Heat can be deadly for pets
PET BULLETIN
‘Mews and Yips’ from the Central Aroostook Humane Society
By Gail Wieder
The generosity of one of our “Friends” members, Jill Doucette, really made our day last week.
Jill is the owner of Aroostook Photo Services, and to celebrate her 10th year in business, she donated all the proceeds from her first photography class, $725, to the Central Aroostook Humane Society. She is launching the Aroostook Photo University, which is a series of classes to educate Aroostook County residents about the basics of photography.
She will be holding future classes with the proceeds going to other local charities. We truly appreciate her support for the homeless pets of Aroostook County.
Well, folks, it is the time of year again when some of us notice that an animal is in a car and the windows are rolled down an inch or two. It is extremely hot out and twice as hot in the car. This is one of my biggest “pet” peeves. I see this too often, and I am torn with what to do.
If the animal is in distress, I would call the police immediately! Sometimes I have sat and timed the person, waiting for them to come out, or just sat and kept an eye on the animal. This is very distressing for me; should I call the authorities? What would you do? I am sure there are others out there with the same question.
The inside of a closed up car can reach deadly temperatures, even with the windows partway down. You may mean well by taking the animal with you; you’re only going to be a minute inside the store, just long enough to pick up bread and milk. But what happens if you get delayed, the store is busy, you meet an old friend and before you know it, you lose track of time with your pet still in the hot car?
Even when parked in the shade an animal can succumb to heatstroke or even death if left unattended.
Heat coming through the windows is absorbed by the interior and the glass acts as an insulator. The temperature in your car can get up to 200 degrees depending on the temp outside and the kind of vehicle you have and also how long it has been in the sun. Leaving an animal in a car is dangerous, deadly and illegal.
In June 2011 a bill was passed, “An Act to Improve the Protection of Animals.” This bill offers better protection for animals in distress left in enclosed vehicles, especially important this time of year.
Now, in addition to animal control officers, police officers and humane agents, firefighters, first-responders and even licensed security guards will be able to remove a distressed animal from a motor vehicle. This is important, because often, animal control officers cover more than one town or only work part time, resulting in a delayed response time that can be deadly for a dog or any animal locked in a hot vehicle.
A study by the Animal Protection Institute showed that even moderately warm temperatures outside can quickly lead to deadly temps inside a closed vehicle. Please report pets in a hot car to the police immediately.
If you are looking for that special four-legged friend to add to your family, please stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society at 26 Cross Street Tuesday through Saturday, 10-4, closing for lunch 12-12:30. Or check us out on Petfinders.com and Facebook.
Gail Wieder is a board member at the CA Humane Society.
