Find out the things you can do when you see a dog in a car.
Video credit: The Dodo
A dog owner from the UK has shared a story to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving your pet in a vehicle.
He witnessed a pup sitting in the passenger’s seat in a distressed condition while steam was coming out of its fur.
It was during winter so you can just imagine what’d happen to a dog if you leave it unattended in a hot car in the summer.
In a study conducted by confused.com, 44 per cent of dog-owners admitted having left their pet friends unattended in a car on a hot day.
Out of those owners who admitted leaving their dog, 70 per cent said they returned after an average of eight minutes, which is enough time for the temperature to rise to extreme levels in a car.
The temperature of a vehicle increases from 24C heat to 34C within just 10 minutes of standing in the sunlight, and a sweltering 43C after just 30 minutes.
“A dog trapped inside can succumb to heatstroke in mere minutes, even if the vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open,” Animal rights charity PETA says.
The problem becomes worse when the passers-by don’t know what to do after spotting a dog alone in a hot car.
Some people try to find the owner, some smash the window, some call the police, or some try to do more than one of the things mentioned above.
Also in another study by confused.com, it was found that around three million people (or 8 per cent) did nothing when they saw a dog left in a hot car.
In a social experiment conducted by the comparison site, only four out of hundreds of people tried to help out a fake dog locked in a vehicle at 28C heat.
Around 22 per cent people (or one in five) said they didn’t stop because they didn’t know it was dangerous.
The RSPCA suggests calling the police to help rescue a dog locked in a hot car.
“In an emergency, it is best to dial 999 and report a dog in a hot car to police,” the charity says. “The RSPCA may not be able to attend quickly enough and, with no powers of entry, we’d need police assistance at such an incident.
“If the animal is displaying any sign of heatstroke – such as panting heavily, drooling excessively, is lethargic or uncoordinated, or collapsed and vomiting – call 999 immediately.”
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