Leaving dogs in the car.

sparky loves to go in the car with me everytime i go...i do a lot of short errands...if it's not too hot ot too cold, and i park in the shade, with the windows open enough for decent ventilation, he's happy to wait the 5 to 10 minutes...i use my judgement, and i've never seen him suffer...
 
in fact, when we get home from our morning run, he likes to take a long nap in the car...the house blocks the shade in the morning.
 
i once had a noseybody complain to me as soon as i walked in a pet store that he was hot in the car...it was a cool spring day, and the sun was already down...she wouldn't shut up...people in the store asked what her problem was...it wasn't hot, there was no sun...she kept up her rant....she said he's panting...totally ignored that i told her he was panting because we just left the dog park....the car was totally comfortable.
 
so i'm nervous about the new dog laws they just signed in california...there are people who overreeact, and like to think of themselves as heroes..

Sad story: My bfs Grandpa (rip) went to the local casino and it was overcast and about 65 degrees out. He left his dog in the car, with a window cracked. Security noticed the dog and went inside to page the owner of the car (grandpa). He didn't hear. When he left, he came out to a dead dog. I don't leave Tootsie in the car for more than 10 min., I'm to afraid she'll get stolen.

I have actually had the police called on me for leaving two of my dogs in crates in the back of my open truck on a warm day at the beach. They are wire crates and we were there for a flyball tournament. After the tournament we took the dogs for a swim and then loaded them up in the truck. We stopped outside an ice cream shop and went inside to get the DOGS ice-cream. When we came out..there was a police officer and an upset woman. She was concerned that the dogs were "soaked in sweat from sitting in the heat". I got a tongue lashing from her..in public, in front of people. I let her do her griping and then explained that dogs don't sweat..they were wet because they had just gone swimming and that they had only been sitting there for about 10-15 minutes while we waited in line for ice-cream for THEM. She complained that the one dog was "crying"... and she had no shade. She whines when we leave her...YUP, thats what she does..no matter the temp. I asked her what about all the dogs on the beach that day playing in the hot sun with no shade? It really irked me..the officer was nice and of course I didn't get in any trouble, but it was embarrassing in front of all those people to be accused of neglecting my dogs. The day was definately warm...and if they had been left inside a vehicle or on the bed of the truck or left there to sit in the sun for an hour..I could see it, but these two dogs had just spent all day running in a tournament (in the sun), had been swimming and had not been sitting there for more than 15 minutes, there were even four empty electrolyte bottles sitting in the bed next to their crates. She must have called the police the minute we pulled up..because they got there before we came out of the ice-cream shop. I think she was looking for an issue. I wish I could say she walked away educated..but if she did she certainly didn' act it.
 
To the person who asked why you would take your dogs with you...I didn't get my dogs so they could sit at home in an empty house, I got them for companionship. I love to have them with me when it's reasonable to do so..and they love it as well. If I am taking a 45 minute drive to do something and at the end the dog will have to wait for 10 or 15 minutes in the car..I'm thinking the wait is worth the time he got to spend with me to and from.
I take my dogs with me whenever I can. Witt goes with me darn near everywhere. But I don't take him if he can't go in or will be waiting in the car more than about twenty minutes and only in appropriate weather. I don't worry about him being stolen, usually I make sure I can see him from inside or I don't leave him..aside from that he would definately bite someone who tried to touch the truck. He never barks at people passing..but he will if they stop at the window and talk to him or touch the truck. People just need to use their heads, on both sides.
 
I get really mad when I see people put dogs in the back of a truck without proper harnessing and cable system or crate thats strapped in. It especially upsets me when its a hot day..do they not realize how hot the metal gets on a vehicle?
I have broken a window before on a vehicle to free a dog, I was about 19 years old and it was in a mall parking lot on a 90 degree day. The dog didn't make it...I will never forget that and I would never do that to a dog. It wasn't a had call for me on that occassion..by the time I came upon the dog it was stressed, foaming at the mouth, there was drool all over the seats and it was weakly scratching at the door trying to get out. Sometimes it's not that easy to tell if a dog is in stress, I have waited in a parking lot for the owner to come back and kept a eye on a dog more than once. You can always go into the store and have the person paged as well.

DPU and what would happen if your motor to your car would shut off?  Sorry, I do not leave my dog in my car or take her when it isn't necessary.

I enjoy taking my dog with me where ever I go but for one thing I just don't trust her alone in the car. If she even sees anouther dog outside she will go crazy and will call so much attention to my care that I'm shure someone would complain. When I'm in the car with her and she sees something outside I can stop her from going crazy with just a few simple comands and the doggy treats I keep in the car door pocket. I would neer even consider leaving her alone in the car in the heat, it get over 100 in the summer here and up to 80 sometimes in the winter. I can even feel the heat when I open my door, in the summer I have to stand outside my car for a while and let the inside cool before I enter, there is no way I'de let my dog stay in that. I've had plastic objects melt in my car, it's just no place for a dog in your not in there with her.

I've known people to leave their cats in a crate in their car. A friend of mine would do this and I would get so upset with her. She would put ice packs in the crate and said because of that the cats were fine. I guess my biggest concern was why she just had to take her cats with her everywere. I mean my dog will jump into the car any chance she gets and enjoys the ride but do cats really enjoy being locked in a crate in a car? When I had a cat he would sit on the back window when I had to take him somewhere but I only took him for a car ride when I had to and before I opened the door I would put him in his crate.

Maybe it's just a personal openion of where to draw the line on leaving an animal aone in a car. There are so many times I see a dog left alone in a car and question if the owner really has any concern about the safty and wellbeing of that animal. A few sad stories of dogs dieing in cars has ruined it for all thoes who are responsable and do prepair correctly for the say in the car.

I can understand (temperature permitting) dashing in to run a quick errand and leaving the dog in the car for maybe 10 min. tops. If the poor dog is going to be left in the car for an extended period, I really think he'd be happier at home.

Joyce

I think it's kind of weird to take your dog in the car with you to deliberately go to a non-doggy destination. But if we've gone to the park or something, and it's cold enough out for me to need to wear a sweater, I have no problem with making a quick stop on the way home and leaving dog(s) in the car while running the errand. 
One thing that's always bugged me-- at agility trials you often see dogs crated in cars. The cars have open windows/doors and are often covered with a reflective cloth, but still, they get hot in those things. How hard is to set your crates up next to the car instead?  

Yesterday we went out for lunch, and we were by a window that looked across the road to another store.  There was a truck parked there with a huge GSD chained in the back, but this truck had really low sides.  Rather than a pick-up, it was more of a flatbed type. The chain was long enough to let the dog move around a bit, sit or lie down - but if the driver had to brake suddenly for any reason, that poor dog would have flown over the side and strangled in his collar. Had that been my dog, he would have been in the passenger seat [:@] or at home.

Joyce

It's illegal in New Mexico to leave a dog in the car. Dogs (and children [:@]) die this way every year.

If the chihuahuas were not all passed out, chances are it was okay, though.

When I lived there I took my dogs everywhere except when I knew I had to be gone too long for it to be safe. Most summer months they had to stay home. Even fifteen minutes is long enough to kill a dog in the NM sun.

If it's not hot and/or sunny and the dog in question is not experiencing stress over it, what's the problem?

What irritates me is the way this turns into something people feel comfortable giving a hard time about, even when everyone is sweatered, even when the dogs are in the back of an open truck, etc.

My dog tends to go where I go. My car, when it is not hot and the sun is not intense, is a great place for my dog to rest when I go to pick up lunch or some groceries for twenty minutes... much safer than tying him up outside on the street, and keeps me from having to take him home and then leave again.

Fisher, I think it's obvious that the problem is with people who leave dogs in the car for an extended time, even when it's too warm.  That's not at all the same thing as leaving a dog in the car/truck to run a couple of errands or grab a quick lunch when the temps are cooler.  As for the open truck, this was NOT a conventonal pick up truck with the usual high sides.  This was a flatbed, and the sides weren't any more than a foot high, if that. IMHO, that is NOT a safe place for a dog to be riding.

Joyce

I have no problem leaving my dog in the car - weather permitting! I have lots of days that I am running around here and there and can be out and about all morning or afternoon. My dog likes to ride with me. We talk, we sing, we check out the dogs on the street. It's fun! My dog loves being stopped at a light. He gets lots of attention from the drivers beside us and if we're really lucky, we get stopped along side a bus. Kobi gets all wiggley and excited when the passengers acknowledge him.
When I have to leave him, I always say "I'll be right back" and he jumps into the back and lies down. I always leave the sun roof open, even on cold days and I either find a shaded parking spot or I park in the direction where the sun does not hit the back seat. Most times I am no longer than 20 minutes, but I have gone for a quick lunch, in which case I park just outside the restaurant and ask for a seat by the window.
The one thing I never do, is take my dog into any stores with me. But that's another topic!

The one thing I never do, is take my dog into any stores with me. But that's another topic!

Oh, I take my dog into stores whenever I can.

Oh, and I wasn't talking about this flatbed truck thing... I was talking about leaving a dog in the back of a truck while the truck is stopped in general and then, in general, getting an earful about how it's too hot to leave a dog in a car when you get back.

I was making a general statement about how people feel so funny about this issue and feel like it's so okay to police other people, even when it's obviously not a problem. I don't think dogs should ride in the back of trucks, unfortunately, it's really unsafe.

I know a lot of people do take their dogs into stores. I am personally extremely sensitive about having my dog any where that might make even one person uncomfortable or uneasy. I live in an area that is very ethnically diverse and I know not everyone likes dogs - not even really nice dogs like mine! I have no problem with others bringing their dogs into stores. I love meeting them and chatting with the owners. It's just not something I would do.