Dogs Are People Too

On July 16, a 10-month-old baby girl lost her life after she was allegedly left in a hot car parked in Richmond, Virginia (the case is currently under investigation). If confirmed, this death would bring the 2019 national count to 21 children who have lost their lives in the stifling heat inside parked cars. This map identifies the locations where children have died in hot cars so far in 2019. Texas has seen the greatest number of deaths this year from pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH), but children have died as far north as Minnesota and New Jersey.

The chart below shows the annual number of deaths caused by pediatric vehicular heatstroke from 1998 to 2019. Since 1998, the total number of PVH deaths in the United States is a staggering 816.

Figure 1. Annual number of deaths caused by Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH) from 1998 into July 2019. Image credit: NoHeatStroke.org

I can’t imagine the pain, anguish, and guilt that these parents must feel.

My wife and I were never blessed with children, so our dogs occupy a very special place in our family. During hot (and cold) weather, we always take special precautions to keep our dogs safe and comfortable.

Unfortunately, dogs and cats left in hot cars also perish in hot weather.       

In case you can’t tell, I have cared deeply for animals for almost all of my 71+ years, and preserving their well-being in hot weather has, in the past, almost landed me in jail.  My story begins in the late 1970s while I was living in Atlanta, Georgia (colloquially referred to as “Hot-Lanta”).

On a hot July day (circa 1979), I went to the mall to buy a new pair of running shoes.  As I walked out of the air-conditioned mall into the sweltering heat (the temperature was in the mid-90s with oppressive humidity), I started to anticipate the dreaded Toyota bakeoff—that “gourmet” moment when bare skin is sautéed once it touches simmering vinyl seats.

As I was searching for my car in the parking lot, I approached a sleek, new BMW…or was it a Mercedes? It doesn’t matter. It was certainly too rich for my blood. Like a teen-ager ogling a souped-up Chevy with rear fins (yeah, I’m an old guy), I gave the car an admiring once over.

As I moved closer, I noticed that all the windows were cracked open about an inch or two. Nothing unusual, considering the blistering heat.  As I leaned closer to get an interior view, my heart nearly stopped. There, lying prostrate on the back seat, with saliva frothing rapidly from her mouth, was an Irish Setter.

I didn’t need to be a veterinarian to know that this dog was in serious trouble. I looked around frantically for an arriving owner.  No such luck. In what seemed like an out-of-body experience, I picked up a large rock, smashed it against one of the windows, and began kicking in the glass. And I was screaming “Help!” at the top of my lungs.

By the time I lifted the dog out of the car, several shoppers were responding to my screams. I spotted a shade tree about 30 yards away and made a beeline for it, cradling the alarmingly limp dog and still shouting urgent pleas for help. When I reached the shade, a good Samaritan gave me some cool water, which I immediately poured on the dog.

Meanwhile, several folks had instinctively formed a water brigade between my location and the mall. To make a long story short, the Irish Setter began to respond, and within a matter of ten minutes, was standing weakly by my side.

Just then, the owner of the car returned to find his new car with a smashed window. He ran to the shade tree and started yelling at me-not about his dog, but about his new car.  I tried to explain, but he was livid and irrational. He ran into the mall to call the police (no cell phones or 911 in those days, folks).

When the officers arrived, the owner demanded that they arrest me. I told my side of the story, and pressed them to arrest the owner for cruelty to animals. Actually, if I had been completely honest, I wanted the police to lock the owner in a car so he could experience what it must be like to be trapped in 150-degree heat!  My confession notwithstanding, the owner acquiesced and changed his tune.

Figure 2. Dogs with short snouts are especially vulnerable to heat. Image credit: Courtesy Centre County PAWS.

Had the above incident occurred today, I would have been well within my rights to break into the car to save the dog, provided I lived in one of a growing number of states—at least 15, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin. According to the Animal Legal and Historical Center, the laws in these states “limit the civil or criminal liability of the person for damages resulting from the forcible entry of the vehicle" if you or I were to break into a parked car to save an animal, provided we follow the steps outlined for each state.

Note that Georgia is not included in the list of states as of this writing. So, if I were to repeat my life-saving actions in Atlanta, I still might be in big trouble and be responsible for all or a portion of the damages.

Here in Pennsylvania, the legislature recently passed the “Hot Car Bill," which frees police and emergency responders from liability if they break into a car to save a pet. The law does not extend to citizens like me who recognize that seconds or minutes can be the difference between life and death. Yes, I would call 911, but, if I saw a dog down and frothing at the mouth like the Irish Setter I saved in Atlanta, I would break into the car. I have no doubt.

Figure 3. Walking on the beach with my dog, whom we rescued in 2014, in South Carolina on a February day.  Even during winter, the temperature in South Carolina can get into the 70s on sunny days, and my wife and I would never consider leaving our dog alone in a parked car.

For the record, dogs and cats do not have cooling systems like we adults do. People perspire, and the evaporation of sweat from our skin helps us to cope with hot weather. For the most part, dogs and cats don’t sweat.  Instead, they rely on panting to cool themselves. Such a cooling system is not designed to cope with the stifling heat that quickly builds up inside a closed car on a hot summer day.

Just like humans, body temperatures of dogs and cats can soar to life-threatening levels if precautions aren’t taken.  Leaving your pet in a hot car, tying your dog in the sun (even worse when the dog doesn’t have access to water), or forcing your dog to go on long runs on hot days (even worse for dogs with short snouts) is downright dangerous. Moreover, dogs who are older or overweight are more susceptible to the deleterious effects of heat.

During the hot dog days of summer, folks are reminded to take precautions for themselves and their families.  With regard to pets and hot weather, I’m reminded of what Corporal Radar O’Reilly once said on the TV sitcom "M*A*S*H": “Dogs are people, too.”