u/CinemaslaveJoe

Everyone already knows this, but it is officially way too hot to leave pets in a car for any amount of time.

Today I saw a dog left alone in a car outside Ulta/Trader Joe’s on Wake Forest Road. The dog was panting heavily, and from the time I first noticed him, he was in the car for at least 10 minutes. It was 85 degrees outside and car parked in the sun. I eventually called the non-emergency line. Unfortunately, by the time animal control arrived, the owner had already left.

I’m not a confrontational person, at all, but i walked up to her as she pulled out and told her it was too hot for her dog to be left in the car. She was just like, “He’s fine, he’s fine i promise” ….and claimed she had only been inside for about five minutes….

maybe I should have called the police instead. I hesitated because I didn’t want to overreact, but if the owner hadn’t come back before animal control arrived, the situation could have become much more worse- it took like 15 minutes for them to come.

For what it’s worth, my estimate of 10 minutes was based only on when I first noticed the dog. I had already come out of the store and was making a grocery list on my phone before the dog caught my attention, so I don’t even know how much longer than 10 minutes it was.

Anyways. A car can heat up to more than 100 degrees in just 10 minutes when the temp is 85. Don’t be that person!!!