Don't Cook Your Dog

It's getting warmer here in Florida. Today it was in the low 80s -- and it's barely April! My office is already receiving "dog locked in a car" calls. The sad truth is that every year dogs die because their owners leave them in parked cars while shopping or running errands. Even “just a few minutes” can be too much. Here are some facts to consider:

• Dogs don’t sweat. The only way they can cool themselves is through panting and the pads of their feet. 
• Dogs can suffer from heat stroke in just 15 minutes. This causes heart problems, nerve damage, brain damage, liver damage and/or death.
• Older dogs, snub-nosed dogs (like boxers and pugs), and double coated dogs (like huskies and shepherds) are even more likely to overheat.
• When it is 78° outside the internal temperature of a car can reach 90° in 5 minutes; It can be 110° in 20 minutes. That's an increase of one degree every minute!
• Studies show that cracking the windows has little effect on the internal temperature of the car.
• The sun moves. A car parked in the shade can be in full sun in a short period of time, thus causing the car to heat up even faster.      

Please leave your dog at home during the warmer months. Whatever you're doing is not worth the risk to his health. And if you see a dog locked in a car call animal control or your local police department immediately. -- K



Check out My Dog Is Cool for more info.