Dogs die in hot cars

One beautiful spring day, in the car on the way back from a lovely walk on the downs with your dog, you realise you’ve run out of milk. You decide to pop into the local shop to buy a pint – it’ll only take a couple of minutes after all. You leave your dog in the car and open the window and sunroof a couple of inches to let in some fresh air.

While you’re in there, you bump into an old friend and have a quick chat, not more than 5 minutes, then queue up to pay for the milk – annoyingly the till roll needs changing and you are kept waiting a couple more minutes.

Meanwhile, the fairly mild temperature outside your car has increased to an unbearable level inside. The heat is trapped, despite the window and sunroof being open. The car has become a greenhouse and your dog, in his fur coat, is by now dangerously overheated. The open window and sun roof has not helped at all and your dog is becoming severely dehydrated. You arrive back at the car just in time to avoid disaster and your dog’s untimely death, but have to rush to your vet’s immediately to have your dog treated for heat stroke.

The few minutes you were in the shop were almost fatal for your dog.

Our advice is clear: NEVER, EVER leave your dog in a parked car on a warm day, even if the temperature outside is fairly mild and you have left windows and/or the sun roof open – it is simply not enough to keep your dog cool. The temperature inside the car will rise astonishingly quickly and you could return just a few minutes later to find your dog very ill or even dead.

If you come across a dog left in a parked car, call the police on 999. They can break into the car if necessary. Anyone who is caught causing their dog distress, illness or death by leaving them in a locked car will face prosecution.