Told off for leaving my dog in the car in the sun

[MischiefMaker]

Lady told me off for leaving my dog in car in the sun.

Popped in, left dog in car in the carpark of outdoor shopping centre. She was on the front seat. Yes it was sunny and warm yesterday.

Came out, lady calls excuse me. I didn't know she was talking to me, carried on to the car. She shouts again excuse me, I turn around, she shouts from across the road you can't be leaving your dog in a car in the sun with the windows up.

I said my mum and sister are in the back etc.

Woman kept apologising, I said don't worry it's good you said something. She seemed embarrassed, but I was too because people were looking, probably thinking I left my dog alone! It must have shown in my face!
But it is good that there are people who will speak up. Just wish it hadn't been to me lol.

Why do I keep replaying this in my head and feeling mortified?!?

I'm sure my pup was looking very worried though because I had gone into KFC to pick up some chicken. 100% she would have been standing with her feet on the dashboard looking for me, and there's me trotting out with a bucket of KFC not a care in the world 😭🤣

I know it's early but I'm really confused as to how she couldn't see that there were other people in the car?

You didn't really leave your dog, though, if there were people there with her.

I saw an older man lovingly pack his pug into the back of his Ford estate and then walked off with all of the windows up.

I wanted to say something but I didn't.

I regret it because I'm sure he does it all the time.

A different situation to yours, though.

Maybe tinted windows obscured them.

No harm done. It’s good that people look out for dogs left in cars. In this case there wasn’t an issue so no need to think any more of it.

We have had people say it to us but our cars have a mode which means we can leave the air con on for the dogs and we also have internal cameras to see them linked to our phones. We don’t leave the dogs in the car alone often but it’s nice that people do care and speak up. Our dogs are fine but one day it might save another dog so I always tell them that.

Maybe tinted windows obscured them.

Even in a car with tinted windows you'd be able to see them through the front windows or windscreen?

I appreciate you feel embarrassed OP but I genuinely can't see how she didn't notice not one but two people in the vehicle with the dog?

I find it a bit weird your family sits in the back while the dog has the front seat.

It’s good people are challenging others about this, but as you say op, the dog wasn’t left alone in the car. The lady apologised, so no harm done. Don’t waste any more time thinking about it.

Do you think the dog was ok being left in the car in the sun because other people were in there too? Does the presence of humans make the car less hot?

Also dangerous (more importantly). Unless the dog was moved there after OP parked.

Yes tinted windows, that's why I was a bit baffled myself! I don't think she walked up to the car to look inside, otherwise she would have seen them sat there! She was across the road sort of thing. Car was parked facing the shop maybe 5-10 meters away from where she was standing.

No, but having the AC on certainly does! 😁

Sis has additional needs. We were going to eat in the car and she didn't want dog scrambling all over her.

No pup sits in the back middle seat. They let her out because we were parked.

Totally get it. I've spoken up before too, went up to the customer service desk in Sainsbury's because there was a dog in the car scrambling all over panting, set the alarm off.
The guy was ironically at their customer service desk picking up a collection or something. When I mentioned dog seems in distress he goes no he's not in distress 🤯

well that was good for her, and brave too

at least she didnt name and shame you on facebook!

Only when there's food coming lol. She's buckled in at the back when I'm driving.

there was a white long haired german shepherd sitting in the drivers seat of a white van recently, i wanted to take a photo , not to shame but because it looked funny
it was the evening though, the window was open, and it wasnt hot!

Of course the dog was ok being left in the car WITH PEOPLE IN IT! 🤦🏻‍♀️ if it’s getting too hot for the dogs it would also be getting too hot for the people. So unless they were incapable of opening the door or window then the dog was perfectly safe 🙄

It seems overall a positive interaction, what's not to like here?

The woman spoke up, which was the right thing to do - in another situation, it might save the life of a dog.

She was mistaken as it turned out - she apologised readily.

Your dog had your mum and sister to look after him while he waited for you, ready to take action if the car did start to overheat.

A pat on the back for all concerned, including your dog!

People should mind their own business. Most dog owners love their dogs and treat them well. She was a busy body Don't get bothered by it.

Good for her for speaking up against this type of behaviour. Many people do leave them alone, it’s a shame more people don’t say something.
She apologised … move on.

This is either a reverse or utter bs 🙄

Tinted windows with sun on them, and she probably focused on the passenger seat rather than back seat.

Just as an fyi, there was a case where a man left his child in the car with the auto-air con, and the child died because he didn't realise that it shut off after a set amount of time. Twenty minutes in his case.

I don't think it can run for that long otherwise it will drain the car's battery.