Many people still believe that it's ok to leave a dog in a car on a warm day if the windows are left open or they're parked in the shade, but the truth is, it's still a very dangerous situation for the dog. A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm. When it's 22 degrees centigrade outside, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.[RSPCA]
Temperatures quickly soar to heat advisory levels even on a moderately warm day. [Temperature Table] Dogs cannot cool themselves in the same way as humans. The recent UK heat wave has resulted in a number of poor animals being literally boiled alive in cars.
In one particularly well publicised event, the dog's owners left it in the car park while they visited Ikea for four hours (in Spain). It's absolutely unforgivable to allow an animal to suffer like this. This law will help save the fated animals by making their owners realise that leaving their dogs in cars on a warm day is negligent.
Not only do they die, they are tortured. It must stop. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that people have a duty of care to meet the needs of their pets and prevent suffering.
If dogs are "man's best friend", shouldn't we treat them as such?
Please sign now to tell DEFRA — the government body responsible for animal welfare — to enact a law to stop people leaving dogs in hot cars.
