Confused by fake dog experiment

Hundreds of people ignored the distressed cries of a dog trapped in a hot car in a social experiment caught on film.

The three-day experiment saw just four people stop and attempt to help the fake dog, which was abandoned in temperatures exceeding 28 degrees celsius.

Confused.com, the car savings site, conducted the experiment to investigate how members of the public would react to a dog left in a vehicle on a warm day. The aim of the experiment was to raise awareness of the actions people should take, rather than finding themselves in the position of a helpless bystander.

Armed with a fake dog – called Annie – a car and realistic soundeffects, a camera crew set up camp in car parks and busy streets across the UK.

They recorded the reactions of passers-by who assumed a real dog had been abandoned in the vehicle on a hot day.

The camera crew waited, hidden from view, to see how people would react to the distressing barks and whining, and how many would intervene. Footage was collected over three days in July when outside temperatures were the hottest seen this year.

Throughout the entire time filming the social experiment, the overwhelming majority of passersby failed to intervene or do anything to help the dog; instead just glancing over and walking on by, or ignoring the loud cries of the dog altogether.

Only four people out of hundreds stopped to take action, with one trying to open the car in an attempt to rescue the whimpering dog. Another tried pulling down on the slightly open window to get to the dog.

During the filming, the crew had to stop a passer-by who was moments away from calling the RSPCA out of concern for the trapped dog.

Further research supported the findings of the experiment revealing – of drivers who have witnessed a dog left in a car – three out of four (76 per cent) did not intervene, with only a small number (2 per cent) taking the right course of action.

A further few (2 per cent) decided to call the RSPCA, while almost one in 20 (4 per cent) alerted the closest store to the parked car. Some (2 per cent) took a slightly different approach and took matters in to their own hands by attempting to break in to the car.

The RSPCA advises anyone who witnesses an unattended dog in a hot car to call 999 and report the incident.