Heat waves and hounds

On a sweltering hot day, the last thing any of us want to do is sit in a parked car with the windows only open a crack.

So then why is it OK for your dog?

It just makes you shake your head at how dumb and irresponsible people can be sometimes.

Especially this week with the heat index and temperatures hitting the mid to high 30 C range, people still couldn’t put two and two together and realize that it was probably too hot to leave a dog inside the car.

But people are still leaving their furry friends in parked cars on hot days.

The P.E.I. Humane Society had a spike in calls about dogs left in cars during our recent heat wave. With the heat index, the daily temperature routinely hit the mid to high 30 C mark.

On Monday afternoon, the humane society even received four calls on four separate incidents within a 10-minute period.

Last month, Charlottetown Police Services received 11 complaints of dogs left alone in parked cars. One officer even had to enter a hot car and remove a dog out of concern for its safety.

There are times when we see an owner return to their hot car with their dog inside, and the first thing they do is roll all the windows down. Then they drive away with the air conditioner cranked.

A positive thing about the increase in calls and complaints is that people are taking the time to stop and help pooches roasting inside of cars.

For dog owners who are still unconvinced, the humane society has some information that should help.

On a day when it’s 21 C, the inside temperature of a vehicle after 10 minutes can climb to 32 C, and after 20 minutes to 40 C. On a balmy 32 C day, the temperature can reach 43 C inside a car after 10 minutes, and to 51 C after 20 minutes.

Still not convinced? Maybe it’s because dogs don’t sweat like you do, so we don’t think they’re hot. Instead, they pant, which might make some people think they’re tired and out of breath. Who knows what people are thinking?

But dogs can experience heat-related seizures or organ failure. Just like us, they may not recover.

So, leave your dog home. Regardless of how hot your home is, it is much cooler than your parked car. Too many people nowadays bring their dogs everywhere. Besides, your dog probably has better things to do than tag along while you run errands.