"No, Lady, You Can’t Go Every Time"
Little Lady Bichon has suddenly decided she wants… and deserves … to go bye bye every time I do. It has been this way ever since we took her camping last week. She loved it … smiled the entire time. The problem is the heat here in Southern Utah makes it impossible to take her most of the time. She would over heat way too fast if left in the car for even a few minutes.
Contrary to popular opinion, dogs and cats don’t generally sweat to cool themselves like people do. When dogs pant (hang their tongues out to breath) it is to try and cool themselves off through evaporation, but they can’t pant near enough to combat the heat when left in a closed car. When you find a pet that is damp from sweating it means it is way overheated and possibly dehydrated as well.
Animals and children left in cars can quickly overheat and develop heat exhaustion or even worse heat stroke. Leaving the car windows open slightly doesn’t do much to lower the heat inside of your car.
Many years ago my daughter’s cat had slipped into her car one summer afternoon without her knowing it and by the time we found the cat she was soaking wet with sweat and panting on her front seat. We gave her water with an eye dropper and fanned her to cool her down by evaporation. She survived but she had severe brain damage. She was probably in the car for less than 15 minutes.
It can happen in minutes … death, brain damage, or permanent disabilities. It closes down the organs … affects the brain, kidneys, liver, heart. It is against the law to leave children in unattended cars, and in most states it is also against the law to leave pets in closed cars. I’m not one to get into other people’s business but I would call 911 if I saw a pet in a locked car and the temperatures outside was 75 or above.
So … my little Lady doesn’t get to go in the car with me as much as she’d like … because I love her. She doesn’t like it and stands looking out the window with her sad face every time I drive away but she is very forgiving and is standing in the window with her happy face every time I get home.
We have a new product that will save the lives of childern form this sort of accident. http://www.carseatmonitor.com
Nine summers in Las Vegas and I sure understand what you’re saying. It’s hard to believe and makes me very angry that every summer we still read accounts of children and pets dying from heat exhaustion from “being forgotten” or left in the car while the parent goes shopping. If we say it enough maybe it’ll be heard by somebody.