Dog in distress: Stranded pooch highlights need for reminders on animal summertime safety

Published 6:00 am Thursday, June 24, 2021

An overheated pup drew a crowd of soft-hearted shoppers in Cullman Wednesday, serving up a timely reminder that the warm days of summer are no time to leave pets unattended in hot cars. 

After a Publix shopper noticed a dog in distress alone inside a switched-off SUV Wednesday afternoon, an eyewitness reported close to a dozen people gathered around to reassure the animal while others called police. 

A Cullman Police officer responded at the scene and greeted the dog’s out-of-town owner when the person returned to the car. The owner pointed out that the SUV’s windows were cracked open to allow for ventilation. 

After talking with the owner, who’d stopped in Cullman with his family in tow, the officer concluded that no laws had been broken, and stepped back to allow the family (and the dog) to continue on their way. But with summer freshly arrived, law enforcement says the incident marks an opportune moment to remind pet owners of some commonsense car safety tips. 

The Humane Society of the United States urges pet owners never to leave their animals unattended in a car — even if the vehicle is running and the air conditioner is turned on. Even in a running car with air conditioning, in-car temperatures can rapidly rise to life-threatening levels for a dog, and with no humans in the car to gauge the climate, the pet is left helpless. 

Humidity in the sweltering South also can take a toll on dogs, which pant (instead of sweating, as people do) in order to regulate their body temperatures. The Humane Society advises that a dog’s body temperature should never exceed 104 degrees.

Rather than leaving your animal in a car — even briefly, and even if the A/C is running — the organization urges owners either to leave someone behind who can assess a car’s ambient temperature and humidity, or simply to leave the pets at home, making sure they have adequate shelter, cool air, and a ready supply of water.

Leaving the windows cracked may let the outside air in, but the Humane Society says that’s no assurance of safety. In-car temperatures can rise to 102 degrees within 10 minutes on an 85-degree day, according to the organization, and can reach 120 degrees within half an hour. 

Though state legislators have weighed legislation to criminalize leaving a pet in a hot car, Alabama currently isn’t among the 14 U.S. states that have “samaritan” laws that absolve their citizens from liability for breaking another owner’s car window to rescue a distressed pet. Neighboring states Tennessee and Florida do have rescue laws, however; and several more states have similar laws that apply only to law enforcement rescues.