Dogs Do Die in Hot Cars

Dogs do die in hot cars. And what does it feel like to be inside a hot car without a way out? I wanted to find out.

There’s some sort of law in 29 states on the sides of the animals locked in those hot cars. Still there’s no law to mandate that law enforcement will take a report seriously when an animal is trapped in the car, though that is quickly changing.

While people can sweat off the heat, dogs are restricted to panting, which isn’t an efficient cooling mechanism. Heat stroke can happen easily, particularly in larger dogs. And cars can heat up like ovens.

If you find a pet locked in a hot car, call local law enforcement before breaking a window, unless the animal appears to be in distress. If law enforcement refuses to take your call seriously, or doesn’t show up until after their estimated time of arrival, call back and indicate you now need to break the window to save the pet.