All too often I am frustrated by people not taking note of the temperature and how it affects their dog. Take today for example, it is 28deg (celcius) with hardly a cloud in the sky and I just saw a woman walking her dog. Now this may not be a problem in some people’s eyes but she was wearing shorts, a singlet top and able to adjust to the temperature. However, the black curly coat retriever doesn’t have that luxury and looked very hot indeed.
Was the owner carrying water? No she wasn’t. How far would they have to walk before the dog needed water to prevent dehydration occurring.
She was wearing shoes, unlike the dog. I felt how hot the footpath was and it was hot enough to make my feet very uncomfortable, verging on burning. I wonder how this was making the dog’s feet feel? Could it be hot enough to burn them? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the sun had gone down before walking the dog?
Then of course the real habit I have major issues with. Leaving your dog in a car on a sunny day causes death on a regular 
basis but it is done everyday. A couple of windows are usually left down slightly, like this makes any real difference. I challenge anyonewho thinks this is an acceptable practice to take the place of their dog on a hot day for just 20 minutes. Have a look at the a chart that shows how the interior temperature of a car is increased at a steady rate until it reaches a level that causes major health implications for the dog, hypothermia and death.
I am guilty of doing exactly this in the past. Luckily I never had a problem as most of the time the dogs were only with us in winter. That was before I knew the reality of leaving dogs in cars and how quickly they could die.
It is illegal to break a car window without the owner’s permission and doing so could land you in a whole lot of trouble, even if it was to save a dog’s life. If it was a child I’m guessing it would be a different outcome and you wouldn’t be the one getting prosecuted.
So what do you do if you see a dog in distress due to heat in the car? Try and find the owner, call the SPCA or maybe even the police.
What if you lock your own dog and the keys in the car? Did you know the AA will come out and open the vehicle for free if an animal or child is locked in the car? You don’t even have to be an AA member, that’s how good they are.
Think about the temperature before you take your dog with you. It may just be better off left in safety at home.
This Youtube clips shows vet, Dr Ernie Ward experiencing exactly what a dogs does. It is an eye opener. I encourage you to watch and share it.
