Don’t let your dogs overheat

Hope A. Smith
Published: July 24, 2008

How many of us would like to be locked in a car, windows half-an-inch down, in the sweltering heat, for about an hour or so?

Or how about this: put outside, in the blistering heat, no water, no food, for days on end?

It wouldn’t be right, would it? That’s exactly what happens this time each year to too many pets (in my opinion, one is too many anyway).

In talking with our friend Bob the other night, he said, “Um, can I ask you a favor? I don’t mean to sound like a public service announcement or anything, but would you mind writing a column about not leaving pets out in the heat?”

Bob started a franchise of Critter Control, a company that has provided animal removal and animal control services to communities across the nation since 1983. He received a call earlier this week about two dogs outside a house. Their owner was out of the country and hired a caretaker to watch them. The caretaker had left the dogs outside with no shelter, no shade and no food or water.

When Bob got there, both dogs were dead and starting to decompose. He is an animal lover just as much as we are — it hurt him deeply to witness this.

I told Bob I would gladly write a reminder to everyone. It should go without saying, but unfortunately, it does not.

According to the Humane Society, on an 85-degree day, the temperature with the windows opened slightly in a car can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes and 120 degrees in 30 minutes. I’ve been in a car, waiting on my husband who ran into the store to grab something, for 10 minutes. It gets to be unbearable in a short amount of time — and I’m not wearing a coat of fur!

Keep this in mind (and I believe it’s been said before but bears repeating, thanks to the Fairfax County government’s Web site):  “Animal control officers, police officers and fire and rescue personnel have the authority to break into a car to rescue an animal in distress. Depending on the health of the animal at the time it is rescued, the owners can be charged with animal cruelty.” 

Before our daughter was born, we would take our dog everywhere with us — that is, except when the temperature was above 80 degrees. We took him to Great Falls Park, to Washington, D.C. (this was before the “pit bulls must have muzzles” law) and down to my folks’ house in Orange.

But we never left him in the car — wherever we were going, we made sure it was “dog friendly” and would even pack our lunch so we didn’t have to leave him while we went to a restaurant.

Dogs overheat more quickly than humans (there’s that fur coat again!). They cool themselves by panting, as dogs do not sweat.

Here’s something I never thought about: Before you take your dog on a walk, check the temperature on the sidewalk. If it’s too hot for your bare feet, it is going to be too hot for the pads on their paws.

Dogs with short hair may also get sunburned, so if your dog is outside, be sure to keep him or her within plenty of shade. And always, always keep plenty of water and food for them, as well as adequate shelter. There are laws in place to protect these creatures; please abide by them.

In researching information for this week’s column, I stumbled upon one of the best Web sites I’ve seen in a while — it is inhumane.org and, much like a sex offender registry, it is the “National Animal Abuse Registry.” Located in New Hampshire, this database has been active since 1986 and currently has more than 20,000 cases. The group also has 3,000-plus cases still to be put into the database. And I’m sure there are many, many more that are still unknown (possibly more than their entire list).

Folks, remember that for a lot of us, our pets are like our children. Treat them well and they offer unconditional love, appreciating the tender loving care you provide.

Hope A. Smith is an independent columnist and resident of Orange County. Her column appears Fridays. E-mail