Don't Make Hot Dogs in Your Car

The weather has been hot and humid and police have already received two complaints of dogs being left in vehicles unattended.

"We understand you meant to be kind in taking your dog with you today, but you could be risking your animal's life," Monroe Animal Control Officer Ed Risko said. "On a hot day, the inside of a car heats very quickly. On an 85-degree day, for example, the temperature in your car, with the windows slightly opened, will reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes it will go up to 120 degrees. Obviously on warmer days it will go even higher."

Risko said a dog's normal body temperature is 101.5 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

"A dog can withstand a body temperature of 107-108 degrees for only a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage or even death," Risko said. "The closed car interferes with the dog's normal cooling process, that is, evaporation through panting."

If your dog is overcome by heat exhaustion, Risko said to give immediate first aid by gradually immersing your pet in cold water, if possible, until the body temperature is lowered."

If that is not possible, then spray your dog with cold water from a garden hose and apply ice packs to the head and neck, according to Risko.

"Above all, treat the animal promptly and take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible," he said.

Alleged Cruelty

On June 16, a dog owner was given a verbal warning for animal cruelty for leaving his dog inside his pickup truck in the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library parking lot at around 12:05 p.m. Police said the dog was okay.

Then on June 20, a Shelton woman was issued a complaint advisory notice for cruelty after leaving her dog inside her car in the Stop & Shop parking lot on Monroe Turnpike after someone complained at around 1:40 p.m.

When an officer could not find her car in the lot, he went to her home in Shelton. The woman told the officer she only left for five minutes with the engine running and the air conditioning on for her dog. Police said the outside temperature was 95 degrees.

Risko urges people not to ever leave their dog alone in the car on hot days, because he said that even with the air conditioning on the engine could stall out or a malfunction could shut off the cool air.

Cruelty to animals is under Section 53-247 of the Connecticut General Statutes. Most offenses could lead to a fine no higher than $1,000, a prison term of not more than a year or both.

The highest offense is for someone who "maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures or kills an animal" and it could lead to a fine of no more than $5,000, a prison term of no more than five years or both.