Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to have called the police over a dog left?

59 replies

doginthesunshine · 07/08/2022 16:45

Went for a pub lunch today - new car parked up next to ours when we went to leave with a dog inside. The poor dog looked elderly, my car thermometer was reading 30 degrees, and the car windows were cracked about 5cm each. No shade and no water left for the poor thing. It was panting very quickly and looked incredibly hot.

I didn't know what else to do but call the police (who were very good), owner came back to check on it and got aggressive at me - I probably shouldn't have asked him wtf he was doing but as a dog owner I can't fathom leaving an animal alone in a car when it's so hot.

I drove away having given the police the car and reg details but felt a bit shaken about the whole thing. What would you have done?

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 07/08/2022 16:47

You did exactly the right thing. The owners lucky you didn't smash the window.

paddingtonstares · 07/08/2022 16:48

What would I have done?
Exactly the same as you, called police.

TeapotTitties · 07/08/2022 16:51

What would you have done?

The same as you which is what any other normal person would've done.

Toosadtocomprehend · 07/08/2022 16:51

I definitely would do the same!!

LilacSky95 · 07/08/2022 16:52

Good on you OP, hopefully they will think twice next time

Jalisco · 07/08/2022 16:53

I would have done the same thing. Including the wtf!

Tronkmanton · 07/08/2022 16:54

Exactly the same as you, but I’d have waited until the police arrived to make sure the dog was safe. Well done for stepping in x

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/08/2022 16:54

Any response would have been reasonable; calling the police, talking to the pub owners smashing the arsehole's window.

You did something. Much better than nothing. Poor pup.

Original poster
doginthesunshine · 07/08/2022 16:56

Good to hear a resounding agreement.

I said to the owner, "what on earth do you think you're doing leaving your dog in a car on a day like today?!", no joke, his answer was "why wouldn't I?!".

"Because it's 30 degrees!!" I said, but then he squared up to me so I retreated to the car and locked the doors. I did tell him I had the police on the phone, had given them his details and they were taking it very seriously, so as PP said hopefully he'll think twice about doing this to his poor dog again.

OP posts:
Minecraftatemychild · 07/08/2022 16:58

Yanbu.

That poor dog.

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/08/2022 17:03

Let's hope the police lock him in his car for a while. Nobber.

mycatisannoying · 07/08/2022 17:05

Good for you, OP Star

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

TeapotTitties · 07/08/2022 17:07

Good to hear a resounding agreement.

What were you expecting?

Genuine question btw

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/08/2022 17:09

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

10 minutes and a distressed dog is too long. It really really is.

I once tried to prove to DD that I was right not leaving her in the car while I went to the shops. I closed everything and waited. She lasted less than 5 minutes. It gets very hot, very quickly.

Floralnomad · 07/08/2022 17:11

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

The OP says the dog was panting and looked distressed . There is a massive difference between leaving a dog in a car whilst you pay for petrol and leaving one whilst you shop / go to the pub etc . Dogs die incredibly quickly in hot cars and 10 minutes could be the difference between alive and dead .

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:15

But if you see the dog becoming distressed you can then break the window and are protected by law. You can even call them as you are doing it and talk the operator through the steps you are talking.To walk past a car- and have no idea how long it has been there and immediately call the police without any further assessment of the situation is not particularly helpful. He could’ve just parked up, and gone into the pub to ask if dogs were welcome before going back out to get his dog.

if he were a shit owner I can’t imagine he would be going out mid session to check on his dog. My point is you need a bit more of an assessment.

Original poster
doginthesunshine · 07/08/2022 17:16

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

The pub we were in was a Carvery-type place, you only go in there to eat, not to drink. The minimum the dog would have been left is the time it took the owner to be served and eat lunch.

OP posts:
Original poster
doginthesunshine · 07/08/2022 17:18

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:15

But if you see the dog becoming distressed you can then break the window and are protected by law. You can even call them as you are doing it and talk the operator through the steps you are talking.To walk past a car- and have no idea how long it has been there and immediately call the police without any further assessment of the situation is not particularly helpful. He could’ve just parked up, and gone into the pub to ask if dogs were welcome before going back out to get his dog.

if he were a shit owner I can’t imagine he would be going out mid session to check on his dog. My point is you need a bit more of an assessment.

Dogs aren't welcome in this pub, it's a chain and well-known that it's not animal friendly if you've ever been to one.

OP posts:
toffeechai · 07/08/2022 17:22

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

I wouldn’t risk even 5 mins in this heat. Stop doing that.

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 07/08/2022 17:30

You were absolutely right in calling the police.

Hopefully this owner will think again.

drawacircleroundit · 07/08/2022 17:38

SarahSissions · 07/08/2022 17:07

I think you need to have known how long the dog was in there for. I left my dog in the car this morning when I went to get petrol. He was in a car for 5 minutes and perfectly fine.
i think there is a lot of hysteria at the moment where it is dog in car = scumbag owner, and it must be rescued immediately.
unless the dog is showing clear signs of distress-spatulate tongue etc then you should wait 10mins before you call the police

5 minutes in a hot car (I assume it was a hot car because the OP noted the heat, and otherwise your petrol example is incomparable and therefore irrelevant) would be deeply unpleasant for a dog - which - I thought - everybody knew?

LINABE · 07/08/2022 17:38

Of course you've done the right thing. The poor dog could have died.
The owner should have been fined and stopped from owning another animal.

Onlinetherapist · 07/08/2022 17:39

I did the same as you, (windows closed though), the 999 call handler told me to get off the line, it was only for life or death situations. I said it is a life or death situation. Apparently non human lives don’t matter..

WaitingForWinter1 · 07/08/2022 17:40

You did the right thing. I cannot understand these morons who leave a dog in a car when the weather's warm.