Give Pets Some Air
There's a letter to the editor of the Times- Standard today where the writer reminds us not to leave pets inside cars with the windows closed. The letter doesn't seem to available online yet.
This is certainly good advice, especially around here where some might think our relatively cool weather makes the temperature inside cars a non- issue. But it has been fairly warm as of late, so give your dog some air if you have to leave it in the car.
Some people who you think would know better often forget about their pets, and some maybe just don't care.
Back when the old group home was operating across the street one of the gals that worked there would often leave her dog locked in her car. The lady who lived across the alley from the group home was returning home after walking her dog and the group home gal was leaving her car to go into the house.
I could hear the neighbor lady telling the group home gal, "You really shouldn't leave your dog in the car with the windows rolled up like that.". The group home gal responds, "Don't tell me how to take care of my fucking dog.!".
Another lovely day in the neighborhood.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:29 AM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Well, that news story said very little about what happened. I find it very hard to believe that the Sgt. was a trained K-9 specialist. I have known one man who was a K-9 specialist for the CHP, and the dog was no different than a partner in a CHP uniform. For this to happen, and it appears it happens more often than we would think, is truly sad. Those police dogs are intensely trained to be crime fighters, and they are partner to the officer they are assigned to. I saw the comments left by the local readers of that newspaper, and I see that there a lot of angles to be taken on this subject, such as the "we kill cows, what is wrong with killing a dog?". A valid point, but the issue here is that a member of that Police Department was killed due to gross neglect, and the people are right to seek answers. Whether they get them, well, that is yet another story.
-boy
Amazing, group home gal is suppose to be a caring sort. I have been a care giver and though I'm not a CNA I've known them to work for my clients. For some of them I think CNA means "consume narcotics available".
Dear Fred,
This morning I read the T-S letter to the editor, and I understand where the author is coming from. I hate to see dogs left in the vehicle on a sunny day, especially when the weather is warm. However, if Police Officers trained to work as K-9 specialists are leaving the dogs in the car, than what can we expect from some of the general public.
-boy
fred, why no post about the arkeley-glass confrontation?
Because, whenever possible, I try not to duplicate what other blogs are using for subjects. Sometimes I can't help myself, but I try not to.
Good choice Fred. I saw at least two other blogs with more than enough coverage of that incident.
-boy
fred,i just wondered about your thoughts on the issue
but the Arkley thing is pretty FUNNY! I came on your blog today just to see if you had a commentary.
Don't let them push you around, Fred. It starts with the Arkley/Glass controversy and next thing you know, you're posting about Paris Hilton.
Ha! Why can't somebody leave Paris Hilton in a car with the windows rolled up for a while???
-boy
I'm confused, this incident happened at night, how can the temp rise 40 degrees? It was at night, who care there wasn't a cloud in the sky? Actually having not a cloud in the sky at night would help to cool it. It is part of the idea for a method of solar cooling.
Well, I believe they said the dog was in the car for 13 hours. That would have to include some daytime, wouldn't it?
This person must mean an Alaskan night, Fred.
-boy
In vietnam, they know thow to properly take care of dogs. A hot car is a tenderizer.
I was in the Costco parking lot last night and saw the cutest pug in the vehicle parked next to me. It was a warm evening with not a cloud in the sky. Every single window on the vehicle was rolled up tight. The pug was sitting in between the front seats, panting away.
I am sure this is a loved pet, but how an owner can leave windows all the way up, especially on hot days, is beyond me. Even on mild days and evenings, with outside temperatures as low as 72 degrees, a car's interior temperature can heat up by an average of 40 degrees within an hour, with 80 percent of that increase in the first 30 minutes.
Pets cannot open the windows if they get too hot, nor can they pour themselves a glass of water. Pets are much less efficient at cooling themselves than humans, and are actually designed to conserve heat.
If they only have overheated air to breathe, dogs can suffer brain and organ damage after just 15 minutes. Short-nosed breeds, like pugs and bulldogs, young pets, seniors or pets with weight, respiratory, cardiovascular or other health problems are especially susceptible to heat-related stress.
If you must take your dog with you, be sure to keep a bowl and water in the car. Leave the windows
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on your vehicle rolled halfway down (a cracked window is no different from rolling the windows all the way up).
Better yet, leave them at home.
Laurie LaBare
Kneeland
I'm sorry Fred, but I don't see anything about 13 hours. Was it "evening" or was it "night"?
Once the sun has gone down, you have lost your main heat source, relying on the thermal mass and the animals to heat the car. Most cars are not very good insulators, so they will loose heat as fast as they gain it.
Once the sun has gone past solar noon, it's ability to heat, is decreasing. Also the further away you are from the equator you are, the less ability for the sun to heat the area/objects. The whole reason for these two is the distance the rays have to travel through the atmosphere.
I did some testing today with my own car, a 2007 blue prus with a dark interior, on the grass, in full cloudless sun. It was the only place in full sun at 4pm. At 5pm, there was only a 20.3F difference. Am I really to believe that a animal in 90F temps is really going to have a problem?
http://ggweather.com/heat/
is an interesting website on child deaths related to being left in the car.
Personally I think, this person got freaked out because of the panting of the dog, and the rolled up windows. The dog would of panted the same way at midnight, with the windows rolled down. I disagree with the 1st paragraph, but agree with most of the rest on mild days, and sunny ones. It would of been nice if the person would of listed an actual time, and vehicle type, color, etc to do an actual test.
The link on this post is to a story in Arizona. A Police dog was left in a car, in Arizona for 13 hours.
Yeah, but he stared it with the local letter in the TS.
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