One thing we get a lot of at the animal shelter in summer is a caller telling us there's a dog locked in a hot car somewhere in the county. (And sometimes cats -- why?) Anyhow, if Google Weather is accurate yesterday was the last hot day of the year out here. The last day of actual summer, basically.
These are frustrating calls for a number of reasons (and I'm glad they're over for now):
1) Somebody might be being a butt-head, and knowingly leaving their dog in a hot car.
2) Somebody might be running into a store for five minutes, which might make them a butt-head but not necessarily.
3) You can't really hesitate on calls like these. They require an immediate response. (A barking complaint or a welfare check do not. We try to get to them ASAP of course.)
4) How to be delicate here? There's a certain type of caller -- a busy-body, an overzealous animal lover -- who actually goes out on a hot day specifically to call in these situations? And that's fine, but at the same time we'll get calls about dogs in cars with the engine on and the AC running, or parked in shade with all windows down. Of course, we err on the side of caution but some people wake up in the morning looking to cast aspersions on somebody in a Safeway parking lot. There, I said it.
5) It's possible we've got officers out in two or three corners of the county, and checking a dog in hot car situation is not going to happen in the next ten minutes. What I do is try and contact the nearest business and ask if they'll make an announcement, or send someone out to take a look. It's not perfect I realize, but neither is our funding as a non-profit. Anyhow, it's interesting to have a mental database now of "local businesses that care about a dog that might be suffering in a hot car" and "local businesses that do not give a single shit about a dog that might be suffering in a hot car."
6) In any event, no dogs died or suffered injuries this past summer due to being put in hot cars in this county. And no Animal Control Officer (ACO) had to actually break a window to save any of them. Usually by the time an ACO arrives the car is gone or pulling away. We do try and get license plate numbers for future possible offenses. And hopefully the fact that they zoomed out of a parking lot when they saw an Animal Control truck approaching, or got publicly shamed inside of a store, is enough of a lesson going forward.
7) The issue in a nutshell -- it is not illegal to keep pets in cars, given they have reasonable access to food and water. Of course, it is illegal to endanger their lives in hot (or cold) weather. But it's always a dynamic thing, requiring judgement calls on the part of the dispatcher (me!) and the ACO and hopefully concerned citizens who are genuinely worried about the animal's well-being. That's stressful!
8) We get calls from people who have locked themselves out of their cars. They assume (and for some reason the local Police Departments tells them) we have slim-jims, those long metal things you use to force open locked doors. We do not, never have, and never will. If you think a dog is going into heat-stroke (thick saliva or slobber, purple gums, vomiting) be prepared to grab a rock and bash. Laws vary by state of course, but my understanding is that if an animal is in genuine distress you have every right to save it, at least in Washington State. (Meaning, you won't be expected to pay for a new window.)
9) If it's going to be anywhere close to 70 degrees, please leave you doggos at home! Or do some research and find out which local business are cool with dogs coming in on leashes! There are plenty, and they deserve your business!
10) Hello, fall!
