A couple in Waltham, MA left their 3 year old  french bulldog in a hot car for over a half hour while they were at the shopping mall.  They called the police when they returned to their car  and found she was “limp and unconscious”.

When police arrived at the scene, the dog was taken to Watertown Animal Hospital. Doctors tried to revive her but failed.

A doctor told police that the dog’s temperature was in excess of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body temperature for dogs ranges from 100.5 to 102.5 F.

The couple told the police they took their dog with them because they were afraid she would pee in the house if left home alone.  If you’re not intelligent enough to know to buy your dog a crate rather than putting her in an unattended hot car you should not be allowed to own animals.  Let’s just hope these people don’t have children.

Animal Control Officer Karen O’Reilly said causing an animal to be subjected to unnecessary cruelty or suffering is a felony in Massachusetts, and is punishable by imprisonment for up to two and a half years and a fine of $2,500.

With any luck, this couple will have the next 912 days behind bars to think about that fateful decision.

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There have been recent posts on this subject, however, since we are in the heat of the summer  I think it’s  worth repeating.  Let’s help stop tragedies like this from happening again.

Here’s a good reminder of how important it is not to leave your dog in a hot car.  Even if you’re just doing a quick errand  the temperature can skyrocket after just a few minutes. Parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked does little to alleviate this pressure cooker.

Magistrate Ross Clugston told the court Darragh’s $10,000 greyhound Go Bronco would have suffered “enormous pain” as he lay in the back of a station wagon for about 12 hours between January 12 and 13 this year.

According to the Humane Society “On a warm, sunny day windows collect light, trapping heat inside the vehicle, and pushing the temperature inside to dangerous levels. On an 85-degree Fahrenheit day, for example, the temperature inside a car with the windows opened slightly can reach 102 degrees within ten minutes. After 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120 degrees. At 110 degrees, pets are in danger of heatstroke. On hot and humid days, the temperature in a car parked in direct sunlight can rise more than 30 degrees per minute, and quickly become lethal.”

Darragh left the dog in the car after colliding with a bus on Glebe Point Road as he left the Wentworth Park racing track on the evening of January 12.Mr Clugston said the dog was howling in pain when a passerby discovered him.

The witness managed to force open the car door so he could pour water over the dog, but despite veterinary intervention, Go Bronco died as a result of heat exhaustion and dehydration three days later.

Rebecca Simmons, the Outreach Communications Coordinator for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS,  states “Pets, more so than humans, are susceptible to overheating. While people can roll down windows, turn on the air conditioner or exit the vehicle when they become too hot, pets cannot. And pets are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people are.”

Terry John Darragh, 37, also was ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and was fined $1,000 at Balmain Local Court on Wednesday.

It’s a good thing I’m not a judge.

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This video features some practical, simple ways to keep your pet from getting overheated. A new one to me—and a great idea—is rubbing aloe vera gel or Vitamin E oil on a dog’s foot pads before hitting the hot pavement. And chicken broth ice cubes = genius!

Dr. Eric Barchas, our resident vet, also has some great suggestions over at the Vet Blog.

How do you keep your pooch all chilled out? Post a comment and let us know!

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