Pets in Locked Cars

[johnmiic]

This has got me really steamed. I went to an art store in Long Island NY yesterday and when I came out someone had parked next to me and left their 2 dogs in the car all locked up and none of the windows were opened even a crack to let air in. it's not summer, I know, but to not even leave any window open a crack just seems heartless to me.

I wrote a note and left it under their wiper that said I thought it was illegal to leave pets and/or children alone in a car at all. They shouldn't do it because even in cold weather the temperature in the car can get very high. If they got caught they could get in big trouble with the police.

It bugged me so much that when I saw some cop cars at the other side of the parking lot and I just couldn't leave it at that. I drove up to them but the cops were not in their cars. They must be in the store they parked in front of. So I went around the parking lot to see if the owner of the car had come back and they had. It was sopme guy and he was backing out of the spot and leaving. I circled around and drove past the spot and saw thre note on the floor. The guy may have read it but threw it away. I don't think he took it seriously. He will probably do this again.

[Adam West]

I think it's strange that people drive around with their pets to begin with unless they are taking them somewhere.

We have taken our dog with us on vacation a few times and when we do, I always park in a shaded area and take her out of the car to stretch her legs, relieve herself and get some water if we are stopping for a quick bite to eat or something.

Is leaving your dog in a locked car illegal in all states or only some? I see it all the time around here so I wasn't sure if they were actually breaking the law or doing something stupid.

[mitchedwards]

Now that its moderate temps outside, my dog usually accompanies me on the weekends as I do my shopping etc... She loves it.

If its bitter cold or blazing hot, she stays home.

[Sideshow Spock]

It probably was a bit of an overreaction on your part. You're in NYS, and the temp was what, 30? 40 at most? Even if there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating down (which also isn't as bad in the winter cuz the sun doesn't get that high in the sky), I doubt the temp in the car would get high enough to endanger the animal. And unless the dog was in there for many many hours, the lack of fresh air also wouldn't be a big deal.

Totally a different story in the warmer months tho. I wouldn't hesitate to contact police if I saw the same thing during that time, and I appreciate your heart being in the right place.

[txteach]

I totally agree with you and wanted to add I hate when someone locks a vicious dog in a car and when you step out of your car they go wild trying to break out. No animal needs to be riding in a car unless they are coming from the vet. It's cruel to the animal.

[Sideshow Spock]

I was walking into a TRU a couple weeks ago, and walked by a van that was parked in the fire lane right next to the entrance. I took no heed of it whatsoever and was lost in my own thoughts, but when I walked past it, a small dog shot viciously halfway out the passenger window at me, savagely barking like a maniac. It probably came within a foot of me. I'm not prone to being surprised like that, but I jumped a mile and practically had a heart attack. I kept on walking, but spouted a string of expletives that I'm sure the rotund individual sitting in the driver's seat heard.

[toys2cool]

It really upsets me when I see that,here in Miami it happens a lot and with the Heat the way it is...it's just cruel

[MegoGeekJr]

I hate it when animals are treated crually!!
I hate those shock collars, those camps where they sell poor mistreated animals!!

Whenever I take my dog to go shopping, I take him to pet stores and if my mom goes to wal-mart or something, I stay with my dog, Mego.

[thunderbolt]

Its illegal in FLA no matter the temp for dogs and kids, but it happens a bunch anyway. Usually with kids, and the parent is in a bar or something stupid.

[Adam West]

I hate it when animals are treated crually!!
I hate those shock collars, those camps where they sell poor mistreated animals!!

Whenever I take my dog to go shopping, I take him to pet stores and if my mom goes to wal-mart or something, I stay with my dog, Mego.

Please clarify what you mean by a shock collar. Are you referring to the Invisible fence collars because I do have one if that's what you are talking about. I love my dog and take her for walks frequently. However, we decided not to fence our yard in but needed to do something so our dog could go outside without worrying about her leaving our yard. We have 1/2 acre of land so there is a lot of room for her to spend time in our back yard without feeling confined.

We have hardly had a problem with the collar. We trained our dog for weeks with visible flags so she would learn where the boundaries of our yard were. Basically when she gets close to the line, a verbal warning signal goes off. If she continues through the line, it will send a shock...uncomfortable but not excruciatinly painful. If she still continues, the level of shock intensifies through the middle of the fence. I personally took her collar, held it in the palm of my hand and walked through the fence because I wanted to see how painful it really is. Yes it hurts but just enough to dissuade her from leaving the yard and it does give the verbal warning signal when you get close enough to the fence. We've had the fence for a few years and aside from a couple of incidents at the beginning when she bolted right through the fence, she doesn't go close to the boundaries and has not been shocked by the collar.

[palitoy]

A casino (room full of slot machines) opened up a few blocks from my house recently and I think I read about children being locked in cars on a weekly basis. Punishment for this should include an open handed slap upside the head.

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

My dog comes with me everywhere. She loves travelling in the car, and is happy to wait for me outside the shops and places she can't go in. Occasionally I leave her in the car in very cool weather, but I have special grills to go in the windows to allow air flow.

[Bill]

Dogs are dogs and children are children. I love my dogs, but they're not my kids. Dogs in seatbelts or carseats, dogs in strollers, dogs in carry bags, that stuff weirds me out.
I don't much care for the dog in a car deal, but if it ain't worth breaking the window and getting them out then it's not so bad.
Weird thing here in Florida, not so much around me but out near my mom's place in central Florida the thing to do is train your pitbull to sit on the toolbox of your truck. Locks seem cheaper, but less macho...