WARNING TO PET OWNERS

With the hottest days of summer still to come the Animal Protection Assocoation of Australia (APAA) is warning pet owners against leaving their dog in a parked car, even for a short time.

A car in the sun, even with the windows cracked can reach 38 degrees within 10 minutes and rise very quickly to 39 degrees which is lethal to a dog.

A fur coat  is designed to retain heat and a dog cannot sweat when it is overheated.  As the inside temperature rises, the dog's body temperature also rises and within minutes a dog can suffer an agonizing death.

Parking in shade is not recommended either.   The temperature will still rise inside a car in shade.  Also, a dog could escape if the windows are down and the theft of a dog from a car is a possibility"

Danger signals of overheating, whether from being in a parked car or excessive exercise in heat are the following: Obvious distress, staggering, heavy panting to eventually struggling to breathe, excessive drooling, vomiting, glassy eyes, dark red to blue or purple gums and tongue, collapse, seizures, and coma.

If you see a dog in distress in a car we do not have the authority to break into a car according to the law.  Not even a ranger has this authority.

Only the police have this power.  Who knows how long the police would take to get there when it's "only a dog" 

I know what I’d do if it got down to a dog dying an agonizing death in a car......