The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Dog in Hot Car The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Dog in Hot Car
Showing posts with label Dog in Hot Car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dog in Hot Car. Show all posts

Friday, April 21, 2017

USDA: We Want The "Right To Rescue" Pets From Hot Cars


Urge the USDA to amend the Animal Welfare Act, allowing concerned bystanders to rescue endangered pets from locked cars.

As summer temperatures rise, so do the number of beloved pets lost to vehicular heat stroke. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), that number reaches the hundreds every year.

This isn't surprising considering that even on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a vehicle can rise to almost 100º F in just 20 minutes — less time than it takes for a grocery store run. That's dangerously hot by any standard, but especially for dogs, who lack the sweat glands we humans have to regulate body temperature.

Most tragically, nearly all of these incidents happen by accident due to simple misjudgments of time or weather.

But recent "Right to Rescue" laws in Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida, and Ohio are creating a safety net. In these states, concerned bystanders can now forcefully break into locked vehicles to free trapped dogs (and kids) without facing civil liability. We think it's high time the rest of the country followed suit!

To read more on this story, click here: USDA: We Want The "Right To Rescue" Pets From Hot Cars

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Monday, September 26, 2016

Californians Who See an Animal Trapped in a Hot Car Can Now Break a Window


Sacramento, California  - Californians who see an animal trapped in a hot car can now break a window to set them free without fear of prosecution under a bill signed over the weekend by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Rescuers can break into the car as long as there is no other way to free the animal, for instance if the animal appears to be in peril, the car is locked and law enforcement is not arriving quickly enough.

The rescuer must stay at the scene until law enforcement respond to the situation.

The bill was introduced after a series of incidents in which dogs died after being left in closed cars on hot days. Many of those cases have led to criminal charges.

CBS San Francisco reports Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang co-sponsored the so-called “hot dog” bill.

To see how a dog would feel, Chang and the other politicians behind the bill locked themselves in a car without air conditioning on a hot day.

After just eight minutes, the politicians couldn’t take the heat.

“We need to highlight the point that we are cooling down by sweating and dogs can’t sweat. A dog would be dead by now,” Chang said.


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Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Starting This Summer, Wisconsin Has Made it Legal to Bust Dogs Out of Hot Cars


In Wisconsin, starting this summer, good Samaritans who see dogs — and kids — trapped in hot cars can bust them out, without facing civil liability.

California, New York, and Massachusetts lawmakers are currently considering similar bills.

Wisconsin’s law — like those in the other states — allows concerned bystanders to take a hammer to a car window only under certain conditions: You’ve got to have a good faith belief that the pet or child is in danger. “Forcible entry” must be required — in other words, make sure the car door isn’t unlocked. You must call 911 or let law enforcement know what you’re about to do.

And then you’ve either got to stick around until the owner or the cops arrive, or leave a note on the windshield about who you are and what you did.

This law was signed by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker last November. As Milwaukee public radio station WUWM noted in a recent story, this is the first summer that the law has been in effect.

“I wonder whether or not in the 25 cases where children died last year, or hundreds, if not thousands of cases where pets died last year, whether or not people saw it happening but they didn’t think that was their business or their call or didn’t want to get in trouble damaging the property,” one of the bill’s co-authors, Reps. Tod Ohnstad, told the station.

We’re going to go ahead and editorialize here: This law is really great. We’d like to see the other 46 states adopt their own versions of it. (Let your state lawmakers know if you’d like that, too.)

“Laws like this increase bandwidth of first response agencies and even better rely on community members to help each other out in crisis. Most people who leave a pet in a hot car do not do so out of malice, and never expect their ‘quick errand’ to result in tragedy,” said Cory Smith, the Humane Society of the United States’ director of public policy for companion animals. “These Good Samaritan laws can prevent tragedies for people and pets.”

It’d be even better if no one had to use their hammer, legal or no. When it’s hot out, don’t leave your dog in a car —
for pete’s sake, leave your dog at home.



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Monday, March 21, 2016

Good Samaritans Bust Dogs Out Of Hot Cars: House Bill 131 Unanimously Passed Both Florida’s House and Senate


Three woofs for Florida, which just became the second state in the country to make it legal for good samaritans to bust unattended pets out of hot cars. 

Tennessee was the first state with such a law. It went into effect last summer.

House Bill 131 unanimously passed both Florida’s House and Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott last week.

The law, which is now in effect, makes folks who rescue pets immune from civil liability for damage the vehicle endures in the course of the rescue. (This immunity also now applies to the rescue of “vulnerable persons,” like kids and adults with mental or physical impairments.)

You can’t go around swinging a hammer willy nilly, though. To comply with the law, a would-be rescuer has to first alert the authorities, and stay with the rescued pet (or person) until law enforcement or first responders arrive. You also have to check and make sure the car isn’t unlocked before breaking windows.

We have no solid data on how many pets die every year after being left in cars. The American Veterinary Medical Association puts the figure at “hundreds” — and gives a stark warning about how quickly a car can get perilously hot:

The temperature inside your vehicle can rise almost 20º F in just 10 minutes. In 20 minutes, it can rise almost 30º F…and the longer you wait, the higher it goes. At 60 minutes, the temperature in your vehicle can be more than 40 degrees higher than the outside temperature. Even on a 70-degree day, that’s 110 degrees inside your vehicle!
Your vehicle can quickly reach a temperature that puts your pet at risk of serious illness and even death, even on a day that doesn’t seem hot to you. And cracking the windows makes no difference.

Lora Dunn, an attorney with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, tells BarkPost that she hopes other states in this pet-loving country will follow Florida and Tennessee’s lead.
“The Animal Legal Defense Fund applauds Florida for empowering citizens to help animals trapped in a hot car from this immediate danger if law enforcement has also been notified of the situation We encourage other states to follow the example of Florida and Tennessee and help save animals’ lives.”

For those outside of Tennessee or Florida: If you’re concerned about a pet — or person — you see left in a vehicle, and want to stay within the bounds of the law, call 911.

And be sure to bark loudly at your state lawmakers if you want to see a law like this one enacted in your state.

Here’s a frightening (but not graphic) video to bring those points home:





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Sunday, July 12, 2015

Is It Against the Law to Leave a Dog Unattended in a Hot Car? Do You Know the Law for Your State?


Although animal cruelty, neglect, endangerment, and abuse in a variety of forms are illegal in all 50 states, in varying degrees that can earn the offender a simple citation all the way up to a felony charge, only 16 of those states have laws on the books specifically prohibit leaving an animal locked inside a hot car.

Of all fifty states, only Arizona, California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia have state statutes in place that protect dogs specifically from being trapped in cars.

In the 16 states named above, although it is illegal to leave a dog unattended, it is also unlawful for a concerned citizen to take matters into their own hands.

Of the 16 states that make it illegal to leave a dog in a parked car, only 14 grant permission to either law enforcement, animal control, or other authorized personnel to enter a vehicle.

In New Jersey and West Virginia, although it is illegal to leave a dog trapped in a hot car, no one, not even law enforcement officers, are granted the authority to break into the vehicle to save the dog from dying.

What about those other 34 states?

Although the remaining 34 states may not have laws that specifically make it illegal to leave a dog (or other animal) unattended in a vehicle, all 50 states have laws in place to protect animals from abuse, neglect, and cruelty.

It can be argued that a dog left unattended in a parked car, without protection from extreme heat (or cold), that is suffering or showing signs of distress, is the victim of cruelty.

In other words, even though a dog owner may reside in one of the 34 states without specific laws to protect dogs in hot cars, they can be (and very often are) charged with animal cruelty for doing so.

Additionally, although state laws may not specifically address dogs trapped in hot cars, many county and municipal laws do address the issue. Check with your own city and county to be sure of the exact laws in your area.

So what is a concerned animal lover that spots a dog suffering inside a hot car supposed to do?

Currently, there are zero states that grant legal permission to concerned citizens to break and enter a vehicle to save a distressed animal.

If you see a dog in a parked car, no matter which state or what that state’s laws provide for:

1. Make every reasonable effort possible to locate the dog’s owner.

2. Call local police and animal control and report the incident.

3. Remain with the dog until help arrives.

4. If the dog is in imminent danger and help has not yet arrived, you’ll have to use your own judgement, considering the possible legal ramifications of breaking and entering to save the dog.

Many of us would happily face criminal charges, fines, and possible jail time if it meant saving the life of a dog.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Army Veteran Who Says He Broke a Car Window to Save a Dog Inside Has Had the Charges Against Him Dropped


Oconee County, Ga. - Michael Hammons said when he heard a dog was in distress, he jumped into action. The tiny, Pomeranian-mix was left inside a hot car, with no water, in an Athens shopping center.

Hammons said he grabbed the foot rest of his wife's wheelchair and smashed the windows of the car to get the dog out.

When the dog's owner came out of the store, Hammons said she was irate. "She said you broke my window, and I said I did. She says why would you do that? I said to save your dog." said Hammons.

Oconee County authorities said the owner of the car insisted on pressing charges against Hammons. Chief Deputy Lee Weems, said he understands why Hammons did what he did.

"We didn't want to charge him, but he told us he broke the windows and when you have a victim there saying she wants him charged, we had no other choice," said Chief Weems.

 Monday, District Attorney Kenneth W. Mauldin filed a motion dismissing the charges stating that "persecution of this case is not warranted."

Hammons served in Desert Storm. His wife, Saundra, said he battles PTSD and is always the one to come to the rescue in the face of danger.

"He has seen so much, and been through so much, his thing is he's got to save him. 

Michael says I have to save lives because I couldn't save everyone else over there," said Saundra Hammons.

Hammons said despite the arrest and the likelihood he will have to pay for the windows he smashed, he said there's no doubt he'd do it again.

Hammons said "I knew there'd be consequences, but it didn't matter. Glass, they make new glass every day, but they could never replace that dog."The dog's owner was issued a citation from animal control. The citation was for proper care.

PETA announced Wednesday Hammons will be honored with a Compassionate Action Award.

"Every summer, PETA receives dozens of calls about dogs left in hot cars for whom help came too late to save their lives," says PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien. "Rather than be arrested, this man should be applauded for deciding not to stand idly by, but for acting in the best interests of the victim."

There is now a fundraising website for Hammons. Some supporters are calling for the charges to be dropped.

But the Oconee County Sheriff's Office said Hammons not only broke one window on the car, but two. And, while they understand the emotional aspect of what happened, Hammons broke the law.





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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Veteran Breaks Car Window To Save Dog, Owner Has Him Arrested: What Are Your Thoughts?


Athens, Georgia – A man who saved a dog from a hot car wasn't rewarded for his action. Instead, the move landed him behind bars.

"I heard someone say there was a dog in distress in a hot car," said Michael Hammons, a Desert Storm veteran.

Diane Byard said she and a group of shoppers noticed the dog in the Mustang and were waiting on police before Hammons came.

"He says we can't let this dog die, and he starts smashing the windows."

Hammons used his wife's wheelchair leg to smash the window, freeing the dog.
"I've got PTSD, and I've seen enough death and destruction," Hammons said. "And I didn't want anything else to happen if I could prevent it."

Witnesses say when the owner of the car came out of the store, she was furious, and demanded deputies take action.

"We would not have made those charges on our own," said Oconee County Chief Deputy Lee Weems. "The deputies on scene say the owner of the car and of the dog was very insistent that he be charged with criminal trespassing."
The dog's owner told police she had only been gone five minutes.

"It wasn't just five minutes like the lady stated, it was a lot longer," Byard said. "I personally felt the heat in the car; I saw the dog panting. This dog was in distress."

The dog's owner could not be reached for comment Monday.

"If it is 80 degrees outside, within 30 minutes, it will be 114 degrees inside a vehicle, even with the windows cracked," Byard said.

The owner was cited for leaving the dog in the hot car. But without surveillance video, deputies say it is hard to tell how long the dog was actually left in the car.

Georgia state law does allow an individual to break a window to save a child in a hot or cold car, but not a pet. That is something that animal advocates say they are working to change.

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