Imagine what it is like to sit in a very hot car with the window just cracked.
Now imagine what it's like to sit in a very hot car, the window is cracked just a bit, you cannot get out and you're wearing a fur coat. How would you feel?
Thousands of animals will die this year or be injured by heatstroke and heat exhaustion from being locked in vehicles.
The myth stubbornly persists that it is safe and acceptable to leave an animal parked in a vehicle with the windows rolled down during the warmer spring days and the hot days of summer. It is not acceptable. It's cruel and can be considered a criminal act.
Animal cruelty in Delaware can be treated as a class A misdemeanor or as a class F felony, depending on the severity of the crime. Someone convicted on a felony charge is forbidden from owning an animal for 15 years with some exceptions. According to The Humane Society of the United States, the maximum fine is $5000 and maximum jail time is three years.
Other states, such as Indiana and Kansas, require convicted offenders to have mandatory psychological counseling or anger management counseling. Some states have much more stringent laws than others and treat animal cruelty as a felony, not allowing for any misdemeanor charges.
It is never safe to leave an animal alone in a car in hot weather - windows rolled down or not. Never.
Dogs and cats have two ways of cooling themselves: panting and sweating through their paws. But it's not enough when confined in a vehicle, which is, in essence, a big metal box. Metal conducts heat. Too much heat can cause irreparable damage or kill.
If you see an animal locked in a car during these warm summer days, get the make and model of the car, its colour, location and call the local police. Be prepared to be polite yet firm with the dispatcher, who may think it less of a priority. That has happened.
Often animals will be locked in a car parked in grocery store parking lots. If it appears by the vehicle's location that the owner could be in the grocery store, talk to the manager and ask if he will make an announcement in order to locate the owner.
The hotter the day the less time the animal has before it begins to suffer.
Every moment counts. An animal's life may depend on you.
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