoyed me and I want that woman to think twice before she does that again!

I’d be incandescent with rage if someone broke into my car to ‘rescue’ my dog if I’d left him in there for 20 minutes.

20 minutes on a hot day locked in a hot car with no air I would be incandescent with rage at you for inflicting that on your dog.

Folk aren’t talking about hot days though.

20 minutes in the full sun on a hot day could kill your dog. I don’t give a shit if you’re incandescent with rage, if I see that, your window’s getting smashed and the police called.
Everybody surely knows this now, there is NO excuse. Leave your dog at home, it’s not difficult.

They are. OP said 18 degrees or probably higher. In the full sun that is bloody hot with no windows open.

Chill yer beans. I’m not talking about a hot day. I’m talking about the 350 days of the year when it’s overcast and cool.

@ToppTotty

Left in the shade (allowing for the suns movement) with windows open /ac on and water is fine for dogs and preferable to leaving at home in some incidences. Whilst I generally don't have my dog with me these days as he's not keen on being in the car and is fine left home alone for extended periods, I can understand why people do have dogs with them and that not all places allow dogs in

@AmberLynn1536

This is in Britain it wasn't hot anywhere yesterday, just about warm in some places, tipping down with rain here. At 35 degrees fair point

If I were leaving doggo in car with AC imperceptibly on, I think I would put a small sign in the window or something. People do get concerned.

It makes no odds this is Britain. For anyone who thinks it’s fine to leave a dog in a car because we live in the UK here is what the RSPCA say.

Totally agree 👏👏👏

Read my lips

I do not leave him in the car when it is hot.

I leave him in the car whilst I pop into the shop when it is not hot. If the sun happened to peep from behind a cloud whilst I was in the shop, he will not expire.

This is how hot it can get in a car in the sun at 18 degrees after 20 minutes.

I leave my dogs at home when I shop , it's safest as even the cloudiest day can become sunny very quickly .

I would also smash any windows necessary if I saw a dog in distress . Waiting for police to respond could be too slow .

I think youre being slightly dramatic. Its not hot and they nipped in the shop for 20 minutes.
You did the right thing in letting the shop know, but i think calling the police or RSPCA is wasting everyones time.

I would report this to the police

Is the dog alive? What a ridiculous fucking overreaction. The police force is overstretched as it is let alone running around after non-dead dogs FFS.

You are absolutely wrong about this

And I wouldn’t care about your nasty temper, I would only care for the dog.

Not really.
Are you also someone that thinks dogs paws are going to explode if they go for a walk when its 21 degrees?

I can't believe there are people still doing this, with all the publicity about NOT doing it.

Why not roll down a couple of windows? Does that really do any harm? What if the dog's owners are delayed?

I do not want Jo Public being guven
permission to break into cars because they think there's a dog in there. Far too much leeway for the unscrupulous.

police is a different matter, but even then, if the dog is not distressed they shouldn't do it either.

it's one thing to leave the dog at home if you go shopping & quite another to already have the dog in the car & pop in for a paper/pint of milk, on the way home.

In winter, spring and autumn, my dog sits in the car while I shop. I park carefully in shade, and leave windows open, and if you were to try them, you would discover that my car doors don't lock at all. It's an old car, but runs fine. No one is going to steal it and there's an old dog and some shopping bags left in it, in a rural town.

Why not roll down a couple of windows? Does that really do any harm?

Leaving windows open doesn't affect the temperature inside the car.

All you people that can't bear to leave your dog at home while you drive to the shops—you could be killing him slowly. The dog can't actually tell you how uncomfortable he was.

Omg, you really shouldn’t have a dog. Have you tried walking in bare feet on the pavement when it’s 21 degrees and hotter? 🙄

Here is some information from an expert. DOG OWNERS PLEASE READ THIS

On a mild day of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside your car can quickly rocket to over 115 degrees, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics; most of this heat rise occurs within just 30 minutes. And dogs can experience heat exhaustion when their body temperature hits just 103 degrees.

Cracking a window and parking in the shade makes little difference. The problem is that cars are temperature conductors. Even in the shade and with the windows down, cars conduct and amplify the outdoor temperature — it doesn't need to be very warm outside for the inside of your car to become unbearably hot.

Leaving your dog in a freezing car can be just as dangerous as leaving him in a hot car, says the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. When the heater isn't running, cold temperatures can basically turn your car into a refrigerator and could cause your dog hypothermia.

It's generally safe to leave your dog in the car for a maximum of five minutes, and when the outside temperature is above freezing and below 70 degrees.