Reminder to pet owners: During the summer, make sure your pets are safe and not left in parked cars where they can overheat and die.
On July 2, the Washington, D.C., Police Department saved a seven-month-old Yorkshire Terrier who was left in a parked vehicle. The police officers gave the puppy some water after he was rescued and monitored him to make sure he was not suffering from heat exhaustion.
Thankfully, the dog, Jack, is doing well. Jack is lucky to have survived. According to weather.com, the temperature climbed up to 95 degrees on Monday and felt like 107 degrees. While 95 degrees is hot on its own, the temperature gets even hotter on the inside of a parked car.
The temperature can rise almost 20 degrees inside your parked car in just 10 minutes. For the Yorkshire Terrier, that means he would be sitting in 115-degree heat just 10 minutes after his owner left him. No quick errand is worth potentially killing your pet. No matter how short you think you will be, it is not worth the risk.
The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion each year by being left in a parked car. The D.C. Police Department warned pet owners of this danger when they posted photos of a safe and happy Jack on Twitter. They said, "As a reminder, never leave your pet in the car unattended. It only takes minutes for temps to reach dangerous levels."
If you see a dog in a parked car outside, call the police immediately. Even if it does not seem like a hot day, it can quickly become a deadly temperature for an innocent animal trapped in a car.
What do you think? How do you keep your pets cool during the summer days? Let us know in the comments below!