Every spring and summer there are many well-meaning animal lovers who leave their (primarily) dogs in vehicles while they shop or run errands without realizing that their beloved pet may end up suffering — or even dying — due to the effects of heatstroke. Most people don’t know that even on mild days, with temperatures in the low to mid-70’s, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly reach 100 degrees. In warmer, 85-degree weather, temperatures can reach 120 degrees within a half hour, even if a car window is left open a crack.
Leaving animals unattended in a vehicle on a warm or hot day is not only unsafe, it’s also illegal. Leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably cause suffering, disability, or death is a crime that carries with it up to six months in jail in L.A. (Penal Code 597.7).