Here's 5 Things You Need To Know Before Rescuing A Pet From A Hot Car This Summer

Jun 27, 2018

Summer heat brings the reminder of just how dangerous it is to leave a pet in a parked car. Despite public education campaigns and many “hot car” laws being adopted by states to cover pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that hundreds of dogs alone die each year in hot cars. This continued negligence leaves many Samaritans wondering what they should do if they notice a pet in a hot car. The obvious answer would seem to be to rescue it, even if that involves breaking car windows, right? No. In many areas, you do not have that legal right. Rescuing an animal from a hot car could land you in hot water if you don’t take the right actions.

How can you protect yourself and still get an animal trapped in a hot car the immediate help it needs? Follow these five steps:

Vehicles can reach scorching temps without air conditioning in a matter of minutes. At 72 degrees F. temps, the inside of a car surpasses 115 degrees F. temps within an hour. At 80 degrees F. temps, a vehicle can reach 100 degrees F. within 60 to 90 seconds.

Contrary to popular belief, rolling windows and sunroofs down has virtually no impact on these heat effects within a parked car.

These lethal heat facts make it imperative for good Samaritans to act quickly, but the legal consequences of rescue also mean that you have to act with the right steps.

Currently, only half of the U.S. states have hot car laws concerning pets, and only around a dozen of those offer legal protection to good Samaritans. Only law enforcement may rescue pets from hot cars in some states. Other states don’t even allow law enforcement and emergency personnel such authority.

Even states that do allow private citizens immunity from civil actions in rescuing an animal from a hot car often have caveats, such as that they must call 911 first or make reasonable efforts to locate the owner first.

There are also all sorts of limitations on “animal” definitions per law, such as some states only applying hot car laws to cats and dogs and some considering any domesticated animals in hot car laws.

Of course, these laws are constantly at risk to be amended and new laws are constantly being created. In states without Samaritan immunities, you could find yourself facing civil lawsuits and even criminal charges if you tamper or damage someone’s vehicle. And, let’s face it, any pet owner that doesn’t value the life of their pet isn’t likely to care about your good intentions or hesitate to use it against you. The solution is to know the appropriate steps within your specific state to take that both protect yourself and get the distressed animal rescued as soon as possible.

Take an immediate screenshot of the vehicle’s tag and make and model and the condition of the distressed animal, which will also give you a time stamp for when you discovered it. If you don’t have a phone, take handwritten notes of the above.

Alert the authorities by calling 911, local animal control, or your local authorities with the information you’ve collected. These agencies will be able to advise you through appropriate subsequent steps and of your legal rights to action, including if you have any Samaritan immunity should the animal be unconscious or in severe enough distress to need rescue that instant by entering the vehicle.

Unless instructed by authorities to immediately rescue the animal , make your way to nearby businesses and ask them to announce that the vehicle’s owner is needed ASAP. In most cases, the owner will be found and respond quicker than authorities can get there. While it may be tempting to prioritize the pet owner be held accountable by any existing hot car laws, do remember that the primary goal is to rescue the animal as quickly as possible.

Part of rescue is knowing how dire the situation really is or isn’t. Dogs respond to various degrees of temperature differently. Before passing out and dying from heat exhaustion, the canine may appear restless and agitated, pant heavily, have a very dark and heavy tongue, vomit, stumble around, and appear oblivious to stimuli and surroundings.

You should also know what to do for an animal suffering heatstroke. Do not use ice cold water to treat the dog. Cooling an overheated dog too quickly constricts the animal’s blood vessels and can prolong the heatstroke or cause heart failure. Douse the dog and it’s paw pads with cool, not cold, water and find shade or an air conditioned environment so that he/she may cool off slowly. Hydrate the dog with cool water.

Some pet owners may not fully grasp how fast pets can become distressed in even milder summer temps or have the false assumption that ventilation prevents heat stroke. Contact your local Humane Society or animal shelter to find out how you can help raise hot car awareness.

Have you rescued a pet from a hot car? Anything else you think readers should be aware of when it comes to pets and hot cars? Feel free to let us know, and spread the word so we stop hearing horror stories of puppies dying in cars!