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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Dog in car

61 replies

iloveyellow · 17/03/2022 17:59

We recently bought a Telsa and a big contender for buying a Tesla was it's "dog mode" feature. This is where you keep the climate of the car at the correct temperature for dogs comfort.

I work in a school an hour from my house (not a teacher) and had been using the dog mode while I worked during the day however they school have just said this is not allowed as it doesn't look good to parents having a dog in the car.

I explained the dog mode - and how this allows me to walk the dog on arrival to work and give him a walk every 3 hours in my scheduled break (I am at the school 5-6 hours 3 days a week).

Are they allowed to ban you from having a dog in your own car as the car is on their property?

OP posts:

certainshepherdpups · 17/03/2022 19:14

I am not one of those people who think dogs should never be left alone. But there is no way I would leave a dog in a car for 5 hours (with an additional 2 hours of travel time). He would be much better off at home with a dog walker or at day care IMO.

Doglikeahorse · 17/03/2022 19:17

Not a car specific reply but I used to take my dog to work with me and crate him with an hour walk for lunch.

Looking back it was completely cruel and stressful for him and he’s so much happier lounging around the house.

I would look at another option.

PollyRoulllson · 17/03/2022 19:20

@Clymene

And this is sod all to do with 'MN logic'. You're comparing highly trained working dogs with a traumatised family pet.

You usually give excellent advice and I have a lot of respect for your POV but I think you're off the mark here @PollyRoulllson

And please stop the patronising pass agg smilies.

The logic was the you have a tesla so can afford a dog sitter.......

sorry the tesla comment made me laugh. You should know that I rarely do passive aggressive ., if I do it is by mistake I will say it straight

Crazykatie · 17/03/2022 19:22

I think doing this is going to cause you a lot of hassle with other pet owners, who will call the police or RSPCA, so I don’t think it’s a good plan

courgettigreensadwater · 17/03/2022 19:22

@Clymene

Leaving a dog in a car for 3+ hours at a time is really mean

If you can afford a Tesla, you can afford doggy daycare

This with bells on.

24petlegs · 17/03/2022 19:24

Our school had a 'no dogs on site' policy. All dogs must wait at the gate; they aren't allowed in the car park. Even when ours was a puppy in the sling, he wasn't allowed through the gate...I wasn't going to but even carried dogs can't access school.

PollyRoulllson · 17/03/2022 19:24

@Clymene

You really leave them in a car 7 hours a day *@PollyRoulllson*?

Soe busy police dog shifts the dogs will be in the vehicles for a long time. They may be driving to areas a long way away, stuck on a job that only needs one of the dogs and the other dog is waiting in the vehicle.

If I am checking/scentwork on a large area one of my dogs will work at a time. The other dogs will be waiting in the vehicles. By the time I have driven to the location done a search and returned back home the dogs will be in vehicles for a long time.

They of course have exercise during the day but a dog being in a vehicle is no worse than leaving a dog home alone all day.

courgettigreensadwater · 17/03/2022 19:24

@iloveyellow you don't need a sitter. Just a dog walker that comes in and picks the dog up half way through the day for a nice walk. Then the dog can sleep as he would at home - but at home.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 17/03/2022 19:31

If the dog is happy in the car alone, why can't you leave her home alone and just hire a dog walker?

SantaHat · 17/03/2022 19:34

Ah thank you, so they can ban this

It’s their property, they can do whatever they like. But honestly, 5-6 hours in a car, even with air con and a break in the middle is just not acceptable and I cannot believe any decent dog owner actually needs a school and MN to point this out to them.

PollyRoulllson · 17/03/2022 19:46

Just asking

What is the difference with a dog being left for hours on its own at home
and being left in a vehicle (assuming temperature and safety has been addressed)

The fact a dog can walk from room to room is no sort of live for a dog. Or having a walker come at lunchtime is the same as the OP is doing already.

It appears that people think that a dog at home is acceptable for hours on end. It is not acceptable and no different to the situation the op is doing

courgettigreensadwater · 17/03/2022 19:52

@PollyRoulllson ..... so. As a human. Would you rather be at home pottering about for a few hours/the day or sat in a car. I know which I'd prefer. I wfh and my dog has an hours walk before my husband goes to work and then sleeps until about three with a bit of pottering around for a drink or play in between. I then take her out again at about half four.

Saucery · 17/03/2022 19:53

Police dogs are indeed left in cars….

police dogs die in van
and also here

I wouldn’t say it’s advisable or good for the dog.

Doglikeahorse · 17/03/2022 19:54

I don’t necessarily think it’s better that any dog is home alone but for my own dog I found his stress levels were greatly reduced at home in his own environment.
From my own experience behaviourally he was much worse when crated for 7 hours a day than free roaming at home. This was with the same amount of exercise so it wasn’t anything other than not being confined for a period of time and probably being stressed at being unable to move around or get away if something frightened him.

Before anyone jumps me, I don’t leave them home alone at all much now and I’ve learnt my lesson about getting a dog when working full time (hence why I now don’t!)
I don’t even own a crate now and never would again!

BlueSpeckledEgg · 17/03/2022 19:55

Absolutely Saucery! Meanwhile OP seems to think that a Tesla and a smart phone cut her enough slack to do this!

certainshepherdpups · 17/03/2022 20:04

Of course it is fundamentally different for a dog to be at home rather than left in a car. Neither scenario is great TBH. But at least if a dog is at home, he can move freely around the house and perhaps has access to the garden. In a car he would be confined in a very small cramped space with no freedom of movement.

I wouldn’t leave a dog at home alone for a full day, even with a dog walker, but it is certainly a far better choice than a car. Surely that is obvious?

Clymene · 17/03/2022 20:35

I am working from home at the moment so my dog isn't going to doggy daycare much.

He spends his days wandering about and sleeping in different rooms, wandering in and out of the garden, looking out of different windows.

It's not remotely the same as being shut in a car.

Also, do you not think there is any difference between working dogs and family dogs @PollyRoulllson? I think there's an enormous one. My dog would never be a working dog - he has completely the wrong temperament

travellingturtle · 17/03/2022 20:40

@PollyRoulllson

Just asking

What is the difference with a dog being left for hours on its own at home
and being left in a vehicle (assuming temperature and safety has been addressed)

The fact a dog can walk from room to room is no sort of live for a dog. Or having a walker come at lunchtime is the same as the OP is doing already.

It appears that people think that a dog at home is acceptable for hours on end. It is not acceptable and no different to the situation the op is doing

So you've just said it's fine for your working dogs to be left in a police van for hours on end, but it's unacceptable for a dog to be left at home?

You sound a bit muddled...

Poppy101010 · 17/03/2022 20:46

I don't think keeping a dog in the car is a great idea for many reasons . It's a small confined space . Nowhere to play with toys or have a sniff about . If a dog gets bored they tends to chew and that's your new car ruined. It just seems a little cruel in my opinion 😕.

AlwaysLatte · 17/03/2022 20:53

Leaving a dog in a car for 3+ hours at a time is really mean. If you can afford a Tesla, you can afford doggy daycare
I thought this too.

TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder · 17/03/2022 21:07

www.theverge.com/2019/8/1/20750085/tesla-dog-mode-flaw-elon-musk-software-update
God yeah, sounds foolproof . And yes this was 2019 but my point is this is the point with tech, it goes wrong. Frequently. And that, frankly, is the least wrong thing with this scenario.

PollyRoulllson · 17/03/2022 21:16

I am not muddled.

I am just highlighting all the people jumping in saying leaving a dog in a (safe airconditioned car) is wrong and then suggesting something equally inappropriate

These very same people are recommending leaving a dog at home for the same number of hours as if this is a good solution.

Too many owners think that leaving their dogs and going to work full time is ok. "My dog is fine he just sleeps and potters around" - no your dog is not ok left at home for that length of time. So people suggesting this is better than the car are kidding themselves

The example I was giving of working dogs is that it is not necessarily cruel to have dogs in cars as stated by people on here. The car seemingly making them think cars full stop are cruel. It is the being left for long periods that is wrong.

As for daily mail article of course you can find abuse of animals including professional handlers but more dogs are abused in domestic settings than working homes.

I was triggered by the " got a tesla can afford a dog sitter comment" and the critical all knowing judgement of MN

Anyone on here will know I fight for dogs rights all the time. I spend my life giving dogs a better life and educating people to do the same, rehabilating dogs that have had their lives wrecked by owners .

toomuchfruit · 19/03/2022 01:51

Please don't use dog mode for this! The feature is so useful for very short periods of time and i do use it occasionally but it just isn't fair on your dog to be left inside a car for hours at a time. The feature might also be removed if it is abused.

ChuckBerrysBoots · 19/03/2022 02:08

Does the dog have access to water in the car? That would be my thought - ours potters about at home and often it’s to get a drink

villainousbroodmare · 19/03/2022 02:15

I used to work an hour from home and then had up to three hours' lunch break. If I left my dog at home, he would be alone for up to 8 hours. So he used to come to work with me, have a 45 min walk before I started, breakfast, go back to the car to snooze, a 2hr woodland walk at lunchtime, and another snooze in the car. I used to nip out between lectures to let him stretch his legs.
He loves the car and years later, still a very prioritized animal, will often go and lie in the open car on the driveway just to chill.

At the time I did try other things: dog door, DAP spray, leaving him indoors, outside in secure walled garden, with dog pal, without pal, daycare, driving home and back at lunch for a quick visit... the car plan was by far the best.
I used to pay for the secure underground carpark and security were aware he was there.
My car was the biggest estate I could get, so relatively comfortable.

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