It amazes me that people STILL need to be reminded not to leave their pets in a hot car.  We need to continue to educate people on the fact that dogs can not cool their bodies the same way that we can, so being left for just a few minutes in a hot car can cause permanent organ damage or death.  In the past two weeks alone, I’ve seen two local stories of dogs dying needlessly because their owners thought cracking a window would be sufficient to keep the car cool.

If you see a dog in a hot car:

• Record the information about the vehicle (license plate, make and model)
• Alert the owner of the business
• Call the police or animal control
• If the dog seems in imminent danger, find a witness who can confirm the facts, then take the necessary steps to remove the dog from the vehicle.
• Move the dog to the shade and try to give him water.  Place a cool towel over the head, neck and abdomen of the dog to try to lower their body temperature.
• Stay put until help arrives!

Want to help get the word out?  MyDogIsCool.com has some great printable flyers, as does DogsTodayMagazine.uk.

Here’s another great flyer for you to share.  Click on the image below to view it full size. Then print out some copies.  Keep plenty of them in your glove box and spread the word!

Even on a 75 degree day, it only takes 10 minutes for your car to reach 100 degrees inside.  Those are some scary statistics!