It’s one of the scariest things you can see when you’re away from home and making messages: a dog trapped in a hot car, with the windows open and the engine turned off.
It’s even worse because the moment may seem very paralysing. Should you do something or call someone? Should you take any action or misdiagnosed the situation? Maybe the owner will be back soon?
In any type of emergency situation, it is always better to have a plan to follow before disasters happen. In the guide below, we will guide you through the 9 steps you must follow to save a potentially trapped puppy.
1. Know your rights beforehand
In some states, it’s legal to break into someone else’s car if you see an animal in danger. In others, only certain people – such as police officers or animal control officers – can do this. If you are in the wrong state, breaking a window to save a dog can get you into trouble while the careless owner goes unpunished.
If you consider yourself the type of person who would break a window to rescue a dog, it is up to you to consult the laws in your state now, so that you do not have to run the risk of conflicting with the police later.
2. Make sure you’re reading the situation correctly
Certain cars nowadays – especially hybrid or electric – are so quiet that it is incredibly difficult to say if they are really working. Before picking up a brick and aiming at the driver’s window, make sure the dog is really in danger. You don’t want to make a mess just to find out that the car was on and the A/C was working.
3. Check the dog
It is important to know how much time you have before you start acting. To do this, you must check the dog’s condition. If the dog looks good, you can spend more time trying to contact the owner or the authorities before you start breaking things. If, however, the dog is panting, seems disoriented or has fainted, you will need to take more drastic measures.
4. Gather the information from the car
Write down the make, model and number of the plate. This information will help you track the owner and can also be useful to ensure that he faces the consequences of his reckless actions. You can also pick up your phone and document the situation so they can’t escape it later.
5. Call the owner
If it is clear which company the owner is visiting (and the dog seems to be fine at the moment), you can enter and send a pager. Having the owner come to rescue his own dog is the best result for everyone involved and has the added advantage of giving you someone to shout for being an idiot.
6. Contact the authorities.
If you can’t find the owner or are worried about the dog’s health, call the police. When dialling 911, you will be connected to a police officer who can advise you on how to proceed. This is crucial even in states that allow ordinary citizens to break into cars to rescue animals that are in danger, as it covers all its bases from a legal perspective.
7. Stay close
Just because the police officers were called doesn’t mean the work is done. The heat kills, so it’s important to be around and keep track of the situation. Unfortunately, not all police departments take endangered animals seriously, so it may take some time before help arrives – and this can be too little, too late for the trapped dog. Stay close to monitor the dog’s health so you can potentially take action if the situation requires it.
8. Make a decision
If you live in a state that does not allow good Samaritans to rescue imprisoned dogs and police officers are taking a long time to show up, then you will have to make a decision. You can invade to rescue the animal, potentially exposing yourself to legal problems, or you can let things happen on your own. Remember that heat kills, so you need to let it guide your actions. If you decide to invade, however, it is good to get a witness who will support you before you act.
9. Help the dog
Getting the dog out of the car is important, but if the animal is overheating, it will need more help from you. Take some water for them as soon as possible and take them to a cool place, preferably with air conditioning. You may need to pour water into your bodies as well, or if the dog looks seriously ill, take it to an emergency veterinarian.
How to break a car window?
Movies and TV have taught us that breaking the window of a car is as simple as closing your teeth and punching the glass, but reality is a little more complicated than that. Most modern car windows are designed to withstand the impact of sharp objects, so you may have trouble breaking them, even if you have a bat or a wheel wrench by hand.
Instead, look for something hard and sharp, such as a hammer, a sprock or a screwdriver. Aim for the weaker parts of the window, which are the edges near the door. Choose a window that is as far away from the dog as possible, because you don’t want them to be covered by shattered glass.
How hot is a car?
We all know that a car can get unbearably hot during the summer heat, but how hot is a car? And perhaps, more importantly, how long it takes for a car to reach lethal temperatures.
First, we need to look at the variables: sunny day versus cloudy day. A car parked under the hot sun at 95oF can reach internal temperatures of 120oF in an hour. Meanwhile, the dashboard and steering wheel can reach even warmer temperatures. Now, parking in the shade is a little better, with temperatures reaching 100oF in an hour. In any case, these are dangerous extremes and it is not worth risking your pet’s life.
Don’t risk your dog’s life: the heat kills!
All this assumes that you will be the saviour in this situation, so don’t disappoint us. Never risk your dog’s life by leaving him in a car with the windows closed, regardless of how the weather is out there or how short you think your task will be, because the heat kills.
Dogs overheat much faster than we do, so it’s very easy to accidentally kill your dog in this way. That’s no way to treat your best friend, so if you can’t keep him calm, leave them at home.